Jaguar XJC 4.2 1977 restore again?
Discussion
I've owned this car since 2003 and it's been loved and neglected. Now she is not at her best anymore due to a run of bad luck and more to the point lack of immediate funds.
Below is a brief history and explains why and how I'm stuck with the titled dilemma.
When I bought her she had 3 previous owners. The first 2 was the same person. She was bought new as a company car for £8600 in 1977 then 3 years later the company owner then bought his own car. Obviously a tax thing but there you go. I have the original Jaguar order slip and other documents more notable the issues when new with correspondence to and fro, from BL and the first owner. The second owner then bought the car at 9/10 years old and carried out a full body strip and shell repair restoration. I have photos and receipts for all the work done. He did a few modifications with a new set of 16" crossspoke alloy wheels and a massive sound system install. Again lots of photos.
Eventually fate gave me a poke and suddenly I'm buying this car but she has been laid up for a while and things are starting to look tatty again.
Being my first classic I'm super keen to get her working correctly again. New front brake calipers for starters to get through an mot. Then interior out, new headlining, new dash veneer, new carpets and the big brash sound system was toned down a bit with my version. I retrimmed the ambla trim, the leather was reconnolised and now her interior was looking amazing again.
The body was amazingly rust free due to its earlier restoration but the paint was a bit dull. Lots of clay bar, t-cut and lots of layers of wax and polish brought her lack lustre Westminster blue to a mirror like finish almost black in some light. The chrome wasn't perfect but polished up extremely well. At one local Jaguar show I was complemented on her showroom condition. I had also fitted a lovely new set of 18" xk8 staggered fit alloy wheels. 225 40 r18 front tyres on 8j width wheels and 235 40 r18 rear tyres on 9j width wheels. She looked awesome in my eyes and a fabulous mix of classic and new. A friend then encouraged me to find a manual gearbox. We found a series 3 xj6 5 speed manual with the bell housing together with the pedal set to work a manual clutch. That mod alone transformed the way she drove and top speed on a road in France showed a rise from 120mph to 135mph, engine was still the same!
Then the start of bad luck
There were a couple of small rust issues starting to show, bottom of front wings, rear arch and in near side front inner wing. That one was the trigger.
Now I found a restoration firm, contacted him and explained I wanted repairs done but not a full repaint. Usual bring the car, made a deal, a shaking of hands and work began.
Cut a long story short, inner wing repair needed the rad taken out, this of course was removed and refitted accordingly. I get a call car is ready. Car is outside waiting, freezing cold day and about to rain so I made sure body work was good before it rained but also fella was in a hurry as he was due to go on holiday that day. So driving home, I noticed the engine pinking, temp gauge showed cold and it was freezing sleet outside. I thought old petrol so pulled into a garage and filled one tank with super plus as the extra octane would sort the pinking issue although it never had an issue before with its fab high speed run in France the year before.
So pulled away again, and it's still pinking, so loud it sounds metallic. I pulled over popped the bonnet and could see the haze of heat off the cylinder head with the sleet hitting and boiling off it. Then the engine started to misfire and then just stalled!
My mate with a trailer to the rescue, the engine had seized! No water in radiator. Restoration man said he had filled it so must have leaked out on drive home. Engine bay at the time was immaculate and not a sign of a water leak or split hose.
Restoration man was adamant it wasn't his fault but offered a reduced price engine swap to help me out?!
My buddy with the trailer is a Jaguar man and said he would build me a new engine, just pay for the parts he said. I had already built up a big valve injection head with bronze guides and a set of triples so it was a new bottom end with maybe the old could be salvaged in some way. Well the original engine was shot. It had got so hot the head gasket had melted and started to ooze down the side of the block. In the end a series 3 block, crank, pistons and rods were used, together with the head and triple su carbs I already had.
Back luck part two had stepped in mid build as a divorce had gotten underway and it was horrible. The ex had no interest in my car then suddenly she was a classic car valuation expert?! £20k for a car with no engine. I told my barrister at the time if she paid for a new engine I would sell the car and split the sale price. You can imagine the reply but my barrister was on the ball that day with a value given of £2k with no engine, of course I lost out in other aspects but that's a story not to be told here.
So now fast forward a few years and I eventually get my Jag back after paying off divorce debt and then within 6 months I'm moving from Essex to South Wales. So Essex house gets sold and into a temporary rented house with no garage to keep the coupe, not too bad as the front and rear windscreen rubber surrounds had been replaced so no more interior water leaks but its tough keeping her all polished and shiney. So I'm looking for a new home for my new family and perhaps one with a Jag sized garage. Budget isn't huge but I find a new home with a good plot to build a spacious garage. The house however needs work as its fresh from the 70's well it was but after 40 years the deco needs changing. Plans are drawn and submitted to the council for a garage extension and all is council approved so with advice from the local council where to find an approved builder things start looking good. 2015 building work starts but the Jag needs to be parked on my front garden for 16 weeks, not happy with that but it gives the builders space and keeps the car out of harms way.
16 weeks later building is behind schedule 20 weeks and still going but clearly corners are being cut and I realise builder is a cowboy. He leaves me in the lurch with just a roof tiled shell of what the original quote was to be complete
2017 and I'm still making good the bad building workmanship and this is where it brings my poor old Jag still stuck on my front lawn after two years.
I've put all my money into my home making it safe, warm and comfortable for my family. Simply no spare cash for Jag
Now the pictures that will follow are of my once immaculate Jaguar XJ6 Coupe.
Both fuel pumps have now stopped working and I can't jack the car up on mud.
Now I'm wondering if I will ever get the time and money to bring her back to her former glory.
I've explained all the above just so anyone reading doesn't just think I've dumped my car and couldn't be arsed anymore once they see the pictures.
Will this Phoenix rise from the ashes again? I honestly don't know
That's the story of my Jaguar Coupe so far...........
Below is a brief history and explains why and how I'm stuck with the titled dilemma.
When I bought her she had 3 previous owners. The first 2 was the same person. She was bought new as a company car for £8600 in 1977 then 3 years later the company owner then bought his own car. Obviously a tax thing but there you go. I have the original Jaguar order slip and other documents more notable the issues when new with correspondence to and fro, from BL and the first owner. The second owner then bought the car at 9/10 years old and carried out a full body strip and shell repair restoration. I have photos and receipts for all the work done. He did a few modifications with a new set of 16" crossspoke alloy wheels and a massive sound system install. Again lots of photos.
Eventually fate gave me a poke and suddenly I'm buying this car but she has been laid up for a while and things are starting to look tatty again.
Being my first classic I'm super keen to get her working correctly again. New front brake calipers for starters to get through an mot. Then interior out, new headlining, new dash veneer, new carpets and the big brash sound system was toned down a bit with my version. I retrimmed the ambla trim, the leather was reconnolised and now her interior was looking amazing again.
The body was amazingly rust free due to its earlier restoration but the paint was a bit dull. Lots of clay bar, t-cut and lots of layers of wax and polish brought her lack lustre Westminster blue to a mirror like finish almost black in some light. The chrome wasn't perfect but polished up extremely well. At one local Jaguar show I was complemented on her showroom condition. I had also fitted a lovely new set of 18" xk8 staggered fit alloy wheels. 225 40 r18 front tyres on 8j width wheels and 235 40 r18 rear tyres on 9j width wheels. She looked awesome in my eyes and a fabulous mix of classic and new. A friend then encouraged me to find a manual gearbox. We found a series 3 xj6 5 speed manual with the bell housing together with the pedal set to work a manual clutch. That mod alone transformed the way she drove and top speed on a road in France showed a rise from 120mph to 135mph, engine was still the same!
Then the start of bad luck
There were a couple of small rust issues starting to show, bottom of front wings, rear arch and in near side front inner wing. That one was the trigger.
Now I found a restoration firm, contacted him and explained I wanted repairs done but not a full repaint. Usual bring the car, made a deal, a shaking of hands and work began.
Cut a long story short, inner wing repair needed the rad taken out, this of course was removed and refitted accordingly. I get a call car is ready. Car is outside waiting, freezing cold day and about to rain so I made sure body work was good before it rained but also fella was in a hurry as he was due to go on holiday that day. So driving home, I noticed the engine pinking, temp gauge showed cold and it was freezing sleet outside. I thought old petrol so pulled into a garage and filled one tank with super plus as the extra octane would sort the pinking issue although it never had an issue before with its fab high speed run in France the year before.
So pulled away again, and it's still pinking, so loud it sounds metallic. I pulled over popped the bonnet and could see the haze of heat off the cylinder head with the sleet hitting and boiling off it. Then the engine started to misfire and then just stalled!
My mate with a trailer to the rescue, the engine had seized! No water in radiator. Restoration man said he had filled it so must have leaked out on drive home. Engine bay at the time was immaculate and not a sign of a water leak or split hose.
Restoration man was adamant it wasn't his fault but offered a reduced price engine swap to help me out?!
My buddy with the trailer is a Jaguar man and said he would build me a new engine, just pay for the parts he said. I had already built up a big valve injection head with bronze guides and a set of triples so it was a new bottom end with maybe the old could be salvaged in some way. Well the original engine was shot. It had got so hot the head gasket had melted and started to ooze down the side of the block. In the end a series 3 block, crank, pistons and rods were used, together with the head and triple su carbs I already had.
Back luck part two had stepped in mid build as a divorce had gotten underway and it was horrible. The ex had no interest in my car then suddenly she was a classic car valuation expert?! £20k for a car with no engine. I told my barrister at the time if she paid for a new engine I would sell the car and split the sale price. You can imagine the reply but my barrister was on the ball that day with a value given of £2k with no engine, of course I lost out in other aspects but that's a story not to be told here.
So now fast forward a few years and I eventually get my Jag back after paying off divorce debt and then within 6 months I'm moving from Essex to South Wales. So Essex house gets sold and into a temporary rented house with no garage to keep the coupe, not too bad as the front and rear windscreen rubber surrounds had been replaced so no more interior water leaks but its tough keeping her all polished and shiney. So I'm looking for a new home for my new family and perhaps one with a Jag sized garage. Budget isn't huge but I find a new home with a good plot to build a spacious garage. The house however needs work as its fresh from the 70's well it was but after 40 years the deco needs changing. Plans are drawn and submitted to the council for a garage extension and all is council approved so with advice from the local council where to find an approved builder things start looking good. 2015 building work starts but the Jag needs to be parked on my front garden for 16 weeks, not happy with that but it gives the builders space and keeps the car out of harms way.
16 weeks later building is behind schedule 20 weeks and still going but clearly corners are being cut and I realise builder is a cowboy. He leaves me in the lurch with just a roof tiled shell of what the original quote was to be complete
2017 and I'm still making good the bad building workmanship and this is where it brings my poor old Jag still stuck on my front lawn after two years.
I've put all my money into my home making it safe, warm and comfortable for my family. Simply no spare cash for Jag
Now the pictures that will follow are of my once immaculate Jaguar XJ6 Coupe.
Both fuel pumps have now stopped working and I can't jack the car up on mud.
Now I'm wondering if I will ever get the time and money to bring her back to her former glory.
I've explained all the above just so anyone reading doesn't just think I've dumped my car and couldn't be arsed anymore once they see the pictures.
Will this Phoenix rise from the ashes again? I honestly don't know
That's the story of my Jaguar Coupe so far...........
fttm said:
Parked on grass for 2 yrs = f
ked .
Not necessarily.ked .I had a E34 540i6 that was parked in a field for a couple years. If you don't know, like any BMW, the e34 rusts like hell. After the sill covers were taken off, it was 'solid' - some surface rust but as far as 21 year old E34's went, it was solid.
So fingers crossed for you OP.
Thank you for the positive thoughts, I have to admit i find it difficult to think my old Jag will look good again. She was a project that was going forward but now it's like she is worse than when I started. I've had different people knocking on my door asking if she is for sale due to not moving.
My latest dilemma is my job may only be safe for another 3-4 maybe 5 years depending on this brexit issue. Getting a loan now to cover the cost of any restoration isn't really a good idea as I need as small a mortgage left as possible incase it's payout time and shutting for good again. They are my forefront worries. I don't really fancy relocating my family again perhaps to Wolverhampton chasing automotive toolmaking jobs.
But enough of my woes lol and apologies for no pictures as yet, I'll put some up later once home from work and see what you guys think. She is a classic and rare car after all
My latest dilemma is my job may only be safe for another 3-4 maybe 5 years depending on this brexit issue. Getting a loan now to cover the cost of any restoration isn't really a good idea as I need as small a mortgage left as possible incase it's payout time and shutting for good again. They are my forefront worries. I don't really fancy relocating my family again perhaps to Wolverhampton chasing automotive toolmaking jobs.
But enough of my woes lol and apologies for no pictures as yet, I'll put some up later once home from work and see what you guys think. She is a classic and rare car after all
Hi Rob, I do like these old XJ coupes, fantastic looking cars. However, and while this not be popular here, no car should be a burden either in terms of you not having time or resources to fund it, or you looking at a half or even fully restored car and ending up resenting it because it has consumed your finances and causes you worry. And I do suspect a restoration of one of these would take significant resource. Perhaps time to see if you can move it on and get something for for it. Just a thought and I understand fully why would you be very attached to it - but a car is just a car in the end.
In times of financial uncertainty less burden means more freedom.
In times of financial uncertainty less burden means more freedom.
0a said:
Hi Rob, I do like these old XJ coupes, fantastic looking cars. However, and while this not be popular here, no car should be a burden either in terms of you not having time or resources to fund it, or you looking at a half or even fully restored car and ending up resenting it because it has consumed your finances and causes you worry. And I do suspect a restoration of one of these would take significant resource. Perhaps time to see if you can move it on and get something for for it. Just a thought and I understand fully why would you be very attached to it - but a car is just a car in the end.
In times of financial uncertainty less burden means more freedom.
Yes, this sounds like good advice, and you should do the right thing for the car too - it is at risk of becoming one of those abandoned classics rusting away in people's front gardens you see in those threads. It is a lovely car (wheels aside! In times of financial uncertainty less burden means more freedom.
) but if you don't have the time or resources to do it yourself in the near future then act now before it is much harder to save, and sell to let someone else do the work to keep it on the road.sympathetic to your cause Rob but i cant help thinking that a regular wash wax and chrome polish may have kept a lot of that at bay. Coupled with a decent car cover, as already stated, would have given the car half a chance for not a lot of outlay. If running before storage then a once a week fire up would ensure the engine would remain in fine fettle.
I had one of these until recently, took a chance on it and with a bit of work got it to MOT standard and roadworthy, but it took money!! Unfortunately, after getting knocked at work for three months wages and my Son getting married, it had to go to a new home where they can take it to the next stage. Interestingly, Quentin states in this months Classic Cars that these are the "must haves" at the moment and a worthy investment.
please dont let it turn into a pile of bits in your front garden, i really hope your situation changes and you can get it back to its former glory, albeit with Kent Alloys;) or let someone else take it on before its too late
Good luck,
D
I had one of these until recently, took a chance on it and with a bit of work got it to MOT standard and roadworthy, but it took money!! Unfortunately, after getting knocked at work for three months wages and my Son getting married, it had to go to a new home where they can take it to the next stage. Interestingly, Quentin states in this months Classic Cars that these are the "must haves" at the moment and a worthy investment.
please dont let it turn into a pile of bits in your front garden, i really hope your situation changes and you can get it back to its former glory, albeit with Kent Alloys;) or let someone else take it on before its too late
Good luck,
D
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