I just picked up a 1987 XJ6 with just a bit over 50,000 miles from an artisan woodworker in Maine. The car's early life was pretty interesting. The car was originally sold in Monroeville, PA by A & L Motor Sales on 01/26/1987 to LMV Leasing Inc. in care off the H. J. Heinz Corporation. Going through all of the past registrations and paperwork in the glovebox I found a receipt with the name Drue Heinz on it. Drue Heinz I discovered was the 3rd wife of H. J. Heinz II heir of the Heinz fortune.
​​​​​Drue was an interesting woman and pretty well connected in the literary world. She lived to the ripe old age of 103, passing in 2018 at Hawthonden Castle, a medieval fortress outside Edinburgh, Scotland.

In 2014 the vehicle ended up with new owners in Sag Harbor, New York. The owner I bought the car from saw the car in Sag Harbor while building a custom staircase for the car's owners. He said told me he commented on how nice the Jag was and how much he loved these older body styles. Fast forward to 2021 and the car was given to the woodworker for the sum of $1.00, bequeathed to him upon the settling of the couples estate.

The Jag is in pretty amazing shape. No rust, no rips in any of the leather, the carpets are spotless, the dash crack-free, and the motor has no unusual noises. Even the AC and cruise control work. It will need the wood dash redone. I removed and installed an older ski slope I had from another car, but that too will get new wood. The tires are Pirelli P4s from 2009, so new tires are in order. I already replaced the injector fuel lines as a couple were weeping, but feel new or rebuilt injectors will be good preventative maintenance. Also ordered new plugs, plug wires, and distributor cap and rotor. Both tanks work, but the fuel gauge is wonky. I need to investigate if its at the in tank sender or possibly corroded contacts at the gauge. Also will need a new headliner. I plan on removing the air injection pump and hoses to clean up the motor a bit as well as going through the cooling system. The leather will get a good conditioning and probably have a professional cut, buff and ceramic coat the paint.

 

Lovely car. Great colour, but then again I'm partial to Jags in Green. I would nevertheless suggest that a 2009 dated Tire is well past it's prime and should be replaced as a safety issue. They look great, but they will have developed structural issues over the last 14 years. Your call, but a blowout on the highway can put you in a strange place.
Enjoy the car!, Ian

 

MSG said he was planning on new tires👍

Cheers
DD

 

Yup, no way I would trust 14-year-old tires. Maybe from my house to the gas station around the corner, but never at speed.

Current projects are:

- Condition the leather now that I have given them a good cleaning.
- Change the oil
- Change transmission fluid and filter.
- Drain and flush the cooling system
- New thermostat
- New cap, rotor, Champion plugs and plug wires.

I also need to fix the antenna. I hear the motor trying to put it up and down, but the mast isn't moving. Hopefully just a new mast fixes the problem.
Sort out the fuel gauge not reading correctly. Is it just corroded contacts at the gauge or a bad sender or maybe both as one side reads nothing while the other tank does make the gauge rise slightly.

 

Superb car and provenance. Congratulations -- enjoy.

 

The wood veneer on the center console was badly cracked, so I used some left-over leather grained vinyl from a previous project to recover it after stripping it of all the wood and roughening up with 80 grit sandpaper. 3M Super 90 was the glue I used. While not original, it at least mimics the earlier versions that were all black.

 

I have also found that on any car removing the sponge-like open cell foam underlayment and replacing it with a non-absorbent closed cell foam goes a long way to reducing any musty odors in a car. Sure, why the water is entering the car and stopping it is a priority, but if the padding has already gotten wet and mold/mildew spores taken hold it may be impossible to get rid of that musty odor unless the offending material is removed.

 

Is there a pic? I don't see a pic.

 

slofut, what picture are you asking about? I posted pictures of everything I have mentioned in the thread.

 

MSG, I see them now. ...On my computer at work, I couldn't see them on my laptop at home last night. Man I'll tell you, that is a premium example car you have there. Considering the time capsule condition and very significant provenance, I would suggest leaving the dash wood as is. Can you keep it garaged indoors?

 

I gotcha, my work (Federal Government) computer doesn't like certain sites either.

Yes, the car will be covered and garaged one the weather starts to get bad here in Massachusetts. I have a 2004 Land Rover Discover that is my Winter rig . I did decide, like a lot of other XJ6 owners, to remove the air pump and related hardware. I will box it up with another set I removed off a parts car so it can be put back to original if need be someday. I would like to remove the cam covers and clean them up and repaint them and restore the nuts, but they aren't leaking, so I am nervous doing so will invite a leak.

I also need to remove everything that can be removed on the driver's side fender and clean up some surface rust. It looks like someone changed the brake booster or master cylinder and spilled brake fluid on the paint and failed to clean it up. Clean up and paint the air filter housing, same for the cross supports. It is amazing how the small details add up.

 

That's about what my engine bay looked like when I got my first XJ6

A couple long weekends of work and it shaped right up!

You can do the same!





Cheers
DD

 

Wow, what a cool history! Great idea replacing the underlay, giving the carpet a proper wash will do wonders too.. I use a wet vac on mine every 10-20000km and I'm always amazed at what comes out 🤢

Following along

 

Great idea with the closed cell foam. Where did you get it? And what thickness is it?

Thanks, Bill

 

I looked for the receipt for the foam but couldn't find it. I believe it was a web site called The Foam Factory? I went with 1/2". I then glued on a 1/16" rubber topper.

 

Amazing car! Best color they ever made for the S3.

 

After you paint the fender cut a piece of heavy duty clear polypropylene film to shape and attach it on fender under the master cylinder/brake booster. Never worry about spilling brake fluid and ruining your paint again 🙂

Hardly noticeable but will protect the fender paint

 

Quite a change over a couple of weekends. Have been struggling with how far to go with restoring the engine bay. Not going to pull the engine. Well done. !

 

interesting past of your XJ-6.

Back in 2004, I purchased a 1965 Jaguar S type with a similar past that belonged to a California artist named Gene Baker ( Eugenia Baker McComas 1886-1982 ). She purchased the car in September 1965 in San Francisco and sold it to her neighbor Ted Rausch in 1982 before she died.
Her paintings are in the Monterey and San Francisco museums of art.