Getting Keys Made

When I bought the car, it came with no keys. Was able to get the key codes off of the locks and ignition. Normally, the ignition and door locks will have one key code and the trunk and glovebox will have a second. Based on the codes, it appeared that mine followed the standard convension. With that information, I was able to have Fred Groh make replacement keys for me from the codes. Fred was very helpful and his prices are quite reasonable for the service he provides.

When I first received the keys, the ignition key slipped in and tuened easily as did the glovebox key. This told me that the keys were made correctly. The door locks didn't seem to work at first, but after a little wiggling of the key, I got them to turn also. The trunk lock was another story, I tried for two or three minutes and could not get the key to turn. I decided to get some WD40 and spray it in the lock. I sprayed in the key hole, waited a few minutes and tried the key. It turned!. It was still a little stiff so I sprayed WD40 in again and worked the key in and out. Did the same think in the door locks and they work perfectly now.

Bottom line... what could have been a real hassle (rekeying the car) was easy thanks to Fred and I was able to maintain the original locks that came with the car. If you have a similar problem, you can find Fred's conact information on his website.

Locking Gas Cap Without a Key

So far I've been trying to do at one task on the car each each day. On weeknights after work it might only be a 20 or 30 minute job, but at least it helps to keep forward momentum on the project. Tonight I thought I would take off the locking gas cap for which I have no key. I thought it would be relatively easy - drill out the lock, turn the mechanism below to unlock it and twist off the cap. Seems easy enough... Shouldn't take more than a half an hour, right? Well, I finally got it off after an hour and a half. I don't know who made the gas cap (couldn't find a manufacturer name), but my hat is off to them. They made one hell of a well built locking gas cap.

Below is what I started with. This picture is what it looked like when I first got the car home. You can't see it under the dirt, but there is a key hole in the middle of the cap.

First I drilled out the lock. This went really easy. Within a few minutes I had the lock drilled out, but when I turned the mechanism at the bottom of the lock, I still couldn't remove the cap. Infact it tightened down on the filler so that I couldn't even jiggle it anymore. I messed around using a number of different tools to turn it, but to no avail.

I then decided That if I could get the large steel lid off, I might be able to see how the locking mechanism worked. The steel cap was very heavy guage stuff and there was no easy way to cut it without risking damage to the car. I noticed a small cover around the keyhole. I removed the cover and found four large rivets holding the steel lid on. I drilled out the rivets and removed the lid. Then I cut the filler cap gasket and yanked it out with needle nose pliars. This worked well and now I could get more movement of the cap, but it was still locked on.

I could see that there were two spring-loaded locking fingers that grabbed underneath the lip of the filler neck. I tried to pull back, but couldn't get both pulled back at same time. I had to pull on them from within the narrow cavity were the lock cylinder used to be, so there was not much room for tools to grab them. Next I drilled small hole in top of each, got the sharpest needle-nose pliars I have, and placed the pliar tips in the holes just drilled. I turned the needle-nose pliars and carefully twisted the cap at the same time. Success! The cap was finally off.

Abrasive Blasting Setup

Last weekend I purchased an inexpensive Abrasive Blasting Cabinet from Harbor Freight & Tool. It's normally just $219, but I used one of their 20% off coupons and it was an even better deal. It is not a very large cabinet, but given the limited space in my garage I wouldn't want anything bigger. It has a built-in light and is big enough to fit most of the parts I will be blasting. I have only been using it a couple of days now and have blasted only a few small parts, but so far it is working great. With the desicant type air dryer that I installed, I have not had any problems with clogging.

I presently have it loaded with about 20 lbs of aluminum oxide and it cuts through old paint and rust so well that it almost looks like I am spraying new metal as I pass the gun back and forth across the part. My compressor is on the small side for running a suction type blaster (22 gallon rated at 6.5 CFM @ 90 psi), but it seems to get the job done.

I connect a small shop vac to the cabinet to suck the dusty air out. This helps make it easier to see and also provides a path for the air injected by the gun to go.

Acquiring my "Project Car"

Selecting the Type of Car to Restore

While some people find relaxation in curling up on the couch and watching TV, I normally find mine through working on "projects". My newest "project" is a 1962 Jaguar Mk2.

My choice was based on a number of factors including:

• Performance - The Jaguar Mk2 was marketed as the family man's sports car. With a 220 HP in-line 6-cyclinder engine and 4-wheel disc brakes, it was a fun car to drive. It also had a very rich and succesful racing history in the 1960s. 
• Collectability - The Jaguar Mk2 is not the most collectable of the old Jaguars, but they are considered collectable and have a number of clubs and groups dedicated to their preservation and enjoyment. The car's wide ranging use in movies as well as its sucess on the track add to its collectabiliy. Although car restoration is rarely a profitable endevor and I don't expect to make money on this restoration, but working on a car that is in relatively low supply and is desired by others is one way to help minimize losses.
• Initial Cost - Unlike some of the more collectable Jaguars such as the MK120/140/150 or the E-types, a solid project car can still be found relatively inexpensive.
• Parts Availability - Because the Mk2 has become "collectable", a market for spare parts has developed. As a result, there are now newly manufactured parts available for most of the parts needed in a typical restoration. Original parts sourced from "parts cars" are also widely available.

Finding and Buying the Car

After investigating many candidates and actually inspecting a few of them, the one that was finally purchased was a 1962 Jaguar Mk2 that has not been operated since 1993 and has been sitting outside in Las Vegas for about 8 or 9 years. The sun was not a friend to the paint or the wood dash, but on the upside, the relatively dry climate helped to mitigate rust problems which are common in most of the old Jaguars. There were a number of issues with the car that indicated I should pass on it and look for another, but on the other hand, I had a very limited budget, so I figured if I could get a really good deal on it, I had little to loose. Even if there were major problems discovered after purchase, I could always "part out" the car and at least break even. So after some negotiation, I ended up paying $1300 for the car and hauled it home to Southern California on a trailer. Below is a list of the "good" and "bad" of the car as seen on the day I purchased it... and I am hoping there are not too many "bad" attributes that will be added to the car when I tear into it.

The Good

• The car has relatively little rust. This was a California car for its first 40 years of life and then lived in Las vegas for 8 years. As a result, rust on the vehicle is minimal compared to most Jaguars of this vintage. Typical problem areas such as the jackpoints, fenders, and door sills are solid.
• The car is nearly complete and was mostly still assembled (see "The Bad" below for exceptions). A number of the cars I found in my price range were disassembled to varying degrees. If buying a disassembled car, you can be certain there will be many missing parts.
• The frame and bodywork are straight. There were no signs of major bodywork from previous accidents. A few minor dents, but nothing significant.
• Most of the chrome is in relatively good condition. There are a few smaller chrome items that have quite a bit of pitting though.
• It is a matching numbers car (body, engine, transmission)
• The car still has its original toolkit with most of the tools included.  
• The car still has its original California black plates. 
• The owner had Title to the vehicle. Many of the more inexpensive vehicles (i.e., vehicles in my price range), have changed hands many times with title being lost along the way. That can be dealt with, but it takes time and money.

The Bad

• Since the car does not run, the condition of the engine is a big unknown. This is the biggest risk associated with this car. There could be major problem such as a crack in the engine block that won't be detected until the engine is removed and the rebuild process is started.
• The carborators were removed from the car and were in a box in the trunk. The seller said that they were removed and in the box prior to him purchasing the car in 1998. This allowed moisture and dust direct access to the intake manifold for more than 10 years and also means that I will probably be missing some parts when I rebuild the carborators.
• The rear seat is missing. The seller said it was missing when he acquired the car.
• Much of the interior was removed. The front seats were removed and the door panels and wood door trim had been removed. These items were just thrown back in the interior. The door panels are warped as a result, but eveything is there (except the rear seat).
• Steel wheels as opposed to the optional 72 spoke wire wheels
• Other missing items included the spare, the jack, the front console ashtray, keys, and the chrome trim ring for one wheel.

  Below is a picture of the car as it sat in Las Vegas when I purchased it.



The car had a broken headlight four flat tires, but little outward signs of rust.