Hello, everyone, from still-frozen Pennsylvania. Please pardon the lengthy story; I can't sleep tonight for some reason. I collect Ford muscle cars and Cadillacs but my Dad and I always admired Jaguars of all stripes.

Last Summer enroute to a car show I came upon a blue SIII XJ6 for sale and just had to look it over. My patient wife diplomatically pointed out that just maybe fifteen cars were enough for any sane person, but I reminded her that my favorite car is invariably 'the next one!' and was out of the car like a shot. An attorney was selling the car as part of an estate disposition; it was pretty rough around the edges but started willingly and became the first Jag I'd ever driven. Even with its problems the car had real charm (the view over the hood is delightful) and an offer was made but the lawyer held out for (much, much!) more. This prompted me to seek out what I thought I really wanted - an XJS. The notion of twelve cylinders had long been a siren song so I downloaded The Book, began reading, and set out to look at several examples, including a pretty red coupe with high coolant temperature and low oil pressure. I joined and posted here, got useful advice from Doug and others (thanks again), and wisely kept looking.

In the Fall while searching for XJSs I learned that a nearby Jaguar dealer had taken someone's prized '87 XJ6 on a trade. It was listed on their website but lacked much information or even a photo; a back-lot special, to be sure - or so I thought. I called and spoke with a well-versed salesman who said the car was in fact quite stunning and he would bring it inside and freshen it up if I wanted to see it. He said he and one of the mechanics were debating which of them should buy it, because it was too nice to let go. I made the hour-long drive, met the gentleman, and he ushered me into their service shop.

Ha! Ha Ha! Have you ever gone to look at a car and known immediately it would be coming home with you? The car was so pretty that I had to contain my excitement. No, it wasn't a twelve of course, but it was in absolutely too nice a condition to pass up: 64k miles, no rust, extremely straight and original, terrific chrome, trim, and glass, and a spotless interior whose age was betrayed only by the failing central wood trim. A test drive let me exercise the smooth 4.2 and not-quite-state-of-the-art BW trans. Everything worked but the cruise; gauge readings were encouraging; no sign of leaks. A smooth quiet ride on Michelins spoilt only by what sounded like failing front shock bushings; the dealer confirmed the top bushings were shrunken and seemed encouraged that I knew they were the likely culprit. The engine was clean inside; they dealer said they had long serviced the car and had never done a stakedown kit but it sounded great. It wasn't perfect; a missing wheel growler, an askew leaper on a fender badge; a door ding that PDR could easily reach. Still, very gratifying overall. My conservative offer was met with a very modest counter and it was sold.

I had to return another day to drive it home; my wife and kids drove me to the dealership. I don't know if I can commend the dealer by name, but they were absolutely a class act. Against a backdrop of near-six-figure new Jaguars and Land Rovers, they delivered this inexpensive old car as though I'd bought a new XJ. It was detailed to a fare-the-well and parked proudly out front, the paperwork took only moments, and the salesman was very solicitous of my young kids, who came away with assorted Jag swag. The (British!) salesman and his sales manager gave the impression that they weren't just moving the metal; they genuinely liked and were knowledgeable about Jaguars, including old ones, and were happy to share their stories about the marque. I've bought brand new Audis and not been treated as well. Thanks, gentlemen.

The ride home on a sunny early evening was a treat. A skeptical friend was incredulous that I'd sent the family on ahead rather than having them chase. I said well, I brought tools, a fire extinguisher, and a large bottle of holy water:


I changed the oil and filter, pulled the exhaust valve cover to find the tappet guides were all fully seated, replaced the shock bushings, and fixed a broken wire on the cruise's cancel switch at the brake pedal. Another day I cleaned the crankcase breather and rigged a tool to adjust the upper chain tension; it had been a little rattly. Putting the Jag on my lift was like visiting an alien world: so THAT's what they meant about the rear brakes... Pads were mercifully like new but I want to flush the brake fluid and change the trans fluid which seems original. The cooling system is mercifully clean inside. The fuel hoses appear to have been done but I'll do them again before the new season. I got to enjoy driving the car quite a bit before the first snow and salt chased it into hibernation; the climate control works properly IF it turns on; it sometimes doesn't and requires fiddling with the mode switch. If I read it right, I won't relish getting at that switch assembly to clean things... Otherwise, a real joy to look at and drive.



Thanks for reading. More later about the other two Jags that we adopted before the season ended... God help me.

Regards,
Jeff

 

Welcome to the forum Jeff,

An excellent and fascinating Intro. The Series III looks in very good condition - original Vanden Plas spec?

You probably already know the tech section from your reading here but if not, follow this link XJ6 & XJ12 Series I, II & III - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the XJ6 section for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top there is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

Remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You may also like to visit the US North East Region section by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/north-east-us-me-nh-vt-ma-ri-ct-nj-ny-pa-35/ to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forum.

Graham

 

Welcome Jeff. Congrats on the new car....she's a beauty!

 

Welcome to this friendly Forum, Jeff and thanks for the fascinating intro.
Holey water is very useful for radiator leaks, always carry a bottle !
Follow Graham's advice and enjoy your membership here.

 

Congratulations, Jeff, and thanks for the enjoyable reading.

A good Ser III is a joy to own and drive. Built like a tank and drives like velvet.

Cheers
DD

 

Welcome to the forum Jeff,

Good to have you with us.
An enthralling story.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't already done so you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

At about the same time I bought the Dorchester XJ6 I stumbled across while hunting an XJS, I decided to go see a man about a car - or at least call him on the phone. On the other side of the mountain where I live, I'd become aware of an XJC. It wasn't for sale; I'd just spotted it peeking out beneath a carport next to a private rural home when I happened to drive pasts. I remembered how pretty these cars were with their graceful roofline; I don't think I'd ever seen one in person, only in photos. It was an odd '70s color that I later learned was called greensand. A couple drive-bys over a period of time convinced me it wasn't being driven; it even looked dusty from the road, some distance from the house. It also looked very regal, and quite compelling.

On the internet I looked up the owner's name and number using the street address, and one evening called to inquire about the car and whether they might consider selling it. The cordial fellow explained that his father had bought the car brand new for his mother; the '76 had been in the family ever since. He confirmed my suspicion that the car hadn't been driven in a very long time, since suffering a small, er, umm, well, engine fire. It seems one of the infamous underhood fuel lines had failed while idling in downtown traffic, and flames erupted. Perhaps because they'd owned a number of European sports cars during that time, the fellow had an extinguisher at hand and got the hood up and fire out with minimal damage, at least as fires go. They had the car towed home and settled with the insurance company but for some reason decided to do the repair themselves. The process was begun and replacement parts acquired, but perhaps intimidated by the wiring and plumbing they put it aside and the car just sat. And sat. I asked when the fire took place, and the sheepish answer came quietly over the phone: "1986. I think." Jesus flavit.

I diplomatically inquired whether he might sell me the car and let me run with the restoration. Well, he said, you'd better come see it first. As we concluded our conversation I asked a couple other things about the car and the parts he'd acquired. At one point I asked - already quite sure of the answer - "So, it's a 4.2 liter, yes?" He admitted that he could no longer recall the specific displacement, "but on the trunk it says XJ12C."

My hand trembled; I nearly dropped the phone. I broke out in a cold sweat. "So, would you like to come see it?" Ummm, yes. Yes. Why yes, I surely would!

We both had intervening business travel so some time passed before I could visit. Finally I got to see the car late one afternoon, and up close I surely wished it HAD been in a barn instead of under a carport. Straight and solid except for some rust in the bottom of the right fender and surface rust on the left fender (wing?), it sure was dirty. Moss grew on the bumper rubber. The fire was quite minor; damage was in the Vee and along the relay wiring atop the radiator header. The hood showed some discoloration above the Vee and a worse hot spot near the fuel filter, but the paint hadn't even bubbled - quite minor as car fires go. The V12's weight had flattened and split the front Dunlops; the rears were horribly dry rotted but still held air. The fellow's mom apparently didn't drive a whole lot; it had traveled only 44k miles in the ten years it lived. The trunk was full of parts; the interior musty and somewhat faded, but unworn. I sat in the driver's seat and put my hands on a steering wheel that hadn't turned a corner in more than a quarter century. "Vroom," I said.

The owner seemed to be inspecting me as much as I was inspecting his car. Surely it held good memories of his parents, and had become something of a stationary reminder of good family times. He seemed understandably concerned that I would just whisk it onto Ebay without attempting to resurrect it; it almost seemed that he was pondering again jumping into the project himself. I assured him that I would love to see it live again but had real concerns over whether the engine was frozen, meaning a much costlier project. He said in the early years he'd removed the plugs once a year or so and injected fogging oil, but hadn't now done it in a long time. Countering the oil, I pointed out the fact that he'd removed the injectors and not thought to plug the holes. He ultimately agreed to sell, and we determined a value and went to transfer the title. All that remained was to coax the car out of its sunken depressions and onto a rollback, and get it home.







The '87 came out to offer encouragement:


Lots of work ahead; should be fun. Thanks for reading.

Jeff

 

welcome and nice "new" addition - hope the restoration goes well and look forward to reading about the efforts.

 

Jeff,
I've merged your two threads, the second is more enthralling than the first.
We need all the details of your progress and pics in the tech section please!