I have an oppty to buy this vehicle for small $$. Body apparently straight, no dents. Needs new paint. Hasn't been started in 30 years. 109k miles on motor. Garaged with window open and Rats had a feast. Pics coming soon. The entire interior needs to be gutted. Not sure where to start, but have always loved this car. Would be my 1st Jag. Have some mechanic friends and thinking about getting into it.

Any suggestions? Best places to find interior pieces? Parts etc? Pitfalls? Also how much $$$ can doing a complete interior run me? It's a 3.8 L manual from my understanding.

Thanks in advance for any advice?
Dave

 

to restore an old Jaguar in the condition you describe,

the interior will be about $7 thousand to do.
the mechanicals about $20 thousand.
the body about $12 thousand.

I recommend you purchase one that needs little work and that you can drive home. An engine that has not been run for 30 years will need rebuilding, as well as all the other components. No miracles in the old car business.

why not start with a modern Jaguar XJ-6 that you can enjoy inmediately? Everybody loves the MK-2 and the S type, but do you have the money to spend and spend? why bother having a carcass that you can never finish if you don't have the money?

 

Unfortunately Jose is right. I rebuilt a Mark 2 in the 80s when there was a whole lot of new stuff still around and it still took 7 years almost all of it done DIY, not at a shop. And I was lucky to find a new body shell, doors and bootlid, so didn't need to do any welding either !

The mechanical side is relatively straight forward, but if you've had rats and mice in the interior, that will take a whole lot of rectification and lots of money spending. All this plus correcting the rusting of key body parts that support the suspension, and getting the electrical side up-to-snuff, no mean task on its own.

If you want to join the Jaguar fraternity, try to find a Mark 2 in better condition, (even it will need work), or buy a newer model like a late XJ6 Series 3 (1982-on), or an XJ in the X300 series (1994-1997). I have to say, though, do avoid the XJ in the XJ40 series, as these can be real trouble.

 

It will be interesting to the pics.
I can only imagine the interior and I am sure that the rats have gnawed the wood all to pieces past the veneer down to the core wood.

 

not to mention it is a health hazard for anyone.

 

Dave,
I Agree with Jose and Fraser.
Spend a couple of evenings looking at the builds in this section. Sort by views, as the largest numbers of views are likely "builds". A driver, needing upgrades, can be had for 1/3 of the cost of the build.
That said I did not listen to my own advice. Building one, for me, has lead to another build.
Looking forward to the pictures of your "find".

 

interior includes new leather or vinyl for seats, new door and kick panels, center console covering, and miscelaneous vinyl coverings like rear parcel shelf. I almost forgot the trunk !!
(upholstery).

it also includes all the new carpeting, padding, and mats, (flooring)

it also includes the headliner, the most difficult part of the interior work, which requires removing door rubbers which most likely will fall apart as you remove them.

it also includes refinishing all the wood pieces.

I told you wrong, it will cost something like $12k to do a complete interior based on 2015 prices and shipping back and forth. Not to mention the labor and time involved.

 

here's a nice 3.8 'S' ( aka S type ) for under $8k. The S type was made from 1963 thru August 1968, only 24 thousand were made for the entire world, 1,000 estimated to survive in the entire world. Very similar to the MK-2, same engine and front suspension, except it has the world famous independent rear suspension of the E-type, therefore the car had to be made longer to accomodate the rear suspension cage. During its development it was code-named "Utah MK-3".

other differences from the MK-2 is a twin exhaust system, twin fuel tanks, twin fuel pumps, larger auxiliary lamps, a very large trunk, more interior space, more wood inside.

1965 Jaguar S-Type 3.8s