Hi everyone I’m the new owner of an e type

[MyDadsJag]

Hi everyone

I’m Steve


I’ve just inherited a pile of e type from my late father. I’m not even sure what I’m looking at. Everything is in bits! It’s in a barn find condition. I did find a makers plate.
After a bit of research, I assume as long as numbers match, which I haven’t confirmed yet, it may be a Series 1 4.2 FHC RHD 64 or 65.
Until I acquire the V5C, I can’t apply for an Heritage certificate to confirm colour or spec.

My Dad had this car since he was a teenager and always dreamed of restoring it. I just don’t know what to do with it. It’s been in a garage for over 30 years and it was a mess before he bought it.

What would be the best option to building a case to go forward to getting it restored?

Thanks

Steve

[MikeMilton]

Congratulations

What a nice tribute it would be to finish what he had hoped to do.

I also have a Series 1 (1962 OTS flat floor) that is complete but in bits that I've been storing since 1980. My 1969 FHC is presently undergoing a complete restoration so the 61 might be next, or it might end up, like yours, left to the next person in line. It would make me sad to think that the car would be lost.

Well, Have fun with it.

Mike

[christopher storey]

Steve : without knowing what you have ( and indeed don't have ) it is difficult to advise you . Whereabouts in the UK are you ? If we know that , then there is a likelihood that we can find someone amongst us who can have a look at what you've got and give an opinion on the best way forward. In general, ( although with some exceptions particularly in relation to suspension parts ) mechanical bits are still fairly readily available,( provided you are not a stickler for originality ) as are body panels, albeit at a price. It is the less obvious things such as glass , seats, seat runners , and small interior fittings, switches, etc which are often the most difficult to replace

If it is an early 4.2 it will have a chassis no beginning 1E , and to give an idea of dates have a look at the xkedata.com website which is a mine of information

[mgcjag]

Hi Steve...agree with Christopher above.......do you actually want to restore the car and keep it......its often very costly and can work out more than the fully restored car would actually be worth.......assuming you have a complete car then these barn finds can actually sell at a premium as it stands.......you have come to the right place for help..first step is to asses what you actually have.....there will be members here that will be close to you and could assist.....all the best...Steve

[mach2andy]

Hi Steve
Although you are starting from a very low cost base, you will most certainly have to throw vast sums of money at this project if you choose to undertake it. And the final cost will vary depending on what if any of the restoration you can do yourself? Before you set off down this very bumpy path, you need to ask yourself how much you really want to end up with what will effectively be a 50 year old car? One of the most iconic cars ever built, but nonetheless basically an old sports car. For the money that you will have to pour into this restoration, you could buy some seriously nice machinery.
Before going too much further, I would think about getting someone that knows these cars to have a look at it for you. Apart from the condition of the structure you really need to know what parts you have and what you don't have because this will have a huge impact on the final cost.
I found Jaguar heritage very helpful before I bought mine. I phoned them up with VIN number, engine number & gearbox number, and they confirmed that I was looking at an original UK supplied RHD FHC, and that the eng & gearbox numbers were original. They also confirmed the original exterior and interior colours, the date it was built, and the date that it was first registered. The photo shows where you'll find the VIN number. The area where the paint is scraped off next to the drivers side shock absorber top mounting.
If you do decide to undertake this project, there are a lot of hugely knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful folks on this forum. With even the simplest of queries you will get get immediate responses, normally a number of them, and they been really helpful with my undertaking.
All the best. Let us know what you decide to do.
Andy

[Jeremy]

Steve, welcome to the forum. As a starter, can you put some photos up? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested to explore the grisly detail of your "pile of E type". And you will most certainly then be bombarded with an equivalent pile of constructive advice!

[cactusman]

Wise words above. If you are in the herts area happy to peer...if it really is a barn find dismantled car then if you pay someone to restore to A1 then you are looking at £75k to £100k plus depending on how much needs doing....possibly more if significant bits are missing....

[MyDadsJag]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all the interest and input.
To answer some questions.
I’m based in London. Didn’t manage to get any photographs. When me and my brother discovered it, we couldn’t even get in the garage. We took most of it out and it started to rain! For someone to come and look at it would be great. But to make it an efficient use of their time. I would have to pull everything out of the garage and quickly build some shelving so I can organise the parts to be looked at. I downloaded a parts catalogue from Martin Robey to take inventory. That in its self feels like a massive undertaking.
Time is tight at the moment. I’ve never been so busy in my life.

£75k -£100k + is a lot. I could maybe raise £60k if I chipped in with my brother. In all honesty,
I would only be willing to restore it if it could make a profit. In the long run, it would be irresponsible of me to keep a car worth that much.

I’m so eager to get back to the garage and have a deeper look. I don’t think it’s a normal E Type.
It comes with 6 wheels and 6 doors! I did manage to take some photos of the doors. Hopefully someone recognizes what they are.

[mgcjag]

Hi...unfortunatly they are not E type doors....look more like Jaguar MK2.....best thing to look for in the bonnet..on an E type the bonnet is the whole of the front if the car this is what your looking for although it could be in pieces

[MyDadsJag]

That’s interesting about the doors. I remember my uncle mention my dad once owning a MK10. He also owned a classic S type that he recently had a guy pick up and take to scrap! If it was scrapped, that would be a shame because it was in 1 piece.

Is there anywhere that would take these doors?

[mgcjag]

Hi....whats your name....please try to put it in the signature area......all jag parts have value....best bet would be ebay.......what you dont want is for someone to visit and start cherry picking parts that you dont really know what they are....they could well be mk10 doors....someone here will let you know..Steve

[christopher storey]

Those doors are from a Mark X( actually a 420G given the side chromes ) . If you have the engine, it is probably that which has made you think of an E type , as the Mark X /420G had 3 SU carburetters similar to those of the E types. Not an economic proposition to restore I'm afraid. If you post a chassis or engine number, we can confirm this definitely

[MyDadsJag]

Hi Christopher

I can confirm that it is an E Type. From the shape of the panels, doors, Bonnet etc...
I found a box of parts with 4.2 FHC e type wrote on it.
The makers plate chassis number says 1E20....
I remember about 30 years ago. My brother jumped onto the roof when it was in one piece.
It was red paint work with black roof and grey interior. It must have a replacement roof now(not black and dented) it also has a big chassis part that was made by Martin Robey.

[christopher storey]

I'm getting a bit confused here.... was it not you who posted the pics of the 420G doors ? Or are they just a red herring ? 1E 20... is an early 4.2 RHD FHC . Mine is 1E20357 and was built in February 1965 and registered about April 1965

[MyDadsJag]

I managed to con my wife on diversion from a
B & Q trip, to go and see the garage. These are the best photos I could muster until I build some shelving solutions.
This is pretty shocking!

[cactusman]

Well you certainly have some bits of.an e type....and probably parts from other jaguars as well. Based on the pics it would be well North of £100 k to put it all together, source missing bits etc. If you paid to have it done. I rather suspect your best course of action would be to either sell the bits on fleabay as a job lot or possibly auction as a job lot and let someone else put in the effort to get it rolling again....just my take though. Others will have suggestions too....

[Jeremy]

Steve, I too fear it might end up costing an awful lot more than £100k if you are paying professionals to turn that lot into a finished car. I cannot see you making anything other than a loss if you go down that route. The uncertainty would be the issue for me. I can see a rebuilt floor assembly in there, which I assume is the Robey "chassis part" you referred to, but depending on the condition of the roof, bulkhead, bonnet and doors I could easily see £40k outlay just getting to a bare bodyshell. And how many bits are missing? As Christopher says, some parts are difficult and/or expensive to source. Having completed a 3 year restoration of a decrepit but complete car, I can say the value of knowing that everything is there, and correct, is immense. I did a lot of the work myself and it sounds like you aren't in a position to spend a lot of time on it.
I'm in London and would be happy to visit and offer a more informed opinion, if you aren't too far away and it helps you. But def sort the stuff out and get it onto shelves beforehand - if you decide to flog everything piecemeal that will be essential anyway.

[1954Etype]

What you have has a value. I’m not sure if breaking it would yield more than if it was sold as a barn find restoration project. An original, RHD FHC in that condition has be worth north of 20k. You can achieve the highest price by doing all the work yourself (ie packing up the parts, ensuring all The paperwork is in order etc) before putting it on the market.

As others have said, restoration carried out by professionals would be prohibitive and only worthwhile if you wanted to keep it in the family.

Whatever you decide to do, there’s enough of us on here willing to help.

[MyDadsJag]

Sorry Angus
I didn’t see your post there. You pretty much answered my question.

[MyDadsJag]

I thought this would turn into a sad story!
I believe the whole car is there. I remember seeing it as a kid.
Not including the body. What could I easily do myself to save money. Is it as simple as sand blasting all the rust off?