Greetings,

I recently stumbled upon this little gem quite close to me. Same town as me, and within a 10km radius from where I live.

A recent seller has posted a 1990 XJ6 as a "for parts or project" vehicle. I don't know the displacement of the engine other than its a six cylinder.

Its maroon in color, and needs a valve job from what the seller is saying.

I'd like to know what's involved in doing a valve job on a car like this. Is it... Similar to most cars? I say this because I was helping a friend (the guy who introduced me to Jags) work on his '85 XJ12 Vanden Plas, and noticed that it had inboard rear-brakes.

This car doesn't have man defects other than unpolished/cracking (needs replacing) chrome plated bits, as well as a flat tire (don't know how long its been sitting). I would assume that the car still runs, just burns a ton of oil... Oh, and does this thing have inboard rear brakes?

How much do you think this car is worth? I'm interested in it since I'm going to college this summer and I wouldn't mind showing up VIP in a Jag... But seriously, I'm taking a course on automotive service tech. and wanted something I can work on and learn with while off school campus, and this looks like something fun to work on. I've also got local contacts who own XJs and other nice 80's Jags, so I know where I can find somewhat discounted parts, but I wanted your opinion from this.

How much do you think the car is worth? (Canadian dollars)

Here are the pictures I've got:




Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

Yes, I understand that I won't make any money from it, instead, somewhat lose money, haha. I would agree with you, $1000 would probably be the highest I would go. From what I've read and the troubles a friend of mine has had, they're not inexpensive in the long-run. But its the passion you have for sticking with your car rather than selling it for one that 'works' is what makes us car enthusiasts, right?

I've sent the owner a message, and will probably visit there tomorrow (only 3-5 minutes away from my school) to check out the car, see if theres any leaks and whatnot and ask the owner to pop the hood, or may be even allow me (if it runs) to give it a test drive around the block. I've just got some insight from a member from another Jag forum about valve jobs done DIY-style from used parts from a parts car or from parts from the wreckers. Shouldn't be too bad. I grew up around cars and have almost all the tools needed to do it in my garage. But its the rest of the car I'm worried about...

Well, we'll see what the owner says and I'll get back to you on what other stuff I notice from checking out the car.

Cheers

 

From all the things that I've heard and the things I've read... I already know...

But once everything is said and done, and the car is running perfectly and looks mint, then the payoff in the end is greater

 

No, no... Thats not why I want a Jag... Originally, I wanted an '85 XJ12 Vanden Plas like the one my friend has. Unfortunately, those are rather rare in my area, so it was out of the picture. Just recently, this one came up so close to me, so I had to take a look at it. Mind you, its not my favorite bodystyle for Jags (I prefer the individual circle-lights of the series III's), but knowing that I AM going to a college where owning a vehicle with things to perform on it are somewhat valuable ways of learning and experiencing, why not start off with a somewhat unreliable car? I mean, right now I've got a 1999 Mazda Protegé, its running in tip-top shape. The car is absolutely flawless other than a few door dings (its color is 'Twilight Blue Mica', so its basically invisible at night time).

Why learn from a car that runs in tip-top shape and risk screwing it up when you can work on something already somewhat buggy and fix 'er up?

 

Oh, no... I'm not a 'do it cheap, get it running' type of guy. I work on the morals of "doing things right is never cheap, and doing things cheap is never right", therefore, I'm interested in the whole aspect of the car.

I received a message from a member of another forum telling me that the XJ40s were the first to be 'hot-dipped galvanized', promoting the utmost minimum of rust issues. So the body should be (and is) quite good. I'll safely assume that there may be some formation of rust on the rocker panels, but thats a normal issue in that area for most cars. So start off with something with a somewhat good condition body and chassis, and the mechanical and electrical would be most of the issues I'd have to work with (which is good, since its the field that I'll be studying). The gentleman also said that XJ40s had outboard rear brakes... A BIG joy for me, as it was somewhat difficult servicing the one on my friend's '85 XJ12 VDP.

Haven't received a message from the seller yet, but I've got an hour after lunchtime tomorrow and before classes, so I'll surely take a look at it.

 

Hey there, being in my third year in college myself and having owned my 93 XJ40 since I was a senior in high school just a fair warning that I hope you have a savings account! = ) If you've really got your mind set on fixing her up more power to you. But the amount of money you may end up putting into the 90 XJ40 would be almost the same as spending 3500-5000 on the 93 or 94 model (last 2 years of that bodystyle) that were more reliable than previous XJ40's. Many of the things mentioned here in this post are true and you should especially watch out for and be aware of them. No lies about those door handles!! They're made out of something called pot metal I believe and they're VERY prone to brake. I had to replace and fix my drivers side twice and replace the passenger side also. Door handles go for around 250 or more unless you but it used which wouldnt make much sense. I LOVE jags and would never go back to any other car, my few years or more of owning mine has taught me a lot about these cars and I hope you know what you're getting into. But they're worth every penny in my opinion! Check out how nice you'rs could look if you do end up fixing that one up. I got sum pics of mine in the Gallery. Green 93 XJ40.

 

Yes, I understand that these cars may be 'cheap' to purchase, but its the collective costs that really make this car expensive. But hey, a true car enthusiast would gladly spend 3-4 times, may be more on top of the original price of the car, right?

Anyway, I had the chance of viewing this vehicle yesterday. The owner wasn't home but his children (18-20 years old) said that he's looking for around $800 CAD for it.

The door handles were in spectacular condition, I lifted all four and they all felt very solid and the spring mechanism that pulls them back were all very equal. I also had a look-see underneath the vehicle, no oil spots or anything under it, and the chassis and body were in excellent condition, except for a hole in the back of the car (behind where the license plate would be). I don't know how that hole got there, but it shouldn't be too hard to fix.

 

I visited the car again today. The owner still hasn't come
back (business trip out of the country). He will be arriving
tonight, so tomorrow would be an okay time to visit.

Anyway, the people who were there did tell me that the owner
is looking to get $800 for the car. Would you say that's
somewhat reasonable?

What comments do you recommend I make to lower that target
price?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

XJ40ish def just hit the nail on the head and added to what I already posted. We just dont want to see a Jag noobie ditch Jag forever due to this one project because you'll be having some very costly bills to get that Jag your talking about back up to par!

 

Just outta curiosity XJ40ish at what kind of mileage did you have that transmission issues with your XJ40?? Thanks

 

Hey guys, just an update!

The guy says that the transmission is mint. Before it was taken off the road almost 3 years ago, it had been rebuilt by Jaguar (specific dealership or wherever, I'm not sure).

I know it does need some minor cosmetic work, the major thing being the engine itself (wait until you see the pics below!). I was going back to my grassroots about crazy engine swaps when I came back upon that "Volvette" video online. Its an old 80's Volvo 740 with a twin turbocharged LS1 engine from a Corvette, along with a 5-speed manual.

I then came to realize, wouldn't it be cheaper to just find a used, running smallblock V8 and just custom-fab a transmission plate to match onto the XJ6's transmission and just used an independent engine management unit?

You guys are likely going to say that this is some form of Jaguar *******ization, but IMO, in almost all ways, its cheaper and likely to be more reliable...

Let me hear your opinion on this.

As for the car, took some pics with my camera phone. They're pretty good for camera phone pics. The lowest price I could barter the car was at $700.

Anyway, here are the pics:




I have no idea about the circle with the cross thing... If anyone knows anything, please share





Don't ask how that hole got there... I have absolutely no idea...






Drivers' side hood doesn't latch down like the passengers' side. Gas struts in excellent condition though




Front door closes perfectly. I accidentally left it open for the pic

The hole again...




EDIT: Forgot to post about the 'real' nightmare:





New timing chain is included, the distributor is there too. Only thing I see there is how long the car has been sitting w/o the valve cover, and how long its been like that without any sparkplugs in the plug socket... Engine needs a complete overhaul, or for a cheaper alternative fabricate mounts and a transmission mating plate and stick in a small-block V8 and run an independent engine management system... Valve cover is in the guy's garage, though.

 

I agree! The general body and chassis itself is in great condition except for those rusted areas. Its super-solid!

I did get a few replies from the folks at Jag-Lovers, all of the users who replied to the thread (about 5-6) all said that it wasn't worth $700. Its apparently got terminal rust cancer... The frame under the bonnet is completely solid, barely any rust whatsoever.