1963 JAGUAR MK II

This 1963 Jaguar MK II was my first Jaguar, and I believe my 3rd complete build. It was literally found in a field, with a tree growing up through the engine compartment. As the result of being involved in an accident, (right side ) it was considered a total loss, and had been stripped of many of it’s key components, power train etc..

Having your Jaguar declared a total loss can be devastating, especially if you owe on a lien or a Title Max title loan. I have been in this position, battling to save a special vehicle. You MUST prepare ahead of time to protect yourself. Title Max can assist in this regard.

I purchased what was left, and spent several years of spare time bringing it back to not only operable, but a daily driver, which successfully competed in shows. I did, as with all my builds, 100% of the work. mechanical, electrical, exhaust, upholstery, body, paint etc. In fact, the removable panels (doors, trunk lid, hood) were painted in the basement of the house, as I was ‘building’ a basement under the house anyway. Check the reflections. You’ll notice the body is pretty dang straight even if I say so myself.

I installed a Chevrolet 250 cid 6 cylinder and Turbo 350 transmission to motivate the car in a reliable fashion year round. You’ll notice a few finned aluminium trim items like air filter, valve and side covers. Those were all custom made by me here in the shop. Be creative.. You can do anything.

The interior, was my first attempt at upholstery. The trend of the day was velour. As many interior components were missing, and what remained was in an unsalvagable state, I felt it acceptable to go this route. Not to mention that at the time, it fit my budgetary constraints. You’ll notice a small control in the map tray under the dash. That is a joy stick Quad balance control for the audio system. Pretty cool in the day. What. you didn’t notice all the speakers? That’s because they are all carefully concealed behind the panels.

The wood dash was actually broken on the passanger side. A little work, creativity and many coats of lacquer brought the dash and other wood components right back.

Some of the purists may have noticed the yellow fog light lenses. At the time of this build, I was unable to locate lenses, clear or otherwise for the missing/broken units. I bought an inexpensive pair of fog lights, removed the glass lenses, and with slow and careful grinding, reduced the size to fit into the Jaguar bodies.

You may notice the battery strap. A length of bicycle inner tube, slides nicely over the strap and provides a very functional and durable protective layer that is also easy on the battery case.

Older Jaguars, were certainly not designed for cold Canadian winters. You may notice a different fan motor mounted to the heater box. It’s been a long time, but, I believe that came out of a Toyota Land Cruiser. As I recall, it mounted straight in, or with minimal effort, and blew like crazy I drove the car year round and never went cold.