READER AD: 1969 Jaguar E-Type Coupe
Now, this is a barn find! Well, technically, it’s a carport find but either way, it’s an awesome find. Reader Rick H found it after it sat in the previous owner’s carport for the past 24 years. It’s going to need a complete restoration, but values continue to climb for Fixed Head Coupes like this. Rick has cleaned it up and documented the issues but needs to move it along. So, if you’ve been hunting for an E-Type project, you can find it here on Craigslist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a $22,500 asking price.
What Makes It Special? Unmolested, mostly original, matching numbers, Heritage certificate. Owned by one couple since 1984. Just rescued from 24-year carport storage.
Body Condition: Straight except for a ding on the back panel below the rear hatch. Rust in lower floors and doors. Some filler in lower sill panels.
Mechanical Condition: Running when parked in 1995 to change the fuel pump – old and new fuel pump still in the spare tire compartment. Engine turns with the key and starter. No engine or transmission work known/remembered by the owner of 34 years (30,000 miles during that time).
This car appears to be complete, with all the major components present and accounted for. The 4.2 liter inline six is a fairly durable engine, so the fact that it turns over gives hope that it won’t need a full and costly rebuild. It will likely need the entire fuel system cleaned out and rebuilt, but that isn’t terribly difficult to do. And the fact that the interior looks to be in nice shape will save some serious money that can go into rust, body and paintwork.
It’s too bad this car was left to rust in the humid Lousiana climate, but it’s desirable enough to justify a proper restoration. And props to Rick for showing the problem areas in detail and for being so up front. These cars are known to rust, so finding replacement metal isn’t all the difficult. The task of fixing all the rust, on the other hand, can be a challenge. But there are many of us here that enjoy the challenge that goes into saving a car like this!
Seller’s Listing: Here on Craigslist
- Asking Price: $22,500
- Location: Baton Rouge, LA
- Mileage: 113,000
- Title Status: Clean
- VIN: 1R26155
Do you have a barn find project that needs to go? Please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
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Comments
Not much different than the Z and Fiat but they have better metal in them and you have something when you are done. Folks those days ignored rust. Our new ’72 Blazer’s right door bottom fell out from rust 8 months after we bought it and 13 months after it was built.
What was this painted with, two coats of latex house paint ? What a waste , $22,000 just to start on this money pit .I can only imagine the amount of damage 24 years of water , rodents, and general degradation of the soft parts this thing has. Better to spend that kind of money on a complete antique car you can drive and enjoy , unless you want to spend the rest of your life working on this !
Parked after a mere fuel pump failure?? As a former Jaguar owner I know exactly what happened, and the fuel pump was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Was a bad car when they parked it, after 24 years of neglect it’s an even worse car now.
Thank you for actually cleaning the car, and not just showing it as-found, covered in gunk.
Thanks for the comments everyone. No questions, but I’ll reply anyway.
bobhess – yes, you’ll definitely have something when you finish. all the metal is easily available, and not that expensive.
don – yes, it’s hard to understand how/why the paint is peeling and flaking so badly, but hey, take it off and you’re back to bare metal for the repaint. The interior stayed surprisingly dry and secure during storage, not bad at all. Now that the exterior and engine compartment are cleaned up, they don’t look too bad either. The value is hard to judge, depends on what you want to do with it and how much you can do yourself. To me the matching numbers and an engine that turns make it worth it.
Chinga Trailer – the lady I bought it from doesn’t have that “straw that broke….” memory of it. Just the glorious drives from Virginia to Nashville, Nashville to Ohio, and Ohio to Baton Rouge and all the short drives in between. Pines for a repeat of those days again. How bout this scenario – had some trouble getting the fuel pump reconnected, sat a week or two, worked on it again, sat another week or two, then life got in the way of working on it again. The longer it sat the more work there was to do. I’ve done that myself with a few cars, although 24 years tops my record. I’m a long term E-Type owner myself, and yes, they require attention, but it’s so worth it.
brianashe – I’m glad somebody appreciates barn finds cleaned up, I always do too
Cheers,
Rick
be careful with this one. there was a big flood in Baton Rouge a few years ago,, and cars in this area rust front the inside out due to the humidity. buyer be ware.
I like to think that I have a decent eye for vehicle design (for example, most new Audis are handsome, Toyotas feature laughably forced design language), but these always have me scratching my head. Enzo Ferrari famously called this the best looking vehicle he ever saw. I see ungainly proportion and exaggerated details such as the bulbous way it wraps the undercarriage; frankly it’s cartoonish in my eyes. Am I completely out on an island here?
I am sure he was responding to the convertible in it’s earliest form. Like so many things, the designers kept “improving” it until it no longer worked (just like technology devices and computer programs today.)
Looks to me both inner and outer rockers (they call them seals in Britain)
need to be replaced plus the 4 inner rocker stiffners 2-on each side need
replacing…and we don’t know what the trunk floor looks like…they were
prone to collect water (the door seal wasn’t that great in lasting forever) so
the water collection rots the floor, along with the bottom of the gas tank….
It would also need footwels abd who knows maybe a complete floor…
A lot of body work and panels need replacing and let’s not forget the door
skin…probably both door skin needs replacing…too much money he’s
asking for a lot of body rot that needs to be replaced.
Hi Dino , your use of the word ‘seals’ needs a little clarification , you are correct with the term and spelling for a door seal but with your term ( in Britain ) for a rocker panel is a ‘ sill ‘ as in inner or outer sill .
I think in addition to all the bodywork, one must prepare for an engine rebuild, the flipper says it cranks over with a battery, but if he didn’t soak the cylinders first or supply oil under pressure into the oil galleries to reach the main and rod bearings before attempting to spin the motor, he may have broken some rings, scarfed a bearing or two. I have resurrected over a dozen Bentley and Rolls-Royces but always soaked the cylinders for at least a week or more with a mixture of Marvel Mystery Oil and ATF, and I adapted an ordinary garden sprayer I would fill with engine oil and plumb into an oil supply line to fill the engine with pressurized oil before cranking. It’s more than a little work, but foolish not to do.
Bryan.. Pretty close to being on an island out there….. Not many cars you can just pull up a chair, open a cold beer, and just sit and look at.
Sirpike
Yeah thank you for the correct spelling l wasn’t paying close attention
of the spelling when l was typing the comment.
Regards
Thanks to everybody for all the comments. A few more to answer:
jeff – yes, I had a daughter and lots of friends that flooded, and among our little British car community we lost about a dozen cars. This one was high and dry, the lady lived off of Highland Road, named that for a reason.
Brakeservo – flipper soaked the cylinders with MMO for several days before turning the engine by hand, and several more days before turning it with the key.
Dino – yes, you may want to replace the sills too – footwells in the floors and door skins for sure. If anybody wants to see a bunch more detailed pictures that I just went over on the phone with Dino, please let me know. Not nearly as rusty as I have seen, and certainly worth saving.
I forgot to mention, I had removed the spark plugs when I push turned the engine and when I turned it with the key/starter. Very little force on the bearings in that configuration.
Someone asked about the boot (spare tire compartment) floor. I looked at it again today – all the original covering there, no signs of rust. See picture attached.
I’ve lowered the price to $19,500
Maybe you’re gonna hafta go even lower on the price, I don’t know how I missed it the first time, but SOMEONE STOLE the holes right outta the steering wheel spokes! Every other old Jaguar I ever owned had holes in the steering wheel spokes – so, who stole your holes and what did they do with them?? Maybe they put ’em on the rocker panels ‘n sills ‘cuz they ain’t s’posed to have holes, but, yup, they do!
Sold this afternoon to a collector in Florida who is going to restore the car. $17,750.
I think that was a great buy!! Great car, best wishes to buyer and seller!