My name is Craig S. Nelson, US Navy (ret). I am currently a 5th year senior at McPherson College in Kansas and will graduate in May 2016 with a B.S. in Automotive Restoration Technology and a B.S. in Automotive Restoration Management.

I am currently interning at a shop for the summer and started last week. The goal is to finish the electrical and final assembly on a '67 E-Type Series 1.5 with the 4.2L engine. I may periodically post questions to help speed things along. We have various parts books and service manuals.

At the moment, I have no good photos or diagrams for the exact firewall grommet for the speedo cable to pass through. I believe the inner diameter of the grommet should stretch to the diameter of the speedo cable.

The body hole is almost 1.25". If someone would be able to take 1 or 2 pictures of theirs, I would be grateful. Also if there are part supplier recommendations other than Welsh or XK Ltd., I would be happy to look at them too.

I can always be reached at (619) 944-8971 or nelscra@bulldog.mcpherson.edu.

Thanks.

 

SNG Barratt and Martin Robey. Martin Robey concentrate on body parts but have a lot of stuff available. They're UK-based but ship worldwide as do SNG Barratt.

 

Hi Craig,

We have this grommet in stock in our USA branch (1800 452 4787), and a free parts booklet i'm sure you will find helpful.
Feel free to contact us and we can give you dimensions/pictures as required.

Part number C976

 

please show us more pics!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck with the build!

 

Hi Folks,

I'm the owner (sort of, I am actually the adopting father, banker, hopeful future caretaker) of this magnificent car that Craig and his shop of employ are working on.

Craig, SO GLAD you've posted on this remarkable site, great initiative on your behalf.

Let me just say, the car is gorgeous - even though still being assembled - and has been accepted into the Sante Fe Concours this September for it's national debut.

I am attempting to hunt down some of the other bits for the car (hardtop, OH PLEASE find me a hard top! wheels, other stuff) but am really trying to stay out of the way of their work.

So, just wanted to jump in here and issue support and thanks.

Very exciting stuff. The car is actually a very late Series 1, with toggles, 3 carbs, covered lights, 3.23 rear (originally Canadian we believe). Opalescent Silver blue/navy, complete body off/monocoque stripped rebuild over the last 2 years and counting.

 

Sounds very exciting. Keep us posted on the progress, especially the photos. Looks like they may already be doing this, but the restoration shop should keep an ongoing set of photos to document the progress. This will do wonders for the provenance (and value!) of the car. If the covered headlights are original to the car, it's probably not a Series 1.5, nor even a very late 1967, more like a middle 1967. The covered headlights were deleted around 1E145xx (OTS) and 1E341xx (FHC), except for a few later escapees. Your shop may already have it, but I would certainly recommend that they use the JCNA Judging Guide as a restoration authenticity tool:
http://www.jcna.com/sites/default/fi...es/e-type1.pdf
http://www.jcna.com/sites/default/fi...1_5%281%29.pdf (probably not relevant)

And, oh, the original hardtop is not essential. A really well fabricated and installed convertible top (and newly, correctly painted frame work) is much more important. The correct, original hardtop only came in black (no matter the color of the car) and is a bit of a PITA to own. Plus no matter how careful you are with the rubber gasket seals around the bottom perimeter of the hardtop, it always manages to eventually find some way to damage the paint. I sold my hardtop years ago to finance my running restoration costs and do not miss it at all. But YMMV.

 

Thanks for sending! Yes, I had that and had sent it their way, but Craig hadn't seen it, so a big help as he and I spoke this morning.

Far as the hard/soft top issue, I can definitely wait on the hardtop as it appears it won't make the show in Sept anyway. Yet on the soft top...

My car 'may' have been in the later VINs to get a crushed grain vinyl, but I greatly prefer the look of the canvas. Any 'nicks' to points for using canvas? Any particular positives or negatives for either material?

Thanks for any input folks, the excitement is building daily!

 

Unless things have changed recently (it's been 2 seasons since I last judged), on the Series 1 the JCNA is purposely vague on the vinyl/canvas top issue (don't ask, don't tell). The transition point is not well defined. I do know that my 1966 OTS left the factory in Dec 1965 with a vinyl top in place. My car just came out of a bare metal restoration, and I specified a cloth top even if I know that is not "correct" for my car. I don't care. The cloth top looks elegant. The vinyl top looks cheap (which is why Jaguar changed it - saving a few pence on each car).

More to the point on the top, the interior of the top may (or may not) be judged with more rigor. Be sure to refer to the discussion on "Top Frame" on page 20 of the Judging Guide. And be sure to study the discussion of the front license plate carrier in Footnote B on page 22. Sometimes that is a big points trap.