XJ12 back on the road again

[ChinaTom]

 

After 3 years of being patched and fettled by this chap

 

 

here it is looking all sexy again and ready for the road.

 

 

Phase 2 of the restoration now complete and I put it in safe secure dry storage (Norfolk crew may recognize the location). I'll be enjoying it for the brief moments I am back in UK this summer, and then phase 3 begins in Autumn with the procurement of a mega-low mileage car with shot to pieces bodywork, complete rebuild of engine/box and diff, subtle addition of some horses, future/fire-proofing the ignition system so it doesn't go up in flames when the rotor arm throws a hissy fit, swap the units into mine (then sell the other as a project, or keep it as a donor); fix up the interior (a/c etc) and upgrade the sound system.

 

Don't ask about the economics - it will be embarassing and spoil the fun. The fact is, there will be less than 20 of these beasts (including DD6) within a few years as there are not enough idiots willing to take them on and persist with them. This eases the spares situation (so much of these are unique and different from 6 pots).

 

To think I so nearly agreed to sell this to a breaker for £400 a few years ago. So glad I didn't.

[Pete-M]

splendid behaviour! Looks nice, too.

[Guest]

Most excellent!

[Cavcraft]

Excelsior, and hats off for lobbing money at it when it would have been eaiser to just give up.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I'm tremendously glad to see this looking so good! The XJ40 is such an underrated car at the moment and most of them are scrapped for trivial problems - even the magnificent V12.

 

A wonderful old car !!

[theorganist]

What a lovely looking motor! Well done for persevering with it.

[scooters]

You mad bastard Tom! Wait till petrol costs ad much as scotch and then recomm the v12!

 

I'm jealous, there is not a day that goes by when I don't miss my Daimler double six xj40

 

Everyone should own a v12 at least once in their lives

[michael1703]

 

 

 

Brave man putting that beast up in the air on that contraption

[ChinaTom]

H&S not a strong point at that place. He stubs his rollies out on the gas canisters.

[KruJoe]

Good effort Tom!

By the time it's all done, it will qualify for cla$$ic insurance, that should offset the fuel bills a bit.

[Lankytim]

That looks lovely! Bet the V12 is a nice lump. I've been offered an R reg XJ6 for beer money so I may soon find my way into wafty luxury big cat ownership!

[HillmanImp]

That looks lovely! Bet the V12 is a nice lump. I've been offered an R reg XJ6 for beer money so I may soon find my way into wafty luxury big cat ownership!

 

I am thinking of doing the same. Obviously a stupid idea otherwise I would not even consider it.

 

BTW this is great work. I doth my cap to you sir.

[Pete-M]

It's not that daft. I love my XJR.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

It's not that daft. I love my XJR.

 

Absolutely - they're great! Though mine does look like this at the moment...

 

[ChinaTom]

Good effort Tom!

By the time it's all done, it will qualify for cla$$ic insurance, that should offset the fuel bills a bit.

 

Already does - Lancaster covers me for a realistic value* for annual 5k miles at less than £200 a year

 

*About a quarter of what I have put in, mind

[ChinaTom]

Right, here is a potted history of the car. Apologies for the lousy quality of the weldathon pics, but the chap borrowed a camera and gave me the printed thumbnail pics, which I have just taken photos of with my blackberry and cleaned up as best I can. The resto pics account for about 10% of the work that needed doing though. Anyway:

 

It was in good nick in 2002 when I bought it,

 

 

and it was put to work for brief holidays in UK between 2002 and 2003

 

 

then, a change in projects saw it travelling from Peterborough to Grevenbroich in Germany 10 times in 18 months

 

 

then it sat on my parent's driveway for 3 years being used very rarely. Things started to seize, break and dissolve

 

 

received an offer for £400 for it; went out to the garden, discussed the issue with a few Marlboro Lights, then decided to call the restoration man

 

 

and this happened for the next 2 years

 

 

then...

 

 

next up for attention and £££££

 

[ChinaTom]

Right, here is a potted history of the car. Apologies for the lousy quality of the weldathon pics, but the chap borrowed a camera and gave me the printed thumbnail pics, which I have just taken photos of with my blackberry and cleaned up as best I can. The resto pics account for about 10% of the work that needed doing though. Anyway:

 

It was in good nick in 2002 when I bought it,

 

 

and it was put to work for brief holidays in UK between 2002 and 2003

 

 

then, a change in projects saw it travelling from Peterborough to Grevenbroich in Germany 10 times in 18 months

 

 

then it sat on my parent's driveway for 3 years being used very rarely. Things started to seize, break and dissolve

 

 

received an offer for £400 for it; went out to the garden, discussed the issue with a few Marlboro Lights, then decided to call the restoration man

 

 

and this happened for the next 2 years

 

 

then...

 

 

next up for attention and £££££

 

[Pete-M]

Looking rather nice, that.

[Pete-M]

Looking rather nice, that.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

That does look lovely.I'm so glad you took the difficult path when so many would have trousered £400 with a sigh and one last backward glance.

I sometimes wonder whether I should start a resto thread for my XJ.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

That does look lovely.I'm so glad you took the difficult path when so many would have trousered £400 with a sigh and one last backward glance.

I sometimes wonder whether I should start a resto thread for my XJ.

[Pete-M]

That does look lovely.I'm so glad you took the difficult path when so many would have trousered £400 with a sigh and one last backward glance.

I sometimes wonder whether I should start a resto thread for my XJ.

 

Ho yuss. There's some epic work gone into that.

[Pete-M]

That does look lovely.I'm so glad you took the difficult path when so many would have trousered £400 with a sigh and one last backward glance.

I sometimes wonder whether I should start a resto thread for my XJ.

 

Ho yuss. There's some epic work gone into that.

[Lord Sterling]

Looks great CT. Glad you took the path of restoration rather than the quick solution of £400 in your sky-rocket, which, lets face it, would have disappeared in the black hole of bills.

[Lord Sterling]

Looks great CT. Glad you took the path of restoration rather than the quick solution of £400 in your sky-rocket, which, lets face it, would have disappeared in the black hole of bills.

[ChinaTom]

Despite lack of any notable activity since bubblecar museum meet, the Jag is still alive and in rude health. I still haven’t got it out of store since coming back to UK pre Covid, but apart from an oil pressure sensor, it fired up and ran faultlessly last week. 
 

 

shares its warm dry luxury with some decent old metal.

in more relevant up to date news, today I bought this. Let the good natured joshing commence... 

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

I guess and hope is the 2 ltr petrol, a fine engine choice, body style should be estate mind you !

[ChinaTom]

2 litre petrol auto it is.  We already have an estate car in the family - this one is for the sunny days.

[Broadsword]

The XJ40 V12 looks gorgeous!

[ChinaTom]

And after many many years of hibernation while I was out and about in the world, a temporary resettlement in UK requires the old girl back in my life:

a call was made (sorry Ceri, I needed her back really quickly), transportation arranged, and it came down from Scotland.

 

and now with a new battery, it is blasting around the grounds preparing for an MOT next week and being pushed into duty as client fetching limo / photo prop.

still love the old thing - hope it loves me back…