I have a 2001 XJ8 on its second engine and second transmission with 304,000 miles. It’s been my stalwart until the BCM went awry last month and now it’s sidelined. And it’s worn out. But I just had a windfall and I would love to take my beloved XJ and restore her to her former glory.

so who do I call? I am in Memphis.

thanks for any advice.

clarifying: looking for a restoration shop that can do a complete restoration. Mechanicals and woodwork largely fine, but so much is worn out.

 

Sorry to hear you in need of a new engine again, but I hope you manage to get it purring nicely again soon.

(I sadly can't help you as I am in little old England...)

 

It depends on how much you want to invest and how much you want to replace. If you start by replacing the BCM,
you probably want the VCATS suffix to match. Start with that first when buying a used BCM. After that, you will have a
better picture to work with.

 

With that many miles would you consider getting a lower mileage one to restore or maybe to supply parts to help restore yours? They are cheap so you could pick up a couple if needed?
Oh and congratulations as I don't think I have EVER seen a Jaguar with 304K miles! Your doing something right!
Salute!!
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03’ VP

May of 2018 is when I took these photos. Drove a lot on the highway. I discovered that the engine and transmission are original as the vin matches numbers to the rest of the car.

I was replacing the evaporator as it was leaking.

My daughters 98’ XJR has 274k miles on it and still going strong.

 

Since you have the windfall, find a restorer and hire them. There will be lots more surprises that they can solve for you. JMO. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Doing an evaporator job on a Ford F-150 now and I certainly don't envy you doing a Jaguar!
Big jobs and not fun.

Are you the winner with 352K miles? Glad to see someone getting these high miles too.
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Windfall? If you can't do the work yourself but are handy then here's the place. If you're not socket & spanner literate then get as many quotes as possible on this restoration, some will give a low ball quote that escalates as the 'discover' things missed on their initial inspection (these types are no good).

You're looking for either serviced trained techs with independent shops - or longstanding British and European specialists. Jaguar can always help on the parts side of things by visiting their own website : https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/

I've a 290K on it's original drivetrain, it's just regular service intervals that they really do appreciate. Leads me onto the next option, to find one that's been looked after and had those 'regular as clockwork services', some may think its pedantic, but a continuous service history must be at the top of your list in replacing your old war horse with a bright shiny filly. This will be your cheaper option and could be fun shopping.
Restoration is costly in nature because of the time - labour charges are not cheap. My father and I have 10's of thousands of hours, many unpaid because of the quote honor, you learn fast it isn't a money making trade, it's a living at best. So, my point is restoration - done correctly, bare metal, full nut & bolt rebuild - is going to be rather more detailed and expensive.

 

Dash out, worst job on the 308 FACT!

 

Hmmmm...no fun, but now you get to look over everything and get new perspective.

 

Car show season is just about over, but I always advise people when they ask about a paint job, to go to local car shows and when they see a freshly restored car that impresses them, particularly a similar car, similar paint to your own, to ask the owner who did it and if they don't mind telling, how much did it cost. I expect that the same advice could apply when looking for someone to do a complete restoration.

But note that I said to ask "who" and not just get the name of the shop. For automotive paint, its the guy who holds the spray gun in his hands who has the most control over the quality of the final finish. Its not only his skill in "laying the paint" but he also usually has the authority to inspect the prep work, decide if its done right and whether its ready to go into the spray booth. I learned that lesson the hard way back in the 80s. I had a car painted at a shop that all the classic car people in town used and it turned out great. It was my third paint job and I'd already learned a few lessons, but the next one was doozy. A couple months later, that car got a door ding, I took it back to the same place, but they had it for weeks and kept messing it up. Finally I decreed it was "good enough", I was tired of messing with them and just wanted my car back. Turns out the guy who painted my car originally had been there for a couple decades and he resigned shortly after. That left the shop manager, who hadn't actually been in a booth in years, to take up the gun temporarily until they could hire a replacement. His skills were so rusty that he just couldn't make it blend in or if he got it to match, it'd have a run in it and have to start over. Thus I learned that you need to find the name of the painter because its mostly his reputation, not the shop's, and he's portable.

But what it sounds like you want is a restoration manager who will find the right painter, the right upholsterer, the right machinist, etc. I recently bought a car that was already restored by a professional shop and have a thick binder of receipts, ranging from $400 to $4000, but averaging about $2,000 every two weeks over a period of nearly three years. Like your XJ8, it got restored for purely emotional reasons and I paid for the car a LOT less than the cost of its restoration (but only after the owner was no longer physically able to enjoy it). This shop didn't do everything in-house, rather they farmed out the paint to a body shop, the seat upholstery and headliner to another shop, had a specialist leather repair guy come in and do some work to the door panels, etc. They basically did in-house the disassembly/reassembly, general mechanical repairs, hunting down and ordering parts and stuff like refinishing hardware, painting little brackets, etc. And of course they managed or coordinated the whole process. While maybe not as super critical as the painter's "muscle memory" (swinging a paint gun), you probably need to ask for the name of the restoration manager just as well, especially during this period of "The Great Resignation" where so many people are leaving for greener pastures.

 

Not my car. Just a customer that I saw twice.

The worst evaporator job was a tie between a Chevy suburban (05’ish??) and a Toyota Land Cruiser (also 05’ish).

 

The worst part of that job is the steering column. I found it a little bit easier to modify the two clips that secure the upper column to the carrier just under the instrument pack. It’s hard to explain without a picture. I think the next time I do one I’m going to remove the drivers seat prior to dropping the column out and see if I can just leave the column attached to the intermediate shaft and leave it on the floor. Fighting the intermediate shaft, lower and upper column supports all at once is a PITA!!

 

All good comments but I never give quotes any more for any work and ESPECIALLY restoration work.
It works like this for me (after losing many dollars I had to do something different!). I look at the project and the owner and I decide how far we are going to go. By this I mean a show car, driver or just some sub-section repairs like an interior or maybe a fender repair, get it running and driving is the most common request I get.

Next I work on hours and material only. There are WAY too many hidden things involved as posted above.
Next I am paid and kept current every 30 days. If you stop paying the project stops until the money starts up again. If it lingers then your project will be put outside until you pick it up or start paying again. I am also NOT a storage yard so there will be a hard limit on how long your project can stay at my place

I am fully aware of the expense of these types of projects and I am a bit embarrassed to say I turn down FAR more work than I probably should. But you should plan on it taking about 2X the money and at least 2X the time more than you think.
Note these are very conservative estimates based on my experience doing projects.

In fact now I pretty much only do my own work and friends. I found I have a lot more control if I buy the project fix it up and then sell it on. That can be a giant money soak too so it's not a complete solution!
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Well Clubairth1, you have been around a while so you would have a good grasp on these cars.
Such sophistication that was designed into these cars can make for a complex project and not
always is a reasonable estimate going to cover what hurdles lie in wait. The real trick is explain-
ing that to a customer who wants a firm estimate. It would seem the best course of action in
dealing with an issue is to give a low and high estimate with notifications/needs built in.