1958 Jaguar 3.4 liter Automatic MK1
I have owned this car since 1971. I originally restored it on a student's budget in 1977. This time I have spared no time or expense to do it the way I always imagined it should be. I have never seen a Mk1 or Mk2 Jaguar as nice as this one. It is a joy to drive and even just to look at or sit in.
We have recently completed a total restoration. All previous paint finishes were removed and the bare metal was coated with epoxy primer. Any questionable metal was replaced with new metal, mostly e coated replacement panels. The original "flint coat" insulation and undercoating was removed from the entire car and the metal was prepared, painted and new sound and thermal Lizzard skin insulation was placed where the old undercoating was. Glasurit epoxy primer was covered with Imperial Maroon (the car's original color) polyurethane base coat/clearcoat paint and cut and buffed to a beautiful finish.
The chrome has been rechromed or replaced where necessary. The glass was polished and installed with new rubber gaskets. BAS Interiors provided the cocour quality interior and British Autowood restored the wooden interior pieces to better than new condition.
The engine has been rebuilt and is original except for the crankshaft, one rod and the head.
The fuel system is new from the reconditioned original tank to the flex line at the carburetors.
All gauges, switches and instruments work...including the clock.
The brake system is new including new brake lines.
The Borg Warner transmission has been rebuilt.
The heater core is new and the fan motor works . The wiper motor has been processed and is functioning perfectly. The horns are new as are the contacts and the horn push in the custom made steering wheel (so all the wooden finishes match). The windscreen washer is period correct and works as expected.
We installed Classic Auto Air Conditioning in the car (very nice to have in Florida!) which made us change some of the stock components in order to handle the increased cooling and electrical needs. We used a larger capacity radiator and added an electric cooling fan and replaced the generator with an alternator which is in an original generator case so it appears original.
A new wiring loom (harness) was used and is correct to the original with woven outer covering and color coding to the original schematic. Polarity was changed to negative earth (ground). Since air conditioning , blue tooth capable modern radio with an amplified hidden antenna, back up camera, and driving lights were added the original 2 fuse electrical plan was deemed inadequate and now there are 2 fuse blocks and a master fuse.
Adding the air conditioning and radio (the original was a tube radio under the driver's seat and had a crank up and down antenna) necessitated fabrication of a console to house the air conditioning controls and 2 of the vents, the radio, a USB port, fog light switch, radiator fan switch (in case the thermostatically controlled relay is insufficient) and switch for the auxiliary starting carburetor (choke) also in addition to the to the otter switch. The console was made to easily facilitate the removal of its base (three large machine screws in inconspicuous locations) to check/fill the automatic transmission fluid. The console looks like it came from the factory and blends with the interior.
A metal cover was fabricated to make the air conditioner evaporator visibly match the heater box and is in the place of the original battery location. The battery has been moved to the boot (trunk) and a cut off switch has been placed next to it.
The boot has been restored to new condition except for the tool kit which is complete but shows its age (it is cool to have something that looks other than factory new so I resisted the urge to totally refresh it to showroom new.)
All door rubber gaskets and insulation are new and the fit and finish correct.
We are just completing the 1000 mile "Test Drive" and have addressed all problems that have presented themselves. We drove the car to Pensacola, Florida and entered the 2024 Panhandle British Car Association "Classic All-British Car Show" in April 2024 and won First Place in our class.
It will make someone very proud to own and drive such a beautiful example of the first sport sedan with 4 wheel power assisted disc brakes and unibody construction!
