Schaefft's Bargain Barge Extravaganza - Oldsmobile Resurrection

[Schaefft]

48 minutes ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

That wee black two door (Mustang?) looks great, really would like something of that sort one day. 

'Knight Rider' Transams are probably my favourite American motor... I know, I know, but I'm just a product of my 80's childhood!

Yeah, it's a late facelift 3rd Gen Mustang, 5.0 GT convertible so worth something due to hip-hop fame!

[AnthonyG]

Weird to see more older cars in New York than Nashville! 

Maybe a lot of the NYC cars aren’t actually used that much? The climate’s not really that great for older cars but if they don’t get used in winter it probably doesn’t matter. 

Do they still have all that steam venting from under the roads? Probably don’t need to lay salt down for ice! 

[R Lutz]

On 31/10/2024 at 12:45, Volksy said:

Myself and a mate are flying over to Los Angeles on Monday for a bit of a roadtrip. Will defo try and check out some Pull a Part sites for S classes for switches bits of trim etc.

 

Jealous.

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, AnthonyG said:

Weird to see more older cars in New York than Nashville! 

Maybe a lot of the NYC cars aren’t actually used that much? The climate’s not really that great for older cars but if they don’t get used in winter it probably doesn’t matter. 

Do they still have all that steam venting from under the roads? Probably don’t need to lay salt down for ice! 

That's my only explanation, that or the fact that there might be more money to actually fix the car with those owners who still have them or previously owned them. Or maybe just more pride.

And yes, maybe not as much anymore but you can still see some steam rising through the man holes here and there.

[somewhatfoolish]

4 hours ago, Schaefft said:

That's my only explanation, that or the fact that there might be more money to actually fix the car with those owners who still have them or previously owned them. Or maybe just more pride.

And yes, maybe not as much anymore but you can still see some steam rising through the man holes here and there.

Steam heating and cooling is still a big thing in NYC, Con Ed are the suppliers.

[Schaefft]

Just landed in London, my Mazda Millenia bootlid panel became checked luggage so let's see if it's still in one piece by the time it arrives. Last batch of spots around Manhattan yesterday. Also I need to get myself one of those 4 story storage lifts!

[Schaefft]

It's grey outside and gets dark super early, that must mean I'm back in the UK!

It still feels like I've just been in sunny New York but in reality I've had 3h of sleep in the last 36 hours, so what better thing to do than have a quick look at the latest purchase.

The Jag count has doubled, again! Another X300, this time of ex- @320touring origin who knew that I cannot say no to a bargain barge! And not just any XJ but of the supercharged XJR kind! At 223k miles it's probably one of the highest mileage examples in the country. Generously delivered to the test station by @loserone we'll see if we can get it through another MOT, we've had a quick look underneath and it's certainly better than the turquoise 4.0 Sport from earlier this summer.

That doesn't mean it'll be trouble free at all but it's an XJR, they didn't build all that many and numbers are dwindling rapidly, plus it made it this far so why not try and keep it going!

With the MillerCycle Xedos 9 this means that I'm suddenly owning two supercharged mid-90s executive expresses, it would be interesting to compare the two once on the road and in the same place.

Speaking of the Xedos, the bootlid panel made it all the way from Nashville to New York, traveled around half of the city and then even made it to London and eventually Newcastle, seemingly undamaged - in case anyone ever considers buying a car part that won't fit into any luggage.

Only at the very end BA threw a bit of a fit and wouldn't let me take it as hand luggage (their American colleagues were much more relaxed about it). It got a fragile sticker and became free cargo hold luggage though so it made it all the way back in the end. However I'm still waiting for my actual luggage to arrive!

[straightSix]

What's the plan for the xjr then? Convert to manual or still holding out for a lower mileage car? I briefly had one on 267k and it still ran fine but was irreparably rotten 

[Schaefft]

16 minutes ago, straightSix said:

What's the plan for the xjr then? Convert to manual or still holding out for a lower mileage car? I briefly had one on 267k and it still ran fine but was irreparably rotten 

The intent still is for the manual 3.2 XJ to receive a supercharged XJR6 engine eventually, I think it might not be the best use of time to swap the lpg converted high mileage engine of the red one in though, considering the amount of work that would go into it all. It gives me a chance to experience an (automatic) XJR6 long before all that happens though, and should the rust get too bad eventually it would be a useful donor.

[320touring]

Glad you are happy with it! 

Look forward bro seeing what you do with it - there are some decent parts on it.

[straightSix]

On 04/11/2024 at 20:56, Schaefft said:

The intent still is for the manual 3.2 XJ to receive a supercharged XJR6 engine eventually, I think it might not be the best use of time to swap the lpg converted high mileage engine of the red one in though, considering the amount of work that would go into it all. It gives me a chance to experience an (automatic) XJR6 long before all that happens though, and should the rust get too bad eventually it would be a useful donor.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235814926755?_skw=x300+jaguar&itmmeta=01JC16CPAQBEFCNR2TW7DXWHMZ&hash=item36e7aa39a3:g:0GQAAOSwHDxnJ3k7&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKkUMil3qhG18FCZBDEvJ9ztyp2eHYHlJC%2BQcT91eTTm2qBLBQc2SZ0MzE%2FpSpFgxw5eu1ZkThl3004VGtWfRTLV6QBx9g%2B9r3CO1ldEyCmXJqki3YEU%2FbJ6k2qdgz1jdWUs%2FsnPKqmaRNHC0wJlCPtxwWJeAd452JYKussELkLOjwB3Itcp0fyGuBLs3MFYlju13Lksi3BT50ZRh5GwtZDkNgsXwvodQ4pNXzqNm0UTc35boJ6rB3RvzSZQb0egyQ8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7zlsqbgZA

Be interesting to see what this goes for!

[Schaefft]

On 05/11/2024 at 01:58, 320touring said:

Glad you are happy with it! 

Look forward bro seeing what you do with it - there are some decent parts on it.

Yeah, itll definitely come in useful, whatever the test result might be.

46 minutes ago, straightSix said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235814926755?_skw=x300+jaguar&itmmeta=01JC16CPAQBEFCNR2TW7DXWHMZ&hash=item36e7aa39a3:g:0GQAAOSwHDxnJ3k7&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKkUMil3qhG18FCZBDEvJ9ztyp2eHYHlJC%2BQcT91eTTm2qBLBQc2SZ0MzE%2FpSpFgxw5eu1ZkThl3004VGtWfRTLV6QBx9g%2B9r3CO1ldEyCmXJqki3YEU%2FbJ6k2qdgz1jdWUs%2FsnPKqmaRNHC0wJlCPtxwWJeAd452JYKussELkLOjwB3Itcp0fyGuBLs3MFYlju13Lksi3BT50ZRh5GwtZDkNgsXwvodQ4pNXzqNm0UTc35boJ6rB3RvzSZQb0egyQ8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7zlsqbgZA

Be interesting to see what this goes for!

Seen it before, I've seen so many cheap XJR6 over the last few month, you will never see them for that kind of money again once the rough ones are gone. They are dragging down prices even of near mint cars at the moment.

[Schaefft]

So, today was the day to get the 233k mile XJR looked over properly! What does a sub-£1000 XJR look like when put through an mot?

Well, that really isn't all that bad! I knew it would never go through a test the first time around but a bulb and brake pipe is hardly an issue. The lack of cats is a surprise, the fancy new manifold (original downpipe contained cats) and whatever pipe section replaced the pair further down the car now really doesn't help it with the CO values.

Since I have my doubts that this will pass another mot quite so easily in 12 months time we'll see if a cheapo leftover cat from another car will do. Original XJ6 cats aren't all that expensive but once you start digging into replacing half the exhaust things quickly get out of control. Maybe whatever car ends up donating it's engine for the manual 3.2 will come with a decent exhaust, should it be worth the trouble.

Anyway, the XJR actually wasn't the only pre-holiday purchase that is only now rearing it's head. A local guy I talked to about a year ago decided to break his E39 5-Series. Since it was the same Aspen Silver as my 528i I decided to go have a look.

Well, I own this now. It didn't come with these wheels. It also has a f*cked engine and no taillights. What it does have is a clean shell in the right color, a cat and many other parts that will come in very handy for my other E39s though. I don't think there's much of a point saving this considering it needs major engine work and is an automatic but considering this was very close to being scrapped I'm glad I can save as much as I will and use it to keep others on the road. That is, if we finally move into the new place and actually got the space for such things!

[Schaefft]

It's the dark and cold time of the year so little real work done during most of the week unless I have time on a weekend, so have a quick fleet update instead.

The Z3 is now safely parked on the inlaw's drive, it acquired another scratch in exactly the same area as before (so no additional harm done) but I wanna get it out of the way before more damage occurs. Not a good choice for the winter months anyway.

No news on the XJR yet but the XJ6 (and Corona) are doing a good job as daily drivers.

The Corona was a good choice to haul the set of wheels for the E39 further above, despite being based on the Celica the wide boot and fold down seats make it the most practical car in action while the 540i Touring is waiting for some MOT work (need to drill out a rusty bolt to get the abs module out).

Which is in good company with the 156 Estate also waiting for it's turn, along with both Auroras and my 528i that many of the parts from the donor will end up on:

I'm hoping to get the Maserati tested on Saturday as I just didn't have the time last weekend. I'd like to get at least some time behind the wheel before winter. I found it's slightly newer sibling locally though!

It won't be long before the roads see salt again, with all 5 cars (and pretty much the rest of the fleet aside from the XJR maybe) ideally staying far away from the salt plans are starting to be hatched to fill not only the gap of a winter car (wish I still had the A8 of many shiters!) but also that of a practical tow vehicle for when the house move (and mass migration of chod) is actually happening. It's a bit too early to announce anything but this will be attempt number 3 to acquire a reasonable example.

[Schaefft]

It's the time of the year again where the 53k mile E65 needs an MOT. I have no doubt it'll pass as I generally try to get everything sorted that I can get done on it. This being a very early E65 there are a few things that just don't want to be fixed though!

The car usually throws a check engine light after a while. It's a secondary air injection code, so not relevant to how the car runs but related to emissions and cat efficiency. Emissions values are spot on but it's apparently still a problem. I was hoping it was just the air pump being seized up, it's behind the front bumper:

However, directly applying voltage to it results in it humming, the connector is clean and the hoses that attach to it aren't damaged. I'm not sure if it's just lazy and doesn't move enough air to be effective but if it's anything other than this things will be much trickier to diagnose and finally sort it...

I've also tried to stop the leak that's apparently still coming from the power steering hose feeding the cooler. It's a low pressure rubber hose with plastic end and two o-rings inside, I bought it new from the dealer last year.

Somehow there's still hydraulic oil seeping past the seal though and I'm struggling to make it stop. If anyone has any recommendations on what sealant I could use here let me know! I used loctite 574 but that's usually for metal to metal surfaces.

I've also reflashed the rear seat airbag module again. It's still getting switched off before the pre-drive system check even starts. I can erase the code and it'll be fine until the next ignition cycle (I can even force another pre-drive check and it'll be perfectly happy, so it's not the fiber optics cable being disrupted either, that was the problem originally) but there's still something immediately triggering the shut-off of the satellite. I'm really stumped with this one.

The car then decided that a front PDC sensor needs replacing. I'll see if I can order a sensor in the right color and maybe a cheap air injection pump. For anything else I think I'll need more professional help or diagnostics software, it's not an issue all too many people seem to encounter.

In more positive news, I tried starting the Cadillac today after the fuel pump (or power supply to it) crapped out about 2 months ago. Naturally it just started. I still have no clue how the car can be completely disabled for a few days only to be working perfectly fine again. It could be related to a component heating up during the mot test but then things wouldn't have been different sitting in traffic in fairly hot France in August, or should at least be perfectly fine after standing for a few hours (it wasn't).

I had it idle for a bit and drove it around the estate, no issues so moving on to:

See the little notch up there?

Gone! The bezel I pulled in the junkyard in Nashville is a perfect match, not always guaranteed considering how many shades of beige Cadillac offered in these.

The Ivory Lincoln Mark VIII finally received a wash as well, it's been a very long time and it really needed it. The car started up immediately and the airride pumped up without issues (I seem to remember that it wouldn't last time, usually it's the relay that's faulty). The gearbox is still toast though, hopefully this can be sorted after the move.

Still no MOT on the Maserati, test equipment failure means that it'll be another week. Maybe just in time for the first snow.😂

Some might have seen that there's another very special vehicle from the For Sale section arriving here soon, in some regards designed with a very similar mindset that BMW applied when designing the E65 7-Series (which makes it so controversial yet interesting to me). It's probably just as much of a pain to own as well. It's also not the car I referred to in the post above, this one will be the first time I'm seriously considering owning any version of, maybe a bit late as most of them are gone and prices actually not as low as I remember.

[Schaefft]

Great news! The high mileage XJR has passed it's MOT last Friday and I finally collected it this evening:

And what a sight to behold. A quick drive through the car wash had to do, it needed it:

This is the first time I've driven it. It doesn't feel super fast (especially right after dropping the 745i off) but pulls well enough once at speed. The supercharger whine is truly glorious however! Unfortunately one of the accessory belts is squealing it's tits off, I need to figure out whether it's just the belt or whether oil (which there are copious amounts to be found at the front of the engine) is leaking right on it.

It did however come with this!

A Nokia brick just like this was my dad's first mobile so I got some fond memories playing snake on this for the first time. It also comes with a decent Alpine Bluetooth headunit (extra tweeters in the rear!) and a center vent that's not broken, very unusual:

I'll see if I can clean it up a little more and sort a few minor issues, I got a few bits from the XJ Sport so things like the window switch pack should be quick and easy to sort hopefully.

[Dabooka]

That’s simply epic 

[320touring]

12 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Great news! The high mileage XJR has passed it's MOT last Friday and I finally collected it this evening:

And what a sight to behold. A quick drive through the car wash had to do, it needed it:

This is the first time I've driven it. It doesn't feel super fast (especially right after dropping the 745i off) but pulls well enough once at speed. The supercharger whine is truly glorious however! Unfortunately one of the accessory belts is squealing it's tits off, I need to figure out whether it's just the belt or whether oil (which there are copious amounts to be found at the front of the engine) is leaking right on it.

It did however come with this!

A Nokia brick just like this was my dad's first mobile so I got some fond memories playing snake on this for the first time. It also comes with a decent Alpine Bluetooth headunit (extra tweeters in the rear!) and a center vent that's not broken, very unusual:

I'll see if I can clean it up a little more and sort a few minor issues, I got a few bits from the XJ Sport so things like the window switch pack should be quick and easy to sort hopefully.

Great stuff😁

[loserone]

Great that you can enjoy it for a bit now.

[Schaefft]

9 minutes ago, loserone said:

Great that you can enjoy it for a bit now.

Some nice shots there! I noticed that the air filter box was taken out when I picked it up tonight, you don't happen to know if that was the case when you had it already? Might have robbed some valuable bhp! It's back on now.

[320touring]

6 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Some nice shots there! I noticed that the air filter box was taken out when I picked it up tonight, you don't happen to know if that was the case when you had it already? Might have robbed some valuable bhp! It's back on now.

I took the air filter box out to MAKE THE NOIZE!

I see you found it in the boot ok😁

[Schaefft]

4 minutes ago, 320touring said:

I took the air filter box out to MAKE THE NOIZE!

I see you found it in the boot ok😁

Ah, I've put it back on for now, being forced induction I think it'll make a difference. I'll happily trade a few extra ponies for the quieter sound.😄I remember reading about a belt replacement while in your possession, did I dream that or were the belts new?

[320touring]

26 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Ah, I've put it back on for now, being forced induction I think it'll make a difference. I'll happily trade a few extra ponies for the quieter sound.😄I remember reading about a belt replacement while in your possession, did I dream that or were the belts new?

One that does the water pump was new as got it fitted when the water pump was done.

 

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

 

dash needs photoshop to HOON MODE ON

[cbowditch]

How did you fix the exhaust on the XJR to get an MOT?

[Schaefft]

4 minutes ago, cbowditch said:

How did you fix the exhaust on the XJR to get an MOT?

We've replaced the cat, which got the CO values down to right where they should be fortunately.

[yes oui si]

Do a skid, mister. 

[320touring]

1 hour ago, yes oui si said:

Do a skid, mister. 

If you take off traction control it steps out ok (allegedly)

[yes oui si]

19 minutes ago, 320touring said:

If you take off traction control it steps out ok (allegedly)

Will it make clouds for a minute or two if you balance the pedals? 

[Schaefft]

Is there a way to hold the gearbox in 1st gear? I don't even know if all XJRs have LSDs (and whether this one is still intact).