2006-06-01 08:43:14 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 6/1/06
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jaguar-XK150-1959-Jaguar-XK150-FHC-Turn-Key-Condition_W0 ...
Car has a buy it now price of $33,333, available for 20 days.

Sellers description:
Mileage: 8,746 Miles
Ext Color: Silver
Int Color: Red leather

1959 JAGUAR XK 150 FHC: What follows is the Original description by the Person who I bought it from in Sept of 2003.

Miles: 8746
Doors: 2 door
Transmission: Manual
Interior: Red
Engine: 6 cylinder
Year: 1960
Warranty: No
Vin #: S836569
Title: Clear
Exterior: Silver
Condition: Used

This is a presentable example, currently licensed in " turn key" condition. Some time in the early 80" s painted silver (original color was Marine blue). It probably looked good then but it" s definitely showing it" s age. The seats and dash are leather and appear correct, as do the door panels. The leather is in good shape. The carpet was replaced as well, but is synthetic. It looks like the bumpers were redone very nice. The rest of the chrome is presentable, with the exception of the potmetal parts on the rear. The engine starts and runs very well, no blue smoke or rattles. All the hoses are new and the radiator has been recored and cleaned. The clutch and first gear makes more noise that it should and the second gear syncro has to be babied, (no overdrive by the way) but performs very nicely on the road, lots of power and very pleasant exhaust note. I" ve had it up to 80 mph, tight with no shakes or shimmy" s. The wheels (15inch) are in great shape and it has a nearly new set of Dunlops. The brakes were completely gone through last year. All the calipers and the master cylinder were sent out for restoring, nearly $3000! Numbers: Chassis: S836569: BODY J10631 (it" s titled by this number for some reason). According to my research this makes it a 3.8 car. HOWEVER the block currently under the hood RA289-9 which I believe to be a 3.8 engine. The number on the head is: KE 9445-8. THIS IS NOT A MATCHING NUMBER CAR! I forgot to check the trans. Number when I was under the car. There are no bubbles or holes in the exterior, and there has been no recent bodywork. When I got under I noticed the box sections (4) both behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels are rusted. The sills are crusty but solid. The doors don't have rust but have definitely been worked on. The frame looks very good, no signs of rust through or accident damage. The front fenders look clean I didn" t see any evidence of damage, nothing appears to have been replaced. A correct piece was used but it has been riveted in place. (Robs editorial: I don" t know what he is referring to when he says a correct piece and riveted in place, I see no evidence of this). If you want to make this car perfect you have some work ahead! The car really attracts attention so well you may want to enjoy it exactly as it is. But this is not the machine for the purist.

I BOUGHT THE CAR IN SEPTEMBER OF 2003.

The story:
I flew to Portland OR. To pick up the car with the intention of driving it back to Albuquerque, approximately 2000 miles. I realized this was probably setting myself up for an adventure, taking a 44 year old car that I had zero previous knowledge about, was pushing my luck. I did set up a rescue plan with my wife, that should I get stuck, she would drive out with the trailer and bring me home. I also planned to visit Winning Makes in Santa Barbara, a Jag restoration shop owned by Julian who I had met while vintage racing. This was in order to put on an electric fan prior to driving back across the desert.

My friend picked me up form the airport in Portland and we drove straight to the house with the Jag. On arrival there she was (I had already named her " Daisy" ) sitting in the driveway glinting in the sun. A wave of passion engulfed me, my knees went weak, I was, dumbstruck in love. No matter her faults, I was in love.

I took a drive around the block, yes the first gear was awful, but other than that I was in love. We exchanged money and titles and off we went. First gas. Topped up the tank and suddenly gas was leaking all over the place. The overflow pipe had no hose connection back to the fill up hose. I also noticed the battery was flopping around so a quick trip to the auto store to augment my small tool- box I had brought with me.

Next morning I left early. She started right away and soon I was on the freeway headed south. I knew the temperature gauge and Tach. were not working (another thing to fix in Santa Barbara) but I was watching the oil pressure closely. After about 15/20 miles as the oil warmed, the pressure gradually dropped. It settled at about 15 psi from it's original 40. The question was, was it the gauge or the engine. She was purring along at 65 mph with apparently nothing untoward. I hoped it was like most of the other gauges, not working or working properly.

At about 300 miles a little ticking sound started to sound the alarm. I was headed for Mount Shasta and some friends and as I was still some 15 miles away the distinctive " Whoomph" and " Clatter" of a bearing letting loose accompanied by whiffs of smoke, caused a hurried exit from the freeway.

I called my friends who said they would pick me up some time later after work, but now what to do with the car. I drove it with the terrible clatter about a mile to a farm- house. I walked up to the house to discover a World War 2 Marine veteran who insisted on my coming in and imbibing in both drink and war stories. When he discovered two of my sons were former Marines it got thick and heavy.

Logistically my wife would leave Albuquerque on the Monday, tomorrow, at lunch time, spend the night in Needles and continue to the rendezvous point in Bakersfield Tuesday evening. I spent the Monday trying with great difficulty to arrange a truck and trailer. It required a trip south some 70 miles from Mt. Shasta to pick it up, drive it back north only to return over the same ground heading south to California.

I pulled in to some motel at midnight exhausted. The next day we arrived in Bakersfield within half an hour of each other at about 7pm. I returned the truck and we loaded the Jag onto my trailer for the final push that night to Santa Barbara through the Diablo Range Mountains. Not recommended when you have already driven a full day.

Why not head straight for home? In telling Julian of my predicament he said he had a fully functioning, less a few parts (carbs, exhaust manifold, water pump, distributor and I discovered later, half of the rear main crankshaft oil seal) which was taking up room and he would let go for $1000.

We arrived on his doorstep at 10 am and proceeded to load the engine. We hit the road a noon and one and a half days later drove into Albuquerque.

What has been done to the car since:

The Julian engine came with a Mickey mouse home done aluminum sump so I needed this plus the other aforementioned parts off the broken engine. It was here that I discovered the missing half of the rear main seal. Fortunately both engines were the same 3.8 motors and again the part was available from the broken motor but taking these seals off is no easy matter. I decided, that while the crank was partially off I would renew all the bearings, check the oil pump (excellent) and the cams. This Julian engine was indeed a very good engine, it had had some serious work done on it in the past, evidenced by the modern self locking nuts on the mains and conrods plus the tappet hold down plates under the cams. I polished the cam covers (long job) cleaned and painted the engine (another long job) and head. Fitted reconditioned water pump and reconditioned distributor. The radiator was in reconditioned shape but I removed the engine driven fan and put in the modern electric one. I checked the timing chains and adjusters, they were fine.

I decided on a brand new, converted for Jag. 5 speed Getrag gearbox that my friend, fellow racer, and Jaguar mechanic par excellance, Bob Grossman, happened to have in his extensive shop in Denver. Of course we fitted new clutch, throwout bearings and a resurfaced and balanced flywheel. This requires a shortened drive shaft with new yokes and universal joints.

I fixed the fuel overflow line, no easy job, as the fuel tank is a new replacement one and thus the overflow outlet a different size to the filler pipe. A simple job that took and inordinate amount of time. Next the gauges. Fortunately there is a wonderful shop in town (Moma) run by a 70 something year old women who knows everything about gauges. They do many of the real exotic Ferrari, Buggati stuff for Pebble Beach. Hence a reconditioned Temperature and oil gauge, Tach. and ammeter. I have yet to hook up the speedometer as the new gearbox requires a certain size " O" ring in the speedo cable to stop a little leakage of tranny fluid.

Cosmetic wise I have done nothing except source a headlight rim and spear for the badly dented one, the other is much better. Oh yes, I sprayed the engine bay while everything was out, as it was pretty disgusting. Checked the wiring and hooked up the electric choke.

I am still in the process of running in the engine but she does run beautifully. So why am I selling?

I became aware of an XK 150 roadster race- car for sale and just like last time have fallen in love. Of course it is much more expensive hence I have to sell the silver one. I haven't raced since I sold my TR4 race- car in Jan of 05 to Gary Horstkorta, a fairly well known vintage writer for several magazines and I'm missing the action. Gary would be willing to vouch for my description of my vehicles and I can guarantee you won't have to repeat the rescue saga I went through. I am willing to drive the car 200 miles in any direction for delivery purposes.

The boot does not quite fit perfectly but does close. The pot-marked chrome consist of the 2 Taillights and the Number plate surround. There is a small bubble/crack near the bottom right corner of the trunk and another very small crack just below the rear window. The petrol filler lid and lock do not fit perfectly but are functional. The 2 wing mirrors are not cracked but show their age with encroaching black where the mirror has faded. These are all easily fixed but as I am a working- man there is only so much time and I prefer the mechanical side, which for me is therapy. I just love to get in the car and drive to the gym, taking the long way home to listen to the music of the exhaust. It always draws attention.

I'm sure there is more but for the moment that's all I can remember.

Features;
This is a 3.8 car as depicted by the Engine # on the Chassis Plate ie. VA 1228-9. The 9 at the end means it is a 9 to 1 compression ratio head, which also makes it a little rarer. This probably is because it is an " SE" MODEL which means Spot lamps, windscreen washer and extra chrome.

Almost Brand New Dayton Wire Wheels
Almost Brand New Dunlop Tires
Spare wheel, thinner, that fits in the trunk
Brand New 5 Speed Getrag Gearbox
New bearings, big end and main
Exhaust manifold restored
Reconditioned water pump
Reconditioned distributor
Reconditioned Amp gauge, Oil and Temp gauge
Fitted electronic Tach. (late models had these driven from the back of the cam cover
Brakes were redone before me and work very well
New fuel tank
Lights work
Wipers work (one wiper arm needs a small repair)
Horn works
Indicators work

2006-09-15 05:35:28 | Anonymous writes:

Back on eBay (Germany) under # 280027034714 (Sep '06).
Car has a buy it now price of EUR29,500