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The start of a good thing - XJ6 (xj40) sovereign cosmetics projects.
So I landed this lovely cat for $2800, engine rebuilt 100km ago, mechanical dreamboat, runs like perfection. The catch- Cosmetic blemishes. So now the fun part, cosmetic repair!
I'm hoping some of you will have some good advice for me, we have: 1. A sunburnt roof (we'll be able to cut & re gloss that pretty easily enough), 2. Some small rust bubbles in the usual culprit places which will need to be killed and sanded out, 3. A tennis ball sized ding in the front left hand panel above the light- which I can't stand. We should be able to knock it out just fine after taking the panel off, but I haven't worked on a patch job that big before. Half of the whole ding area is missing paint and has a layer of surface rust.
There are a tonne of videos on Youtube I have been looking at, but some of them are just absolute garbage, so I thought I'd best go ahead with my first post here and ask you lovely fold for your wisdom and advice!
I'm definitely interested in knowing how you go about getting the right paint to touch up with, DO I take the codes to a body shop or look online or what?
Thanks in advance to anyone who'll take the time to respond. (I've never used a forum before, so be nice if I am being a dumbass on here and let me know!) xo
Xj40 (xj6?) Sovereign 1990 with rounded headlights, I have heard this was an uncommon conversion. The holding for those lights is plastic, a little cracked so I will be on the hunt for replacements.
You can kinda see that ding in the top-front corner (left panel)
Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us, and congratulations on acquiring that beautiful XJ40!
Many of the body and trim parts are no longer available from Jaguar (and were very expensive when they were), so most of us have learned to find good salvaged parts from eBay sellers and breakers, so those would be my recommendations for finding the headlamp trim panels you need. In the U.S. the quad lamp setup was the most common until the 1993 model year, but in other regions the larger "rectangular" lamps were available earlier. I converted our '93 to the quad setup because I prefer its more classic look.
Regarding paint, most good body shops should be able to match your paint using the Jaguar color code, which is a three-letter code found on a label that is probably located either on the B pillar or the trailing edge of the driver's door (I'm not certain about cars for the Australian market).
Jaguar Classic Parts (parts service of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust where you can view exploded parts diagrams and look up part numbers)
Jaguar Heritage (main website of the JDHT where Workshop Manuals and other service documentation have been available on DVD-ROM if they still have any stock remaining)
Greetings BeckBeck . . . congrats on securing such a fine XJ40, again emphasizing what outstanding value these cars offer in an otherwise expensive Australian market. Congrats too to Don and Clarke for such comprehensive advice and links. Like me, I'm sure you'll want to give them a big "Thanks".
My advice is based on our XJ40s . . . very early and very late . . . having both major and subtle differences. Never feel hesitant to ask for advice; we are a happy sharing bunch here . . . but reinforce with a few simple preliminaries. From main menu "User CP", click "Edit Signature" to add your model/year/engine/variant permanently. Use links provided to arm yourself with all resources linked by Don and Clarke, because you will need them at some time.
Starting with paint and trim, I suspect you have found the vehicle's VIN plate with the codes you refer to. If so, what is your paint code? My private import '87 XJ40 (UK) is similarly blue, paint code "JFJ". I will be interested how you approach body repairs and painting as most cars 25+ years old need attention.
My XJ40s also have 4 headlights; not as rare as you may think and not a conversion. Jaguar says that the XJ40, no matter what options selected, were manufactured in 2 variants . . . "XJ6", which until '86 was a car spanning Series I, II, and III, but which in the XJ40 became the base model "variant" and this had 4 headlights . . . while "Sovereign" was the up-market more expensive variant with rectangular headlight. Like Don, many others here, and most original Aussie purchasers, I prefer the 4 headlight version also.
Great to have yet another XJ40 fan nearby . . . and as Clarke says, you are certainly not alone if in the Brisbane (Australia) area.
Best wishes,
Ken
Last edited by cat_as_trophy; 05-18-2017 at 07:49 PM.
That's probably because the Aussie version of the square headlight wasn't the beautiful styled twin-reflector lamp manufactured by Hella, but the rather less attractive single reflector "fishtank" design manufactured by Valeo.
I think if you'd the option of the Hella's (only N.American models got 'em) I believe you'd probably prefer the square stance to the retro look of quads.
The N.American XJ40 with square Hellas is, in my opinion, the best looking 40 of all.
Thanks so much everyone for the comprehensive Info, I appreciate it so much!! I have a lot to learn. This one is a 1990 sovereign xj6 apparently, though I haven't seen many with the round headlamps so am thinking restoring and repainting the surrounds might be easier than sourcing parts. I can't identify the model for sure by decoding the VIN because of the aus import thing- running it comes up with 2010 models! (I'm suss on whether its a sovereign, it has a crooked not so original looking rear sovereign badge on it)
I'm absolutely thrilled with the amount of resources you've all provided so quickly, I'm happy to be here! (Forgive me for being slow, I'm still learning how to use a forum!)
I can't identify the model for sure by decoding the VIN because of the aus import thing- running it comes up with 2010 models! (I'm suss on whether its a sovereign, it has a crooked not so original looking rear sovereign badge on it)
Our '88 was badged XJ6, but behind the glove box I found the word "Sovereign" written in black marker, and the trim level matched Sovereigns elsewhere. I later learned that in the early years of the XJ40, Jaguar offered only the XJ6 and Vanden Plas models in the U.S. (and maybe all of North America), but the XJ6 was the same trim level as the Sovereign in other markets. For example, in the U.K. you could purchase a Base XJ40 with cloth-covered manually-adjusted seats, but in the U.S. all the XJ40s had leather-covered power-adjusted seats.
. . . and just to complicate things further, our very end of '94 model, whilst clearly by VIN a "Sovereign" was supplied to order by original owner with 4 headlights which is far and away, still my preference . . . despite respecting Lawrence's preference for the Hella rectangulars. Sorry Lawrence (and I really do respect your preference) . . . whether Fishtanks or Hellas, those XJ40s just don't speak to me with the design purity developed from an XJ6.
So, BeckBeck . . . hook in with Clarke, Regional Co-ordinator Paul, and all the motley SEQ crew. You are bound to be far more computer savvy than most of us when we joined in . . . and we haven't managed to blow anything up yet. Well . . . Clarke has, but we don't like to keep reminding him!
How did you go with the paint code and VIN decode . . . oh, and most importantly . . . there's no such thing as a dumb question.
For example, in the U.K. you could purchase a Base XJ40 with cloth-covered manually-adjusted seats . . .
Cheers,
Don
Don, I never knew that . . . but by coincidence just a week ago and nearby, I inspected yet another blue 4 headlight '88 XJ40 that was a private import from Asia to Australia. Cheap as chips but all the rust and grinning undercoat was a turnoff . . . as were all the ID plates and stickers in Chinese or similar "chop" characters. I had thought that the cloth seats were a rather good quality Hong Kong back-market offering . . . run up like their excellent men's suits once Jaguar's leather had expired in their unforgiving climate.
For once I made my daughter really proud . . . I clutched my cash hard and walked away. Yet another reason to be pleased for BeckBeck and her brilliant purchase.
Seems to be a lot of chat about the headlights, going back a long way.
Myself, love the quad headlights. If I ever buy an XJS I would be sourcing quads from the US.
Single headlights on a jag is just all sorts of wrong......unless it is a black XKR,then I'm ok with singles.
Don, I never knew that . . . but by coincidence just a week ago and nearby, I inspected yet another blue 4 headlight '88 XJ40 that was a private import from Asia to Australia. Cheap as chips but all the rust and grinning undercoat was a turnoff . . . as were all the ID plates and stickers in Chinese or similar "chop" characters. I had thought that the cloth seats were a rather good quality Hong Kong back-market offering . . . run up like their excellent men's suits once Jaguar's leather had expired in their unforgiving climate.
For once I made my daughter really proud . . . I clutched my cash hard and walked away. Yet another reason to be pleased for BeckBeck and her brilliant purchase.
Best wishes,
Ken
Well There are a few tiny rust spots on this one, but it's all only minor body work, and I'm a handy girl so I can take care of that no worries- though there's a ding on the top of the front left hand panel above the lights which will require a beating, sand back, rust inhibitor and then a respray / gloss coat- So that'll likely be the hardest thing to get up to scratch.
I've been told the local supercheap has the paint that matches the code however I'm not sure on their quality, so if anyone has feedback , experience with them or suggestions of a better place to source paint both aerosol and touch up bottle, I'm all ears!
Tomorrow once we get her into the garage I'm taking care of the roof panel, which has unfortunate clearcoat peel which means most of that remaining clear coat needs to come off before a respray and fresh clear coat.. I'll be sure to put some pics up of that anyway.
As for headlights, I have to say I do love the rounds however I even more love the angles of this model being so sharp compared to the usual curves of a Jag, it has this unique nearly muscle car look due to the prismic front and round light combination.
Our '88 was badged XJ6, but behind the glove box I found the word "Sovereign" written in black marker, and the trim level matched Sovereigns elsewhere. I later learned that in the early years of the XJ40, Jaguar offered only the XJ6 and Vanden Plas models in the U.S. (and maybe all of North America), but the XJ6 was the same trim level as the Sovereign in other markets. For example, in the U.K. you could purchase a Base XJ40 with cloth-covered manually-adjusted seats, but in the U.S. all the XJ40s had leather-covered power-adjusted seats.
Cheers,
Don
That's nice and confusing, I'll have to have a peek for any mysterious marker clues haha.
As for headlights, I have to say I do love the rounds however I even more love the angles of this model being so sharp compared to the usual curves of a Jag, it has this unique nearly muscle car look due to the prismic front and round light combination.
Mine has plenty of curves, got to love that.
Supercheap's colour matching is average at best.(IMHO)
Try colourfast, I have been happy with their product.
That's near where I'm picking the car up from actually! Do they do same day / can they do aerosols?
Never been to that shop, but the one near me does it while you wait. I would assume they are all the same.(they have 3 shops around Brisbane)
Yes they do aerosols.
Never been to that shop, but the one near me does it while you wait. I would assume they are all the same.(they have 3 shops around Brisbane)
Yes they do aerosols.
You champ! thanks so much, I was really hoping to find a good recommendation before resorting to supercheapo! definitely dropping in tomorrow.
Update if relevant BeckBeck. Recall I mentioned our '87 XJ40 is also blue . . . code "JFJ" is the colour "Solent Blue" but I note now that Jaguar lists a sidenote "metallic". Suggest you mention this to your paint supplier if same code.
05-18-2017, 03:06 AM
The start of a good thing - XJ6 (xj40) sovereign cosmetics projects.
