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New Member Area - Intro a MUSTNew to Jaguar Forums? Drop in and tell us about you, your ride and location. This is your chance to introduce yourself to the forum.
Hi Guys - my name is Paul and I have been immersed in Jaguars all my life - the first was an XK 120 owned by my grandfather, who then traded her in for an XK 140 - a car that I have kept tabs on right up until today - 56 years since his death!
My dad bought his first Jag in 1964 - a Mk 2 3.4 and that was followed in 1967 by a 3.8 S Type, then in 1970 our first XJ 6 - a 2.8 manual, and finally, 3 years later - a 4.2 automatic - we didn't sell the 4.2, however, very sadly, she passed away due to an overwhelming attack of rust after my folks moved to Swakopmund on the Namibian coast - a delightful town but one in which every road was dirt and sprayed with sea water every day - no cars survive Swakopmund!
As the years have passed, I have kept tabs on the 3.8 S and the red 2.8 - both were sold to friends who have hung on to them and lived in very much drier climates.
I cannot get the 3.8, as the current owner is a collector who is simply not interested in selling his cars, but the 2.8 has been parked in our friend's garage since 1994 - gathering dust and gently dying from lack of use. This friend is also a hoarder, but we were finally able to talk him into letting my brother and I restore her, and so, on 23 June this year, we headed for Phalaborwa - a copper mine 2000 km from Cape Town, armed with a trailer and a full kit of tools as we didn't know what we would find ( the last time I saw her was in 1986, and I was worried about her standing in his garage then!)
The following afternoon we arrived in Phalaborwa to find a very dusty, but not rusty, XJ 6 standing sadly in our friend's garage, and 3 hours later, we had managed to winch her on to the trailer, and we were able to head for home early the next morning. Another 2 day trip and we were home in Cape Town and now, 2 weeks later, we have slowly started to make some progress.
We have quite a mountain to climb, but we will get there, one small step at a time. The last three days have been spent trying to remove the fuel tanks - one very rotten and the other in better shape but also in need of attention. The engine turns over, so that's hopefully a plus, and the bodywork is pretty good, though she will have a new coat of paint in the not too distant future.
We do intend getting her fully up and running as soon as we can, but we do understand that this little project could take some time! In the meantime, I am just loving getting to know her all over again and loving finding special little things, like notes that my late dad made in the service book, just makes her all that more special.
I am in need of a Haynes manual as I am sure, had we had one, the petrol tanks would not have taken 3 days to remove, but what the hell, it's all a labour of love any way!!
I am not sure if my current photos will upload, but I will be posting pics as the saga continues.
Cheers for now
Paul
First view
Very weary but happily loaded up. I am sitting in the car, my brother sitting on the mudguard, and our friend happy to see something happening with his old car.
Finally out of the garage after 24 years
She had to be towed out of the garage, the wheels were slightly reluctant to turn at first.
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums. Thanks for the great Intro.
Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...s-i-ii-iii-16/ to the XJ6 & XJ12 Series I, II & III forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
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Welcome to the forums. I find the Haynes manual handy at times but it is not model specific, so can be a bit confusing sometimes as it covers S1-S2-S3 XJ6's.
I have the Jaguar published E155 manual for S1, The wiring diagrams are so much easier to read, and very detailed procedures to follow. Plenty available on Ebay.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
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07-06-2018 | 11:27 AM
Hi there from Cape Town
