2015-12-07 10:03:16 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 12/7/15
www.ebay.com/itm/Jaguar-Other-/172020606404
Current bid US $5,101, no reserve, 53 bids 5 days left in auction. Seller smecky, 65k miles.

Sellers description:
Beautiful 1954 Jaguar Mk VII saloon. It is LHD and features a 4-speed manual gearbox and factory sunroof. This car is a rust-free New Mexico car, and is very original.

The car comes from the collection of my good friend and fellow car enthusiast Stuart, who passed earlier this year. His family are not car people, so I have offered to make the car presentable and find it a new home. I will do my best to describe the car as honestly as possible, good or bad. Stuart has owned this car for more than 15 years, and mainly used it around Corrales and Albuquerque, but I remember him telling me that he had taken it camping at Fenton Lake.

Chassis number: L737432

Engine number: B9390-8 (Original per the tag, 8:1 compression) 3.4 Litre

The car has languished for the past couple of years, but I have brought it to my shop and now have it running well. Yesterday morning was 16 degrees (F) here, and it started beautifully. Work done within the past month includes:

· New points, condenser, cap, rotor, and a new vacuum advance capsule (the old one leaked down, limiting advance.) Timing set.

· Upper cam chain adjusted

· Compression test, all 6 cylinders at 125-130 PSI, which is good for our 5000 foot altitude. Bead blasted the plugs.

· New thermostat, coolant flush, and fill with new glycol

· One carb piston was not dropping fully, so the jet was centralized properly to remedy this.

· Both fuel pumps disassembled and cleaned. Installed new fuel filter. Both tanks are working now.

· Set float level in both carbs.

· Checked/ topped off rear axle, gearbox, brake and clutch fluids.

· Lubed the front suspension and driveshaft

· (I opted not to change the engine oil, as it is quite clear and must have been done recently.)

The Good:
· The best thing about this car is the rust-free body. I have looked at all the common rust areas and found none. I have not found any signs of a collision, and the body is very straight. It was repainted some time in antiquity (enamel?), and the paint job was not done particularly well, but I do not believe there are any major sins under it.

· The interior is in beautiful condition, so much so that I can't believe it is original. The seats are soft and supple, and remind me of the couchy feeling of the seats in a Silver Shadow. The headliner is simply beautiful, with no snags or rips. I think the carpet may have been replaced, but it looks good. The burled wood has the original satin finish, and is in great shape. The wood trim along the cantrails and around the sunroof opening is beautiful and adds a measure of distinction to the interior. The photos of the seats do not do them justice. There is a minor issue with the piping on the left side of the driver's seat.

· The engine is the more powerful and more desirable 8:1 compression ratio. Many of these cars were 7:1, to accept low-octane fuels.

· The car is 99.9% complete, and everything seems to be working. For someone looking for a drivable car that can be improved a bit on weekends, this may be your car.

· The engine starts and runs well, and the starting carb shuts off properly at 110 degrees. The idle is smooth, and it pulls well. (I wound it out to 4,000 RPM, but not higher.) The clutch engagement is very smooth, without any judder.

· The chrome on this car is exquisite. I have not found any pitting or rust anywhere on it. The bumpers and overriders are not all dinged up.

· All of the lighting seems to be working as it should. The headlamps are the original tripod type, and work on both main and dipped beams. The driving lamps work fine. The winkers work, although I have found the switch to be a bit fiddly on left turns, so that might require a bit of attention.

· This car leaks, but not much. In my experience, all old British cars leak to varying degrees (you know this already). This car drips a bit from the engine and gearbox, but only a few drops. There are no pools or rivers under this one. The cooling system, brakes, and rear axle do not seem to leak noticeably. The floor in Stuart's garage was quite clean, indicating that the car only drips a tiny bit immediately after being driven.

· The original jack, spare, and lug wrench are all with the car, as is the hold-down bolt/ knob for the spare wheel in the boot.

· All of the instruments appear to be working properly. I have not made any efforts to characterize their calibration, but they are functional and repeatable.

· The car includes both an original factory parts manual and a factory service manual, as well as the original owner's manual. The parts and owner's manual appear to be original; the shop manual may be a reprint..

· Also included are some spares: bulbs, some rubber bits, a regulator or???, and a bootfull of Jaguar treasure.

The Bad:
· The paint is a concern. It has been repainted decades ago, and the finish is dull and marked. There are scrapes at all 4 corners of the car, and some stains on top of the wings from careless mechanics. The paint was not particularly well prepped, and there are bits of paint on some of the weatherstrips, the aerial base, the wing mirror pads etc. The right side of the car shows a line of paint chips, all at the same level. I have always appreciated the patina that this car shows, and I have made no effort to polish it or buff it out. For a car like this, I like the older paints that don't look dripping wet. I will leave it up to the winner to decide whether to address the paint or leave it as is.

· The wipers do not work. (Go figure, we don't need them here in New Mexico.) There are 2 wiper motors included with the car, along with 2 cables, several transmissions, wiper arms, and blades. There is also a washer pump included, but no bottle. I just haven't had the time to address this issue.

· Almost all of the body rubber needs attention. The vent window and non-draught ventilator seals are the worst, but new ones are in the boot waiting for you to install them. There is also a new boot lid seal that needs to be installed. The door gaskets should also be replaced, in my opinion. Also included are 8 of the fuzzy metal window wiper strips.

· The horn works, but is pretty anemic. It can probably be adjusted to improve its hoot.

· The boot lid seems to only have one latch mechanism. There appear to have been 2 some time in the past.

· The hinge for the center cowl ventilator is broken. It appears to attach with screws, and looks like a short strip of common piano hinge. (The side cowl vents work fine.)

· The tailpipe needs to be replaced, and the muffler has a couple of 2-3mm holes in it. I believe that the muffler is an aftermarket replacement. I would have this addressed by a good aftermarket pipe bender.

· The tool trays in the front doors do not have the original tools. They are dusty and fiddly to open. They will need some attention if you want them to work perfectly.

The Ugly:
· The engine compartment and the underside of the car have not been cleaned or detailed in decades. A thorough steam cleaning is warranted here if tidiness is to be restored. Years of oil vapors have attracted quite a bit of dirt, quite possibly inhibiting any corrosion.

· The area around the door seals in the door jambs looks bad. The door seals have been glued here and there, there are issues with the paint in this area, and I would clean this up when installing new door seals.

· The interior rear view mirror has some silver peeling on the back side of the glass. A competent glass shop should be able to make a new piece for this.

The Road Test:
I have put about 50 miles on the car recently, and figured I should describe the experience. I left the car outside on a cold night to test cold start performance. At 16 degrees, it started without touching the accelerator pedal, and settled into a high idle. The clutch is smooth, and the shifter slides into 1st or reverse with no noise. The car sets off nicely, and the clutch engagement is very smooth and linear. There is no juddering as the clutch is released, which indicates that the clutch is free of oil. The car pulls well in first, but will balk when shifting into 2nd when cold if the shift is made too quickly. This diminishes significantly as the gearbox warms up even a little. (I was once taught by an old Brit that when shifting a Moss Box, one should take the time to say "God save the Queen" during the shift.) The engine warms up fairly quickly, and the hiss of the starting carb shuts off. I found that the temperature gauge read about 80 C when warmed up. The brakes work well, but I did notice some variability in the required pedal pressure and pedal travel, so I would recommend a brake fluid change/ bleed, and perhaps cleaning the vacuum check valve. I believe the servo unit was replaced with a new one ~5 years ago, and all the wheel cylinders were rebuilt at that time. The suspension is predictably soft and compliant. When I went to the car wash yesterday, I went up a road that has a 25 MPH speed limit and 9 speed bumps (sleeping policemen). I took them all at 25, and there was no clunking or squeaking from the suspension, but I did feel like I was driving a massive softly sprung car. Cornering at speed feels a bit sketchy, on the narrow bias-ply Goodrich Silvertown tires. (This car was not built for the track.) Downshifting is smooth if not rushed; just remember there is no synchro in 1st gear, so don't try to downshift into 1st until at a standstill. I find that the car draws a lot of attention from other motorists, and a lot of smiles. People approach me in parking lots for a closer look or to ask a question or two. Old cars make new friends.

The Reality check:
· This car is over 60 years old. It is in good shape, but it is a used car. It has not been restored in any way, shape or form. I have done my best to suss out its strengths and weaknesses, and to present them honestly. It does not come with a warranty, roadside assistance or a guarantee that it will get you home. Like any old car, you will have problems with it. I hope you will enjoy figuring them out and fixing them.

· I have put about 50 miles on this car recently, and believe it to be in good running condition. I have not had it out on the interstate. I can't recommend that you fly in and drive it to Bismarck without shaking it out a bit more first. I suspect this would be a horror show to drive in snow.

· The odometer reads 65,285 miles, but the odometer reading on the title reads 88888 NM (not actual mileage), so the actual mileage is unknown. The title will reflect this.

· It is my hope that you are mechanically inclined and enjoy owning, driving, and servicing your own cars. Owning a car like this without any mechanical leanings will require a special relationship with your mechanic, which may include direct deposit. 'Nuff said.