With good company this weekend…JS
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Jeff is at Willow Green? Just beautiful. It’s funny how your car makes that Porker look chubby. 
I’m laughing at this, because back in Nov ‘21 in post 7650 of this thread I had a shot of my car (also OSB, but an OTS) and had the same comments about how great the panel gaps and fit was, and my response was almost exactly the same as yours - Dan and Team CJ. They certainly do very good and thorough body work.
What sorts of issues? I may be mistaken, but I thought a restoration from CJ would be sorted and turnkey. No?
I think we met briefly at the last winery before everyone took off. I had the dark blue on dark blue S2 OTS with the uber patina paint.
It was very well done. Running triple webbers
You would think so, right? I’m not sure how much I should get into this and risk vendor bashing and thread drift, but the car came with multiple electrical problems and other issues which I’ve had to correct or temporarily work around.
There’s a wiring short which blew the fuse and kept the interior lights and sound system from turning on. I’ve disconnected the wires that shorted and re-wired but had to bypass the door switches for now.
The horn push does not operate due to a broken wire from the slip ring to the horn button within the electric power steering unit. I’ve installed a cheap temporary horn button under the dash.
The AC is not turning on and I’ve not found the fault yet. Classic Jaguar has offered consulting over the phone for all the issues, which I intend to take advantage of for this particular problem.
The AC belt failed catastrophically. I’ve replaced it as well as the alternator/water pump belt because after less than 500 miles it was already badly cracked and on the verge of failing like the other one.
The instrument lighting is either dim or non-existent despite the use of LEDs. I haven’t looked into this yet.
The ignition switch burned out and stranded me. It has been replaced with a generic but much more substantial one, to which I’ve added relays to keep the switch further isolated from high current.
The fitment of the bonnet air duct to the combined AC/heat blower unit was way off, allowing air heated by the exhaust headers to enter. I’ve been meaning to document my fix in the “What did you do to your E-type today” thread.
The Broadsport 5-speed touches the crossmember at times and produces a loud thudding on harder right turns that sounds like the prop shaft is hitting the tunnel. Modifications to the crossmember were deemed unnecessary during the build, somehow. The car will need to go back for this job.
There are a few bodywork issues. One is the passenger door slightly rubbing at the front edge when opening/closing. Another is the passenger side chrome drip rail being too short on the bottom. Worst are the door seals where I can see gaps through fully closed doors. I plan to tackle the seals myself.
I think I’ve covered most everything. My friends and family think I’m stupid for not returning the car right away. They don’t understand how long I’ve been without the car and that I want some time with it before sending it back, hence my temporary fixes until the first major service. Service will involve shipping the car from San Francisco to Austin unless I risk a cross-country joyride.
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Ah yes, sorry for the confusion. I couldn’t tell from the pic that your car was blue, thought it was black.
That’s another thing I need to work on. The idle mixture isn’t quite right and the the throttle sticks open when the carbs get hot.
Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I feel your pain. Been there, done that with another marque and the restoration god. Looked great, didn’t function. Hope you get everything resolved and much enjoyment from your car.
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Wow that’s a fixit list . I restored my car my self
And had a few minor issues
Nothing major like you have .
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Is a car worth less if owner restored, or by one of the gurus?
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I think that ultimately, all that matters is the quality of the work done.
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Wish that were true . But like art it’s the name that brings the bragging rights and the bigger money
I generally agree, and that says more about the buyer than the seller.
Only if that is where your priorities are. Some may pay more money for a name- but I know one who will not.
Tom
Although I can tinker and effect repairs, I can’t do body and interior work like CJ. And since my car was already in Texas when I decided to bite the bullet, it was natural to go with CJ. I had already been familiar with their work for many years before that.
Ya I used the CJ website as a guide to do the work on my car … following their procedures and quality . The pictures of their work were a inspiration as my work progressed . Dan ain’t such a bad guy. He showed me what to do…
@mrferrari I agree, if I had not been following CJ’s web site back in 2004, I would have never attempted my full restoration (yes I mean every nut and bolt) on my series 3. Cannot tell you hw many times I went back to the web site since I never take enough pictures during tear down. JS