Hello everyone,

My name is Marco, I'm 22 and I've had a thing for old Jaguar's probably since I was 17. First I wanted a XJS and didn't like the XJ very much. I looked at 2 affordable cars and they were both sketchy and rotten. In late 2013 I came across a Jaguar XJ12 that was for sale near me (which rarely happens) and bidding was up to €800,-. I saw the car but I wasn't allowed to start the engine because he had taken out the transmission oil for some reason. After a week or two I was talking to the seller and nobody wanted to buy the car. I made him an offer of €300,- because it had to go and ignored all his complains, that it was worth more, etc. 30 minutes later he said ''whatever if it makes you happy'' and I could come pick it up. When I got home and filled up the automatic transmission I turned the key and the starter motor sounded like it was moving a lot of stuff then the engine started! It ran very well! It didn't go into gear though. No response at all, as if the connection between engine and transmission was nonexistant. A compression check revealed that 6 cilinders had 0 psi. (Keep in mind that's measured cold) The cilinders with 0 compression were the middle 3 on both banks. This car is still here but it is also very rusty, so it's awaiting either a donor for the engine or until I have the means to do it properly.

After that adventure I bought a friends Mercedes in Februari 2015 with LPG. LPG in old cars here is very popular because there is zero tax, the fuel is 3 times cheaper and all you have to pay is insurance. I drove that car for way over 5000km: To school, to friends, to Sweden, everywhere. I made it through the MOT with this car and now the bodywork will be restored so it can go another 422.000 kilometres!

Next is the Jaguar XJ6 that this thread is all about. I bought it May 2015 with coolant disappearing. It was for sale on a Facebook page so not many people knew it was for sale. It is a very solid car with just minor rust problems as it was imported 15 years ago from Italy. The coolant obviously went into the engine and the head had to come off before I even got to drive it properly. It was my first time taking apart an engine and I had fun and learnt a lot. One of the things I learnt is that you should do a compression test first, so you know what you have and where to look. Clueless of the bent valve which I assume was bent before I bought the car I put the head back on and kept driving it. Only short drives for fun through the countryside with a broken exhaust and a lot of pedal to the metal and crazy laughter. Only after I posted a video of my car someone pointed out that the engine shouldn't be jumping up and down like it's trying to escape. Looking back ofcourse I should have known this but chose to ignore it?
Jaguar before - Album on Imgur
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

The head had to come off again and the bent valve was revealed, plus more scratches in the cilinder walls. The front cilinder had 3 bars compression which is about a third of the rest. From a forum member I got a new restored engine with a scratched crankshaft so I could swap over my crankshaft and find a head, but this didn't go as planned. My crankshaft was even worse and my transmission is full of metal scrapings. The costs of putting back the engine with gaskets, oil seals and bearrings were a bit much in my opinion.
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

I decided to look for a series 3 engine. I found one for sale with 80.000km claimed. The dial was 5 digits and the actual reading was 8000km so obviously something wasn't right there. The compression wasn't perfect, the idle speed was 1200rpm so I couldn't tell if the engine ran fine, the oil pressure was 1 bar and the car had sat for 30 years. Fortunately for me someone had a good donor vehicle for sale. A series 3 XJ6! The engine has a restored cilinder head with hardened seats, the compression is 150psi on every cilinder, the oil pressure is always 2-3 bar's unless you drive 160kmh for a bit of course. The rear subframe was restored 4 years ago and it feels very stiff, it has a stainless steel exhaust and a load of bills.
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Which brings us to where I am right now. I need a new beam under the radiator and the wings are rotten around the headlights. The dipper switch was cut out and I want it to be original, so I took out the dashboard to restore that at the same time. Today I lifted up the front of the car to get ready for welding. I ordered the parts to make the car solid. After that the subframes, engine and exhaust will be swapped over and I will have a driving series 1 but a destroyed series 3 Before I take apart the series 3 I will get new MOT so it might be easier to sell. If I don't get a good price for it I will fix it up and maybe try selling it again. There will be no room for it inside in a few months because I'm looking for more cars. Who knows, I'll see.

I'll post here every now and then. It is expected that the car will be ready in a year, I'm looking for less but I do want to do it properly. It will be stored inside and I'll probably rarely ever drive it, or maybe I'll drive it everywhere I don't know. Thank you all.

 

This is a great story, Marco. Thanks for sharing it with us, and please give us periodic reports on your progress (or lack thereof).

 

Wow, gone through a few bad luck cars already, but still staying positive!

On the plus side of things, at least you now have a few spare parts cars now.

 

Hello all,

With a little help from my friends. The front is solid again! It feels like I could drive into the Mount Everest and it would still be ok.

Jaguar XJ6 radiator beam - Album on Imgur

More to come soon, rewiring the headlights someone rewired and messed up. I will do it properly and original and not twist wires to connect them. What where they thinking???

 

" What where they thinking???"

A common thought when working through a vehicle with a sad history. I dont get angry or frustrated about those things but sometimes I would really just love to know the answer to that question. What on earth lead them to think that (insert weird repair here) would ever work or was even a vaguely sensible thing to do.

Good luck with your projects, sound like a nice car is going to emerge.

 

I´m stripping more and more and revealing the car is in great shape! It´s from Italy and it has lived over here in the Netherlands since 2000. Some spots are rusty, some will be cut out and others will be sanded with a drill extension. The engine bay will be painted black when all the rot is fixed. The battery tray has decayed into a charcoal-like material and it has leaked down into the car The interior is still a mistery, the carpets are old and dirty. Can I throw them in the washing machine and glue them back?

Progress Jaguar XJ6 - Album on Imgur

The original color looks to be ''Signal Red'' rather than ''Sable''. Could anybody confirm this, or do all cars have a coat of red paint?

 

For who is interested the battery tray is nearly solid.

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Some other spots that need attention but nothing big.

 

Carpets are a bit heavy for the average washing machine. Just mebbe the big commercial units seen in Laundromats.


But, carpet shampoo, a stiff brush and a shop vacuum can do wonders.
The professional car detailers do it that way....


Carl

 

Thank you Carl. Your input is always appreciated

 

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

More progress. Very little rust. Does my repair for the battery tray look OK? I'm not a great welder yet.