Because I'm going to have a million of them!

Hello to all of you. My name is Sarah, 19 years old, and I just bought my first car, and since I grew up in a family of assorted mechanics, naturally it's a fixer-upper. But it's a lovely one! A 1990 XJS Jag V12 Convertible that. Fortunately, since I know absolutely nothing about painting vehicles, the original coat is still in almost pristine condition. However, the interior is in very poor condition, the convertible top is torn, and the fuel system needs repairing (I think just the lines and the pump), plus a new A/C compressor. It's been sitting out untouched for a while, so I'll probably also want to replace some other things that aren't bad yet but could be better.

I'm an F18 mechanic in the Marines, currently in Afghanistan but home soon, so I have all the skills I need to fix her up.. but not the Jaguar expertise. That's why you all are my new best friends! ...Seriously.

I'll post a couple of pictures here as soon as I get to my own computer. Thank you, can't wait to see you guys around!

 

Sarah,

Welcome to the forum and Semper Fi! I am a retired Marine Master Sergeant living just down the road in Camden, SC. First of all, I must say you have (in my opinion) taken on quite a mission with that old Jag. Every one of us on this forum are Jaguar junkies. We love these cars, but wow, a 21 year old XJS needing mechanical, a new top, and major interior work...

Okay, down to business:

First of all, the fuel pump should not be to big of an issue if you can find the parts. There are a couple of first rate (and very honest) venders on this site. Nalley Jaguar comes to mind...

As far as the conv top is concerned, if you can't find a Jaguar top, a convertible top specialist should be able to fabricate a replacement utilizing your current framing. Cost? dunno, maybe a couple of thousand $$???

As far as the interior, the good news here is that you may not need any original Jaguar pieces (depending on how bad it is). If it is just upolstery, there are lots of guys out there who once again should be able to fabricate what you need. I did that with an old Mercedes sports car a couple of years ago. Cost me about $2,500.00 complete (vinyl, not leather)

What made you go for this particular car?

 

Well, my dad is a huge jaguar enthusiast, I grew up kind of biased in that direction. I picked this one in particular (in all honesty) because it was $800, and I love challenges. I have a perfectly good motorcycle for my transportation needs, but you know South Carolina weather- I'd like to have some cover available when needed. I hope to have it running about a week or so after I get home on leave in VA (if it's just fuel pump and lines, shold be quite feasible), then drive it nice and easy down to SC to work on the interior there. Here are some pics!

 

Keep an eye on Ebay, you can find lots of replacement parts like seats and even wood there. The AC compressor is (or was in the earlier versions) a regular GM long compressor. Assuming that hasn't changed you can probably pick one up at a salvage yard cheap.
If you can work on jets, you can fix this car without a doubt. The biggest problem I've found is that it's time-consuming.
There are quite a few of these cars around with good parts but the bodies have rusted out. I've found just about everything I've needed either on Ebay or Craigslist.
I'm in the process of rebuilding an 83 convertible, so I'll be happy to help you with whatever I can.
I can't help you with the convertible top, as I haven't tackled that yet on mine. However mine was a conversion, whereas yours is a factory made. You might be able to find one at a re-upholstery shop.
Once you've finished you'll have a unique car that will turn heads! Keep us updated!

 

Welcome to the forum Sarah,

That's quite a challenge you've taken on, the poor old girl need some TLC.

Don't forget to take pics as you go and keep us updated on the progress.

As you have seen already we have quite a few members who can give you help and advice along the way.

 

Thanks for the encouragement and the welcome, and wow! Good advice right from the get-go! I'll definately keep everyone posted on progress as soon as I get home.

 

Hi Sarah n welcome aboard, great to have you with us.

n F18 mechanic in the Marines, currently in Afghanistan ...WOW....go you!!!

Great site here with some top people and above all friendly and helpful, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I've pgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the sites features.

Here's a few goodies for you......Wheeler dealers bought an XJS and tidied her up a little before selling on for a profit. Part of this process was the gear shifter wood surround which was ina mess....they fixed it right up.
YouTube - Wheeler Dealers - Jaguar XJS - 1/4

YouTube - Wheeler Dealers - Jaguar XJS - 2/4

YouTube - Wheeler Dealers - Jaguar XJS - 3/4

YouTube - Wheeler Dealers - Jaguar XJS - 4/4

for much better results please post any questions you have into the model specific section.

Good luck

 

First off, welcome to the site

Your XJS looks like quite a handful, but it should be a wonderful project. Your license plate is great, lol. I'm not much up on the XJS, but I do have one thought for you. It may be cheaper to get some burl walnut veneer to redo the center console, rather than looking for a replacement part. Since it is mostly flat, it should be fairly easy to redo.

I have to say it is a pleasant surprise to see a young lady ready and able to take on a project like this. It is also nice you have upped the female:male ratio a little.

Are you single? Marry me?

 

Hello, Jim and Keith. Thanks a ton for the videos, I'll definately be taking some tips away from them. Jim, I thought the license plate was fantastic too, but unfortunately it belongs to the old owner. Trust me, I tried to get the new ones to say that, but no luck. The new ones just say MCHNIC, you'll see 'em when I post new pics. Oh, well. As for the wood on the console, I was definately wanting to replace it with real wood, and the rest of the intact panels too, eventually. I'm thinking replace the black seats with a cream to match the center (with black piping accents if possible), the carpeting to black, and replacing all the wood accents with a dark cedar with a nice glossy finish. All in time, however! I'm just an E3, so sadly, I'm not made of money. xD I'll justify it to myself that it's an investment.

 

Hello and welcome to jaguarforums.com.

Please take a moment and read the information provided to you explaining the rules. Be patient and enjoy the site.

 

Sarah! Ooh Rah! I was an avionics tech at Cherry Point, among other things. The car looks sweet, and the cosmetic issues don't look too difficult to repair. At least there is no body damage. I'm sure Beaufort MCAS still has an auto shop where you can work on your car. You could probably just park it there and 10 other Marines would do all of the work for you. At least that's how it was when I was in the Marines. A WM could drive in with a broken air conditioner and a few hours later drive out with a brand new compressor, never having had to pay for the part or touch a wrench. You need to go talk to those people that work at the shop and get yourself assigned to there TAD. After a 6 month assignment you'd probably have a fully restored XJS.

By the way, I love my XK8, but the pics of your car really got me interested in the XJS's. That's a nice looking car. The under hood pic is kinda scary, but the car is beautiful. That would be an awesome car to take on a long road trip, and I love road trips.

 

Hello, Gus, and OORAH to you, Sam! We do have an auto shop there, all the tools you need for like 5 dollars an hour- but the only one who's gonna be fixing this darling is me! They can look on in jealousy if they'd like, heh.

The engine is the best part! I think of it as a challenge, not scary. All the guys with their big bad v8's got nothing on me. :') As for road trips (which I love as well), the only thing wrong with that is 13 mpg. Ouch!

 

I had a 1993 XJS with a 4.0 6 and it was a great car. I wish you luck with yours!

 

My wife and I took a road trip out west in the XK8 last summer. Here's a link to a thread I updated throughout the trip with lots of pics of the Jag in various places out west. The best pics are on page three and four. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...in-road-39254/

 

Welcome to the forum Sarah, good on you for taking this on. You can' t beat the sense of satisfaction as you start to put things right.

And has been said, you'll meet some great folk over in the XJS section, also have a look in the Interior section, someone had a thread with pics about redoing their own veneers, snag is it was sometime last year and right now I can't remember exactly who it was.

It will most likely come back to me at some point, but they did a great DIY job.

 

Sarah:

For the money you bought the car for, you've done all right. The investment will come later, however you'll get your money's worth--not including making new friends.

In your extra time, there's a wealth of information to read on this web's postings to educate yourself on XK's. Attack the car's mechanics first, and come back to the top and upholstery.

Hennings Motor News is a great place to find all the suppliers for interiors, tops, parts for XK's. There's a large restoration operation in Indiana selling upholstery items. From the looks of it, you'll also need seat foam--which gets expensive.

Another place to frequent is car-part.com--a salvage yard website. You can identify who's got salvage XK's in the southeast. You might find a full set of upholstery there.

Another good thing to do would be to Google "leather restoration" to see what magic can be done with leather interiors. Leatherique in South Carolina is a leader in this field. By the way, your interior is unfortunately a lost cause.

Welcome to the website, and good luck on your project.