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Mark II Jag

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Retgman

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Well, I am finally starting to search for a shop that can restore the '63 Mark II. I've had the car for 25 years and it has been my favorite since I was 15 yrs. old. I have spoken to several shops in the South Florida area and have been disappointed. Either they want a blank check or they don't exude trust for such a specialized car. I now am looking for a shop that knows jags and is trustworthy and has fair prices. I have restored a couple of other cars myself, but this one is beyond my abilities. The wood, leather and all the details are too much at my age. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to recommend a shop. Right now, I have found a shop in Md. and am thinking about transporting it there. The engine does not need a rebuild and the body is good but there still remains a good bit of work. I had contracted with a shop in Florida about 6 years ago and he did the paint work then he went bankrupt. Much was left undone by him and I did get shafted. So now, a little wiser and still needing a good shop.
Retgman
 
Depending on how nice or original you want to make your car, the MK2 can be a very expensive car to restore. With all the visible stuff - bodywork, paint, chrome, glass,interior (leather, wood, wool, vinyl, gauges, etc), you also have the less visible mechanicals. Done correctly, they usually take 1200 to 1500 hours and $50K out of pocket money. So for $125K and up you build a JCNA concours car.
OR
For around $45K you can buy that same car that someone else built, had a few years of fun, and sold for a substantial loss of money. Yes, it isn't your car with all the emotional attachments or the particular color combination you prefer, but the cost difference is substantial. Recently, a few MK2's were on the US market in the $40K to $60K range and they all had JCNA paperwork. One I helped on the restoration went for around $45K and it was a JCNA class winner - The best MK2 in North America. If I didn't already have a nice driver MK2, there'd be a new mortgage on my house and a BRG sedan in the garage.
If you do decide to restore yours, find a shop near you, so you can visit occasionally to check progress (and give money). Ask for owner references of other MK2's they've done. Ask if they do all the work in house or if they ship it out to sub-contractors. In other words, who's responsible if the interior guy messes up the paint. Also, keep in mind that the Jaguar market is very hot right now. Not the sedans, but the XK's and the XKE's. It's just like the late 80's when the stock market dropped and the wealthy had disposable money for toys. Right now the top end, classic import car restorers are incredibly busy. They're the only ones hiring while the cheaper European car builders are hurting.
I better stop myself before I go economic.
Again, consider the costs now before you go in deep. After $30 or $40K into the project, you'd be lucky to get a third of your money back on an un-finished project.
Now, if it was an XK or a series 1 XKE (coupe or conv.), the money's well spent (now). I recently worked on a XK150 that was 98% finished, needing a top, top cover, and some little bits. Beautiful car. The customer ran out of money at $100K, sold it to a broker for around $125K who finished it up and re-sold near $200K.

Phil.
 
Phil: Retgman has had the car for 25 yrs., and he has admired the car since he was 15. I can relate, I have had my MK1 since 1976 and started restoration in 1999 a few weekends at a time. It is now completely dismantled and been sitting for 5 years. I am just now starting to weld and repair and reassemble. Sure it costs money, but when youv'e had them that long it's time to treat them right and enjoy them with what time is left. Concours prices are what the Clubs see in pricing not actual market value. Remember you can always get pretty much your money back by selling overseas.
 
Phil, Yeah, you're right about buying another one for around $45K. I know it is an expensive car to restore as I have checked into all the parts that need restoring especially the interior. The shop I am considering is near my best friend's house and he will check on the car for me. The shop just completed a ground up restoration on his MG TD and did an amazing job. Fortunately, the underside, body and engine has been done in years past although there are a couple small blemishes on the new paint. The work will be to check all the wiring, redo all the interior, replace the wood (it has been refinished but really not to the very best standards) install an exhaust system, upgrade the cooling system, pull the fuel tank and clean all including the carbs and go over all the brake hydraulic system. Although the fuel, cooling and brake system I could do myself, it is the rest I can not do. Also, I have to pull the windshield and back window as the moron who painted it did not do it when I told him to even though I had bought the new rubber. I already bought a new set of Dayton wires. Anyway, I thought I might ask about any good shops or helpful advise. I will restore it, so that decision has been made.
 
With that "to do" list, your cost won't be too drastic. You're not starting with a bare tub and aiming for concours standards. When you take the windows out, check to see if the headliner material wraps around the window seal metal edge. I can't remember the MK2, but I think it does near the corners. On the XKE's the headliner goes on first then the F&R glass rubber goes on top of it. Your MK2 headliner might have to be on first, in places, before the glass & rubber. Also, don't be surprised if the new rubber is a bit thinner than the old, so the edge of the new paint where it meets the rubber might expose a line of old original paint. Before painting, the rubber should have been cut back 1/4" to expose more old paint under it.

Phil.
 
for the wood pieces, you could contact Saul at British Autowood in Orlando, he's an englishman living here who owns a 420 and a 340, his work on Jaguar wood is nothing but fabulous. I know Saul personally (we have traded parts), and he is an honest person in every way.

Also I know a fellow in Deland who does fabulous body work, right now he's turning a 4 door S type into a 2 door coupe, just imagine the work involved, but his metal skills are incredible.

I think you can each job done by different specialists, that's one way to do it and sometimes THE way to do it.
When you hand over your car to one business who knows how to do a little of everything, and who will end up sub-contracting work anyway, there are risks as you already know. Been there done that. I've owned Jaguars for the last 23 years.
 
Hiya, Exotex. You'll recognize the jaguar in the avatar.
Dave
 
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