Rebuilding my Jaguar

The following is a photographic record of the rebuild and customization of my Series 1 Jaguar.  The short wheel base car was originally a v12 purchased with a blown motor.  The cost of rebuilding the motor was more than I was prepared to pay so I purchased a Series 3 write off and used the running train and upholstery.

The first job was to completely dismantle the car and remove all paint and body-proofing and clean the metal ready for respraying.

Mine is the blue on but would soon end up like the one in front.  In order to be able to get to the under-body, I built a rack which bolted to the chassis and allowed me to turn the body on its side.

That's me stripping the proof-cote from the floor pans.  The only rust in the vehicle was in the sill panels so I had some new ones manufactured by a sheet metal workshop which I welded on.

Stripping the car was easy, but putting it back together after it was painted was another story.  Every nut, bolt, screw and washer was cad plated.  All of the suspension parts were powder coated and then carefully re-assembled.

The motor was left as it was apart from detailing, polishing the cam covers and chrome plating some items.

I purchased a after market set of front and rear skirts and I changed the taillights to the Series 3 units.  The same applied to the bonnet and grille which I had black chromed.

Sadly, not long after I had completed the project, my marriage came to an end and I had to sell the car so unfortunately this is the best photo I have of the finished project.