Hello All,

I'm new to the forum and I wanted to do some research before making a purchase. I wanted something relatively cheap that I could drive now but have potential to be mint.

I have found a Series 1 XJ6 that needs a bit of TLC that was road worthy 8 months ago but needs a bit of work before it becomes road worthy again.

Mechanicals - Pretty good but the front suspension needs new bushes all round to bring it back to its best.

Bodywork - The Chassis is pretty solid especially underneath around all the suspension/subframe mounting points. One of the front wings has a line of rot along the top seam and also a little a the bottom where it meets the sill. There is also a bit a rust around one of the lower corners of the rear windscreen. The boot lid is has also seen better days along the lower edge.
The chrome bumpers need to be redone too.

Interior - Faded but not torn and headlining is perfect. Drivers carpet is a worn through a small spot in the usual area. All gauges and electrical seem to be good too.

Everything looks original.

I'm pretty good with mechanical and electrical stuff but, would have to get the body work done.

Good well presented cars go for $10,000 - $12,000 and this one is up for $3000, is it worth a punt?

 

It's a tempting price.

Two things to factor in are how much of the repair work you can do yourself and availability of parts. Paying for Jaguar expertise soon racks up the bills as does using new parts where good used parts would suffice.

You've said you're pretty good mechanically and with the electrics so the outside work would be the body. The quote for this always seems to rise when you mention Jaguar!

It's several years since I had a Series I and I'm sure members with up-to-date knowledge will give their advice on what to look for and whether this sounds a viable project.

Good luck.

Graham

 

It's obviously quite an old car now, (Series 1s finished around 1972), but as you are in Australia, it may have escaped the dreaded rust bug that afflicts cars run where salt is used on the roads.

Main thing is that once one starts on these cars, the jobs just keep coming ! Fortunately, Series 1s are simple cars, with no electronics and very suitable for home-machanics, but be very, VERY, careful if you go underneath it, because if it comes off the supports and drops on you, you will be dead !

 

rust is never "little", where there is rust and rot, there is always more. Prepare to be surprised!

and if it needs that kind of repairs, show the seller you are smart and pull out less dinero from your pocket, like $2 grand in cash, you'll probably drive away with it.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated.

While I have been pondering this potential purchase another has come up! I'm going to have a look on Wednesday. It's up for a bit more but might save me in the long run.

I'll report back and let you know how I get on.

If I go with the first car I'll need a good body shop. Can any Aussies recommend somewhere in western Sydney?

 

The big news is, I am now a Jaguar owner! The second car I took a look at turned out to be a little diamond in the rough! It's a 1973 Series 1 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Auto but the twist is, it's a South African car that the owner brought over to Australia when he migrated many moons ago! So one owner from new!

Here's a couple of pics:







It's a lovely genuine car that still has all the original equipment, including stereo! Some of the wooden door cappings need some refinishing and the carpet, although not bad, needs a tidy up. Interior light glasses are cracked but they work.

What I would like to know is, what fuel should I use with this engine? I read the owners manual (yes, it had that too) and it mentions 100, 98 and 91 octane fuels for High, Standard and Low compression engines respectively but, I'm not sure what I have?

Anyway, I'm over the moon with my purchase and loved all the attention the car got on the drive home!

 

wow, very nice alright! (does seem to be missing the chromed leaper on the hood?)

what is the condition of the interior and boot upholstery?

98 octane fuel will be fine, even 91 is fine too. If the engine does not like 91, it will tell you.

 

Ah, the leaper! The owners said that it didn't come with the car when new (SA?) they decided to fit one 25 years ago! The lady that was explaining it to said that she would like to keep it for sentimental reasons and I had no objections.

When I picked the car up today, they even went to the trouble to get me a brand new one from a local British Car specialist!

Upholstery is in quite good condition compared to other I have seen.

 

also I noticed it does not have a sunroof, so count your blessings! (IMHO sunroofs are a pain, if it's not one problem it's another, especially when redoing the headlining).

any pictures of the boot upholstery and interior?

the engine compartment looks very original and tidy.

 

Here's a few pics of the interior but, I'll have to get some of the boot upholstery tomorrow.









I drove the car to work this morning and had a chance to test the wipers and blower for an extended duration and both appear to be in good order.

Something came up while at work that meant I didn't leave until the sun had gone down so I got to test their effectiveness and again they worked well however, the instrument lighting didn't work on 'dim' and was dim when switched to 'bright'. When I was almost home they went altogether! Easy fixes probably but something to look at none the less.

 

the interior looks original and in great condition!

I'm sure the dimmer rocker switch is the same as in earlier cars like the 420, 420G, and MK-10, a three position switch which gives you dim-bright-and-map light? If yes, it's usually that the switch needs "exercising", sort of like the prop on old aircraft which needs to be turned by hand before starting the engine? same principle....

the switch contacts become oxidated and crud accumulates between the contacts, that's all. Usually you can remove the switch, disassemble it, and clean the contacts shiny bright, lubricate it with di-electric grease and it will work like new. Lucas rocker switches all the way to the Series 3 XJ can be disassembled and the contacts cleaned.

 

1973 and one owner from new. You'd have to go a long way to find another with that provenance on the Planet!

Definitely a better proposition than the first one you were considering.

Graham

 

I still haven't got around to taking that boot interior picture yet but it is not forgotten.

A quick precursor to a tech question. Do I post in the S1/2/3 section or the Tech section? I'm going to throw it in the Tech section but, Mods, move it if you deem fit.

 

Keeping it in the Series II/II/III section is more appropriate and gets straight to members interested in this model.

General Tech is for issues covering a range of models so consider your question along these lines when deciding where to post it.

Not a hard and fast rule but anyone coming along later and searching for information specific to Series I/II/III would generally look here. When I'm searching for topics in previous threads, I filter by model to target the query and anything in General Tech wouldn't come up.

Graham

 

Congrats, thats in good nick!

I bought my series 3 for $800, but she needed her fair share of work. ive cut the whole bottom half of the windscreen frame and scuttle out and replaced it all, done the front bakes and cleaned her up but its well worth it as these things drive like nothing else. even with injection there isnt much thats that complex.

the biggest tip for another Australian is buy everything from the us and uk, preferably the uk as postage is cheaper. we get shafted over here. ball joints from jag/daim in Melbourne are about $450, i paid ~$90 all from the uk with postage, probably for the exact same parts as i would have got here.

good luck, ive got a few connections should you need the hard to get parts, so shoot us a pm if so.

regards jay

 

I don't understand why it is cheaper to ship from UK to AU, than it is to ship from UK to US, when geographically speaking, Australia is a lot farther from the UK than the US. No?

(I haven't looked at a globe lately)

what is even more ironic, there is a guy on eBay located in Hong Kong, selling a 4-pack of 12v switches, very nice round switches, each with different color LED's, for $7.50 USD total for 4 of those switches, AND FREE SHIPPING! How can he do that? I went ahead and ordered them and received the package in 5 days via China Post. If I were to mail anything to Hong Kong from Florida USA, it would cost an arm and a leg. I don't get it....

 

Jay,

Thanks for the offer, I'll probably take you up on that.

You are correct on the cost of car parts in Australia. I don't understand why the are so expensive? I buy most of my parts from UK or USA for all my cars. It's even cheaper to ship tyres from UK than buy in Australia even when they are made in Asia!!!! Don't get it????

I'm putting the car in for a tune and the once over to see if there are any hidden problems I need to keep an eye on. It's only a small place in Moorebank, NSW, but he's a Jag Specialist so it's a good a starting place as any.

I've also ordered a couple of books for some light reading. The Haynes Owners Workshop Manual and their restoration Manual. I've got a thermostat coming from 'Jagworks' in Penrith, NSW to sort my slow warm up, low running temp issue so I'll also take the opportunity to flush the cooling system and refill with some quality coolant.

I never thought I'd fall in love with a car so quickly. LOVE IT!

 

Fabulous looking car! I can understand how delighted you are feeling.
That interior looks in really good condition and I'm sure will look better when you've cleaned and fed it. Use a good quality cleaner and conditioner eg Gliptone.

A very nice find.

 

+1 on the find..............congrats

 

Very nice indeed.