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Is this car, with a possibly (unlikely) blown head gasket a good deal for the price?

 

if the body is as immaculate as it seems, it seems like a steal.

 

Hello Vancouver

I can understand the predicament that this one has placed you in. It looks great, you understand the V12, The price seems very reasonable.

So the negatives

"Newer Paint" always make me nervous, was it painted before the current owner purchased it? My general rule of restoration is make sure the engine is strong before starting the panel work, seems like we might have gone the other way here. Was the paint job done correct at the time? I have looked at cars in the past when they have done the body work first. By the time they got around to completing the mechanical - bubbles were coming through again

The stain - it might not be wet, but something has leaked there in the past, might have affected the steel work underneath?

The motor - the one pictured in the car seems to be missing a few things, why would you disassemble what they have done and then stop?
Do they still have the removed parts
The spare motor - who knows what the condition of that one is as well

So the positives
It looks really good, nice and straight,

If it was near me, and I was allowed a convertable (which I am not - disadvantage of being in a red head family), I would certainly go and tire kick

Have fum with this one

Cheers
Steve

 

I'm on the same page... A great Wizard once said, in regards to the mechanicals, do it all do it once and do it right THEN if you have any blanks left in your cheque book move on to paint.

My daily driver was that way, all re-done racing spec suspension everything ignition electrical etc redone and still combating a few minor surface rust bits.

I've never heard of headgasket failure on these cars so I question whoever told the owner that was an issue. Won't know till I see but with most Jags the owner is at a loss and I am standing there with the relevant forum thread on my phone trying not to laugh.

 

Worth looking at for sure.

Pay particular attention to the quality of the previous paint work. And don't forget the the seller says it'll need a new top and the interior is only 'fair'

If your end goal is a Jag that looks as good as it runs, buy one with A+ cosmetics. You'll save money.

Broadly speaking the mechanical repairs on these cars are DIY-able and not that expensive. Paint, interior, new top....you're looking at thousands of dollars

Cheers
DD

 

One caution I would offer is that the current engine might be not worth any effort. With a blown head gasket, the odds that it will drop a valve seat have gone up exponentially. I don't think he has a spare engine just for grins. However, you've got the same dilemma with the 2nd engine -- without knowing it's exact history, its a bit of gamble as well.

Doesn't mean it is a certainty, but just something to put into your pros & cons list.

Cheers

 

I've always wanted a green Jag with a tan interior. The seats look pretty good in the pictures. I imagine that the seller was starting to disassemble the motor but then decided to just replace the entire thing. It would be faster to pull the existing motor and drop in the replacement. Is there any history on the replacement motor? Did it come out of a wrecked or totally rusted running car or is it just an old lump that has been sitting for many years? you should do some checking into the condition of the engine. A big question is who is going to do all the necessary work? If you are going to DIY it then it might be okay. Paying a shop to do it might run into too much money. Good Luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Absolutely agree. I bought English Rose on Ebay believing it had a blown head gasket and that the engine was otherwise more or less OK. It wasn't - it was destroyed. It'll be 3 years (including buying a replacement engine) in March and still nowhere near ready for the road. If you're going to have a shop do the work, make sure you know the shop intimately.

 

Worst comes to worst - you could come into the V8 family?

Cheers
Steve

 

Id sooner drop my 600hp diesel engine into an XJS, I can' t staaaaaand the gas v8 conversions.