Adventures with bikes & "regular" cars - I found rust on the XJR :(

[Heidel_Kakao]

No photos today as I left my phone at home 😔 I fitted the starter motor and thought it would be a good idea to connect it to a battery with some jump leads and wind it over briefly as although I am fairly certain I have fitted the timing chains correctly I always have that lingering doubt lurking and I just wanted to make sure it sounded normal.

Anyway I am glad I decided to try as the original Corrado starter motor seems to have given up the ghost, it span but didn't engage so I took it off and freed off the Bendix but it still wasn't right so rather than faffing about further I have ordered a used MK4 Golf VR5 starter for £28 delivered which is apparently beefier than the original which will help with the higher compression ratio etc of the 3.2. It's also cheaper than a rebuild of the original or a brand new one so should hopefully be worth a punt.

[Heidel_Kakao]

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the remains of a sheared off bolt in the front engine mount bracket in a previous photo. As there is plenty of access the other side to get a nut on I just drilled it out rather than going to the effort of trying to recover the old threads.

The old engine has two oil pressure sensors and an oil temperature sender for the MFA display.

The new engine is not as generous with oil ports so I used a T piece for the 3.2 pressure sender and a new sender for the oil pressure light.

Three was a blanking plug for one extra port on the new engine so I put the pressure senders in that and temp sender in the original port.

The new starter arrived, it's on the right. It worked fine and the solenoid is good too, it's even a bit lighter than the original which is nice but still had no problem turning over the engine and I am happy to report it made normal compression noises and no nasty sounds so it appears I did correctly fit the timing chains 😀

I am not exactly going for perfection in terms of presentation of the engine etc but I still couldn't put the new starter on with scrapyard writing all over it so I hit it with a quick coat of Poundland's finest black spray paint.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Engine is pretty much ready to go in now, as a finishing touch I fitted a MK5 R32 Golf intake manifold so it has a VW logo on it rather than Audi. It's funny how even VW themselves called it a V6 rather than VR6 sometimes.

[catsinthewelder]

On 10/07/2025 at 21:51, Heidel_Kakao said:

The new engine is not as generous with oil ports so I used a T piece for the 3.2 pressure sender and a new sender for the oil pressure light.

 😀

 

Is it made of wood? 🤣

So glad to see you back on form mate,  going to be a great car when you've finished.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Not much left to do now before I can install the engine, I assembled the Black Forest Industries Stage 2 engine mounts which replace the OEM rubber mounts that are like Swiss cheese in terms of hardness and also they have holes in them lol.

I fitted the 02 sensors to the Trackslag conversion downpipe "Using this downpipe with the mk4 style manifolds gives you as close to tubular headers as you can get, without the massive price tag!"

Removing the old fuel filter resulted in a sheared off mounting stud so I cut of the remains with a Dremel then drilled it out so I can put a bolt all the way through the floor.

While the filter is off I am going to connect a battery directly to the fuel pump and pump out whatever stale fuel is still in the tank. I need to research if a stock 2.9 pump can flow enough fuel to support a 3.2. I do have the pump I removed from the TT and it's supposed to be a straight swap so I should probably just fit it to make sure.

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Well today was exciting as I finally dropped the 3.2 into the engine bay 😀

I got it off the stand and fitted the downpipes (I have wrapped them) and rear engine mount bracket but in my haste I made a silly mistake......

Yeah I fitted the bracket the wrong way up doh. I also cut myself so it's got blood on it. It's definitely taken blood, sweat but not tears yet lol.

Four bolts later and it was on the correct way up.

Then it was finally in the car. The bonnet wouldn't close 100% as the throttle body sticks up but looking at reference photos I have installed it wrong and I need to rotate it 90 degrees so it's flatter. If it still fouls the bonnet then I will have to break out the grinder to make some clearance.

Can't wait to get it all plumbed in and fired up!

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Throttle body rotated to it's correct position.

And with that done the bonnet closes properly and there is tons of clearance especially considering the bonnet is sitting lower than it will be once the wings and rubber bump stops are fitted.

Approximately two gallons of five year old petrol pumped out.

[vaughant]

Looking forward to seeing this finished 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻, always loved the corrado but but the time I could afford one, I'd moved onto other things and now of course they're worth millions again 🤭🤭🤭.

That bike looks fabulous as well.

 

[Cluffy]

At times I miss mine... Great to see you work towards getting another back on the road. I always thought of my 2.9 went pop I'd work out a way to get a 3.6 into it..!

[Heidel_Kakao]

@vaughant There are still bargains to be had, for all the talk of them being future classics values haven't risen as fast as other contemporary cars, possibly because of parts supply issues.

@Cluffy a 3.6 would be interesting but if I ever find the 3.2 lacking I will just turbo it but then the gearbox will be the weak link. I am planing on having the O2A rebuilt with O2J internals and an LSD but that won't be till next year at the earliest when I have shaken everything else down and my finances have recovered.

[Heidel_Kakao]

If you don't follow the grumpy thread I managed to have an interaction with a car that pulled out in front of me causing the above damage to my bike and leaving me a broken collarbone & a bunch of broken ribs. The bike was then subsequently stolen from my mother's driveway and found by the police two days later dumped in a park.

At this point I am hoping it gets written off so I can get myself a new 2025 Z900 RS but the SE this time.

I didn't get an SE before because I really liked the blue of the regular model and was not really a fan of the yellow especially with the gold parts of the SE.

However the 2025 SE looks evil in a good way with it's grey on black scheme and they have also blacked out a few parts that are silver on the regular model. You obviously also get the SE's Brembo brakes and Ohlins rear shock, I would still prefer that the gold bits were silver or black but I could live with them lol. I briefly had a look what alternative bikes I could get for the same money and came to the conclusion that I still think Z900 RS is easily one of the best looking bikes currently on sale and something I can see myself keeping forever.

I am supposed to be recovering from my injuries and letting my bones heal but it doesn't stop me doing some light work on the Corrado. I wanted to work out how I am going to mount the Aircon radiator and started by removing this bracket/gusset thingy from the front cross member.

With the stock radiator in its factory position the A/C rad fits roughly in front of it.

I would rather it sat a bit lower as I think it's going to interfere with the slam panel but the pipework on the right hand side is in the way. Worse case scenario if I can't use the TT A/C rad I can always find a smaller one but I would like to try and use the one I already have as it's free.

[Heidel_Kakao]

The new downpipe ends in smooth pipe of 2.5" diameter and I didn't feel like modifying the original Corrado catalytic converter to mate with it so I decided to make an adapter. I cut a flange off the old TT downpipe and also cut a 2" long piece of 2.5" pipe.

Some shitty welding later (I need more practice) and the two pieces were together.

How it will look on the car, I have a gasket to go between the two flanges.

Any extra length my adapter adds I will cut out of this bit of exhaust so all the hangers should line up correctly. I have spent a lot of money on various parts but the exhaust is one of the bits I couldn't justify replacing at this stage as it's mostly stainless and is in ok condition so it can stay for now.

[Heidel_Kakao]

I am not sure why I haven't mentioned it yet but the TT isn't the only VAG vehicle that is being sacrificed in order to improve the Corrado as I am also breaking this MK4 Golf, I felt a little bit bad for killing a TT but I have zero remorse for this thing as although it claims to be a "GTI" it felt gutless when I drove it to my mom's after purchase. @Imhotep kindly helped me remove the rear beam recently so I could liberate the rear brakes after a bolt rounded out and I decided it would be easier to remove them off the car. The MK4 calipers are an upgrade as they have a superior handbrake mechanism which is less prone to seizing and they are also aluminium so a bit lighter.

The Golf has also donated the later shifter and shift tower which has a much better feel with less slop. The shift tower at the gearbox end just dropped straight in and at the shifter end I improvised a mounting solution with some scrap metal I had laying around as it mounts from the top compared to the original which was bolted in from the bottom. The lever is a bit too long so I will need to cut it down once I have a seat fitted so I can work out exactly where I want the knob to be.

I am now feeling well enough to be rolling around underneath the car after the accident so today I made a start on fitting the exhaust, with the length of the new downpipe and my adapter the cat ends a fair bit further than I was expecting/hoping.

You can see where the first double hanger is in relation to the end of the cat.

Here you can see where that double hanger is on the pipe and also how medieval I had to get to separate it from the cat. I should probably just shorten the downpipe in order to make it fit but for some reason I have an aversion to modifying stuff that I have paid money for.

So instead I think I will delete the first silencer and cut it off at the green line. I will still have the second silencer and back box so hopefully it won't be too obnoxiously loud and if it is I will just have to turn up the stereo I guess......

[Heidel_Kakao]

Cooling system pretty much sorted. I couldn't get the original cooling fan to fit in between the radiator and engine because of the A/C pipes so instead with a bit of butchery I am using the TT's twin electric fans. It's now a sandwich of brand new aluminium radiator, A/C radiator and cooling fans. The cooling fans are an upgrade in a way as the original arrangement was a single powered fan and then a second fan driven off it by a rubber drive belt which seemed a bit goofy. Now I have a big and little electric fan and because I am using all the TT wiring I have ditched the original fan controller so it will all be controlled by the 3.2 ECU.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Today I arranged to buy the above X308 XJR 😀 I honestly haven't been this excited about a purchase for ages and what better car to buy in winter than a 370bhp supercharged V8 rear wheel drive machine with a shed load (525 NM to be precise) of torque. I have only been looking for an XJR for a little over a week and in my head had decided my ideal spec would be a proper colour (sorry silver fans but I find it boring) with the black interior and preferably no sunroof just because I don't have to worry about it leaking and the above example popped up fitting my criteria perfectly.

I shall be picking it up tomorrow so expect a pez station shot (I forsee many petrol station visits in my future) and driving impressions.

If the brochure is to be believed it's so good that I may never again wish to drive anything else which is a bold claim but hey I am ready to be convinced.

[robt100]

2 minutes ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

 

I honestly haven't been this excited about a purchase for ages and what better car to buy in winter than a 370bhp supercharged V8 rear wheel drive machine with a shed load (525 NM to be precise) of torque.

 

Congrats on finding the car you wanted!

Can confirm, with the pulley mods my X350 is nearly 600NM torque, can't even use half throttle in this weather without the TC panicking 🤣
Given the amount of XJs on here now, we are going to have to start an AS XJ meetup at some point...

[Heidel_Kakao]

Collected and it already feels amazing, faint supercharger whine in the background is so cool 😎 

Tank brimmed from fuel light being on with V-Power for a total £110.12.... that's easily the most I have ever spent on fuel in one go.

CD changer loaded and I am ready to hit the road, just under 60 miles down the A38 till I get home so will report further once I am back.

[HMC]

Looks great, +1 on the colour it looks like a great combination with the interior.

Apparently lyons used to assess styling proposals always in black paint- and maybe from those days xj ques do suit dark colours perfectly.

Plus maybe because the basic packaging can be traced to the xj40 and basically to  its gestation origins in the late 70s, i feel these do feel very authentically jag like (for better and worse 😂)

[Schaefft]

Great to see another XJR on the forum. While I still have my manual XJ6 I'm already thinking about the next one! Not sure whether I'll skip the X308 though as I had the V8 in the XK8 in its basic form and the rest is more or less the same. Also less rust to worry about 😬

[Heidel_Kakao]

I got back fine and no issues to report other than the clock not working so that's good. I mostly took it easy and it drove really nice, you get a nice V8 burble and a bit of supercharger whine at around town speeds but as soon you get to motorway speeds it's silent and then the excellent stereo takes over.

It rides very smoothly as you would expect from a Jag and the steering is fairly light but you still get a bit of feedback when you chuck it into a corner. Acceleration is effortless and quite brutal if you stamp on the throttle but even if you are cruising and you just give it a bit of gas you can quite easily be doing triple digit speed before you know it.

The only other luxury car I have had was the LS430 and that was a great car and I really rate them but compared to the Jag it would seem a bit clinical but the Jag seems a bit more bespoke and almost hand built even though it's still a mass produced car.

I already have a list of things I would like to do it assuming I keep it long term which I can see myself doing. In order of importance they would be;

* Remove the factory stereo and replace it with a single DIN minidisc head unit. I have plenty of CD's and could just live with it but I really prefer minidisc for car use. @philibusmo sells the necessary fascia and wiring kit on his website so I will be ordering one, probably the other side of Christmas though.

* This might drop in priority if it seems like too much effort but I would like to retrofit heated seats, they were an option so I need to get the correct climate control unit with the appropriate buttons to start with and then go from there.

* Get a set of different wheels. I don't mind the look of the wheels currently on it and being 17's they have a good amount of sidewall so will make perfect winter wheels for potholed roads

but I would also like a set of the 18" Penta's for summer use.

* Get a Quaife ATB limited slip differential fitted. No X308 came from the factory with an LSD and I would like to rectify this so it can do proper elevens when you turn off the traction control rather than one tyre fires. This also ties in with my final thing on my list as I would rather improve traction before power.

* And finally if I get to the point where it has proven reliable and I am still planning on keeping it I would like to do the supercharger pulley modification and supporting upgrades so I can break the 400bhp barrier.

I have already ordered one part and that is the cap that covers the front suspension top mount as it's missing on one side and stuff like that irrationally bothers me for some reason and it was available on eBay so l might as well get one.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Just had a random thought that rather than fixing the clock I could replace it with a boost gauge. Would certainly be more useful.

[robt100]

Glad to see im not the only one with a broken clock! Mine works fine when the engine is running, but has a nap when I power the car off, just sets itself to a random time ready for the next journey.

I also have no heated seats, but I think retrofitting on the X350 its a bit of a nightmare, Though at the same time, I have a heated windscreen and no button for it, so got a feeling someone may have changed the centre console🙄

Looks like it was in really good condition though! As for the penta wheels, IMO there is only one option for an XJR...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157358473766?_skw=xjr+wheels&epid=1716077275&itmmeta=01KBZTJXN7TFBT1S8HW5BG8T84&hash=item24a34bc226:g:b4gAAeSwB~Jo3DHD&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dg2lAvVt3znW%2BMqSAhHLv3MYp%2FW4RnYFCqdBKvAhUvTEw0UgPYyHUTSVp1PyHDx5UHzkwf1f%2Fh%2Bh5ocJYckmZ7Rt8E6MZ2zp6dchL%2BbA%2Fr%2BbBwv124mDBwuVRv45AXJMRgrCfBY7dPxOLZHUGmJTY1diMEd5yfBD696toHQm8mqD%2FLtFIWCMZ%2F0dQowIu0aE%2FnJOrLNT3tpuixMiBzsUdwD0pHfu37JEhfAzmDw5NlDUv0db3gPivoza%2B9%2F6mCvs7tLmaNrRXKvxSAb4L2pHCEY28zCyjKplN2KVvF43gZlg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_zay_rfZg

[straightSix]

58 minutes ago, robt100 said:

Looks like it was in really good condition though! As for the penta wheels, IMO there is only one option for an XJR...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157358473766?_skw=xjr+wheels&epid=1716077275&itmmeta=01KBZTJXN7TFBT1S8HW5BG8T84&hash=item24a34bc226:g:b4gAAeSwB~Jo3DHD&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dg2lAvVt3znW%2BMqSAhHLv3MYp%2FW4RnYFCqdBKvAhUvTEw0UgPYyHUTSVp1PyHDx5UHzkwf1f%2Fh%2Bh5ocJYckmZ7Rt8E6MZ2zp6dchL%2BbA%2Fr%2BbBwv124mDBwuVRv45AXJMRgrCfBY7dPxOLZHUGmJTY1diMEd5yfBD696toHQm8mqD%2FLtFIWCMZ%2F0dQowIu0aE%2FnJOrLNT3tpuixMiBzsUdwD0pHfu37JEhfAzmDw5NlDUv0db3gPivoza%2B9%2F6mCvs7tLmaNrRXKvxSAb4L2pHCEY28zCyjKplN2KVvF43gZlg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_zay_rfZg

Possibly one of my favourite wheels but for an X308 I think it has to be these (although these are too expensive, I sold a set for £400)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/366007361674?_skw=milan+bbs+wheels&itmmeta=01KBZXWD7D8GJ48H26R0984GW1&hash=item5537bd208a:g:9Z4AAeSw1SxpIEPa&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fGCuTl25NSvevGGjKKQ5euy5%2BHijeiYSRTADhdRdYqTeRca6lkNugKNk0BXYE2cReh8qUm0%2BNwD6xkoOrjnC2rNZn92ly1Jhj0B9QDM6va9SEmBINOpEmruGhTyHo3PU6wO7HLIIOzv3A%2BGRHlEartmHsWoxXaMOgYE5BcRqoeMiB%2FiSSKGSgDWk%2F88j%2F%2BAq0LXvAyO7l91bO2qikk5DBfv4BEZ5t6hyqFnyrPz0jnLxxAsdFwZo06sYA3p73Bz6Vy3%2FtcJvnpkFIXypFFoDkmqhdpfDXBiz3Sfc6Dv8zIaQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_zT8f3fZg

[robt100]

I'm a little dissapointed that the X350 doesn't share the PCD of the X300/308, so wheels can't be swapped between them, instead the X350 gets the Ford/Peugeot/Volvo fitment so you can end up with some odd options!

If it weren't for the prestige wheels, my off-piste option B would be these...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/326871091887?_skw=5x108+alloy&itmmeta=01KBZYG6WVMDJ6X62YWYT1H10V&hash=item4c1b090aaf:g:L1oAAeSwzoRpHG40&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1d8gE3PN7W%2BKluOBG2eAkI9b8h4l7ljkfAtdpUfKhrwXw%2Bw75V9D5g38PfBUc28KDEV9kfkBJvPXIXko9dNLtWbIubfjNisb%2FTm0it9gjCdGDCHru7pRzIgejt%2Fs6pOfWCWqNjCgbDVqfU9hh36Kg39k1Lxyn4wkmiYLXRe%2B%2BAk2ikM20%2F7tqKWHzhbRcfBB%2B7jZLoOIzI6xWy68Rrs%2FpjpZo8JJDZBjzmeeKn2lcHOQLPwcfBYNDiFVPKu0PJJeHC0Ed0rvreRZTV3CMWQUE3IcIUJ4lRR9lZYXDeci4EvSQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMzO7A_t9m

[Heidel_Kakao]

I have just been going through the paperwork and I was intrigued by the Slush Puppie under the name of the original owner and so I Googled it.

So it looks like the first owner was the guy who brought Slush Puppie to the UK! How cool is that.

https://www.regtransfers.co.uk/search/platedetails/rpp111

The plate he had on it is still around too but at a price higher than I paid for the whole car which is a shame as if it was a justifiable price I would be so tempted to buy it and put it back on the car.

[Schaefft]

20 minutes ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

I have just being going through the paperwork and I was intrigued by the Slush Puppie under the name of the original owner and so I Googled it.

So it looks like the first owner was the guy who brought Slush Puppie to the UK! How cool is that.

https://www.regtransfers.co.uk/search/platedetails/rpp111

The plate he had on it is still around too but at a price higher than I paid for the whole car which is a shame as if it was a justifiable price I would be so tempted to buy it and put it back on the car.

Cars like these are usually coming with some interesting previous owners/stories. One of the things I love about formally high-end/oddball cars.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Felt like just going for a drive so I took Rose to the park, she must feel like royalty being chauffered in a Jag lol. I seem to have a blown or crackly speaker which is spoiling the ambience somewhat so I will probably go ahead and replace them all with some new ones. 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Some parts have started arriving so I started fitting them.

Before with missing front strut top cap on passenger side which actually covers the wiring to the CATS shock so is kind of functional.

And after. Maybe it's just me but I only really properly look at a car after I buy it and then notice all the things that are wrong. Well those capped off hoses circled in red don't look factory, I tried to find a picture of an original engine bay to try and figure out what is going on but couldn't. Hopefully it is nothing important!

This lettering on the passenger side dash above the glovebox had to go. It's not original and personally I feel an XJR is all about subtlety and the only indication you get from inside is XJR lightly embossed on the steering wheel and supercharged on the rev counter.

And gone with no indication it was ever there. Bonus points if anyone can correctly identify the car on my T shirt lol.

I purchased a climate control unit with the necessary switches for the heated seats.

It's actually only the top bit I need as the unit can be dismantled and swapped over. I will swap the switches over when I am also changing the stereo as it makes sense whilst I am in there.

As far as I can tell all cars should be wired for the switches so it should just plug in and then I believe I would need a couple of relays and the actual heated elements.

A pair of new door speakers for the front are on the way as well as a couple of speaker grilles because the drivers side is cracked.

I think I can see myself keeping this car for a long time and with a bit of money spent on it make it into a really nice example.

[goosey]

maybe from a now removed LPG conversion? 

[Heidel_Kakao]

I fitted new front door speakers today and it was clear I wasn't the first person to do so as the ones I removed were not original and they had made their own wooden mounting ring.

It would also explain this fuse in the spare wheel well from a since removed amplifier or subwoofer.

New versus old, I couldn't resist replacing the cracked grilles with the Alpine ones and they are now Alpine speakers so it's not like I am faking it after all.

I also removed this broken and unsightly earth strap, apparently it's only purpose is to earth the bonnet to the rest of the body in case it affects radio reception so yeah that won't be getting replaced.

I can now listen to the above appropriate song at a decent volume so that is excellent. I think I will replace the rear door speakers with the same Alpine ones after Christmas as it's already been a rather expensive month as you can probably imagine.