Great news, Gary . . . sounds like another I can cross off my list.
I had noted the seller's comments re good engine etc but you said it . . . serendipity, mate.

Or as Billy ShakeeSpear mighta said . . . "What goes around, comes around".
Glad to have been of help . . . nah, not help, more like annoying inspiration.

IMHO, putting aside the rust buckets and orphaned donor car shells, the sheer number and variety of worthwhile project cars now washing around Gumtree, Ebay etc here in Oz, I believe we could all adopt the following pledge . . .
"Gotta getta bigga SHED!!!"

I'm off to Sydney on Saturday to pick up my s/h 2 post hoist. It's rated at over 3Ton and apart from its functional value, may yet serve as an added parking slot to add yet again to our litter. Or not . . .

Best wishes that nearby donor solves your sudden "failure to proceed" issue,
Cheers mate,

Ken

 

I'm hearing ya loud & clear.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ipsw...mk1/1151296335

 

Naughty, Clarke . . . very, very naughty.
You shouldn't tempt senior citizens like that. It is a beautiful Mk1.
Very nice, but too much money for what appears somewhat below the standard of what we had years ago (Mk1, Kk2s, S Type) . . . and after restoring so many, I'm finding that my "get up and go" for that effort has almost all "got up and gone".

I jus wanna enjoy!
So, Clarke, I'll see your link . . .
and raise you this one <Series1 XJ6 in Ipswich>.

Just like Gary's, this one is nestled right on your back doorstep. LOL.
Best wishes mate,

Ken

 

Have you got a Devil's suit Ken? You're like the naughty guy on my left shoulder, telling me to go for it!
So I checked out the car today. It's reasonably solid. A little surface rust in the usual areas, & blistering around the rear window that probably hides an expensive fix. But I could make my money back on panels & glass, along with all the chrome, which was mainly good. The interior's fairly trashed. The cream seats need a complete refurbishing, & the wood's faded, though not cracked. The plastics & gauges were all good. I couldn't hear the motor running, due to an electrical problem stopping the EFI working properly. & he couldn't find the paperwork for the engine work, which was done around ten years ago. I did see the invoice for the trans, which was done at the same time, & was more of a $500 service than a rebuild. This makes me very nervous, as I've already got two boat anchors & I don't need a third! But the owner's offered to let me have it & not pay for it until I'm convinced it's a good one, which was an offer to good to refuse. It's still a bit of a risk, as it's going to cost a bit to ship it the 100 klms from Atherton to my Wrench's workshop. & we won't really know until he manages to fire it up & stick his gauges onto it. But, with the bonus of all the spare panels, which I'll mainly be holding onto for spares for my car, I can't really see how I can lose on it. The saintly voice on my other shoulder keeps rabbiting on about how doing the same thing repeatedly & expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. But you & I know that's BS! Eh Ken? Insanity's a mental illness, & this is just car restoration. Though it's easy to see how the two get confused.

 

never looked at the specifics, just thought you might need an add to your collection.
As for the S1 in Ippy, seen that.

So I'm not the only one that hears the voices? Ken does that to you.

 

Guilty as charged, but delighted that while I didn't make the cut as saintly type on your right shoulder, I'm only "like the naughty guy" on your left shoulder. LOL. Actually, I am a bit sensitive, with more than a few Jaguars, most of them in fine nick, that I may appear to others as either too rich for my own good, too remote from the pack etc. Neither is remotely true . . . remember, my avatar pic is of no flash Jag but of my first, my learner Jag, from which my journey began . . . and I hope I continue to learn for many years yet.

It is true that, these days, I derive huge fun from finding others keen on classic cars and using the lure, sometimes gift, of a sound project car to hook them on digging in deep, learning, working at "their car" and using both patience and persistence to end up with something that rewards them with pleasure and pride. I think not so much about those cars, but the "hooked" owners. The first was a young next door neighbour, later came my sons and daughter, another couple of young fellas back on the farm, and the latest being my own grandson.

As to my own situation . . . beyond routine service and maintenance, I have reduced long "to do" lists on several Jags down to manageable proportions on all but 3 -

• the '94 XJ40; blown head gasket, so needing a full head off rebuild, although all else, body and soul, now looks and feels great . . . my future daily drive;
• the '79 XJ40; bought for it's towbar, but as a rust free, high spec Sov with sunroof and impeccable interior it's far too grand a car to use as a donor . . . but then, there's the weird digital dash and chopped, cobbled electrics at the hands of a PO;
• the '79 XJ-S; my "Flintstones" Jag . . . look Mum, no floors . . . to help satisfy my need to practice MIG welding and modding.

Do I need another? Nope . . . but I do keep looking.
Cheers,

Ken

 

The guy's got the engine running, & I'll go & listen to it on Monday. I want to see how it's vitals look once it's up to speed. I'm going to see if I can get the engine & trans pulled in the town it's presently in, Atherton. I'll pay the seller a bit more if he can pull it (he's got a workshop), or I'll tow it to a local Wrench to do the job. Then the engine & trans can head north to my Mechanics workshop, & the rest of the car can get shipped south to my place, where I can take my time to dismantle it. That should save a lot of money & double handling.

 

Hope it works out, sounds like a grouse opportunity.....

 

Boy Howdy does he ever want that thing off his place!!
(';')

 

Yes he is. He's got a 190 Cosworth Merc under a tarp on his lawn that he wants to put in the Jag's shed spot. So it has to go.
My Wrench is too busy to come & check the motor out. &, to be honest, I've lost all confidence in my ability to judge what a good XK 4.2 sounds like, after buying two boat anchors, So I think I'll tow it to a local Wrench I've used before, who I know has had some experience with these motors (he was the guy who old me my first motor was cooked). & I'll get him to run his diagnostics over it. If it's good I'll get him to pull the engine & trans & take it over to my car for installation. The rest of the wreck can come to my place for dismantling. If it's another nautical accessory I've only wasted the price of the diagnostic check.

 

Waste of time comparing the two cars.
The series one was built to the requirements of a market fifty years ago i.e. those of the late sixties. When they were built I would imagine that not a single member of the design and production team ever expected them to be on the road in 2017. The fact that they are, and like my own , used on a fairly regular basis should really answer your question about their worth.
I maintain my series one more out of reverence to the design genius and iconic styling than its reliability. There are many faster, reliable and ergonomic cars that one could find on the market today, although at the price of a new queen sized mattress such as you have been offered maybe not.
If you were asking if you should use it to commute to work on a daily basis I would recommend that you purchase a train , it would be cheaper on fuel and more reliable. If on the other hand you wanted to own a piece of motoring history , designed by a legendary team at the top of their productive years, that will have you finding yourself standing in your garage staring like a child again at its graceful lines, moving from one angle to another in true awe when all you went in for was a step ladder to fix a bulb in the house, buy the Jag.

 

Nix is in the exhaust shop at the moment, and seeing her empty stall in the garage is almost painful.
(';')