Okay, so here's he skinny. There's a '74 xj12 for sale locally. It's a long wheelbase car, and its in generally good condition, but the motor is tanked. It does however come with a good motor to drop in, but here's the question; how much would it run to get the old motor pulled and the new one dropped in and hooked up properly?

The asking price for the XJ12 is $500.

 

I would have said a solid two days work to remove and replace without finding anything wrong or needing fixing on the way in. I'm assuming no prior dismantlng has been done.

You really need to check out the replacement engine very carefully before putting it in. Is it a rebuild or just an untouched engine known to have run before taking it out of its host car. A $500 car may be OK, but I'll bet you'll find quite a lot to do apart from the engine swap.

 

It's in "as parked" condition, and there's not many details about the motor. I figure I can pick his brain about it as far as the condition of the motor goes.

 

It's a $500 Jag. Figure that if they let the motor toast the suspension will be toast too. Lack of maintenance will kill them quick. It's a good 8-12 hr. job to switch engines properly, then add anything that's worn or broke ( transmission mount, radiator, waterpump, exhaust and gaskets. etc.

 

I agree with the others. I'll bet the engine is just the tip of the iceberg with this car.

A DIYer might get the car road worthy again fairly cheaply. If you'll be *paying* to have work done on this car be prepared for a bit of a shock :-)

Cheers
DD

 

You never know what you will get. I picked up my Jag in the post "1985 XJ6" together with a 1990 Mercedes 420 SEL (blown head gasket) for $1100.00. I paid that much because the Jag had an animal embalming center under the hood. Pulled out six rat skeletons and maybe 15 frogs. This car was parked in an open front garage for 11 years. Fortunately for me, the rodents did not like the taste of the English wiring but they killed themselves feasting on the hood insulation.