2015-05-14 07:04:36 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 5/13/14
www.ebay.com/itm/Jaguar-Other-Mark-X-/281691728286
Opening bid US $1,750, no reserve, no bids 4 days left in auction. 60k miles.

Sellers description:
An elegant, grand old lady that needs restoration, or perhaps pieces of her to go to a better life.
The car is in restorable condition, but will be a large investment in time, and probably money.
The body of the car is exceptionally solid with the qualification "for a 64 Jag". The floors are actually remarkable...I have removed the carpeting and insulation, and the panels easily pass the screwdriver test. They would need a light sand/wire wheel, and refinishing and then good to go.
The car, although it looks it, is NOT in primer. That is VERY old, VERY faded gunmetal silver metallic paint (original color). I wet sanded and buffed a section of the trunk (see pictures) as an indicator of the actual paint color underneath 30 years of oxide. The car has had one respray....many decades ago, and has some bits of fill here and theer but no great gobs of it. It has some bubbles starting, which are clearly shown in the photos.The undercarriage has cobwebby surface rust from storage, but the car rolls very easily, and the tires are in excellent shape hold air. There is only one dent to speak of, and that is on the passenger side front door (softball sized, paint unbroken).
The body really is in remarkable shape, owing to the fact that is spent the first couple decades of it's life in Modesto, CA, then was a Vancouver, BC summer car. It has the look of a very well cared for car for a long time, and then it had 2 periods of extended storage, hence the low mileage. The down side of the dry history and long storage is that the door seals/gasketing is just SHOT.....it is crumbling, yet the glass rubbers are very good. Speaking of glass, it is all excellent, no damage or pitting, as you would expect from a 60,000 mile car.

The dash wood is showing age, but again, in remarkably good shape for nearing 50 years old. Some sections are still beautiful burled wood, other spots are starting to delaminate at the edges....nothing crumbling though. The seats are the same story......more dried out than worn out. The padding is still quitefirm, but is likely starting to break down. I think the carpeting may have been replaced at some point...it looks more early 70s shag than 1964 Jag....but I do not know If so...it is the only non-original item in/on the car.. The steering wheel is beautiful, as are the instruments and switches. The car also has power windows, which I am told is very rare.

The trunk is very clean of rust, and has a light dusting on the floor. I pulled the carpet and insulation, and scraped it lightly...it passes the screwdriver test the same as the floors. It would need a wire wheel, repainting, and good for another 40 years.

All trim, and chrome is really nice....not concours, but REALLY nice. The only missing bits are the hood (cat ornament) and the trunk identification badging. The previous owner has these as a keepsake. The exception is the rear chrome bits--taillight bezels and truck lock/license lamp. Although presentable and bright, these are starting to pit. All lighting and lenses are good to excellent.

The car has been parked indoors since 1999, and was garaged until 6 months ago, when it was moved outside and tarped. The bad news is that it does not run...and I have not tried to start it. The car rolls easily but the steering box has failed which was the reason the car was parked 20 years ago. It steers, but the gear has hard spots and binding points.

Now the good news......and the reason I have not tried to start the car......

I have quite extensive service records from the previous owner showing a FULL engine rebuild ($5,500) in 1997 dollars, and a FULL transmission rebuild ($1584), and a full suspension/steering/cooling system rebuild ($5098), and FULL stainless exhaust ($1400) done in 1997, about 5000 miles ago. Also, and electronic ignition (Pertronix) was installed. The engine under the oil filler (valve train) is SPARKLING new. All work performed at Commonwealth Motors in Vancouver..... records and a factory service manual included in the sale.

I could probably have the engine running in 1/2 hour, but we all know it is prudent to remove the valve covers, perform a proper prelube before any attempts are made to run it.

When I got it, I squirted engine oil down each plug hole, and the next day was my initial attempt move the crank by hand. I grabbed the belt, and the engine turned easily, and I only turned it about an inch. This is a beautiful piece of engineering, and should be treated correctly before any attempts to run are made. If the new owner is a car afficionado, this will be appreciated.

The car is a classic barn find....it is restorable, but no question is a major undertaking and a labour of love.

The engine is the high compression (9:1) 265 hp straight flow variant with correct gold cylinder head ($1200 core value I am told), the same engine as the Series 1 XKE. If the car is not sold, I will take out the engine and sell it, and strip the car of the small shiny bits to sell individually. I am losing my shop space so it has to sold and be picked up within 10 days.....otherwise, shamefully it will be crushed.