It's not my car. I ran across the ad and thought to share this survivor example in case anyone is looking for one.


https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/w...840689588.html

 

I took just a quick peek but looks much better than most Series I cars that we see for sale. And price seems reasonable.

The only thing that jumped out at me was that it is riding very high. I wonder if the springs were recently replaced?

Somebody needs to grab this car

Cheers
DD

 

I agree, Doug. Maybe the owner used springs different from factory specs?

 

I spoke to Benjamin the owner earlier today on behalf of someone else who was interested. Very nice genuine guy.
Prob mid 80's respray/refresh, originally southern car but no rust to speak of, air con not functioning, slight carb tuning issues, been driven 5 -10k recently (big plus in my book), leather has minor tears and fixable issues. Gas gauges not working, probably senders. Handbrake works. Minor tranny pan leak.
Will need suspension bushings, gas tank flush and all the usual stuff but seems like a great baseline for a driver and looker IMO.

 

Hi All,

New to the forum and Jaguars in general. I ended up getting this car last night. Not perfect, but definitely restorable condition and fair price. 116k miles on the clock and drove it home 100 miles no issue. Running rich and a bit of oil burning on hard acceleration, but no major issues. Quite impressive for almost 50 year old engine.

Not sure yet on long term plans. At first, probably just fix up the little issues to get a reliable driver and enjoy it stock for a summer or two. Long term will definitely include work on the drive train. Manual transmission conversion for sure. I think will most likely stick with Jaguar power plant, although might not be original XK engine. Maybe a supercharged AJ16? Or, maybe couple small turbos on a fresh XK engine build? We'll see...

Greg

 

What is the life story on the the car that it managed to survive nearly 50 years and remain drivable and rust free from what I can tell? Or was it restored?

 

Never restored as far as I can tell. History is mostly unknown, but seems was originally purchased in Florida and found its way to Minnesota in early 80s. Previous owner thinks probably re-spray sometime in 80s. It must have been stored inside and not driven in winter since then, because winter roads in MN are instant death to 70s sheetmetal.

The car's not perfect. Little bit of rust starting to show at bottom of door panels. Two small bubbles on rear quarter, but the lip of the wheel arches are fine. Few other spots where can start to see rust coming on, but definitely no significant rot. Also appears to have had repair to front right corner at some point, maybe little bondo around headlights. But, nothing that can't be addressed.

Interior is ok condition. A couple tears in seats and floppy headrests, but good enough for now. Fuel gauge doesn't work, maybe senders? No dash lights. Brake light flickers on occasionally. Rear-left wheel vibration at 60MPH - not sure if just balance or flat spot from sitting or...

Anyway, excited to just drive it for a summer or two before tearing into it to really freshen it up.

Greg

 

Nice looking classic. Series 1's are not ideal candidate for upgrades. This one looks too nice to mod. Too much has to be changed with a series 1 for it to handle a modern engine. For example the front brakes on un-vented and lower control arms are were changed for better feedback in later years. And if you have a modern engine you will most likely want modern A/C which is much more involved on a series 1.

Leave this one alone and get a project Series 2 / 3 or even an XJS. Same experience only better.

 

I completely agree. I would just fix the small things and get it back into tip-top, like new shape.

 

Thanks for feedback, but not interested in Series 2 / 3. Definitely not XJS. There's a reason I got Series 1. Nothing compares to look of the SWB Series 1. Suspension and brake upgrades / mods will be as much a part of the project as engine. Manual transmission, maybe nice Torsen diff. in the back. Adjustable coilovers or airbags on all 4 corners. Should be fun

 

Very nice. My '71 was a barn find and probably repainted (badly) in the 90s. I'll be rebuilding the engine at some point, possibly with triple SUs.

I would love to convert mine to manual but manual donor cars are nearly non-existent in North America. Good luck though.

(PS. with fuel gauges it's usually the sending unit. Both of my tanks showed 1/4 full all the time. Replaced the left sender last week with one from XKS Unlimited and now working perfectly)

 

S2 or S3, same experience but better?? What have you been smoking? Just look at the S1 dash!! Look at that grill!

 

Beauty is Such a subjective concept...
In the Eye of the Beholder and all that.

*I* think, Series 2 cars are the Pinnacle of Jaguar's artistic endeavors.
So There!
(';')

 

No need to limit yourself to Jaguar donor for manual gearbox. I haven't done any real research yet, still a year or two away from any major project on the car. But I know of at least one alternate donor option. Xcessive Manufacturing makes adapter goodies to mate up Nissan VG 5-speed. I don't know anything about the transmission other than availability of the kit and they have it mated to a fairly high-power turbo XK build. We'll see. Will be fun research project when time comes.

https://xcessivemanufacturing.com/ja...g-5-speed.html

 

Glad you got it! It looks great

 

A little more info on the car that helps explain its good condition. There wasn't much paperwork to go along with the car, but there was a Minnesota sales order for the car from 1983. Odometer statement reads "3,015" miles and "exceeds limit of odometer" is checked. So, likely had 103,015 miles on it in 1983. Odometer currently reads (1)16,277. So, only 13,000 miles put on it over the last 36 years. And, I know that about 5k of those 13k were put on just last year. Best guess, it had ~100,000 Florida miles put on in first 10 years of life before finding its way to Minnesota to live out its life in someone's garage.

 

I spoke to the previous owner Ben for an hour back in April on behalf of someone else, sounds like solid foundations, I would have got it myself if it was nearer...