2010-02-19 14:33:09 | John S. writes:

Ok, where do start. I guess I'm technically the "first" owner as my father purchased this car new and we have the same name and it certainly was never sold. It was meticulously maintained and driven until 1987, when it was parked in a warehouse and sat in storage until 2007. I took receipt of car, title and then flat bedded to a restoration shop for evaluation and getting on the list for an overall rehab.

The evaluation was very good. I had a very early E-Type Series III V12 2+2 Auto w/AC which it is suspected was the very first V12 in the State of Ohio. It was extremely clean with no rust anywhere and was just in need of some refreshing. So I agreed to move forward with a long list to create "a very nice driver".

This past winter 2009-2010 this became the project car.

1. Engine redo. Not a rebuild but we pulled engine, transmission, all gaskets/seals, rebuilt: carbs, water pump, new high tech aluminum radiator, replaced any and everything rubber. Goal no leaks.
2. With engine out refreshed and painted engine compartment and frame.
3. New Fuel pump, redo fuel tank.
4. Conversion from automatic to authentic Jag 4 speed manual. New brake, clutch reservoirs, tubing petal, etc
5. Rebuilt all front & back suspension. New everything, springs, shocks.
6. Rebuilt all brakes, new lines everywhere.
7. Rebuilt steering rack, leaking big time.
8. Converted to wire wheel package. New hubs, rims, etc.
9. Rebuilt Differential, reseal output shafts, etc
10. Redo AC Compressor and dryer hoses

So the mechanical is now complete. We should be good for another 39 years, less wear and tear

I'm currently having the interior redone. New leather on the seats, new carpeting, new headliner, new sills and door panels, all back area vinyl are being dyed to match new leather seats, the dash is being redone. New console to support the manual gear shift. This has been a lot of compromise, as the original "biscuit" color is really not available for the carpeting and tying everything together you have to choose something that is not as close as you would like.
For the exterior, all the rubber has been replaced, so all that is left is a paint job, and maybe some chrome work, which will have to wait until my pocket book can afford it. Enjoy the work in progress pictures. Once the weather is nice I’ll shoot some “Finished” shots for the record.

2012-08-03 10:36:53 | John S. writes:

Time for an update. We have enjoyed our Driver for the last 2+ years and the paint has finally decided to breakdown. I guess after 41 years a paint job is in order.

So after the last Slalom and Concours event of 2012 end of September I'm thinking the car goes in for a complete redo, down to metal. I'm expecting to be without her for 10 months. I'm sure we will find things that are "surprises". When I hopefully get her back, I will post some nice pictures.

The Chrome estimates choked me, but if I want her to hold up for another 40, I guess we do it right.

2014-07-28 11:17:41 | John S writes:

So it has been a couple of years. Here is the latest.

We did go forward with down to bare metal redo of the body. Like everyone else we speak to, we found alot more rot than expected which pushed the project into the 1 yr time frame.

After rebuilding the rear quarter panels both inside and out, and the rockers, we found the boot was rotted under the fuel tank and to really keep it exciting the bottom of the bonnet was shot and need to be replaced. So with a lot more metal work than ever expecting we got the car back late September 2013. No time for any shows this year just some added time to tweek the interior and get ready for the 2014 Concours season.

We are now in full swing of the summer of 2014, we are through 3 concours and currently in 1st place nationally. Car looks better than the day it was delivered and I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment.

I guess an updated photo is called for.

2017-05-02 17:44:21 | John S writes:

Well it's been several years and time for another update on the car.

After the new paint job (down to bare metal) we went on the Concours road show and won 1st place Nationally 2 years in a row for Driven Class. The car stayed a trailer queen for 3 years and that was driving me crazy. So we took our trophies and retired from the circuit. So now to preserve the paint we added a clear bra to the whole bonnet and decided to go work the JCNA to allow clear bra's in the Driven Division of Concours. With a lot of help from many the rules change got approved for the 2017 season. Looking forward to seeing how it is received and judged.

But the real reason for the update is the decision to pull the motor and do some upgrades. As many know, the V12 off the line is kind of a dog. So we have increased the motor from a 5.3L to 6.0L we increased the compression to 11:1 and changed out the crankshaft, new pistons, rods, reworked the heads for more volume and finally switched the Carburetors to 4 x SU's (2"). we already had the SU Kit on the motor which had 1 3/4 " SU's but we could not tune them to get the right mix, after trying many different jet and needle combo's.

In the end we ended up gaining 100+ bhp and over 400 Ft lb of torgue. I have reports off the Dyno showing the overall improvements. What a difference in performance and the throat is just wicked.

We now have one very good looking, wonderful to drive 1971 XKE V12 Coupe 2+2 at the ready for a nice drive.