Before after rebuilds
Discussion
I restored this over a period of about nine years. It was mine back in the eighties, sold it when it was too far gone for me to restore, bought it back when I'd got a better shed and it had deteriorated a bit further.
Interior before:
Interior after - seats are the same ones cleaned up, dash and steering wheel the same, new carpets though.
Most of the time was welding, it was quite rotten. Only just noticed the "after" photo has the steering wheel centre missing.
Interior before:
Interior after - seats are the same ones cleaned up, dash and steering wheel the same, new carpets though.
Most of the time was welding, it was quite rotten. Only just noticed the "after" photo has the steering wheel centre missing.
droopsnoot said:
I restored this over a period of about nine years. It was mine back in the eighties, sold it when it was too far gone for me to restore, bought it back when I'd got a better shed and it had deteriorated a bit further.
Interior before:
Interior after - seats are the same ones cleaned up, dash and steering wheel the same, new carpets though.
Most of the time was welding, it was quite rotten. Only just noticed the "after" photo has the steering wheel centre missing.
That's incredible. Did you take 9 years off work?Interior before:
Interior after - seats are the same ones cleaned up, dash and steering wheel the same, new carpets though.
Most of the time was welding, it was quite rotten. Only just noticed the "after" photo has the steering wheel centre missing.
Bought my E-Type in ‘94 when I was still at uni. Saved all my year in industry money to buy it. It had been stripped, and the body repaired (straight, no rust - that’s what I wanted it). No bonnet, wrong engine, and all components were unrestored, in boxes:
It took c. 8 years of more saving, and a lot of work (total including initial purchase, of c. £25k), to get to this:
I did all the work myself, apart from body painting and bonnet fitting. It’s not been used much recently, but when it is driven, it is very satisfying to know I did it. This year should see it back on the road after some minor fettling of things like carbs and distributor, which I couldn’t afford to have professionally rebuilt 20 years ago.
It took c. 8 years of more saving, and a lot of work (total including initial purchase, of c. £25k), to get to this:
I did all the work myself, apart from body painting and bonnet fitting. It’s not been used much recently, but when it is driven, it is very satisfying to know I did it. This year should see it back on the road after some minor fettling of things like carbs and distributor, which I couldn’t afford to have professionally rebuilt 20 years ago.
Jonny TVR said:
Thats a great story and it looks amazing. Your wire wheels look deeper dish than mine. Often thought about upgrading mine.
Thanks, yes they are non-standard wheels (15" x 6.5"), but they still fit without any modifications. With hindsight and experience of driving, I'd be careful of going too far with tyre width - it really increases steering wheel effort at parking speeds, and apart from looks, I'm not sure it really gains you anything for real-world driving.dr_gn said:
Thanks, yes they are non-standard wheels (15" x 6.5"), but they still fit without any modifications. With hindsight and experience of driving, I'd be careful of going too far with tyre width - it really increases steering wheel effort at parking speeds, and apart from looks, I'm not sure it really gains you anything for real-world driving.
Its funny you should say that .. I hired one before buying years ago and it had wide tyres on it and I really struggled to like it as a result. As long as I drive in a straight line I will be OK!
Edited by Jonny TVR on Friday 15th January 09:10
Jonny TVR said:
dr_gn said:
Thanks, yes they are non-standard wheels (15" x 6.5"), but they still fit without any modifications. With hindsight and experience of driving, I'd be careful of going too far with tyre width - it really increases steering wheel effort at parking speeds, and apart from looks, I'm not sure it really gains you anything for real-world driving.
Its funny you should say that .. I hired one before buying years ago and it had wide tyres on it and I really struggled to like it as a result. As long as I drive in a straight line I will be OK!Edited by Jonny TVR on Friday 15th January 09:10
It has to be said though that considering how old it is, the E-Type is a fairly nice car to drive in terms of comfort vs handling.
dr_gn said:
Yup.
It has to be said though that considering how old it is, the E-Type is a fairly nice car to drive in terms of comfort vs handling.
It certainly is. Its a very comfortable GT. Mine is helped by the mods below. It has to be said though that considering how old it is, the E-Type is a fairly nice car to drive in terms of comfort vs handling.
Adjustable alloy dampers Uprated torsion bars
Uprated front anti roll bar Quick rack (all that is available new)
Hard rack mounts Polly suspension bushes
Vented front disks 4 piston front callipers
Uprated rear brake callipers Sealed for life front ball joints
5 speed gearbox Stainless braided brake hoses
Multi V alternator belt Modern rear crank seal
Braided cam shaft oil feed pipe Solid state voltage regulator
Gas strut on bonnet Adjustable reaction plate
Electronic ignition system Thermo acoustic insulation
Remote rear brake bleed screws High torque starter motor
Cable throttle linkage LED interior and map light
DAB Radio Stainless steel exhaust
Stainless steel heater return pipe Copper heater pipes (in bulkhead)
Uprated heater fan motor Stainless steel hose clips throughout
Aluminium radiator Pedal operated brake light switch
Electronic fuel pump Uprated heater matrix
Uprated radiator fan motors Modern thermostat switch
Intermittent wiper control Hazard light function
Fuel pressure regulator Battery cut off switch
Ethanol proof fuel hoses
Johnspex said:
That's incredible. Did you take 9 years off work?
Cheers. A lot of it was evenings and weekends, then about three years in I switch to being self-employed, so could do afternoons on it as well. Still took longer than I'd hoped it would, but everything I took off revealed more rust behind it. If you want all the gory details I did a thread on our club forum, but it's a long read: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/droopsnootgroup/sp...uk66fastback said:
How did you restore that seat material so it looks as good as it does - it looks way past it in the before photo ... how did you clean it up?
Fortunately it looked worse than it was, some of it brushed off. I took the seat covers off and individually washed them in a big bucket, then took an old nail brush (old one so it isn't too stiff) to get any stubborn dirt off them. There is still work to be done - it has faded quite badly and the vinyl is a bit ripped in places (you can just see on the drivers seat where it joins the centre) - but after all that time I really just wanted to get it back on the road.Edited by droopsnoot on Friday 15th January 10:44
Edited by droopsnoot on Friday 15th January 10:46
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