I bought this ’85 V12 XJ-S in October 2011. It currently has 95,000 miles on it. In that time, I’ve done everything possible to make this car beautiful, fast and reliable.

In the past year, I have done the following:
Full body bare-metal strip and respray in the original color – this car was remarkably rust-free when I found it, but the paint was cracking and faded. I removed the windshield and rear window so that I could replace the gaskets as well as address any possible hidden rust issues. The entire car was then stripped to bare metal and repainted the original color. The only non-original work done on this car was during the paint, when I welded up and filled the holes for the rub strips on the sides of the car (very cheap looking) and the two badges on the boot lid (also very cheap looking). Brand-new license plate light assemblies were also installed at this time. While there is a bit of overspray under the hood, I can say that the body of this car is in 100% perfect shape without even a single scratch, rock chip or run (I hope to God I didn’t just jinx myself by saying that).

The gas tank was removed, the spot welds for the baffles were re-welded, and all the fuel hoses were replaced with the correct low-permeability fuel injection hose. Since the package shelf and trunk area under the gas tank are potential rust areas, while the tank was out I took some pictures to show this area to be 100% rust-free. Please note that I took these pics while the tank was out, it is of course reinstalled and completely back together. Also noteworthy in the trunk pics is that the brown you do see is the adhesive from the mat, and not rust. The fuel filter was also replaced at this time. When I dropped the tank off to get the spot welds repaired, my tank & radiator guy commented that this was “the nicest 30-year-old gas tank I’ve ever seen – it looks brand new inside”.

Electrical stuff – the original alternator was rebuilt by a local shop. I also installed a new battery.

Brakes – everything except the rear rotors (which are in great shape) is brand new. I replaced the front rotors, all four calipers, pads, master cylinder, booster and all the soft lines. The brakes are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before – if you so much as think about stopping, you will. The wheel bearings were also repacked at this time.

The radiator was removed and professionally rodded and boiled out. The fan clutch works perfectly as does the backup electric fan. I also modified the factory banjo-bolt air bleed system to function more effectively. XJ-S owners talk about their cooling systems based on where the needle is in relation to the “N” on the gauge – my car will never even touch the “N”, and I have a 1500-foot climb up a mountain every day when I drive home from work. While I had the cooling system drained, I also replaced the troublesome heater control valve with an upgraded version.

Under the hood, I performed a tuneup and attended to some common electrical issues. I replaced the plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. I pulled the distributor out and rebuilt it. I replaced the wiring going to the coolant temp sensor as well as the sensor itself (they’re very cheap, and now I have a good spare) as well as the wiring going to the intake air sensor. I pulled the throttle position sensor and set it to its’ correct voltage. I also have a spare TPS that I also verified was in good working order. The throttle bodies were removed and cleaned, the plates set to their proper clearances, and the complicated throttle linkage set up properly as well. The Auxiliary Air Valve was removed, disassembled, the piston polished, the device reassembled and fine-tuned to assure proper operation at the correct engine temperature. All of the vacuum lines on the engine were replaced. This car runs beautifully and is extremely fast for a 4,200-lb car with a tall gear ratio and an automatic.

The wiper motor was replaced and a new rain shield installed. I ended up using a non-functioning park relay intentionally. If the wipers park themselves, they park directly in front of the driver’s face, in the line of sight. With the “broken” park relay installed, you can now park the wipers on the opposite side of the windshield, out of the driver’s line of sight. While I did not want to leave something on the car “unfixed”, having the wipers sticking up right in front of your face is a major annoyance.

The climate control system is working perfectly. I did have to replace the amplifier to get it working properly. I then replaced all the o-rings in the AC system as well as the receiver / drier and converted it to R134. The A/C blows ice cold and has no issues holding a charge. A previous owner installed a compressor cutoff switch, which is nice to have since with this system the compressor runs constantly, and turning the compressor off when not needed is worth at least 2 mpg.

The interior of this car is nearly perfect. I think you’d have a hard time finding a better XJ-S interior in the country. I did replace the two front carpets with NOS pieces, as well as all the carpet underpadding to eliminate that “old-car smell”. All the leather was removed and treated, and it is glove-soft and beautiful. I did have the driver’s seat bolster panel replaced. I used an extra piece of leather to cover the center “ski-slope” panel, mainly just because I thought it looked better than the original slab of black. The wood is in excellent shape on this car. The interior of this car smells like a baseball glove, you need to experience it to understand.

The tires are newer Pirelli “by Sears” models. I really don’t know much about them other than they have lots of tread left, and are much quieter than the original Pirellis.

Here’s a list of the stuff that still needs some attention:
The power antenna works, usually. It was replaced at some time in the car’s history with a generic off-the-shelf model, and recently it has started sticking. Rather than screw around making it go up and down, I put it up and disconnected the ground so it stays up. In warmer weather it works fine, but you could go a few ways with this – you could source an original power antenna assembly for big bucks, or another questionable aftermarket one, or just put a fixed antenna on. Up to you.

I didn’t really detail the boot area. There’s nothing wrong, and I did clean the carpets, but I think I’m missing a piece or something that the two halves of the plastic battery cover attach to, because I simply couldn’t figure out how to install the plastic cover. I have both halves, as well as an original battery retainer, but couldn’t figure out how to get them together.

The chrome is so-so. It has some pitting and scratching on the bumper blades. I painted the grille and headlight surrounds silver because the chrome on these parts was peeling, and actually I think they look great.

I cleaned up somewhat under the hood, but it’s not detailed under the hood. All of the original emissions equipment is in place and verified functioning, however I do NOT guarantee this car will pass emissions. I just don’t know, since I registered it as an antique.

There is a power steering fluid leak.

This car is registered as an antique in PA, so if you live in PA, I should be able to transfer the antique title to you. What does this mean? NO inspections and NO yearly registrations ever again!

Other than that, everything works great on the car. It’s an absolute blast to drive and a real head-turner. I’m actually selling it because after all of the body and interior work, I’m afraid to drive it. I keep a stupid-looking beach towel on the seat so I don’t actually touch the leather. I won’t drive in traffic for fear of a rock chip. I came to the realization I’m probably better off getting something a little more driver-quality than the Jag. To that end, I’m asking $9000, but interesting trades will be considered. I would consider good driving, non-rustbucket examples of any of the following:
Triumph TR2/3/4/6
Any TVR
Any Morgan
MG TC, TD, TF or MGA
Series IIa or earlier Land Rover
Prewar stuff (no Fords or Chevies)
Other interesting stuff along these lines (preferably British)

Also, the most important option when buying any Jaguar: this car comes with a PARTS CAR!!! The parts car is an ’84 with major rust issues. I was told it was parked due to a bad tranny. It does still have the original V12 engine. It will roll, but not steer and stop. If the buyer does not want the parts car, I will deduct $200 from the total price of the car. The parts car would probably be easiest to load with a forklift – please keep this in mind. It’s parked at a friend’s garage and he can load it on your trailer, but we will need to schedule the loading at his convenience. The parts car has a CLEAR salvage title.

Disclaimer: I have taken this car on several long trips and do drive it quite a bit. However, since this is an antique Jaguar I do not make any guarantees. I do not recommend you “drive in and fly it home”. I would have no problem driving this car anywhere right now, but I simply cannot make any guarantees to you of that with a 30-year-old car.
Asking $9000 OBO, or please see the above notes about trades.
Please contact me at darelmatthews *AT* yahoo *DOT* com with questions.

 

Bump. Make me an offer.

 

I also have a white '85 Jag. It requires a lot of work ( mostly on leaks ). As far as the body work goes, can you tell me how to remove the chrome around the windshield and the rear? Also, the side trim I noticed is missing from yours. I'm assuming that's just the stick on variety? I'll also need to get all of the gaskets for the windshield trim doors etc. Even the trunk. There is very little rust on mine, and it looks good underneath as well. I looked at the history and it seems to have lived the major part of it's life in dry desert climates.

 

The stainless trim sits inside a channel in the window rubbers. You will need to vey carefully pry it out of the rubber before cutting out the window glass. I strongly suggest you find someone experienced with just these cars to do your window installs. I did my own, but it took days and was very frustrating. I'm happy to say no leaks though.

The side trim is riveted on. I had the holes left from mine welded in. I thought the side trim as well as the boot badges were just way too cheap looking for a car like this.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the reply. I was not planning on replacing my glass as it seems to be in good shape. I'm planning on doing the body work and wanted to remove the trim. I'm also noticing cracks in the rubber surround as well and wanted to replace that after body work is done. I'm hoping that the glass doesn't need that trim and rubber in place in order to stay in.

 

It does need the trim to stay in place properly.

Do you have any water getting inside the car? Check under the backseat, too!

In the end it was a giant pain pulling the windows and replacing the rubbers but I'm glad I did mine. It makes for a better paint job (no tape lines) and you can verify there's no rust under the window gaskets, which is common.

D

 

I don't know yet. I haven't taken things apart as I'm currently working on the engine and mechanical. I think most of the rubber went bad on this car because it was in a dry desert environment. Other items ( Under the car for instance ) look pristine, but the rubber is a problem.