Initial Checks Before Buying

To get back to the E-Type, after I had seen the ad in Auto Trader, I made several visits to view and check the car before finally deciding to buy.

I had been told right from the start that the car had not run for at least 7 years, had been rear-ended and had some repair work and a respray done following the accident.

The rear-end collision was proven by the damage to the petrol tank - it had a bulge in the middle, and didn't locate with the mounting points.

Bulge in the middle of the petrol tank

However, the back of the car looks fine - although it wasn't confirmed, I have to assume at least the back number plate panel must have been replaced.  Although I would have expected the lower boot panel assembly to have also been replaced, it looks original, because there is rust on it, making a small hole in the bottom of the spare wheel well.  The back bumpers are distorted and the rear light assemblies were smashed.

The original fuel pump was no longer working and had been replaced by a newer version which you can see in the photo above.  I was also shown a retrofit wire to the cooling fan, because the previous owner said that the car had been prone to over-heating.

Knowing these things, I still wanted to know that the engine had not seized.  We were able to move the car, and verify that the crank shaft was turning, although, at the time, we didn't verify movement and stroke of the pistons.

As far as the bodywork was concerned, I checked as much as I could - I checked visually and with a magnet to verify that there were no major areas rebuilt with filler, and I probed underneath, particularly the sills to make sure my probe didn't go through underseal into nothing.  All checked out OK as far as I went, but I'm still under no apprehension that, with the respray and the underseal, I may still come across area of corrosion that will either need repairs or even new body panels.  All will be revealed (or not!) as I progress.

Having as much due diligence as I felt comfortable with and feeling reasonably comfortable that I could tackle a lot of the things that would need doing, I made the decision to buy the car, as a project that could keep me going for some time.