1964 3.8 FHC, 34000 original miles!

1964 Jaguar E-Type Additional Info:

I bought this car on eBay about 8 years ago to restore and drive. I have wanted an EType for 50 years, since the first time I saw one outside my schoolyard. Now that it's done enough to be driveable, I find that I can't get into it thanks to the ravages time has done to my neck and back.The car was rusty in the usual places, minor in the footwells and major in the rockers. The rest of the body was in very good shape. I stripped and epoxy primed and disassembled the car, braced it and put the body on a rotisserie. After minor continuous welded repairs to the inner sills and new footwell pans, I installed a 1x3x1/8 rectangular tubing subframe along the inner sills and through the front and rear crossmembers. It ties the front engine subframe mounts to the pickups for the rear trailing arms. I greatly strengthens the car and is absolutely undetectable. Check out the Monococque Metalworks(hidden subframe) website for an explanation of the process.
After the metal work was done, I spent forever blocking the car straight. I then painted it with single stage acrylic urethane in its original off white color. The rotisserie enabled the underside to end up as clean as the rest of the body. After cutting and polishing I reassembled the car. The bumpers, some small parts and window frames were rechromed. All the original glass was in good condition and was reused.
Mechanically, the car was very complete and original. The large parts are numbers matching. The ancillary components are properly date coded. I had the motor rebuilt. It showed very little wear, reinforcing the 34000 miles being original, but the machine shop recommended I have it bored for .020 oversize pistons due to the slight ridge in the cylinders. I diassembled, inspected and resealed the differential and the transmission- more on that later. The carbs, starter and generator were cleaned and rebuilt. I installed a new in tank fuel pump. The original radiator was suspect, so I had a new aluminum one with an electric fan made. All new hoses and a new SS header tank were put on. I was able to re use many of the original Cheney hose clamps. The original radiator, shroud and fan will go with the car.
All the parts on the car were sandbasted, primed and repainted. The suspension was rebuilt and rebushed. The brake hydraulic parts were rebuilt. The master cylinders still have the plastic zip tie gizmos with the part numbers on them. New rotors, pads and cu-nickel lines, of course. A new stainless steel duplicate of the original exhaust was installed. It sounds great! I bought 4 new Dayton SS wire wheels, Vredestein 185x15 tires and tubes and new knockoffs. There is an original ww with a Goodyear tire for a spare. I sourced the correct jack, handle and a real Thor hammer, The bag for it isn't as original, though. The front marker lights and headlight bezels are original. The rear lights- marker, backup and license plate are new reproductions. The outside mirror is a genuine Talbot Berlin bullet model.
Once I got the car on the ground, I took it to Muncie(Indiana) Imports for the interior. They did their usual superlative job. The leather, vinyl and wool are as original in texture and color. The workmanship is amazing, the interior is definitely the highlight of the car. I refinished the wheel with urethane clear. It came out very nice. Muncie also fine tuned the carbs and did a 4 wheel alignment while they had it.
I've put about 20 miles on the car. I am forced to decide whether I could live with my difficulty getting in and out of the car. I find it uncomfortable enough that I am afraid I won't drive it much, so I have decided to sell it. It is a runner- powerful, smooth and very well appointed. It's way faster than the XK 140 I had. It isn't a show car yet, although it certainly can be. The gaps will need to be fiddled with, and there are a few minor paint chips/cracks that will need to be detailed.
There are a few minor issues still. The windshield chrome needs to be installed. The wiper arms are usable, but will need new blades. I haven't been able to find the bottom chrome for the backlight, but I will try again. The horns work on the bench but not with the horn button- it may need a new relay. All the gauges work and look good, except for the clock.The wiper motor doesn't work. It could be miswired, but assume it will need to be rebuilt. I don't recall having it apart. The generator isn't charging, probably the regulator needs to be cleaned and re gapped. Finally, the transmission that looked fine while I had it apart grinds a little going into second and third. It could be a clutch bleed will fix it, but the synchros may be worn more than I thought.
I should say that the car is very comfortable to drive. I'm 5'11' tall, but aside from my neck issues, once I am in the car, all is well. Feel free to ask any questions of me. I'm proud of the car and I want whoever ends up with it to be pleased and pleasantly surprised. I am happy to work with your shipper, but you have to hire them.