Things have been nuts here lately – we’re buried in the shop and I seem to be buried at home too, so I’m WAY behind on blogging (as usual…). So here are some photos of a set of 1969 doors (you guys have told me you only care about the pictures anyway!)
-
- Starting Point.
-
- These had actually been modified to accept some other crazy squarish door handle! ???
-
- Series 2 has the inside handle down low, so the lower oblong hole has that funky shape…
-
- Hardware store epoxy was CAKED into the lower sections of these doors.
-
- The E-Type’s nemesis – the dent puller…
-
- Stripped down and ready to be built up – this is all we save from the typical door.
-
- That surface rust is minimal – these shells are excellent to build up from.
-
- New skins have been stripped of their “shipping primer”
-
- Completed LH door – we reproduced that same funky shape because it’s there for a reason – even if it does look weird…
-
- Drip channels have been restored and re-attached with rivets and brazing – as per the factory.
-
- We always make sure any repairs to the shut-face are seamless.
-
- Restored passenger door – at least it’s the passenger door here in the states! The drip channels at the bottom are sandblasted originals from other doors, so they were coated in red oxide.
-
- RH drip channel.
-
- Completed and ready for pickup – for now they are resting on the bonnet of this Series 1.5 2+2 – on an old sleeping bag…
-
- On the left is a mid-year Series 1 drip tray – early 3.8’s do not have tha little dog-leg. Around 1968, ethy went to the curved design. I just picture this engineer guy working at Jaguar getting more and more agitated because people keep complaining about water coming in, and he just keep saying, “OK – I’ll add more then!” But this final design on the right goes too far, because it very often is all bent and gouged where it has been interfering with the windshield pillar!
-
- I didn’t take alot of photos of these doors – here’s one of the few photos taken during the restoration.
