Saw a 1975 XJ6-C in the area for sale. I'd love a good old Jag like this for a father-son project. I'm remembering the one John Steed drove in the old 70's Avengers show. What is to look out for on something this old?

 

Take a peek at the buyers guide at the top of this section for the fundamentals.

The XJ6C/XJ12C are pretty cool but there are some quirks with rear window mechanisms and some unique "Coupe only" trim pieces that are getting hard to find....so make sure it's complete.

Others who know more will chime in.

The a webpage dedicated to the coupes. Can't remember the name but it's based in Australia. Some Googling should reveal it easily.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks!

 

Start by looking for rust, then see if the car has any rust, then check for rust and oh yeah, while you're at it, watch out for rust.

Check below the front and rear windshields, the wheel arches, the front hood hinges, the suspension mountings points (particularly in the rear), the trunk floor, floor pans and rockers/sill panels. These cars are relatively simple mechanically speaking and for a father/son project there really isn't anything mechanical I'd be scared of tackling, even down to replacing an engine. All that stuff is fairly available and won't be murder on your wallet. Rust repair and finding quality trim pieces, especially coupe specific, will be. Outside of that paint, leather and wood trim restoration can get pricey quick. My motto with almost all older cars and possibly even more so with an old Jag is give me a clean body and interior and I'll make the rest work.

That's not to say the body needs to be perfect but you just need to make sure you know what you're getting into. Mine, for example, has some rust below the front windshield and in the trunk floor but is otherwise rust free, perfect sills, floors, wings, ect. Considering I got it like that, running, for $600 I figured it was worth the eventual cost and headache of those repairs, considering the problem areas weren't dangerous structural areas like the rear suspension mountings, floors or rockers. At this point, it's nearly a miracle to find one that's 100% rust free but you really want to cautious about how much metal work you're putting on your plate.

 

XJ coupes are a rare car, only around 5000 were made in total, and that includes the V12 version. As vwtechnician says, rust is a big bugaboo, the sills below the rear side windows being particularly vulnerable. So you really need access to bodywork facilities if your serious about the car. All the mechanical stuff is identical to the Series 2 saloon.

If you have the vinyl roof still fitted, you will likely find it rusted underneath, and through the metal in places. These roof coverings were all the rage in the 70s, but slight damage to the vinyl caused rusting to start underneath, but nobody did anything about it as the cure is to completely remove the vinyl, cure the rust, then......don't put the vinyl back, respray in body colour instead !!

 

Good info! FIL is an ex-bodyman so we may have that covered. I will make sure to get it up on a lift for inspection prior to talking money. It's a six-cylinder car, so more common I expect.