Hi all
New forum member here. I have been lurking this forum for over a year reading posts every day. My story is much like others. I’m a Gen- Xr who has wanted a Series 3 XJ6 since I saw my boss’ car back in 1992. He had a dark blue XJ6 and I just have never been able to get that car out of my head. Now at 52 I finally have time to engage in this as a hobby and get the car I always wanted. I have means to buy the car and put into it what I need. My goal is to, in a sense, restore it. If I can upgrade parts to more reliable modern ones, I’d do it. What I’m saying is that I am not a purist. I just want one of these that I can drive and it’ll be in the equivalent of restored condition. My plan was always to pull the engine, trans, rear axle (including the inboard brakes) the suspension, front brakes, interior, in short the, the lot and rejuvenate it all. I have time and don’t need to have it running at any given time. I don’t need this car, I just want it.

In terms of experience, I am not a mechanic, but I have done a lot of work on cars. I have a 2000 VW Passat and I have rebuilt the cylinder head (down to grinding valves), replaced all four corners of the suspension, pulled and installed, bled etc brakes and calipers and run down electrical gremlins ( I have a great story about how I spent two weeks testing circuits and learning wiring diagrams to find a battery drain that the dealer and other mechanics told me didn’t exist). What I am saying is that I have confidence that if I take my time and work carefully, there’s no job on a Jag that I can’t do (excepting those that I know I can’t do and am planning for).

Anyway, with that background, I have for the past six months or so been looking for my XJ6. I was trying to find an 83-87 model and hoping for an 87 with the minor reasoning behind that being that I’ve read that early Series III issues had been worked out by 87. I live in Massachusetts, so the pickings around here are slim. My biggest deal killer is rust. I know how to do small bumps and scrapes type body work, but I don’t know how to weld, so I want to avoid a car that is going to require welding. SO local cars are going to be an issue. That presents its own issues, as it is hard to evaluate a California car from Massachusetts. I’d go to California to get the right car if I could find it, but that does present obstacles. I don’t know anyone -who knows anything about cars- in any warm dry states.

Last week I located a purportedly rust free 82 XJ6. It is on Craigslist in New London, Ct. Here is the listing https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto...526232924.html. I made arrangements to check it out. The owner is asking $5,500.00. I inspected it yesterday.

* Car has been painted. I can see some sandpaper swirls around the front left lower wing behind the wheel arch. I used fridge magnet on paper to see if it would stick and at least at that point it fell off. Now, that might make me run, but it really did not seem to be extensive rust. I looked carefully all around the lower body panels and from underneath the car at the seams and there really is minimal rust. It actually looks remarkably clean. The underbody had no major areas of rust that I could see. Floor wells in the interior had no rust underneath the carpets. No evidence of we carpets (looking for mold or spotting on the bottom of the carpets). The crossmember under the radiator had some rust from what I could see, but I tapped at it with a pick and and it seemed solid. Engine bay had some rust on surfaces over the wheel arches but again tapping with a pick didn’t go through. Corners of the windows had tiny amount or rust around a crack in the paint at the left rear window (where Jags are known to leak) and signs of some rust (like 1 mm bubble) on the other three lower corners of the windshields but were covered by paint. In other words there was obviously some rust at some point but it had been painted and the paint and rust was covered by the weather stripping. The owner explained that he’d purchased the car in 2001 and only used it as a beach car. He said the previous owner had painted it. If that is true then all that rust has been like that for 16 years. The exhaust looks almost new. Less rust than most 2 year old cars.

The suspension was rusty but not worse than my 2000 Passat. Radius arms had rust on them but did not look attacked by rust, just ordinary rust you’d expect on any car in the Northeast. The bushings were cracked and need replacing clearly, but on test drive the car did not squeak or bump at all. There was no evidence of leaking fluids aft of the engine/transmission housing.

Both gas tanks work as does the fuel changeover system. I could not assess the insides of the tanks but the filler connections under the caps looked excellent. No corrosion of anything there.

There’s no stakedown kit for the tappets. Car started with what I’d say was a very short hesitation. Maybe 4 cranks before starting rather than 2. New battery two years ago but I think there are electrical issues with the power antenna and the right side power mirror is non-responsive. I expect to find a power drain somewhere.

Has significant oil leak obviously from at very least the valve covers. Dipstick oil looked brand new. No clouds or foam, but obviously suspicious for its color. Rubber condition in the engine looked fairly good with the exception of some weather sealing grommets which looked old, dry and cracked.

Unknown when was last coolant flush. Unknown when last time rear rotors calipers and axle seals replaced.

Drive seemed to be ok. Engine seemed to run well. I listened for tappet contact but didn’t hear anything that stood out. Maybe a little tick tick tick, but don’t know. Brakes clearly have an issue. You kind of have to pump them.. Very squishy on the first press and then grips better as you lift off and press again. Car pulls right when braking so I am thinking a stuck caliper. Steering seemed a bit stiff.

AC does not work. Car heats all the time. Whir from servo when selector switch moved. I saw a receipt for diagnosis of the AC that said broken AC clutch, but that was from a very long time ago, so don’t know if that is the problem. But temp guage is reportedly very slow to rise. I drove it for 15 minutes and it never came up even to ¼ never mind the middle.

Interior condition I would say is fair. Headliner is sagging and stitching in front seats is gone (the pleats are no longer pleats).

It appears to me that the first owner was pretty meticulous about maintenance. The seller seems to have handled routine oil changes and the like but clearly did not fix larger issues like the oil leak, AC.

What are people’s gut feeling as to whether this is a reasonable price? My gut is telling me that he is a bit overpriced. There’s a listing in California and another in NJ that purport to be as good for between 3500 and 4000.

Thanks everyone. I am looking forward to working on my dream car and contributing my progress to the forum once I get started.

 

not a good price for a 1982, for a little more you can get a choice 1985 XJ-6 in Mullberry Red with none of those problems.

With these cars, you need to start out with the best example you can find, restoring them will cost too much money and will drain you of patience and interest. Not worth it. 1982 was not a very good year at Jaguar, but 1985 was. you would need to know why, but I will tell you a name and you google it: John Egan.

 

Well, you've covered all the bases and obviously know what to look for!

I agree that the price sounds a bit high. For $5500 you should be able to do better.....even though pickins might be a bit slim in you're area.

Personally I prefer the '86-'87 cars for various reasons but, IMO, actual *present day* condition is more important that quality control issues 30+ years ago. Any of 'em still on the road and running well have 'stood the test of time' regardless of QC issues. . A cherished and properly kept early car is great shape would almost certainly be a better buy that a shabby later car that hasn't seen much love. Again, just IMO.

Cheers
DD

 

Jose,
I too am interested in an XJ6 to add to our growing collection. I googlized John Egan, and saw he ran Jaguar for a while, and that there is a book written on that subject. Without having to buy the book, can you better explain your comment? I can't tell if it is approval or disapproval of Egan.

Thanks,

Ed

 

Thanks Doug! I was looking for an 85-87 but as you say, the pickings are slim.

 

Thanks Jose. I'm not looking for one that's all ready to go. The purpose of the my doing this is to give myself something to do! That said, I do appreciate your advice very much. I was originally looking for an 85-87 version. They're just not easy to find near me in un-rusted condition.

 

Egan made a lot of good QC changes


Cheers
DD

 

Thank you for a direct, simple answer. I have a variety of cars, and trying to be an expert on the many nuances of them would be a full time job.

Ed

 

I agree with the others about the price but the brakes sound like a real problem. Who would (a) let the brakes get that bad and (b) this guy has been driving it that way? Doesn't sound like the kind of previous owner I would trust. I just spent 3 months in Orange County CA looking for a nice car to no avail. Most are rust free but most have been driven into the ground. Also, there are a lot of cars for sale by estates, divorcee, etc that they don't know what they are worth (asking sky high prices). I suggest checking out the BringATrailer web site. Tons of info on past sales and auctions of currently available cars. The "green sand" xj6 series 1 currently listed was restored with all the details here in the forum. But it is in Washington state. There is also a very interesting xj6 with a gm v8 in Tulsa right now. Look in Autotrader under XJ6. Bright red with a very unique customized grey interior that looks nicely done. The lady is selling it for her father who has owned it for 25 years and he bought it from a neighbor who had it for 10. Good Luck.

Jeff

 

To be honest the car doesn't look all that bad in the photos, (I've seen much worse, like my own car before work began !!), but the brakes problem is something that means it cannot be worth the money demanded.

The other thing potentially worrying is whether the block is the slotted type or not. Previous long stud engines were notorious for cracking between the bores and the slotted block was introduced to cure this problem. If the car is a 1982 it may have the later block, but at what engine number this occurred is not know to me, maybe somebody on this forum knows.

The interior, especially the driver seat condition, means this could be expensive to rebuild, but clearly not essential in the early stages, you just have to do it when you can. The stitching in these XJ seats tended to break due to grit working its way into the seams and grinding away at the stitching. I found this out early in my Series 3 ownership so was always diligent with the vacuum cleaner in this area.

My advice is to continue looking around and to try to see some more cars before making a decision.

 

I feel like I got real lucky in Massachusetts. I just bought an '85 with almost that many miles, near mint interior with Nardi wheel, original paint with small rust spots near the windshield, recent rear brake caliper repair - $1600. Seller started at $3200 on Ebay but I waited it out.

 

Thanks everyone. I think I'll think about this one a while longer. I've enough experience in car forums to know when to listen

 

My first impression?
Let it be...or be prepared to invest another 5 grand in
As the owner of a body and paint shop, the paint work doesn't impress me much.
But, a good polishing could work magic...

For that kind of money, there should be NO rust bubbles (especially the one on the left front window sill that is just barely visible on the photo might become an expensive one) and no major problems.
The interior though looks like the car never had a serious leak...the veneer on the wood panels tend to crack when the wood gets moist.

 

1984 JAGUAR XJ-6 VANDANPLAS

https://southcoast.craigslist.org/cto/d/1984-jaguar-xj-6/6526724665.html. I went to look at it yesterday. All original condition, no repaint. No rust around the windscreen at all. Interior footwells dry as bone. Rear tire well clean no rust. I did locate rust on the rear under bumper valence. That would need replacing, but that is bolt on and it wasn't rusted through just some surface parts on the field of the metal and at the edge. There was some rust around the rear radius arms. didn't look destroyed. Car drove well. Brakes worked properly. Bushes all around looked shot though. All systems worked well except radio. Seller claims fuel switchover works but said the other tank was empty. So there MAY be a tank issue. Car on sale by owner who's had it since 1988. Interior in terrific shape. The leather isn't even cracked or torn or anything. Carpets clean. Radio non-functional. Engine looked and sounded fairly good. Obviously leaking oil, could see and smell it. Under rear axle/cage/diff lots of accumulated oil. So, clearly leaking fore and aft. The 1982 looked less rusty but worse mechanically. Biggest problem as of ow on this now was leaky seals fore and aft.

$4900.00?

 

That looks to be the car for you but not maybe at $4900 ! Advert says open to offers.

Some work is clearly needed but nothing seems too serious, the petrol tank system valving and switching is notorious even on well-maintained cars, but fixable. An '84 engine will have the slotted block so reasonably safe there, although HGFs are not unknown, but anyway, repair is an easy job with these blocks, unlike the previous ones.

The rear valance is not bolt-on, being welded-on, but the rear quarter panels that sit each side of it are bolt-on, and are the accesses to the fuel tanks.

Rear radius arm bushes are available or the arms themselves if they're
rusted out.

Interior in terrific shape is a real plus because repairs in this area are very expensive even if you can get the parts.

Are there documents, invoices, etc to back up the claimed care and attention over the years ?

What bushes are shot ? There are not all that many bushes on these cars, the rear suspension is all on roller and needle bearings apart from the subframe mounts that will probably need replacing (not an expensive job and easy DIY)

Front suspension will probably need new Slipflex bushes on the top wishbone. Again an easy DIY job. Then you'll probably need a full set of upper and lower ball joints putting in. Once again quite an easy DIY job, and when you do it, junk the shim-adjusted lower joints and fit the "fit and forget" XJ40 joints by Lemforder that last forever.

Main thing is not to get daunted by the work, it can be done over quite a long period provided the car is driveable in between.

The only thing that would concern me is the oil leaks. These cars are not all that oil tight, but you really don't want to be doing an rear main engine oil seal. A diff seal is also difficult to DIY because of the need to be under the car to do it. I did a huge amount of work on a 1980 Series 3 without a workshop, just a garage by the side of the house. These are the last of the repairable Jaguars. No advanced electronics, the EFI is analogue !!

 

Where the car has lived all its life gets to be more important as time goes by.
Areas where they do not salt the roads in winter are where you will find the best rust free cars. Mine spent 9 years in Long Beach California and then the rest of its life in Seattle lots of rust free older cars here. Recently there was a 87 XJ6 VDP for 2900...craigslist

 

Thanks Fraser. I don't have a shop, but I do have a garage and lots of time (let's hope!). For the rear seal I was planning on pulling that whole thing at some point in any case because I want to get in there and correct/refurb everything all at once. When I talk about "bushes" I am probably using the wrong term. In the US I'd call them "bushings" and what I am referring to are the rubber bushings that are in many of the suspension joints. I may also be calling a Valence wrong. I am talking about the sheet metal under the back bumper between the two rear quarter panels. In any case, it isn't rusted badly.

 

I know about that car Alyn. I saved it to my Favs when I saw you post it. But I would still have to look at it and airfare plus the transport cost... sigh...If only I had the time to spend out there that's what I'd do.

 

if you can't drive it home, it ain't worth buying.

when I bought my '65 S type in San Francisco, I flew one early morning, and I drove it 2,900 miles to Nashville. Talk about fun and adventure!! And I got the car home without damage.

I do not trust transporters, they damage cars and once damaged, the car is done.

 

If I was in your position muttony I'd get a cheap one way flight to california, having organized a list of cars to see - there are plenty of rust free SIII's on the left coast - and take your pick before driving one back after changing oil, checking fluids and hoses and the brakes. As Jose says this is part of the fun of it all!

Just factor in buying a good few spare parts to travel with 'just in case' and buy the cd based workshop manuals to install on your computer in the event you need to troubleshoot something on the way back.