If you can't manage to restore the body shell yourself, then selling the car on to someone who can is probably your best option, as your photos show a LOT of work is needed.

 

The shell doesn’t look that bad, is it not worth finding someone to do the welding and painting of the shell or at least get some figures from several people, and you do the rest, which is still a mammoth task but maybe worth it

 

Having someone do the welding is going to be very expensive. You would have to find someone experience in monoque body. I have to do it myself, not a real experienced welder but practicing on a 64 Valiant. Just 40 hrs of grinding and welding could be minimum $2000. But, the floors and rockers will do that. Also, behind the left fender is three panels that may have rusted out too, another bunch of hours. A good paint job by a shop could go to $5000 or more depending on how smooth the body came from welder. Lots of options. Sure it will take time, but it will be a learning process and you'll appreciate the car more. Justt to do the front and rear seat in the Valiant is $1200 by a trimmer. Like I said the kit for the MK1 from sources is $5000 in color, black is $4500. Just have to install yourself, or trimmer install will add another $4000 minimum. A decent mig welder you'll keep forever, practice makes perfect.

 

It looks like Montana has only 10 Community Colleges; the only one that I saw with a welding technologies program is in Glendive, way out east in West Dakota (a little Montana humor here), I was going to suggest that you see if a local CC had a welding or auto body program that could reach you to weld and help to eliminate the learning curve. Here in the Bay area we have a local CC with an excellent auto body program that would likely take on your MK1 as a project car...

So, where in Montana are you located?

 

Say you spent £8000-10000 that’s £ not $ on prepping and painting the shell, it’s cost you £0 at the moment

and £2500-3000 on interior trim and you say you want to do the rest yourself that means you may spend £20000 at the end which imo doesn’t sound like a bad decision

I think outsourcing welding and paint takes a massive heartache out of a build as you can get to a stage where you can’t see yourself moving forward and many a project fails at this point

while the shell is being prepped you could rebuild suspension etc so once it’s back you can build it up which although is still a task is the enjoyable bit as it comes together nicely

 

It looks a little bit rough but by no means past restoring, personally I would restore it but it depends on what you can do yourself.

If you are going to have to pay to have everything done then I would suggest selling it and buy a good one, if on the other hand you can do a lot of it yourself then go for it but always find out how much the body will cost (if that thats the bit you can't do) as i've just one a MK2 and the bodywork has cost around £5,000 and i've done everything myself.

If I had paid to have it done it would probably have been at least 15K.

 

My friend’s brother had a brand new 1959 MK1 in the late 50’s, and it was very elegant! Sitting in the back seat and being driven around with my friend Dave, was a thrill for me at age 19!

 

If you are not going to do it for the love of the car, it will only be a thorn in you side.
If money is a problem or the better half is not fully on board, save yourself from divorce or just always the gorilla in the room.
You have to wonder about all those parts laying around for so many years. All will need to be torn apart, cleaned and new seals installed. That's the ones that work. Switches and cable pulls will all need replaced. The brakes will have a few parts that are usable, but been there done that and most will need replacing, and that will be one of the cheapest systems to restore, as many cars used the same components, so easy to find.
So, all these things that you can do on the cold winter months at the heated bench, but very time consuming.
If you are in good health and would like to do the car, learn to weld and make some panels, not always the best idea on seals and anything to do with the door area, but under the car and inside other areas, yes.
Hope you make the right decision for you and no regrets.

 

Firstly, is this a car you desire ? on the 'practical' side :-minimally $50k and in reality, closer to $100k + a year or three to 'restore' IF you can find someone willing and insane enough to take it on..
if you desire decent Mk1 (2.4 bottom of the pile) you can buy an already 'done' car to enjoy for well under $25k..
there are projects like yours taking up potentially valuable space all over..most eventually end up at the recyclers.. for very good reason..

 

I can’t speak to technical issues like veteran / senior members, but from a logical point of view, restoration questions seem to come down to a two-option decision. (1) If you want to restore and make $, consensus seems to be it’ll never happen unless you do all the work yourself and wait 10 years. (2) If you want a multi-yr project where $, time, technicals skills are not issues, go for it.

 

I hope i do not offend anybody by my ignorance on these cars and yet have a reply.....i would ask the history and any sentimental value of the car and financial ability to proceed without penny pinching...just seeing a restored one, i absolutely love the car on first sight....so, from a rookies point of view, having never restored a vehicle other than mechanically, i say do it if it is special to you and money is not a problem

 

What a disaster. Why would you try to repair that rust bucket? All the sills gone both sides? The MkI was not a bad car but with the 3.4 litre motor not the under powered version you have. If you had an e-type or something valuable then it might be worth it but that car is nothing special and the body work alone is going to cost thousands. After all the work on the panels and them painting upholstery etc and you don't know what the motor is like (assume it needs a rebuild) and you still have a very ordinary car. If you put a bigger motor in it then its not original. Don't even think about restoring that car. Sell it for parts or if you really want a MkI then find a good one and use that for parts which is all it is good for.


[QUOTE=mldayton1203;2308091]Recently inherited this (pictures included), full assortment of parts, and stripped down unibody. The array of parts not pictured, such as the instruments, and the rest of the hardware, are all organized and tagged in boxes nearby. Aside from the body, which seems to have a lot of rust, mostly around the sides and end of the underside, the additional parts are in good shape, as everything has been stored inside for about the past 30 years. Prior to that, and before being disassembled, it was in a barn in the midwest for 20 or so years. Is the body pictured here worth my time, or would I benefit more from just turning it into scrap? Determining this is going to dictate which direction I take with this... attempt a restoration, or part out what I can. Thanks for any input!

QUOTE]

 

you say this was inheritance. So weigh the cost v the emotion. If the person who left the MK1 to you was important. And you’ve got the time, the skills and money - I’d say go do it. It’s a beautiful car. Here’s my MK1.

1959 MK1

 

It’s an eye catcher!
Back In the late 50s, my friend Dave’s brother had a brand new 1959 in MK1.
Sitting in the backseat, smelling the leather and wood was a treat to my senses. What a magnificent automobile!
I’ve had several Jaguar’s going forward from that time; some great, some not. I had a 1952 Coupe, a 1985 XJ sedan, an S-type and now a 2009 XK Coupe, which is in showroom condition with 33k miles.
so Jags have been in my blood for a long time.
Go for it!

 

To the OP,
I've set off on a similar journey with a 1965 S type.
Never restored a car before but I love these machines and everything about them.
If you love cars and fiddling with them and want to have a go then do it..It's cost you nothing and if it gets the better of you then you can move it on..no big deal..at least you'll have had a crack at it!

 

Instead of parting it out, Id rather try to sell it in its entirety. Any thoughts on what something like this would be worth? The engine, from what I've been told is in quite good shape. Over the years, a couple of specialist types have advised not to rebuild it. It has less than 10K miles, and was used for only a short span between the late 50's and early 60's as a secondary driver.

 

I've always been a man of modest means but it hasn't stopped me from tackling projects like this even if it meant learning a new skill. In the process I've taught myself to weld, do body work, paint, and even some upholstery. I've always had a soft spot for woebegone and unloved cars and this one is screaming "don't let me die!". My efforts might yield a less-than-perfect result but I have the satisfaction of knowing that vehicle is still alive due to my efforts. Not to mention proving the naysayers wrong...

The job you're considering is a large one, but not impossible. The point is if you want to save her, do it - but do it for the love of the car and the anticipated interaction you will have with it. Do it for the journey you will take from start to finish and be willing to deal with setbacks and the eventual conquering of them. To hell with potential investment value; cars are meant to be driven and interacted with, not sealed in a glass case.

I've taken several of these journeys and am fixing to embark on another one. Has it been worth it? Absolutely (even my wife agrees).