Never Give Up, you'll get it in the end! 1958 Jaguar. Now with Pictures

[Angelfish]

Update 6/28

Well, if it was anything but what it is, we'd call it scrap metal.    It is indeed a 1958 MKI, Straight 6, 4 speed with overdrive.  63,000 miles, cream with black leather interior.    I'm told that when I was about 2 years old I got to ride in this car.   I have no doubt that it was an absolutely beautiful car in its day.  But no longer.

 

On Sunday we were able to get the poor thing dragged out with aid of a skidsteer.   It was sunk to the axles and we had to shift it sideways with the bucket and then use a strap to pull it into the driveway.   We got the tires pumped up and they did hold air.   Getting the hood open was considered a major achievement and I proceeded to use the better part of a can of PB Blaster on every nut and bolt I could find.

 

Monday morning we called a wrecker service.   A short time later we got a call back, "You need a car moved?  I'll be there in 20 minutes."  So we dashed over there, the tow truck pulling in behind us.  20 minutes was more like 12.  The driver was 87 years old and knew the owner of the car, having served on the volunteer fire department together.   He had only done this sort of thing about 1000 times so it was short work to get it on the dollies and on its way.

 

The rest of Monday was spent with hopes rapidly being dashed.  Except for a few.  The engine oil was black but was still oil, not tar, and it drained like any other scheduled oil change.   The transmission oil was clean, looking almost new and we chose not to drain it.  If we had to bet, we'd say the engine and transmission are salvageable.   All the glass is good and while the wood instrument panel is peeling, the individual instruments are in remarkable condition.   And the beautiful Jaguar hood ornament is as shiny as the day it was made.  The body is more rust and holes than sheet metal and the interior is damp with crumbling wood and rotting leather.  

 

Pictures below.

 

 

 

 

Update 6/25

He was able to get over and look at it.  So the guy that has it is a hoarder, the real deal.  Large rural property completely covered in a hoarder's unnameable stuff.  Narrow pathways between facilitate moving about.  

 

The car, an MKI from the vague description, can only be approached from the drivers' side and Dad was able to get close enough to open the drivers' door.  The inside of the car was full of more unnameable hoarder's treasures so he wasn't even able to get an idea what the interior looked like.  He's headed back this afternoon to attempt to clean it out to the point of looking at the floors.

 

The reason it's important to look at the floors is because the car has sunk into the ground and appears to be resting on the floor pan.  The car needs, quite literally, to be dug out of the ground before it can be moved, there is a distinct possibility that the frame and related bits are rusted away.   This is speculation but based on the climate and degree of settling, seems the most likely scenario.   More needs to be excavated but right now we're just hoping we can salvage the engine and transmission.  

 

***

 

Just got a call from my Dad, he typically doesn't call on Thursdays.   Jimmy Buffett is certainly not the only man to muse about building your dreams out of another man's nightmare.  He was talking about buying swamp land in the Caribbean, but he could have just as easily been talking about a 1958 Jaguar.  

 

This particular Jaguar is one that my dad has been trying to buy since 1970.  It belonged to a good friend of his and in 1970 it was a very nice driving car with a freshly rebuilt engine and was rarely driven.   Since then the usual happened, parked, neglected, forgotten.   And my dad continued to bug him about it.

 

Well here we are 52 years later, my dad called to tell me that he finally acquired the Jaguar, given to him as a gift.   I know it's a 4 door 6 cylinder manual transmission, gray in color, but that's all I have right now.  I'm 500 miles away and won't be up there for a few more weeks.

 

Damp climate, neglect, everything you'd expect.  But he's excited as a 17 year old.  He's had a long history with British sports cars so he has a good idea what he's in for.

 

So stick with it, eventually things will turn your way!

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by Angelfish (see edit history)

[sowesellit]

let no good deed go unpunished

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Stick shift!!  Excellent!  Congrats to him, cool cars.

[63RedBrier]

I can't wait to see the photos of the car!  AND, photos of your Dad!  Especially his reaction...

[alsancle]

The 1950s and 60s big jag sedans were running the same engine as the XK cars. Add in the stick, and you’ve got a really cool car.

 

A Mark X stick car has been on my list for decades.

[rocketraider]

British car deserves a British band, no? 

 

There's a 60s Jaguar Mark X saloon here with a personalized license plate "BEATLES".

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

Patience pays off, as you saw.  If a potential buyer

is sincere, and wants the car for enjoyment and will

care for it properly, sellers may be happy to pass it along

when the time is right for them.  Your father's case just

happened to take 52 years!

[1912Staver]

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

The 1950s and 60s big jag sedans were running the same engine as the XK cars. Add in the stick, and you’ve got a really cool car.

 

A Mark X stick car has been on my list for decades.

I hope it is a MK1. I don't think MK 10's were available in 1958. Nice lookers, but massive beasts. The big Jag in 1958 would probably be a MK VIII or MK VIIII, once again we are talking about a great looking but massive car. 

 The only Jag sedan I would consider owning would be a MK 1 or 2. The others are true Land Yachts.

 P.S. I recently latched on to what is left of  { the important parts } a 1969 Lotus , I have been after since the late 1970's. So yes, patience pays off.

[SC38dls]

A Mark 1 or 2 would be great but a good MK IX would be awesome. Yes it is a land yacht but a very good looking land yacht. 
dave s 

[Xander Wildeisen]

That is a good example of how vintage/classic cars have such a strong tie to our lives. Hope working on it takes him away from the BS. A cold beverage, music on the radio. And a do not disturb sign on the garage door.

[60FlatTop]

Mine was a big one, an early Mark VII. I sold it unfinished and I'd buy it back in a minute. But not for what the current owner paid.

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, 1912Staver said:

I hope it is a MK1. I don't think MK 10's were available in 1958. Nice lookers, but massive beasts. The big Jag in 1958 would probably be a MK VIII or MK VIIII, once again we are talking about a great looking but massive car. 

The Mk X or 420G was not available until 1961. And it was a completely different car, with a drastic reduction in overall height.

 

Craig

[motoringicons]

Congratulations to your father for getting a car that was important to him. Whatever he does with this car will be special-even if it is just staring at it inside the garage from time to time. Enjoy your time together!

Edited June 24, 2022 by motoringicons (see edit history)

[Angelfish]

I have a vague recollection from many years ago of an oval grille indicative of an MKI, so I'll start the speculating in that direction.  It will be some time before I can get pictures. 

[Angelfish]

He was able to get over and look at it.  So the guy that has it is a hoarder, the real deal.  Large rural property completely covered in  hoarder's unnameable stuff.  Narrow pathways between facilitate moving about.  

 

The car, an MKI from the vague description, can only be approached from the drivers' side and Dad was able to get close enough to open the drivers' door.  The inside of the car was full of more unnameable hoarder's treasures so he wasn't even able to get an idea what the interior looked like.  He's headed back this afternoon to attempt to clean it out to the point of looking at the floors.

 

The reason it's important to look at the floors is because the car has sunk into the ground and appears to be resting on the floor pan.  The car needs, quite literally, to be dug out of the ground before it can be moved, there is a distinct possibility that the frame and related bits are rusted away.   This is speculation but based on the climate and degree of settling, seems the most likely scenario.   More needs to be excavated but right now we're just hoping we can salvage the engine and transmission.

[rocketraider]

Well that's turned into an awshat quick... does he have a line on a better body for the driveline if it's still good?

[1939_Buick]

2 hours ago, Angelfish said:

The car, an MKI from the vague description, can only be approached from the drivers' side and Dad was able to get close enough to open the drivers' door.  The inside of the car was full of more unnameable hoarder's treasures so he wasn't even able to get an idea what the interior looked like.  He's headed back this afternoon to attempt to clean it out to the point of looking at the floors.

 

The reason it's important to look at the floors is because the car has sunk into the ground and appears to be resting on the floor pan.  The car needs, quite literally, to be dug out of the ground before it can be moved, there is a distinct possibility that the frame and related bits are rusted away.   This is speculation but based on the climate and degree of settling, seems the most likely scenario.   More needs to be excavated but right now we're just hoping we can salvage the engine and transmission.

Rust is common with these cars

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Mark_1

 

Quote

Although having a family resemblance to the larger Mark VII, the Mark I differed in many ways. It was the first Jaguar with unitary construction of body and chassis. The independent front suspension featured double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar, all carried in a separate subframe mounted to the body by rubber bushes (with only minor revisions, this system was used on subsequent Jaguar saloons including early versions of the XJ). The live rear axle used a simplified version of the D-Type suspension, with inverted semi-elliptic springs cantilevered into the main body frame with the rear quarter section carrying the axle and acting as trailing arms

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Angelfish]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

Well that's turned into an awshat quick... does he have a line on a better body for the driveline if it's still good?

No.  I'm headed up there tomorrow to look first hand, we're going to try to pull up the nose and take a look under, that will tell the story. 

[wayne sheldon]

Hoping for wonderfully good things!

[Angelfish]

Edited 6/28

[SC38dls]

Angelfish is this car by chance somewhere up in the woods near Vancouver?  If so, it may be the same place I went to check out a Jaguar Mk IX about 7 years ago. It was great in the 100 or so pics the guy sent me but looked worse than this car when I saw it. He had a Mk I but it too had seen better days and he wanted too much for it in the condition it was. The place looked like he still had his first high chair buried in amongst the junk. 
dave s 

Edited June 29, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[Angelfish]

12 minutes ago, SC38dls said:

Angelfish is this car by chance somewhere up in the woods near Vancouver?  ...
dave s 

Northwest Montana.  It's the only Jaguar he has, but there's a 55 Buick in the same condition down in a horse pasture. 

[SC38dls]

Is the horse still there?

dave s 

[1912Staver]

SC38, which Vancouver ? A few reasonably priced MK 1's and MK 2's have been coming out of the woodwork around here lately. Vancouver B.C. Prices seem quite a bit lower than say 5 years ago. I like them a lot but I can't even handle the cars I already have. 

[SC38dls]

B.C. But I can’t remember the guys name. He was a member of the BC area Jaguar club and when I talked with the head of that he told me the guy had nice cars but hadn’t been to any events in years. The cars were not nice and the place was a pit.  Junk everywhere, he was older and I do remember he told me with a little work the MK IX could look like the pictures again. He still wanted the price of a decent car not a rusted out hulk. Not being familiar with the area I can’t tell you what direction he took us but it was about 40 minutes outside the city deep in the woods. if I can find pics & name I’ll get them to you. I strongly suggest you avoid him at all cost unless you have time to waste. 
dave s 
 

[1912Staver]

Sounds like my place, but no Jag's here. Just MGA's,  a friend and I are both MGA nut's and he keeps all of his here, as well the odd Lotus and TVR.

 When I sell cars I always price them fairly so apart from living in the hinterlands surrounding Vancouver a different approach to your guy.

 Like I say , there seems to be a fair number of late 1950's , early 1960's Jag's coming on to the market. They were good sellers around here and quite a few were tucked away awaiting better economic conditions starting in the 1980's and onward. Time is running out for many of those guys and the cars are changing hands after a long sleep. Most households are still in the cost of living doldrums and only a fraction of the cars put away have been returned to the road at this point. 

 I am a good 10 years younger than most of the Jag guys, so not giving up hope yet. But with 3 MGA's and a few others, no Jags for me. I can easily complete all 3 MGA's { one for me, one for my wife, one for my son } for less time and money than one MK 2 would take.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by 1912Staver (see edit history)