This is the one I bought off eBay, that basically need A/C work to be complete. First picture is of the car in front of the Courthouse Museum in Monroeville, Ala., which is the setting for "To Kill a Mockingbird." The one used in the movie with Gregory Peck is not this building, but is a board-by-board copy of it. This car is gray in some light sources and blue in others. You'll see as you look through the pics what I mean. You'll also notice the homemade steering wheel (I didn't do it), made out of some hardware-store steering wheel plus a hubcap. Not a joke. I will probably eventually get rid of that feature.

 

She's pretty clean for a bargain...good score.

 

Looks like the PO did many upgrades, including the headlamps. Why did they want to sell the vehicle? Is there an issue with the head gasket?

 

Looks pretty good! But, yeah, that steering wheel has got to go !

Looks like it has "X300" seats. Cool.

Cheers
DD

 

What are you seeing with the headlamps that indicates an upgrade? They're not terrible, I suppose, but they are not very bright, especially on low beam. I'm going to probably put a HID kit on the XJS and I've thought about doing the same with this car.

There does not seem to be any issue with the headgasket. No water in the oil (or the reverse), no overheating, no steamy smoke, no smell.

The immediate previous owner bought the car as something to have fun with on the side, and then his job got transferred to Michigan. He kept it garaged while he was up there but didn't want to drive it in Michigan winters. So he elected to sell it.

The guy that had it before him left me an entire book of notes on the car, what they did to it, etc. Something about the way it was written, the language, makes me think it was an older man. I would not be surprised if the immediate P.O. bought it from an estate. That's how I found my XJS (P.O. had died).

Jess

 

Every time I see that steering wheel, I think of how many teeth I'd lose if I got in a wreck.

I've got the driver's seat back just about as far as it will go, just in case.

Jess

 

Pretty Car!!
I see what you mean about the color change. How Interesting is that!!
Congratulations on your successful foray into eBay. I hope you continue pleased with your purchase.

I agree with you though, I don't much like the steering wheel either.
(';')

 

The XJ6 sold in North America had 5.25-inch headlamps on the outer positions while the vehicles sold in other markets had the 7-inch headlamps. Since your XJ6 has the proper 7-inch outer headlamps, this is considered an 'upgrade' from what came as standard equipment.

Not sure about high-intensity discharge units on a car of this vintage. Search this forum for information on others that may have performed this modification.

 

Looking at the photos of the engine compartment, the air pump and air injection manifold are missing from the cylinder head. It appears the alternator has also been repositioned to the place usually reserved for the air injection pump.

Has the vehicle passed the Smog Check, or other local emissions test requirements?

 

I have high intensity lights on my car, and they're Wonderful!
However, in order to do this on a "car of this vintage" husband put on a relay for each light.

It's easy to replace the fuses (or augment them) with a bank of relays and mount them on the vertical radiator support, right in line with existing headlight wiring.
CORRECTION!
I do Not have high intensity lights on my car, I have high watt halogens and tightly focused beams. They not only have a relay for each light but also a thermal overload can for each one.

Sorry, I misread the original statement.
(';')

 

Nice looking car, and yes, that steering wheel HAS to go! The outer headlights are indeed upgrades to 7in ROW spec and they look great. Also, I like the X300 seats which IMO are more comfortable and adjustable than original S3 seats. The coil appears to have been relocated for some reason, and of course the air intake is modified.

Looking at the angle of the open hood, it looks like the stay has been removed to extend its travel, which you will appreciate. Overall it looks like you've scored some good mods there (except for that steering wheel.... )

 

Thanks for this information and for the headlight info.

In the state of Alabama, there are no vehicle emissions or inspection requirements. I don't expect we'll ever have them here outside maybe the metro Birmingham area.

For what reason would the P.O. have disconnected this system? If it's supposed to help with off-the-line acceleration, they failed.

Jess

 

Follow-up to the steering wheel issue: Does anyone know what is needed to put a different steering wheel on these cars (specifically, hub adapters, not the tools)? I don't much care for the Jag factory wheels from this era.

Jess

 

If the existing boss/hub is unsuitable, many sellers of after-market wheels will have boss kits available to suit Jaguar models. Check out eBay and other listings to get an idea, there are some awesome wood rimmed ones available.

 

I just put this in my series 3.
It is a SAAS brand wheel & boss kit.
Cost me around $130 Aussie dollars & looks great imo.

 

Jess:


You sure dun good!! A very nice car. Clean as a whistle.


Halogens with good grounds and tight connections suffice for me.
I've no issue with the "small" outboard lamps. Just a styling thing,
Jaguar's way of dealing with the four lamp craze of the time. OK'd by DOT, I think Jaguar chose not to seek approval for it's version of different sized lamps.


That steering wheel is a bit odd. That is a Kent road wheel center cap, repurposed. Gotta admire the ingenuity. The safety, oh, oh!!!


I think that once you get a hub that fits the splines of the steering shaft, many options open. An old style spoke banjo type with a wood rim might look great.


Coil probably moved to improve it's operating temperature.


Didn't look at the air intake.


As to slow on the uptake, I hope the BW isn't slipping excessively!!!
The HP is limited compared to other cars of it's era.


When my car was 4.2 powered, it was just OK in that department. Cruised nicely, though!!


Enjoy.


Carl


Carl

 

Yup, the conical air filter resembles the one on my lump.
More whoosh than the ones with silencer boxes!!


And as far as intake, beats the little plastic snozzle that came on these cars.


At the expense of breathing warm air in lieu of cool air.
Carl

 

This is the one I'm considering:



Link:

 

the steering wheel in and of itself isn't bad looking; can you ditch the Mike Tyson Right Hook horn push?

 

You can indeed take the hubcap out of the steering wheel. (I'll take "Sentences That Have Never Been Written Before" for $400.)

When you take the hubcap out of the steering wheel, you find it's been modified to be a functional horn button. And it's mounted to a Tropicana Orange Juice From Concentrate canister (made out of cardboard, like a biscuit dough tube), which allows it to sit in a custom ring they cut in the wood surround of the steering wheel.

It just sits in there. No bolts holding it in.

Where I live, we call this "backwoods engineering."

Jess