E-Jag Magazine.

Bill: Having restored my S1 E-type over a period of more years that I'd like to admit, I understand your problem (as do dozens of other JCNA members who have been through the ordeal of fire). There is no one or two books or magazines that will answer all of your questions. It will take many resources. But youÆre best starting resource is the car itself. You should take many good photographs of the parts and components as they come off the car for reference when they go back together. Get yourself a BUNCH of little plastic bags of various sizes (lock-type is best). And a bunch of little paper tags with strings on them.

As parts come off, tag each with a note as to what it came off of. For complex assemblies, such as the window or door latch mechanisms, you HAVE to go to the trouble of making a detailed drawing of how they all went together. Or say two of the bolts holding the bell housing to the gearbox are shorter and are safety wired together. Will you know exactly where these two bolts go a year from now when you're re-assembling it? You have to make a drawing....don't assume that one exists. Another helpful item is a parts catalog as there are many exploded views of parts. I made copies of all these exploded views and had them bound together for quick reference. So, in essence you'll gain most of your knowledge from your own car as you take it apart. By the way, your notes will become invaluable as these sub-assemblies must be completely taken apart for plating or painting.

Next, you will have to attend as many car shows as possible and photograph the heck out of cars. Granted, there aren't a lot of very early E-Types around, but you can find them. A 1962 isn't that much different from a 1964 3.8, but you can find the differences in the Judging Guide on this site as well as historical books by Porter and Skilleter.

You should end up with as many books as possible on the E-type, starting with the Official Workshop Manual (Bentley's) and, a parts catalog. The parts catalog is MANDATORY!! There are other restoration guides such as Haddock's, and although these are okay, some of the cars are not absolutely correct....but it's a good start. Some of the E-Type parts vendors have excellent illustrations or photographs of parts in their catalogs...these can be useful as well.

Ninety percent of your question will be on correct finish of a part. This is where this site is useful for a quick answer (or two, three, or four).
The concours winners are posted for each year, so you can find an owner with a similar year car and contact them directly with specific questions.
Refer back to the forum for questions that others have asked such as correct taillight screws and what not.

At some point in time you will need a good mechanic who has restored an XK engine. If there is none in your area, then ship it. You will also
need a good upholstery guy.

You will have to decide from the on-set if you are after a nice driver or a national champion, as they are two different paths. Although you can find some really neat NOS parts on EBay (or used to), be wary because there's an awful lot of junk out there. Unless it is the wrong part, always restore what came off the car. And don't ever, ever, ever, throw ANYTHING away!!

So to sum up, magazines such as E-Jag, Jag Journal, Classic Jaguar and the like are okay, but none of them will always address a specific problem that you are having on your particular vehicle. They just can't. That's why sites and organizations such as JCNA are invaluable.

Good luck....and don't be afraid to start taking it apart.

Patrick McLoad
1966 E-Type, Right-hand Drive Roadster
#1E1445

Bill,
One of the most powerful tools a restorer can use is this site. Why bother with a magazine? IMHO most are obsolete as a means of dispersing information. Take a look at some of the posts and replies on this site and then ask your first question. There's a lot of expertise here waiting to help you. Don't forget to take a look at Bob Stevenson's Series 1 E-Type Judging Guide found on the Concours Page on the lower left.
Thanks
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2 and other LBC's