Hello, my name is Steve and I am in Ks. I am working on a friends 69 roadster. I am not familiar with earlier Jags and was hoping someone here may be able to help me. At some point in it's life it has had the bonnet replaced. Like I said, I am learning more and more every day about these cars. I am replacing the right hand hinge assy on the bonnet, someone made a hinge out of steel plate. Don't get me wrong this is not a junker, it has 35,000 orig mi on it. My friend has owned it since 1971. The problem is, the rocker sticks forward a half inch at the rear of the wheel opening where they meet. If I shim the bonnet forward, I lose my bonnet to cowl gap. Is this the wrong bonnet for this car? I have a Jaguar catalog and it mentions a type 1-1/2 and a type 2. I snapped a couple pics to help. Thankyou, from the new guy. Steve.

 

Sorry computer went bonkers. Here's a side shot.

 

 

 

Panel fit from the new just-pressed panels on the E-Type Jaguar, (XKE to Americans) was never a strong point and there was much selective assembly of the body tubs and bonnets (hoods) in the factory, plus liberal use of lead to fill things up and improve panel gaps.

What you have here, however, looks way over the top. Question is has the sill (=US 'rocker' panel) ever been replaced ? If it has, a Series 3 one could have been used in error, or even a Joe Noname pattern. Other question is the bonnet itself, is it correct for a 1969er ? This should be a Series 2 as the V12, the Series 3 came out in about 1971, and had a completely new hood assembly. with very flared wheel arches to take wider wheels and tyres. I am not an E-type expert, however. You could try e-mailing Martin Robey of the UK with te picture, who make E-type body panels and even complete tubs. I have to say, though, from memory of my friends E-types (he had three), that the sill panel looks wrong, not the bonnet.

 

Thanks Fraser. Many of us have been racking our brains trying to figure out this deal. there are no indications anything has been done to the bonnet or rockers. Hard to explain this deal, but I just put a new mud guard on the right side. The sheet metal that is a filler on the front fender. Anyway, The old one appeared to be beaten in with a hammer to make it clear the edge of the wheel opening where the rubber seal is on the top of the rocker at the wheel opening where it meets the bonnet. Long sentence huh? Anyway, if I move the bonnet forward with shims under the hinges, I will end up with a huge gap at the cowl to bonnet. Plus, they only sell .128 thick shims, heck, I need 3/8 of an inch or more! Something is really wrong here, but what? It's like someone put the bonnet on from another car then didn't have enough gap at the cowl then cut the end of the bonnet off not paying any attention to the wheel opening!! I am stumped. I have been a bodyman all my life and I can't seem to solve this puzzle and it's bugging me. Thanks, Lippy

 

The only way to start sorting this out is to go take a look at another XKE (E-type) of a similar year, or at least the same series, and take some measurements and photos. Of course in the US this may be hundreds of miles away !!

What I dont know is how the bodies were originally assembled at the factory. As you can see the hood assembly is about 1/3rd of the car. There may have been a slave bonnet assembly used to line up the rocker panels before welding in position, who knows. What I DO know is that Jaguar contracted out assembly of the tubs, they were not made by Jaguar, in fact none of the saloon bodies were either, they were made by Pressed Steel Fisher at Swindon. I remember seeing Mark 2 bodies coming through Banbury on trucks in the late 60s. A much smaller firm made the XKE bodies locally in Coventry.

The only way to sort this out is to find out from somebody in the UK based near Coventry what the problem might be, as in Martin Robey, I mentioned as they currently manufacture replica tubs, or used to.

http://www.martinrobey.com/home.cfm