Jaguar 1948 MK IV restoration - 3,850 man hours in 11 minutes!!!

The total nut and bolt restoration of a classic 1948 Jaguar MK IV - from an initial garage find wreck to a beautiful on the road car, and now at the Jaguar Heritage Trust Museum.

[@user-mm3tx4gx2b]

Beautiful job! It's nothing like restoring a mass produced car from the sixties or seventies. This asks for very serious dedication and research. Congratulations with the end result!

[@chrispritchard4676]

What a mammoth task! I know how you felt, having restored a 1937 MG VA saloon over a five year period. Brilliant job and so satisfying after endless hours of dedicated toil. Superb.

[@djb1091]

Enjoyed 90% of the restoration, but some things were exceptionally difficult and trying!!! Glad you enjoyed viewing it online, but go to the Jaguar Heritage Museum in Gaydon if you want to see it close up.

[@CEng-ge6sw]

Well done! Thanks for saving it.

[@djb1091]

Hopefully for the next generation and for others to enjoy this classic Jaguar car. 🙂

[@sulaimanabbasi1595]

Wow. A huge effort from your side. I fail to understand why you chose to go for the Jaguar MK V front and rear bumpers. However it is your car and it is your right to choose what ever look you want.

[@djb1091]

The car is all original as it came out the factory, just restored back to it's former glory. . According to Jaguar Hertiage Trust the car was one of the last MK IV's, being made in the factory after the launch of the MK V, and shares some cross over features of the newer model (like the bumpers, fuel flap, etc). It's now in their car collection.

[@sulaimanabbasi1595]

@@djb1091 Indeed this a special car. If this is one of the last Mk IV, then should it not have the automatic timing control rather than the manual control? the automatic advance came in July 1949 or perhaps even earlier. Can you please share the chassis number of your car. Here is my car which has original chrome, paint, leather and wood. it has been a one family car : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJ-ygHtraLGXntk

[@djb1091]

@@sulaimanabbasi1595 All original according to the Jaguar Heritage report - I believe ALL UK supplied 1.5 litre MK IV cars only had the manual advance. Some later 2.5 and 3.5 engine models had the different advance for export cars. So the car is all original according to the Trust records.

[@sulaimanabbasi1595]

Interesting. My car was bought at Henleys in London by grandad in the summer of 1948 and shipped over here. So mine is a domestic UK car. According to the diffinative book by Allan Crouch on push rod Jaguars these 1.5 cars went to auto advance in summer of 1949. These two cars lead me to think that in these years the auto advance was not a hard and fast rule.

[@djb1091]

@@sulaimanabbasi1595 The "improved" advance I believe was a requested option by buyers to the factory, with manual advance on the 1.5litre the standard and default build. I know petrol in the UK was still somewhat restricted in those days, with the octane rating then available being very poor and unpredictable - the so call "Pool Petrol" from UK garages ment cars without manual advance/retard ran the risk of the engine problems. Those in the South of the UK got better fuel supplies more quickly than garages in the North, so maybe your grandad was confident of the petrol situation or had vision of its export.