What did your car look like when you got it?
 

i didnt take any photos of mine as it was not a pretty sight!, however it was just age and florida sun that did mine in!

Paint was all cracked,but it had no rust and no dents! not even parkign lot dings!!! interior was toast too, dash was flaking, seats were beyond repair, but everything worked!!! and i fell in love!!! I paid way to much for it and have put way too much into it! I will however continue to do so!!!

Found out a few things along the way, it was first bought by a construction company in winter park florida as a company car, then it had a Doctor, and two others before she came to me!

When I replaced the dashboard with a vdp unit i found all teh original paperwork, book and owners manuals even the warranty for the radio! somehow they had come out of the glovebox and were behind it!!

I had been looking for a jag for a coupe of years when i found this one! It was kismet!!! I found it the day i sold my house and got my divorce papers signed!!! it was a grand day indeed!!

Whats the story behind your car???

Ok, i had a lot of typos in that post, someone has turned off my spell check! thought it was odd that i had no red squigglys, i knew i hadn't gotten that good at typing!!

Craig's List photos attached.
I can't take credit (or blame) for any of it.
(';')

Before and after
 

Dec 27/2013

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9/2014

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I picked up my car in Kissimmee, Florida. This is the story from the PO. The car belonged to her Dad who bought it new. SHe inherited the car after he passed away. The car was garaged kept in New York and was not driven in the winter. This part I believe, because as an ex new yorker, I know what salt does to the cars there. This car has just two spots of rust, one on the driver side lower fender abour2 inches from the emblem and a couple bubbles near the windshield. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one. The paint is immaculate. The underside is totally rust free. The story goes that the car was shipped to Florida in 2005 and when the car was delivered the keys were gone. So the car sat in a driveway for a couple of years with the sunroof open and the driver side window down. Every so often during a rainy spell the plastic would blow off the car and you know the rest. The homeowners association told them that they had to move the car in 2009. So they pushed it into the garage until i found it less than a month ago. Front seats destroyed, fuel left in tank turned to varnish, driver side fuel tank leaking, 5 dry rotted tires and so on,

I have cleaned up the inside, got two replacement seats, removed all of the floor mats, its squeaky clean under there, Flushed out tanks, I will remove the leaking tank sometime later. Changed oil and filter, and got the engine running. I am now waiting to install a new fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator. I am waiting to post some pics of the car. at this time the website is not allowing me to do so. I was told by a member of the forum it is because I am a Newbie. I have to wait sometime before i can post the pics.

My car was in a barn for 15 years and when the PO passed away I bought it from the family. It was under blankets and boxes and the overall condition was very good. However, after sitting for that long there were many issues with anything made of rubber or fuel related. After 4+ years of ownership I have put 10K or more into the car (including purchase price). It is a fun car to drive and work on as I have learned a ton about DIY mechanics since ownership started.

This is the XJC when I picked it up.


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In it's current resting place

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Still the same at the moment. It looks far better than it is in reality, rust everywhere, and I mean everywhere!!

I dunno, it looks like it might just buff out! :)

the day I bought it, sight unseen, not inspected, not driven, no vehicle history

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after 10 hours wet sanding on the second day of ownership

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and how it looks now

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Hadn't thought of that, I'll give it a go!!!:icon_wink:

I purchased my 86 XJ6 two years ago for $2500 off Craigslist. The body was straight (a little rust in the normal window areas for that model) and the Tudor White paint was in fairly good condition. The interior is Isis Blue and fairly clean. The leather on the seats is a little hard, but no major tears EXCEPT the driver seat bottom. The brightwork and chrome was in great shape inside and out.

On the way home the battery died (because the alternator was bad) and so I quickly had to replace the alternator, all of the bushings in the front end suspension, battery, and the catalytic converter. We ran some MOA cleaner to help flush out the years of carbon in the system so that it could pass emissions here in AZ. Since then I have had to rebuild the transmission, replace one gas tank (rust) and the fuel pump, and then replace the entire exhaust.

So... I have dumped about $5K into restoring the mechanical systems and hopefully will be able to save up for some interior work (replace front seat leather covers and replace the headliner). I only wish I had a lift in my garage so I could do some more work under the car.