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The Barn Find Hunter Revisits a V-8–Powered E-Type
Watching someone’s prized vehicle get revived is always a thrill. But when that vehicle is a unique combination of powertrain and body, you wind up being more intrigued, whether because of the unconventional nature of the combo or because of the challenges it will provide. So it goes for the latest episode of Barn Find Hunter.
Tom first encountered the main star of this episode—a 1962 Jaguar E-Type with a Corvette 327-cubic inch V-8—a year back, when he paid a visit to a couple named Rod and Ruth Franzius. Rod Franzius has owned this car since 1964, and once used this Corvette-powered E-Type to tow his racing bikes down to Daytona each year to race (in the process securing our honorary “Coolest Tow Rig ever” award). As Tom and Rod chatted about the car, Rod mentioned his desire to drive the car again someday. Tom knew just the guy to make that happen: Phillip Reinhardt.
Reinhardt is a graduate of McPherson College and owns a shop in St. George called Mechanical Arts, which is where we pick up this episode. Right from the jump, you can tell that Reinhardt cares about the car and the story behind it. It’s also clear right away that getting this car back to driving condition won’t be a cakewalk.
“Our mandate from the beginning was a mechanical reconditioning,” explains Reinhardt. “We were going to leave most of the cosmetic stuff as untouched as we could.” As is usually the case with older cars like this, corrosion has taken its toll. Reinhardt details some of the affected areas—the inner rockers, the floor pans, and, most importantly, the front subframes.
“These presented a unique challenge because the ones that Al Garz modified to accommodate the small-block Chevy back in 1964 were rusted out.” You can see all the pinholes that were revealed after these pieces went through sandblasting. Remedying this corrosion issue would be tricky on a few fronts, as Reinhardt explains in the video; be sure to watch the whole episode to hear exactly what’s going on there (hint: metallurgy matters) as well as how his team overcame the challenge.
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Figuring out how to solve surprise problems that an unconventional car like this will provide has to be one of the joys of working in classic restoration, and you can tell Reinhardt and his team have had fun with this puzzle. At one point he admits to Tom that he and his colleague have “learned a lot more about V-8-swapped E-Types than we originally intended to.” But you can tell that with each little fix, Reinhardt’s fondness for the car is growing. “Looking online at pictures and forums, this is one of the nicest executed ones I’ve seen,” says Reinhardt.
That engine powering the E-Type is no slouch, either. According to Reinhardt, the original block froze and cracked, so his team found a replacement mid-sixties Corvette 327 block to use. The heads were ported, polished, and fitted with bigger valves back in the day, so this was a bit of a hot-rodded engine from the get-go. With that intake and a mild cam, the engine made some serious power—but you’ll have to get the final figure from the episode!
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I think everyone who ever owned an XKE wondered at some point whether that beautiful body would fit a Corvette chassis.
Only Americans, normal thinking people will know that the XK engine is superior.,
Perhaps the Jag engine is superior in chassis balance, but nowhere near the visceral appeal of the torque felt by the V8. I believe anyone would be hard pressed to justify a conversion like this today, however restoring an older conversion such as this offers a glimpse into the past of automotive customization.
“Normal thinking people’ wouldn’t have anything to do with a Jaguar. Every Jaguar is an irrational purchase — a triumph of desire over logic. I’ve known a half-dozen Jag owners — who had everything from an XK150 to an early-aughts supercharged sedan. All look back on their ownership experience with great fondness — and, eventually, even greater frustration. And the day they sold their Jags were marked with both regret and relief.
You ‘knew’ a very narrow group.
When I worked in a service plaza on the 401 in Ontario as a gas jockey in the early 80s, a guy came in with a E type Jag. When he rumbled up to the super pump, I knew something was up. I filled it up and asked if wanted me to check the oil, he said it was fine but I said I had to see and he smiled and said go ahead. My suspicions were confirmed,it had a 351 Cleveland. Forty plus years later I still remember that car.
I prefer the straight six but a lot of work was done to make it fit.
In the 50-60 Speedway motors in Bushwick , Brooklyn was a very special place for me, I grew up down the block from Al’s shop, who worked with his son Bob. I was a young boy who would hand Al tools and run for coffee etc. On a good day Al did not talk much but he was the best mechanic or engineer anyone could find proven by numerous high profile customers who came to Al including Jaguar, Leland at that time. Al built for himself a 220se Mercedes coupe with a 327 automatic, it was black as I recall. After many years I was still hanging around at Al’s shop in wonderment of his abilities. Some of the other cars Al built was a e type coupe with a 327ci with a LATHAM SUPERCHARGER , I am getting very nostalgic about the many hours spent at Al’s shop and the vast array of cars that came and went.