I have no idea how, when, where they are going to sell it, but they will probably not have anything fixed before sale. Seems like they want the least fussy way out. They're aware of its value though.
I did notice the original Lucas ignition system. I also opened a carb dashpot and the plunger wasn't stuck and was still oiled. Coolant level was very low. Lots of corrosion on anything coolant related. Oil seemed oily. Didn't check the gas .The tow truck guy apparently tried cranking it and claimed it did turn over on the ancient battery. It was dead by the time I saw it though. It was just cool being in the presence of such a special, untouched time capsule of a car.
I somewhat agree with your friend's desire to sell it with the least amount of hassle. As long as they are aware the current condition will HEAVILY affect the sale price - or at least make it very hard to predict. This is not a car that even ranks on the Haggerty "grading" scale, so those values are meaningless. It's literally worth what someone is willing to pay and easiest/fastest way to find that out is an auction.
BaT seems like a good place to sell it, since this really is a "bring a trailer" car and I think the management there likes to get cars like that on the site once in awhile. As many pictures as you can get; clear and honest description; no reserve.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
I have a feeling they may have higher than realistic expectations given its non-runner status. BAT would be cool though. It's pretty rare these days to see a car on BAT that you truly need to bring a trailer for.
Trent said:
Here is an annoying tidbit about one of my least favorite cars, the E type.
There is a coolant line that runs behind the bulkhead under the dash. It requires a pretty major dash teardown to replace and at this age they are all heavily corroded and all of these cars need them or else surprise coolant leak inside the cabin.
Here is one of the ports in the engine bay, you can see the other to the left.
And here you can see it under the wiper linkage deep inside the dash.
To make matters worse the quality control of the folks making the repops is lax and the mounting holes usually aren't clocked correctly.
I allow 8 hours for this job on a complete car. It can sometimes run past that.
I was just under the bonnet of a 12k mile series 3 car last week. My back still hurts.
Oh yeah. Those series 3 V12s have a really flakey Lucas ignition unit. I'm sure most have been upgraded since then but if it hasn't run in 20 years it might be because of that. The one I just installed cost about 600
Trent: that Lucas ignition amplifier is actually a plastic covering a GM part I used to buy from local auto parts places for $12. $600 means the gouging $1400 days are over.
As far as quality of repops, are you ever right. Actually Lucas used to sell Jaguar parts below actual manufacturing costs because their business model made profits on the replacement. About mid 80's Lucas as they lost sales due to unreliability they really started improving quality as well as testing. But it was too late. Even Jaguar started buying other electronics by the 90's After Ford bought Jaguar Lucas started buying rather than manufacturing a lot of the low volume products.
As far as corrosion here in the frozen Tundra anti freeze is normally replaced every 2 years and because of that you won't have an issue with that coolant line. Yes rubber eventually gives way. I suggest replacement every 5 years or switching to silicone hoses.
maschinenbau said:
I have no idea how, when, where they are going to sell it, but they will probably not have anything fixed before sale. Seems like they want the least fussy way out. They're aware of its value though.
I did notice the original Lucas ignition system. I also opened a carb dashpot and the plunger wasn't stuck and was still oiled. Coolant level was very low. Lots of corrosion on anything coolant related. Oil seemed oily. Didn't check the gas .The tow truck guy apparently tried cranking it and claimed it did turn over on the ancient battery. It was dead by the time I saw it though. It was just cool being in the presence of such a special, untouched time capsule of a car.
20 years without flushing the coolant? Not good! That's not the fault of Jaguar it's neglect. Would be the same no matter who made it.
Same with the gas. The fuel pump likely won't pump or it'll be unreliable. Don't replace. Just remove the plastic caps ( 2 of them, it's a double pumper) and with a very fine grit of sand paper clean off the contact points. My SU fuel pump is almost 50 years old and still reliable. Clean the contacts when you change the oil and yours will be too.
"Survivor, just retrieved from 20+ year storage" etc etc. BaT as-is, let the bidders define the value.
