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XKE second opinon

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Marvin Gruber

Marvin Gruber

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Input please!

I looked at a 3.8 XKE coupe today. Straight body, 95% complete car. In dry stored, not ran in a couple of years. Minor rust in rockers and floors. Glass good. Correct engine. Missing brake calipers, clutch and brake master cylinders gone. Incorrect paint color and interior. Bonnet good, wiring all cobbled up.

What is this car worth?

Marv
 
Do you want $ or elbow grease? See Basil for how long and how much it's going to cost. Hard to give a price without seeing up close. What looks superficial usually isn't. Rockers are a main support for vehicle and floorboards in conjuntion with rockers and not easily replaced without a jig or some sort of support, even if it's a coupe. I saw them go in pretty much this condition when prices were ideal for 10K.
 
On Jags, the rockers rust from the inside out.
Once you see the rust, it needs rockers.

Being unibody, once you get all the mechanicals out and the interior gutted, and the fore and aft sections braced, you can start putting in new metal.
 
Larry

I agree with you assessment of the rockers. I have had several E's over the years and put a of elbow grease into them. It just nowadays the prices are fluctuating so I don't have a good feel for their value. I have a good feel for what its going to take to get going but I can't back into it and have a good feeling.

Marv
 
Marv, you ain't unwashed. You know those tubs, the issues with rot. I'm with Larry... don't ~buy~ work. Offer $2k max, walk if untaken. It's a pile-o-parts in loose formation as-is, let the owner hope for a starry-eye'd optimist with delusions of grandeur. Or some shark with a hog lot to mud it up and make it shiny.

Sorry. I'm jaded.
 
Okay, the car is not as bad as it sounds. It does have issues but the body is straight, doors open and shut good, all the fit lines are good. Bonnet sheetmetal is very good. It was a bronze car originally, numbers match, from what I saw I think its a late 62 coupe. Didn't write down the serial number but engine # matched plate and it was R6667-9. Bottom line, I think I have bought it. Will know for sure this weekend.

Marv
 
Guys, Marvin knows these beasts...he has several restored ones plus some dead carcasses & buildables in his barn.....he didn't get hurt with the purchase & knows exactly what it'll cost to restore - if that's his plan....eh, Marvin?
 
tony barnhill said:
Guys, Marvin knows these beasts...he has several restored ones plus some dead carcasses & buildables in his barn.....he didn't get hurt with the purchase & knows exactly what it'll cost to restore - if that's his plan....eh, Marvin?
Click to expand...

That was basically what I wuz sayin' Tony. But I'd 'low-ball' the offer considering what I *know* it would/will take to bring it back from the Edge. And as stated, I'm jaded... it's just another old lump now.
 
Tony, thanks for the kind words. Yep, thats the plan, will have to lay hands on it before I pass final judgment. Its suppose to be a two owner car, the gentleman that had it was 84, retired military so I figure he kept it up over the years. Older I get, the more I like to have some outside input to make sure I am still sane. Thanks guys!

Marv
 
DrEntropy said:
tony barnhill said:
Guys, Marvin knows these beasts...he has several restored ones plus some dead carcasses & buildables in his barn.....he didn't get hurt with the purchase & knows exactly what it'll cost to restore - if that's his plan....eh, Marvin?
Click to expand...

That was basically what I wuz sayin' Tony. But I'd 'low-ball' the offer considering what I *know* it would/will take to bring it back from the Edge. And as stated, I'm jaded... it's just another old lump now.
Click to expand...
Well, lemme tell you, Doc: the little things are what get to you....I'm relearning that with this Corvette project of mine.
 
Marvin Gruber said:
Okay, the car is not as bad as it sounds. It does have issues but the body is straight, doors open and shut good, all the fit lines are good. Bonnet sheetmetal is very good. It was a bronze car originally, numbers match, from what I saw I think its a late 62 coupe. Didn't write down the serial number but engine # matched plate and it was R6667-9. Bottom line, I think I have bought it. Will know for sure this weekend.

Marv
Click to expand...

A good bonnet is worth 3-4k at least!
 
I have never had an XKE, but have been shopping them off and on for years, closest I came was about 10 years ago, series 1 coupe in pieces, unfortunately the guy hat cut out the rust on both sides which included big chunks of the rockers, floors, etc. I deceided getting it back to good shape was more than my skill or wallet could handle.

He wanted $3500, the last Es I had looked at before the above was a pair outside on a farm in Kansas,wrecked, rusted and missing parts, basically hulks, the guy wanted $20,000 for the pair, he "knew a guy that could fabricate all the needed body panels, and these cars were worth a lot more than that when restored"

Anywhoo, I didn't know you could touch a complete XK for 2K, if there are a lot of these around, even with rust issues, let me know, will start picking them up.

I have looked at a couple cars of similar scruffy nature to the above descruded and they seemed to be about 10K cars several years ago, don't know where they are at now.

Greg
 
Wellllll, I bought the car. Didn't get it for $2k, no where close to that but pleased with the buy. Have it home, cleaned the points and needles in the carbs, changed out brass floats in the carbs. Put gas in the float bowls while I had the tops off. New battery, hit the start button and it fired up. Little sputterly at first, rev'ed it a couple items and it cleaned out. Decent oil pressure. Will change all the fuilds next. The in-tank fuel fuel pump even worked. I let it pump out all the old gas. PO removed all the brake calipers and master cylinders so I have to order kits for them. PO bought it in Calif. in 1966, was merchant Marine so didn't drive it that much until he retired in 1988. It has 54K miles. I might be driving it before Christmas, its red with white interior so I could play Santa with it for now. .

Marv
 
Good on you, Marv! Another score....
 
Congratulations Marv! There is nothing quite like the EType! Looking out over that bonnet is a little like being a Captain at the helm, looking out over the deck of an Aircraft carrier!
 
Marvin Gruber said:
Wellllll, I bought the car. Didn't get it for $2k, no where close to that but pleased with the buy. Have it home, cleaned the points and needles in the carbs, changed out brass floats in the carbs. Put gas in the float bowls while I had the tops off. New battery, hit the start button and it fired up. Little sputterly at first, rev'ed it a couple items and it cleaned out. Decent oil pressure. Will change all the fuilds next. The in-tank fuel fuel pump even worked. I let it pump out all the old gas. PO removed all the brake calipers and master cylinders so I have to order kits for them. PO bought it in Calif. in 1966, was merchant Marine so didn't drive it that much until he retired in 1988. It has 54K miles. I might be driving it before Christmas, its red with white interior so I could play Santa with it for now. .

Marv
Click to expand...

Howdy Marv,

You Devil!! "Congrats" on yet another E-Type Find. When I complete the `57TR3; Play with Her for a season or two; Perhaps we can come to some sort of an agreement on a Series I Rdstr. I loved my `67. "I loved all of them I had; `61,64,67,69! Meeting Matt this AM & exchanging "X`mas" presents. See Y`All Later,

Russ
 
Thanks guys, I'm a sucker for a LBC. I'm just about out of room for any more and can't work on but one at a time. Part of the fun is the hunt and then cranking it up to see whats going to happen. Hope the heater works, too cold today here for me to be driving one.

Marv
 
Out Of Room!! I can't believe that huge barn is completely full now!! hehehe
Oh, wait - there are 3 big buildings!!
 
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