New 1980s villan mobile (xj6)

[scooters]

 

I've attempted to upload a photo via tapatalk no idea if it will work or not.

 

Anyway I recently collected from Dome his rather spectacular XJ6 series 3 in antelope brown. No collection story as Dome lives about 2 miles from Scooters Towers but a huge tanks to Brian and his fine young lady for their hospitality.

 

The XJ in question is lovely but not without its issues...aren't they all!..

The car was the daily of a legendary shitter giffer who lived in Alloa and decorated his garden with XJ6 s much in the way that Nige decorates his with rare European tin. 😉

Anyway, this giffer had bought this XJ and taken it off the road in 1999 for a restoration. He put it all back together by 2012 and then sadly croaked. His estate included several XJs in various states of slumber and this one which was bought by our colleague, Dome. Dome had it for a year of well behaved use before selling it onto me.

Anyway, thanks to illness it wasn't until about 3 weeks ago that I was able to collect by which time tax was out and MOT nearly out. The car sailed through the MOT and has been used as a daily since including two road trips to Hexham and Killin.

 

Anyway the car..

It's an XJ6 sovereign 1985 so the same year as the CX. It's in remarkably good fettle having had a recent if not perfect respray. Interior is very nice except it needs a new headlining and the ski slope on the dash is disintegrating with the usual delamination in places on the main dash. Electrics all seem to work pretty well and the car has a sunroof.

 

Body work

The giffer has welded in new rear arches at some point and done a puss poor job of ensuring the weld was flush and smooth as there is a noticeable join lurking under the paint on close inspection. The tin worm has attacked in a few places and some small bubbles are emerging through the paint. I've noticed the start of some fun and games under the battery tray and the coolant tank as well which will need a dollop of vactan. Also a nasty hole appearing on the door jamb of the off side A pillar in between the hinges. This will need looking at to see what is going on inside the pillar. Chrome is ok with the start of tiny rust patches caused by stone chips. I'll silvo this back to remove the drains and a wee dollop of vactan should kill and seal these for the time being.

Mechanically it seems pretty decent. A slight occasional clunk from the nearside rear so one if the 2,000,000 bushes will need inspecting.

Sadly little history came with the car. There was a huge history file which the family gas promised to send onto Dome but sadly they didn't. It's always tricky beating such out of grieving relatives when they have other things on their mind. It's a shame as these XJ6 s are valued by punters in the amount of history available. The good news is there is a jag service book. The car did have a new engine fitted in 1997 about £20k ago and the engine seems sweet.mught need to look at installing a tappet hold down kit as it can be a bit sewing machiney.

Dome did a great job with rebuilding and refitting the alternator always a total pain in one of these cars.

The belts all squeak horribly when cold and the power steering one in particular so may need a new one there.

Fuel tanks are the usual XJ chaos. Dome did a fine job of fitting a new switch over valve. Both level indicator floats will need replacing. I took the rear lights out to gain access to them and cleaned up the terminals which got a small signal from the port side one but still nothing from starboard. This means the port one will definitely need replaced and I need to test the current on the starboard but I suspect it will also need doing. The vapour trap pipework for the starboard one can play up. Dome had stopped using it due to air lock. The cure is to simply disconnect the vapour trap and have the tank vent to atmosphere. This pipework lurks in the top of the wheel arch so car needs to go on stands to access. I haven't noticed this issue yet but it will happen as it is a common fault. In the meantime I just fill up the port tank to full and reset the trip meter. I keep about 20 lts in the starboard tank for back up and switch over for a bit every now and then to ensure the valve doesn't atrophy. MPGs are always fun with these cars. I haven't really noticed huge MPG pain, this is probably because the CX has been my daily and you only get 25 mpg on a good day in that so the 18 on a mixed cycle on the XJ isn't much worse. The trick is not to use it for short journies. The simple EFI in these essentially dumps gas into the engine until it reaches operating temp so if you are using it for pootling around town you'd be cheaper taking a taxi! On a run its not too bad and as I basically no longer drink it counts as use of fun tokens on the rare occasion I have any.

 

Both road trips were fun and highlighted some additional issues. The A68 from Edinburgh to Corbridge is one of the great British roads the road heads south through Lothian before climbing a hill called Soutra and crossing a (now ruined with wind turbine) excellently bleak moor before plunging down into Lauderdale. Once through Lauder the road heads via the Eildon Hills at St Boswells crosses the Tweed at Leaderfoot and then winds south to Jedburgh. On leaving Jedburgh the next 30 miles or so are some of the remotest in the UK. Hairpins climb to the border at Carter Bar and looking back the view into Scotland is magnificent on a clear day you can pick out the peak of Ben Ledi a good 60 odd miles away.

The road continues south to the small village of Rochester where the A696 takes you to Otterburn and Newcastle Airport a good 40 minutes drive. The A68 now follows the Roman Road over the moor to Redesdale and down into the edge of the North Tyne Valley and eventually joining the A69 Newcastle to Carlisle route at Corbridge. The Roman section must be driven very carefully due to the number of blind summits and plunging hills. The whole route is 95 miles and the Jag performed wonderfully completing the journey down in 2 hours from the Edinburgh City Bypass and 1 hour 36 minutes on the return.

Handling wise these cars seem to have two modes. Firstly there is the sedate bumbling along at 2000 revs at 50 mph. It's reminiscent of driving a car from the 1950s without the wayward steering. However give it some beans and the big cat springs into life. The car loves been driven at pace and corners which were wafted around in giffer mode become confidently gripped. Power is on tap and needs to be squeezed in rather than booted like in a modern car. Noise levels are low and it's very civilised.

The car did tend to bottom out on encountering undulating road surfaces at speed and care must be taken at speed bumps. The XJ6 was a low slung car but I might have to look at the springs. Geometry is a bit off with the car wanting to pull to the left slightly. This requires attention but that might be because of my experience driving the CX with its DIRAVI steering system I'm so used to it that mechanical steering can take me by surprise.

The only other issue we encountered was the hot air flap is stuck open I suspect I've knocked a vacuum tube whilst wrestling behind the panel on a quest for a fuse the other day. The climate control uses vacuum actuation and Dome said it was working fine when I bought it so it sounds likely.

 

Killin update to follow and some more pis....

 

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[brickwall]

win win win

[scooters]

MOAR PIKTURS

these were nicked off Dome and appear in his OP on another thread. I'll get some of me own up once I'm up and about again

Well...that didn't work...blame tapatalk

 

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[Wilko220]

Love that picture. Good luck!

[Guest Breadvan72]

Fuckin GET IN, my Son.   I could 'ardly belive me mincers when I John Thaw that.

[dome]

Glad to see she's doing you well-I still have some gubbins lying about for her which i forgot to give you-give me a shout and you can pop over for them.

 

The climate was sometimes temperamental-sometimes sticking on hot for ages but if you left it for a while it would usually sort itself out. I noticed this more last summer but it seemed to be behaving itself more recently-or maybe I wanted it on hot anyway in the winter!

 

The belts were fairly new-have you tried adjusting them? I may not have done them back up tight enough after doing the alternator.

 

One of the few cars I'm genuinely sad to see gone-I loved wafting about in it. I'm so glad I had it and that its gone to suitably shite home

[dollywobbler]

Gorgeous colour. I approve mightily of these shenanigans.

[scooters]

Cheers Brian. Sounds like the climate issue might be sticky flaps (hoo hoo snurk) I'm saving up for a decent period stereo when I get it ill do some surgery on the console and heater mechanics. According to the USA forums sticky flaps(stop it) are a common problem in these. I'll try and pop round on en evening next week. Am back in bed trying to get fit for a road trip I need to do tomorrow

 

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[Lord Sterling]

Hoots McKillen man! Tha luks leeeek a reeet gud bargain there laaad. Ef y'evar wanna seeeel eet, let me knoooo, ahm lukin fae somthin to ryde arooound en here in Fraaaance lad. Cannae do no French tat, its getta beee Bretesh.

 

Ah always wented a Serieees 3 Jaaag. That'll luk gud in the works carpark, prooobably the ooonly classy car thyer.

[Skizzer]

Wa-hey, you actually got your mitts on one this time!  Well done that man.  Remember that one in Kent that you couldn't pick up and ended up with me?  It's still with Keith Parrington in Eastbourne - I must give him a nudge to get on with the next round of sorting.

 

Here it is:

[Split_Pin]

Capital acquisition there, the colour is lovely and very period. I'll look out for it in the barrie country over the next few weeks as I spotted your CX there several times.

[Jim Bell]

I salute you sir. That is one smashing article.

[Ghosty]

Villain mobile?

I raise you this, that I spotted on Friday night:

 

Black Daimler Double Six V12

[NorfolkNWeigh]

This picture was taken earlier the same day when Scooter was picking up his Russian friend,to take him for a swim in a quarry.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Villain mobile?

I raise you this, that I spotted on Friday night:

 

Black Daimler Double Six V12

That's not a villain,that's;