Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of restoration articles planned for the XKs Unlimited web site. We'll follow complete and partial restorations from start to finish and periodically update their progress.

XK-150 Roadster, Chassis Number S830287; 3.4 liter without overdrive.

Arrival Date: March 18, 2005

Installment One: Arrival and Assessment
This is an extremely early XK-150 roadster, as left-hand drive chassis numbers started at 830001. This puts its production date as May or June 1958. Last driven in 1980, the car will receive a complete, body-off restoration to include all mechanicals, paint, and interior.

The car is an excellent candidate for restoration in that it is complete and the body appears to be almost damage- and rust-free, but we shall see. (See Photos 1, 2 and 3.) Like many of the cars we restore, there are some interesting stories behind this XK-150. Here's what we learned from the owner:

"I bought the car in 1969. It had one previous owner, a young dentist who got tired of all the maintenance required. He put 65,000 miles on the car in ten years, so he must have driven it regularly, but probably not exclusively.

"I paid $600 for the car. It was reputed to not be running. When I picked it up, I brought along a set of Lucas points, a condenser, a set of spark plugs, a can of WD40 and jumper cables. I pushed the car into the street, where I did my "battlefield tune up" (using a match book cover as a feeler gauge to set the points).

"After hooking up the jumper cables, the car started on the second try and I drove it home. The former owner came out of his house and looked at me in disbelief … the look on his face was priceless.

"In the next year I overhauled the engine, brakes, carbs (more than once), etc. and drove the car regularly.

"Other misadventures include the car being stolen twice, once while it was in storage at a moving company in Chicago, and once by a Nashville, TN policeman who played a little fast and loose with the abandoned vehicle laws.

"It has been in storage since about 1980. When it was stored it was a good runner, although I am sure the valve guides are a bit loose (the car smokes on deceleration) and what's left of the tranny synchros isn't much.

"The car got lots of admiring glances back in 1980, so I am looking forward to the reaction it gets in 2006!"

Next Installment: Disassembly and Body Repair