Few cars have ever captured the imagination quite like the Jaguar E-Type. Launched in 1961, the E-Type wasn’t just a car—it was a revolution. With its long, sculpted bonnet, low-slung profile, and unmistakable curves, it looked like nothing else on the road. Underneath that iconic bodywork was cutting-edge engineering for the time, with disc brakes, independent rear suspension, and a 3.8-litre straight-six engine capable of pushing it beyond 150mph. Enzo Ferrari famously called it “the most beautiful car ever made”, and it’s not hard to see why.

More than six decades later, the E-Type remains a symbol of British automotive brilliance—a timeless classic that still turns heads and stirs souls. At Golden Barn Garage, we’re lucky enough to be working on one of these legends, giving its engine the rebuild it deserves to keep it running at its absolute best.

This particular example, finished in an incredible paint colour, came to us with a suspected tappet noise. But on closer inspection, it became clear the engine needed a full rebuild. To find out what we discovered and follow the progress as we bring this iconic engine back to life, keep an eye on the blog.

The Plan:

Engine: Full strip down, bore and hone Cylinders to suit new oversized pistons, Skim crankcase, re-grind crankcase journals to remove scoring, cylinder head overall with new valves, valve guides, valve seats and skim and shimm to spec. 

As mentioned above, the E-Type initially came in for us to investigate a suspected tappet noise. However, once we began stripping the engine down, it quickly became clear there were deeper issues. The timing chain guide bracket was bent, with signs that the bolts had sheared, and further inspection revealed incorrect valve clearances and several bent valves.

We then sent the engine off to Daz, our trusted engine builder, for a closer inspection—and that’s when things took a more serious turn. Hidden in the sump were several chunks of metal, this debris had caused scoring to the cylinder walls, confirming this wasn’t just a minor issue.

Daz has done a full strip down, and has had the crank cased skimmed to ensure its perfectly flat. The crankcase journals have been ground to remove scoring and previous ear and damage. The rotating assembly has been balanced to 0.1 grams.

The Cylinder head has been overhauled with new valves, valve guides, valve seats and has been skimmed and shimmed to spec.

Daz has also cleaned up and painted the block black

Daz has finished rebuilding the engine and has not dropped it back off.

Rich has fitted the engine in and has started to re connect everything

To be continued………