OP - Onions on SII XJ6 - Mopel onza

[cort16]

I sold my SD1 on Saturday and the money is burning a hole in my pocket. I could of course spend it on my wife and child or getting my Cortina back on the road but I of course went onto the RR for sale section instead and spotted the guy who I bought the SD1 one off is selling his SII XJ6. It looks really nice. i like it, it's my favourite XJ6.

Is this karma at work?

 

I know the seller, he's a good guy and he doesn't do things by half so I'm betting it's going to be a good car. it looks to have a load of bits replaced on it and doesn't look to have rot in any of the usual places. It's black with a vinyl roof with red leather interior

 

As much as I admire these looks wise I know nothing about them.  What questions do I need to ask? I dunno if it'd even fit in my lockup ffs.

 

Here's the advert. Words of warning or discouragment welcome.

 

 

 

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/171175/1978-jaguar-series-chesterfield-2750ono#.VCARmlfcs70

[Sigmund Fraud]

Do it ! That steering wheel will have to go, though...

[Rocket88]

Worst built of all the XJ6 series......but still lovely.If it's on carbs, AED is a pain in the rear if it throws it's toys.agree with Sir Fraud ref that wheel..................................... 

[STUNO]

do it NOW !!!

[Bren]

Rot in the body, twin tanks, inboard rear brakes ( holes in the boot floor make brilliant inspection points),carbs pissing fuel everywhere.

 

 

WCPGW?

[Partridge]

OK. I have a stinking cold and feeling crap so none of this will probably make sense: but here goes.

 

These (and XJs in general) are very good at hiding the miles and wear and tear. For example it can break a bush and you'd never know...Until it's on the MoT testers ramp. One can be knackered under the skin, but you'd never know because all XJs drive so damn well, even if they're shagged.

Rot of course is your main issue. The bits between the number plates like to rust as a heads up. Not only is it old and British, Jag used rubbish steel and couldn't paint a garden fence. It does though, look good in the pics. But be wary: rust often starts in places where it's not at all visible, like inside the front and rear valences and wings.

Make sure the coolant has been changed on the dot (every year I think). Other wise they like to blow up due to extreme sludgyness. You know the drill.

 

These are big commitments, more so than an XJ40. The problem is they're more complicated to put right, even if the cars themselves aren't that complicated (makes sense?). I love the old series XJs but would steer clear of them, because I'm not well off enough, don't have enough room to fix them, or enough know how. And have you seen an XK engine out of one of these and in the open? With the gear box attached they're the size of a stunted Metro...

 

But all that said, if you just want something waft around in and keep semi-decent until you get sick of it, or it breaks go for it. There's always a call for parts, and these are desirable for the oval still (as sad as it may be).

 

Depends if you want a "Pub Landlord" banger or a car to love and take to shows.

[Partridge]

Rot in the body, twin tanks, inboard rear brakes ( holes in the boot floor make brilliant inspection points),carbs pissing fuel everywhere.

 

 

WCPGW?

Forgot about those inboard brakes! Trust Jaguar to take the more complex route

[John F]

Beautiful, but I wouldn't dare (and I've got a Maserati Biturbo...)

[Partridge]

These probably rot more. The XJ40 has always got it in the neck for rot, but the series 1,2 and 3s were much better at it. At least a Maserati has the common courtesy to let you see the rot. How is the Biturbo anyway?

[danthecapriman]

That's a lovely looking one, but that steering wheel is crap and needs removing in favour of an original.

 

I really love these old series jags, but just check everywhere for rust and rot, the engines are superb but cost a shed load to rebuild if it's worn/damaged.

I'd definitely have one but just make sure you check it over well first! Most end up on the oval as they rot so badly and are expensive to put right once they tip over the edge.

There's nothing like wafting around in one though!

[cort16]

Mike Brewer sold a 2 door one for £16,000 on the telly and this has 4 doors so has to be worth more than that right??

 

I'm worried it's a step up too far in complexity from the SD1 and the Cortina, which can pretty much be fixed with an adjustable spanner and hammer.

[forddeliveryboy]

Don't like the trim lines painted down the flanks, they seem to take away from the shape. Or the steering wheel. Both easily sorted, I know. Otherwise totally gorgeous, but expect that since "doesn't look to have rot in any of the usual places" there will be terrible rot covered up in the most unusual places. So look at the structure very, very carefully. No bad thing that the seller says it needs undersealing, things may be more visible.

[Skizzer]

Mike Brewer sold a 2 door one for £16,000 on the telly and this has 4 doors so has to be worth more than that right??

^ Ha!

 

Not much to add, except have a look through the photo blog of the guys who are part way through sorting out mine, XJ Restorations... lots of pictures of hidden rot.  Mine had a fairly comprehensive steering, brake and suspension rebuild which cost a couple of grand.  It's structurally pretty solid but frilly round the edges so bodywork is next.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaguar-XjRestorations-Ltd/73187439423?id=73187439423&sk=photos_stream

 

Not sure they're massively more complicated than SD1s, really, apart from the rear brakes.  And even those aren't exactly complicated, as long as you've got the tools, space and kit to lift the car up and drop the whole axle/subframe off.  

[dugong]

Non tragic Jag alert.....

[DVee8]

You know what to do.

[Partridge]

There's nothing tragic about a Jag...Unless it's an early S-Type.

[cort16]

or an x-type diesel

[saucedoctor]

X Type diesels aren't that bad! I had a few of them. The 2.2 is pretty good. But yeah, I see your point. A front-wheel drive manual Jaguar is a bit wrong. A four wheel drive with a BFO V6 is much better.

[Skizzer]

As an aside, I think XJs look so much better without that aftermarket pedestrian-disembowelling ornamental cat on the bonnet.  I appear to be the only XJ owner in the world that thinks this, though.

[Partridge]

They're for impaling peasants on. And for people to nick, even though they're worth £2.

 

If you want to be really obnoxious put a gold leaper on. That's what I'll do with mine.

[rml2345]

Check everything that's metal for rust. Even bringing along a magnet is probably not a bad idea.

It does look rather gorgeous though, even with the dreadful steering wheel and you'd be unlikely to lose money on it.

[brickwall]

There can be lots of rust squished between panels where it's difficult to see, but hey ho! You only live once.

 

Plus, Britpart now do Jag parts ............WCPGW?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Series 2's seem to be the rarest ,at least in 4 door form,XJ6's of all now and typically they've gone from my least favourite to the most.

As everyone has said rust is the only real problem, but with values going up by the day,what's not worth bothering with now will seem a minor repair in a couple of years. I once sold a Sll to a banger racer,just because it was a green 3.4 with cloth and wasn't worth repairing, all it needed for ticket was an exhaust box.

 

It's only making £500 on ebay at the moment though,so I'd go in nearer £2,000 than £2750 ,it's never going to bother the JDC concours judges ,but you might make a few quid from film companies making period crime dramas set in the late 80's early 90's

[cort16]

It went up to 2540 last night on ebay but was reserve not met. I think 2500 would buy it.

[xtriple]

I had a Squadron blue 4.2 auto back in the day. It was a couple of years old when I got it and there was rusty bits already. Jaguar used to make their cars out of hundreds of small pressings rather than big ones and then welded them all together, this created LOTS of hidden spots for rust to get a hold. Mine was going on the rear valance (and behind it), front of the sills (isn't cills the correct spelling?) and the front crossmember under the rad. I waxoyled the shit out of it then with high pressure air into all the box sections and it seemed okay after that. Not many did though...

 

It was, strangely for a crap BL product, reliable (shock horror!) and the only things that failed were the left hand fuel gauge sendor unit and the water pump. It was a 'T' reg as well and on the change over for some stuff for the S3 so the water pumps supplied were wrong and didn't fit - it was an S3 unit.

 

it was bloody lovely to drive, sprightly enough and the old BW box suited it to a tee, brakes are great (when working properly) and even the inboard discs can be got at if you have small hands - changing the handbrake pads with them in situ is a .... challenge, but can be done. Just note, the handbrake is not designed to slow/stop the vehicle and the pad material WILL come of the backing plates if used to do so.

 

I loved mine, it was great and I was so impressed I bought an XJS... what a pile of shite that was.... and the one after, and the one after that. All XJSs are shite but srangely addictive and you will keep buying the poxy things! Same with the S2/S3s. Good ones are rare now (they were rare when new!) but they all get you hooked when you drive them. As said before, they hide neglect well and even ones with seriously borked suspension still feel lovely to drive. I bought an S3 for a couple of hundred quid because I wanted to put the interior into a Mini. It had no MOT and was tatty underneath (but looked okay on top) and even that drove beautifully.

 

I always found the 4.2 engines pretty tough, though timing chains rattle when old and tired and the sump pick up pipe can block up the strainer with resultant loss of... well, everything!  I had one that I bought from a scrappy (S3 on a 'B' plate) that was fooked in grand style and had bugger all oil pressure but it still ran well but smoked over about 3000rpm. 3K rpm is about 70 so I just drove properly for the six months I had it.

 

Great cars and they all deserve saving.

[Skizzer]

 front of the sills (isn't cills the correct spelling?) 

 

It can be if you're building a house, I believe, but apparently not for cars.  Don't get Corsaviour started on this.

 

+1 on everything else, especially the bit about these deserving saving.

[cort16]

I think my mate has just sank my battle ship. A while back we tried to save an S2 Daimler Sov and he measured it to see if it would fit in my cooncil lockup. It didn't by a good few inches

The sov was LWB and I presumed this was SWB but he's just pointed out they only made LWB S2's from 74 onwards. Conclusion: it's not going to fit in my lockup.

 

It needs to go in my lockup as I live by the sea and it'll disolve over night.

[Rocket88]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

extend garage...................if it hasn't dissolved by now,   it's either been rust proofed to death, or lived in someone's front room............................                                                                      

[John F]

These probably rot more. The XJ40 has always got it in the neck for rot, but the series 1,2 and 3s were much better at it. At least a Maserati has the common courtesy to let you see the rot. How is the Biturbo anyway?

 

The Maserati is waiting patiently until such times as all of my other vehicles decide to stop falling apart, hehe!

 

The current state of affairs is that the driver's side & rear end is essentially complete, the new nearside sill needs welding on but that requires removal of the (seam-welded...!) current dodgy one. And that's going to mean the car sitting immobile on the ramps for the duration, as the fuel lines run down that side of the car & will have to be removed whilst the hot work is going on.

[eddyramrod]

Here's the one I had 12 years ago...

1978T Daimler Sovereign LWB 4.2 auto, as intended.  I loved it, but the AED, as mentioned in an earlier post, was constant trouble, and you do have to keep your eyes on, well, every bit of metal, for emerging rust.  If you can see it, of course, it's too late.  14mpg (if driven like a granny) was a bit of a shock, but I hardly ever saw that as I tended to drive like I was filming The Sweeney.  6am commute down country lanes...

It's the far side of 16 ft long, so yes, fitting it in a garage is a challenge, but mine lived outside all the time I had it, in Southport which meant constant exposure to sea air.  Also, I used it as my daily, winter and summer.  It was a very lovely place to sit if you could get in!  I had a problem with the driver's doorlock freezing up in the winter, so much so that instead of putting my windscreen protector over the screen at night, I would hang it down the rear edge of the driver's door, trapping it top and bottom so I'd have a chance of getting back in when I needed to.

I only sold it because I'd bought a Buick...

...and couldn't afford to keep both.  And we all know what I think of a Buick!  So it won, and the Daimler moved on, to a customer of the garage who'd been dealing with it for me.  Not long after, it reappeared in the yard, where it sat for years gradually disintegrating.  You do need to have a bit of budget backup to take on one of these.  I didn't, and it seems neither did the new owner.  I believe the poor thing was eventually scrapped.

That black one looks delightful, with the simple proviso that the standard steering wheel needs refitting immediately.  Buy it, Waxoyl it, keep it on your driveway, use it daily.  That's what they're for!