Hey, new here. First I will start off by saying I know incredibly little about these beautiful cars, but would love to learn. Forgive me when I don't know what you're talking about.

On to the "good" part. A neighbor has a 1976 Jaguar XJS 5.3 V12 that has been sitting under a tree for 14 years and before that, was parked in a storage unit. She has no desire for it as it was her husband's and he has passed. She would scrap it, but doesn't want to pay the money for a tow truck, so she is basically giving it to me.

My dad and I took a look at it over the weekend and...well its rough. From the back, doesn't look awful, but that changes quickly. Both rear fenders have rust holes, the paint on the entire car has bubbled and is peeling, the roof is mostly rusted metal (no paint), and inside is just as bad. The seats are falling apart and cracked, cobwebs all over the place, and the driver side floor pan has completely rusted out. The engine compartment has rats nests in it, most every wire has been chewed in half, and there's no telling how old the gas is. The tires are flat of course. The trunk was perhaps the best part of the car, but without pulling the carpet back, I couldn't determine the state of it.

The only thing that makes sense is to do a full restoration. There is no sensible way to half way do it. My concern is how to go about it, and if it is truly worth it. I'm handy with tools, can weld and just about anything else. I have access to most things I could need except a place to store it while working on it. Worse comes to worse, I could just part it out, but that would be such a shame.

So, does anyone have tips, advice, questions, criticism, insults? I can take it.

Also, I took a small amount of pictures (couldn't stay too long) and can try to figure out how to upload them. Forgot to look at the odometer and see the miles, but I'm guessing rather low mileage for where they used to live, and how long they had it running.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sure one of the Mods will ask that you introduce yourself here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...-intro-must-5/

Tell us a little about yourself, your car(s) and you'll get a warm, proper welcome!

The XJS truly is a beautiful car. I've been looking for one now for well over a year. So this advice isn't coming from an owner, but from someone who's been researching these cars quite a bit.

Now, the bad news. If its as bad as you say it is, its simply not worth your time. Part it out. Or, better yet, spend $2500 on a decent project car and use this one as a parts car to complete it. In tip-top shape, these cars don't bring much over $10k. To get your 76 up and running would just be cost prohibitive in parts alone, assuming you can do all of the labor yourself. The engine alone, if overheated or otherwise damaged, is $8k + to rebuild, if that gives you an idea. New seat covers and carpet can approach $3k. And the wiring being chewed through would be a disaster to fix. But, if you do go ahead with it or find another car, take a look at this book.

Kirby Palm's Jaguar XJ-S Help Book

Its the unofficial everything-there-is-to-know about the XJS. Yes, its 700+ pages. But well worth a read. And its a free PDF

I'm by no means trying to scare you away from an XJS. Like I said, I'm looking for one too. But I think your neighbor's car would be an exercise in frustration.

 

This isn't a insult I promise....if you have really DEEP pockets, and a incredible desire to rid yourself of some of whats in those pockets, not to mention the STEEP learning curve, and/or wanting to test your endurance at a never ending battle, slowly turn around, and RUN!!!!!

My first Jag some 30 years ago was a running 79 that had been poorly maintained. And it was a nightmare to say the least. With that said, it didn't ruin my appetite for Jags, but I'm sure had it not been a running example, such as the one you're describing, it surely could/would have. I am on my 7th XJS, and each has had different problems, although some are more common among these cars. I don't want to give bad advice, but from someone who feels pretty comfortable with owning one of these, save your money, and buy the most car you can. This car "might" make a poor parts car from the sound of it.

 

Hopefully this will upload the pictures

 

It does appear to be as bad as you say it is. If she's giving it to you for free..literally free... then take it and part it out. Otherwise, run away and buy yourself the best running example you can.

 

Maybe I had remembered the details a little larger in my head, or maybe to you guys, it looks like I had described. The main worry I have is the structural integrity of the car. The engine I can deal with, along with the wires. I've got nothing but spare time, but I've also got very little money. I do appreciate the honest replies that I've already received and take it all into consideration. Just a little bit of information that may help on the mechanical side, I'm currently going to school to become an A&P mechanic (I fix airplanes), so I know a little about struggle, and quite a bit more.

Again, thanks for the input

 

Last one for a while...but oh how the mighty have fallen

 

Well, if the car's free, you have lots of time, and you're (very) mechanically inclined, it can't hurt to start on the car. Get it up on a lift to see how bad it's rusted out. Common places to check specifically for the XJS

• The joint between the rocker panel and the rear fender.
• Lower (i.e. closing) edge of boot (trunk) lid on the inside.
• Top dead center of rear wheel arches.
• Around rear bumper side-arm mounts (and along the horizontal seam behind them; Check inside the boot).
• The lower edge of the panel below the center section of the rear bumper.
• Around tail-lights; just below them down the seam there and just ahead of them on the rear wing.
• If your back window rubbers are softening check for accumulation of water in the deep wells on either side of the boot (trunk). Also look for water trickling down inside, down the back of the rear seat back and accumulating in the spongy sound-deadening underneath.
• Around the radius arm mountings -- structural
• On the front wing, just ahead of the front door hinge and just above the rocker panel.
• The front end of the sills (or the front of the footwell), behind the front wheels.
• Front footwells under the carpets (wet carpet rust).

You can see which of these are structural, and which aren't. Pay particular attention to the chassis rail/tunnel area. Also, the front lower outer seat belt anchorage is known to rust badly on the early cars, causing failure of the restraint system.


That's where I'd start. But from your pictures, my guess would be most of the items on the list are in bad shape.. so that could rule it out.

 

The very limited money means it will get very limited repairs. The least expensive part of owning a Jag is buying it. The last V12 I went through, I did everything myself except the valve job. And felt that I got a great deal on that at 650.00. By the time I bought bearings, rings, thrust washer, timing chain, timing chain tensioner, gaskets, fluids, plus the valve job, I ran through a little over 4K. I power washed the block myself numerous times, but bought the new valve shims, (you don't adjust the valves in these cars without changing or carefully grinding the shims). I bought the teflon valve seals, all new exhaust valves due to excessive stem wear, and one new intake valve. This was really just a re-ring and re-bearing job as there were no new pistons or liners. 4K. And then you get to do brakes, interior, AC work?, you name it, it nwill need it. I again strongly advise to not invest your time or your money in this car. From the looks of it, even parting it out will prove difficult at best.

 

You're getting very good advice from 01Silverstone and superchargedtr6. I know it's hard to walk away from a car you have some sort of attachment to, but in all likelihood, you will never drive this XJ-S (that's not because of your abilities, the car is too far gone). Though I think it does have a few parts, like the wheel badges which aren't cheap, and those bumpers are unique to the 75-79 cars, maybe the headlight units because so many people prefer the look of the 4-round lights. Also it's probably a multi-year indoor project.

This car is not free. It is a major commitment.

 

There isn't enough money in all of Greer, SC to restore this rusted out hulk. The best and most heartfelt advice I can give you (as a long time XJS admirer and owner) is to help the owner plant hedges around it to hide its return to mother earth.


Seriously, run away from this nightmare and have no second thoughts about fleeing the scene of this crime. Looks to me like there is nothing in terms of parts worth saving. Sadly, this is one XJ-S that is too far gone.

 

Here's some food for thought. Take a look at this car.

Realistically, you could probably get this one (or one like it) for about $2000. Now, compare spending $2000 on this recently running car that's in repairable condition to spending $2000 on your '76. Same investment, but really no comparison in what you got for your money. And I know a "free" car is alluring, but its only free until you start investing time and money into it. And it's simply not worth the investment. This car for $2,000 probably is.

I know you mentioned before that you're short on cash. This isn't meant as an insult, but if you're thinking to yourself that you couldn't swing a $2000 outlay for a project car, then there's no feasible way that '76 will get done no matter how much time and experience you have.

And as others have mentioned, the '76 may even be too far gone for parts. Take a few things off of it (rims, any interior bits worth saving, anything easy to get to) and scrap it. Use that $ towards a $2k project.

 

To quote a friend of mine, " There are very few people who can afford a bargain."

 

Significant rust on just about any classic is a deal breaker in my book. You can find decent XJS for not a lot and it will be much cheaper than trying to do this yourself. Also without prior mechanical experience you would have to be Ed China's prodigy to take it on as a first project.

 

Buy a running one. You'll spend way more money trying to restore this one than you will in finding a running example. Run, don't walk.

 

simple, mine was given to me,free of charge, $30,000. later its is a nice car.

 

All true... mine was $2500 or so and I've easily got that much in it. Haven't done a lot of the major work yet, either, just getting it running and streetable after sitting for only four years, stored inside. I've only just begun... but I've got the car because I enjoy the work and I have the luxury of taking my time on i t. Virtually no rust at all but it'll be years before it is back to "great shape", and many, many thousands of dollars. To bring that one back from the dead would be a real feat, and a TON of money. Not impossible, probably, but not practical.

On the other hand, I don't think any of us can pretend that we have these cars because they are practical. Practical is an inexpensive and reliable economy car. They can be reliable - they're really solid in many ways - but getting an older one back to that state is a Job.