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We bought this 87 two years ago this fall and my son and I have been slowly bringing her back to life. SO many things we have worked on in the past two years and a few more projects remaining. BUT, first things first. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Had to disassemble all of the window switches and clean the green corrosion off to get them working again.
new leather seats installed
cleaning out and inspecting the new purchase day after.
day after purchase, learning everything about this cool car.
Day after purchase. LOTS of cleaning and vacuuming.
replacing factory front seats with new leather seats
a nice pic outside of Jarod's day job.
at the Durango Motor Expo car show.
at the Durango Motor Expo car show.
fresh pain. tape just removed
Fresh paint with tape just pulled
happy owner.
fresh paint, tape just pulled
sanding prep for painting
Door panel
at the Durango Motor Expo car show.
more sanding
at the Durango Motor Expo car show.
fresh paint.
this was the evening we took our son down to the local wrecking yard. He had been looking at this car every day for the past 3-4 years. It had been sitting having not been started for nearly a decade. The mechanic sold us this one and a completed parts car for cheap. I had the mechanic put a new battery in it, put some air in the tires, check the fluid levels. He drained the gas, put in a few gallons of new fuel and she fired right up. Our son had no idea what was up.
Looks like the pair of you have put in plenty of time. I bet your son enjoys driving it after all the work work he has done.
Just the other day we were driving in town and a woman passenger on a motorcycle was checking out my son and the Jag and he said, "I know this is a cool looking car but I forget it is not a common car for others to see in our neck of the woods". He has a deep appreciation for this old car that many others ignored while it was sitting for a decade with no hope of being owned and driven again. Good kid.
When you did the repaint; did you sand the entire car down to bare steel? I read somewhere, I think, that you can paint over the original paint with just a sand, that you had to take it to bare metal. Otherwise the paint wouldn't stick. Is this something I'm imagining I read?
When you did the repaint; did you sand the entire car down to bare steel? I read somewhere, I think, that you can paint over the original paint with just a sand, that you had to take it to bare metal. Otherwise the paint wouldn't stick. Is this something I'm imagining I read?
We did not take it all the way to bare metal. We weren't going for a high end paint job. just looking for average to decent for a high school kid. I still have over a gallon left so we can do it again in the next year or two and get better results from what we learned. There are some spots that weren't sanded evenly and there were some spots on the hood with oxydized paint that wasn't sanded down enough and pealed a little bit. But, overall, my son is so super proud of the car and a consistent color that it is more than good enough for him.
Yeah, in many cases, if the original paint is not checked and merely worn and faded, if properly sanded to get 'tooth" it is a great base. Many pro's do that.
If not sound and checked, it is not a good base and down to bare metal is the only way to get it right.
I'm not up to date with the techniques, but at one time nitro cellulose laquer over enamel was a "n-no". It would bit in an make a crinkle finnish.
As some of ourt cars, mine included have thermoplastic paint, it might not becompatible with modern paints.
The 87 is notone of them. It is conventionsl color + clear.
nice old 87 XJ6 I just had to share
