Wanted to update the forum with the results of the widely panned 1999 XK8 I won at Bring a Trailer in late October of last year. My garage isn't heated so I've had to work on things when the weather permits.

The two biggest issues were the leaper on the hood and no history of tensioners being done.

As soon as the car arrived from CA I pulled the cam covers and verified that the tensioners had been done already. Big relief.

I found an XKR hood in the same color on ebay and ordered that. I added the Mina Gallery Stainless Steel vents and they look outstanding.

Other maintenance:

Adamesh Stage 1 and 2 Exhaust
Trans-Go pressure valve - no symptoms in the transmission but I figured preventative maintenance.
Full fluid flush and exchange (transmission, oil, brake fluid, rear diff, radiator)
New EBC Red brake pads + new brake lines from Probrake (Germany) in red
Full color correction via polish and wax - removed decades of embedded grime in the paint and it really really pops now.
Swallows Racing AVO Coilovers at all four corners - lowered by 1.5" - these were a royal pain to get installed due to no directions provided and I'm not a suspension expert. They seem to work well but haven't put a lot of miles on them. I did snap a shock mounting bolt so waiting on a new top portion to get it reinstalled.
Mina Gallery polished air intake.

Color corrected and repaired the work seat bolster leather using Leatherique products.

Fixed a lot of tiny broken plastic parts - seat power switch on pax side, the little covers for the seat belt routing on the side pillars, airbox mounting buffer, etc.

Installed Powerflex bushings on the upper A arms, the front and rear sway bars, the swaybar links.

Everything works - CD player, cassette, power seats, fog lamp(s), radio, antenna, defroster, cruise, etc, etc, etc.

116k miles

 

nicely done!!! Now enjoy the hell out of driving her!

 

Always nice to see an XK8 brought back from the “pit of despair” (e.g., victim of poor maintenance or interesting choices by a previous owner). The former chrome leaper on the bonnet was obviously such a questionable choice.

 

What a gorgeous car. Love it.

 

Outstanding! Hats off to you for giving a needy X100 a great start into her second lifetime, and all for a bargain purchase price.

 

WOW!

 

I'm right there with ya, homie! Picked up a 2001 XKR for $2500 with 101K on the clock. So far, leaky transmission is working after a flush/fill/filter and leaky ECM. Front end bushings? Dust. Gotta replace those. Catalytics? O2 sensors? Dunno. We'll find out there. Rear window? Doesn't do the thing. Cosmetics? Not terrible. Stay tuned!

 

Ooh an XKR for $2500? Nicely done. Hope there's nothing major on it and just the consumables.

I lucked out in that mine was completely rust free - everything was really easy, even breaking the exhaust was simple. Now to hope I can put another 75k miles on the engine/transmission...

 

So far, so good, fingers crossed. half the non-essential switches are inoperable, mainly due to someone probably leaving the top open quite a bit. Trunk is clean. Engine is strong, and having a competent Jag shop do all the hard stuff (transmission baselining, emissions, bushings). If I have a good drivetrain and suspension, the rest is just window dressing as I get to it. I wanted to get an inexpensive convertible so I had my sights on Miatas, Crossfires, even BMWs. This is sooooo much cooler and more fun. Parts availability is surprisingly good too, so far. Enjoy the journey!!

 

Oh MY GOODNESS! That's a good lookin' machine. Great job. TM