I drove mine to LiDL & back to go shopping. Exciting eh?

 

Technically it was yesterday, but I put my summer tires back on, gave her a nice bath and installed my new-to-me dash clock.

 

I drove mine to work this morning as it hadn't moved for a while. I don't like to leave it over two weeks without use after killing a battery with months of no use the other year.

 

New set of Bilstein sport shocks on the front. No idea how old the old shocks are, but they've been making a whole lotta clunking noise and I could shine a light through the lower bushing on one of them. Pretty easy job overall, highly recommend taking the upper bushing plate off for this job, makes both removal and installation much simpler.

Hopefully I'll find a much less clunky car in the morning.

 

Swapped the winter Pentas/X-Ice for the Asteroids/Continentals. Hopefully we’ll be good for the next 6-7 months.

 

Well as indicated in the Classifieds, my 2000 XJ8 4.0 131k mile trusty friend at https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/market/278323

I said it was going to be a short listing period. Five Vehicles are getting trimmed to three maximum, and this one has to go ASAP.

No offers since the listing, so off it goes. this week to the auto auction or breaking yard.

It is either going to the local "highest prices paid for your unwanted car", or to Colorado Public Radio, Donation writeoffs are typically only about 15% by the time it gets onto my 1040, but this car owes me nothing.

I paid $5k for it 9 years ago, having @10K in receipts from the previous owner, drove it happily as a daily driver for 70k very enjoyable miles, so the car owes me zip nada.

Engine is great but the trans is toast, needs suspension bushes/shocks/links, has minor dents and scratches, clear coat peeling. Interior is great except of course the driver seat. Headliner had been reset by the PO and is purrrfect.

Doesn't seem right to let her go for dirt or donation on a hook, but alas, I know these beauties values totally dissappear in their first 10 years, then after that is is what the buyer feels it is worth.

Photos are of course far better than in person,

 

I really like the Sea Frost Blue, Glenn. It a shame transmissions
for these cars are so ridiculously expensive.

 

Today I took my R to my guy who does all my welding and bodywork to have the rust in the floors repaired. I’d stripped out the whole interior ahead of the work except for the gear selector, steering wheel and drivers seat.

It was pretty strange driving the car without nothing in it, and I got some strange looks from other drivers. Still, with the reduced weight she was a bit lighter on her feet 😂

 

Nothing yet, but I'll drive it to the pub after work today.

 

Rust? Wat dat? My 2000 XJ8 does not have a spec of rust except on the bolts and clamps of the exhaust system and nuts/bolts of the suspension!

You REALLY must love that car to do all that floor replacement work, so commendations for that love of the vehicle!

 

I can easily find the parts and rebuild or swap the transmission, but with the glut of this series on the market and rock bottom prices, I can find XJ8's with far less miles and much better maintenence nick for the cost of parts and aggrivation of swapping the transmision with ath laundry list of other maintenance items on the round-tuit list.

Then there is my current resto project I have pushed off for years due to maintenance of my daily drivers. One down, and now focus on my shelved resto project.

I actually had twins at one point! Somewhere in the forums is my 2001 XJ8 which was also Sea Frost Blue, I had just finished a full rebuild of the suspension and driveline when I barrel rolled it three times on US Interstate 80 in Utah.
Fortunately all safety features worked perfectly and we walked away with minor cuts and scrapes, but I discovered some bodgy dodgy unibody repairs during my restoration from the PO stuardship where the tinworm was working overtime under cover of slathered-on sealant and chassis color paint, in an area just behind the front right front end wheel well unibody assembly points.
That was the only spot on that vehicle with any suspect corrosion. Fortunately it did not impact the structural integrety of the car at that time, but it was in progress.

As many have said, keeping these cars in prime form is a labor of love. Sometime along the way there is a cut the losses and move on.

 

@Ken Cantor check your PM inbox for the phone and lambs wool carpet photos

 

I can easily find the parts and rebuild or swap the transmission, but with the glut of this series on the market and rock bottom prices, I can find XJ8's with far less miles and much better maintenence nick for the cost of parts and aggrivation of swapping the transmision with ath laundry list of other maintenance items on the round-tuit list.

Then there is my current resto project I have pushed off for years due to maintenance of my daily drivers. One down, and now focus on my shelved resto project.

I actually had twins at one point! Somewhere in the forums is my 2001 XJ8 which was also Sea Frost Blue, I had just finished a full rebuild of the suspension and driveline when I barrel rolled it three times on US Interstate 80 in Utah.
Fortunately all safety features worked perfectly and we walked away with minor cuts and scrapes, but I discovered some bodgy dodgy unibody repairs during my restoration from the PO stuardship where the tinworm was working overtime under cover of slathered-on sealant and chassis color paint, in an area just behind the front right front end wheel well unibody assembly points.
That was the only spot on that vehicle with any suspect corrosion. Fortunately it did not impact the structural integrety of the car at that time, but it was in progress.

As many have said, keeping these cars in prime form is a labor of love. Sometime along the way there is a cut the losses and move on.

Fingers Crossed, anoter Local enthusiast stopped by to take a first look, coming back in an hour for look #2.!!



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Beautiful car! That's an unusual color....Hope it goes to an enthusiast not the braker yard! I can't imagine it's not gone already!

 

After a short listing on Facebook Marketplace, a local Jaguar enhusiast couple came by, received the fifty cent tour twice and decided this beauty was worth keeping on the road for a bit longer.

This is such a relief.

So she goes into new hands to be brought back from the brink.

The "Clowder" is thinning and now I can focus on the "herd" collection !!

 

Thats really good news. Glad to see she is acquiring a good home.

 

Just acquired the 99 XJR a week ago and the breaks squeaked horribly at low speeds. According to the work order I received with the vehicle the pads and rotors were replaced about 8k (although 7 years) ago. Upon my inspection it looks as though it was just pad slapped (maybe turned..... maybe) so i figured i would hit up EBC soon to spend some coins, but in the time being I figured i would lube the pins and pads at which time I discovered the inside/piston side pads on both sides where worn greater than the outsides and all 4 pads were cracked right down the center so the trip to a knew set has escalated. that being said there was no bake noise today but they will soon see the trash can.

 

don’t use lube…some things in life are better without it this is one of them

clean with scotchbrite

 

Tore into the cooling/ heating system today to try and fix my no heat below 3k RPM ended up taking the reservoir tank out, the control valve, the aux pump, and back flushing the heater core. All looked good and though I got a slight improvement on heating it still don't work under 2k RPM.
I also broke a coolant line at the thermostat housing and there ain't none of them lying around so I had to rig something up for the time being.

 

I have a bag of those "NORMA" plastic connectors from straight, 90 degree and 45 degree and also the larger ones used on the air injection lines, just PM me with the numbers on the edge of the connector



For the blend valve, IIRC it varies depending upon the voltage going to it. Also it is a double diaphragm upper and lower valve. It gets sticky, so carefully dissassemble it. clean it, grease it lightly with some water pump grease so it can move smoothly and reassemble it..