Hello All,

I'm currently in the process of purchasing a 1975 XJ6C but, before I jump into the deep end I'd like to get some perspective from enthusiasts.
The current condition is a mess. I believe the current owner didn't realize what he was getting into. The car is taken completely apart so I don't know for sure if all the pieces. Being that there are limited XJC's available are parts interchangeable between the sedan & coupe models? I'm assuming they are except certain body parts.
Also, there are a couple of locations on the body that will need to be replaced. Specifically the lower A-pillars driver & passenger side, under the master cylinder & battery. Is there a manufacturer that makes these pieces or do i need to get a donar? Will a XJ sedan work? By luck there happens to be a 1975 XJ Sedan for sale locally.

All thoughts welcomed.

Thanks,
Brad


Pictures from listing

Picture from listing

Current State

Current State

Rear Valance

Current State

 

Hi Brad,
That's not a bad looking Coupe..
Pretty much, from the front fender (wings) forward everything is standard to the Sedan. From the Fender back, everything is pretty much Coupe specific, except the IRS and the fuel tanks.
Just from what I can make out in the photos, it looks like most of the Coupe specific stuff is there. Any bits that are missing can be costly and difficult to find.
The rule of thumb is always to find the best body you can find, and move on from there. If you are building it because you love that body style and always wanted a Coupe, it may go well... If you are looking at it as an investment, you may be $10k from a good driver, or $20k from a show car... For a car that's worth maybe $25k to $30k when finished. if you find the right buyer.
But having parted 5 of those Coupes myself, I'd say that one looks pretty good from what I can see....
Cheers,
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

Hi Brad, welcome aboard.
I am one of the last people on this forum to offering genuine Jaguar advise, but while rebuilding my 1985 S3 sedan, I have some narrowly defined experience. When I bought my car it was in much, much better shape than the one I see in your pictures and I have spent the last two years inspecting, dismantling, replacing, repairing, rebuilding, testing, etc. every moving part on the car.

Are you handy and comfortable with automotive repair and maintenance? A few conditions that jump out at me include the rusted boot floor, the rust around the lower corners of the front (check the rear too) windscreen, rust will be your biggest nemesis. The view of the left side shows four different shades of paint/weathering which raises a red flag for me. All I can see is that the rear seat back and the dash pad are missing, I'm guessing the interior is not complete. It looks, to me, like a complete paint job will be needed after all the rust/body work has been done.

If I had to do something with this car, I would take a very complete and detailed inventory of the parts that I got vs the parts I need. If you didn't see and hear the engine start and run or weren't able to drive the car around the block, then you have no idea of condition of the drive train. I see many thousands of $$$$$ in your future with the car in the pictures. Maybe this coupe should be the parts car and see if the sedan is in better shape.

After all that is said, if your heart is in it and you have the skills and wallet to push all the way to the end, then I wish you luck and I know the people on this Forum will give you advise on anything you want to know.

Dave

 

Dave & David thank you for your input.

I'm not looking at this project as an investment or to turn a profit. To be honest the XJC isn't the Jaguar that caught my attention. In my youth the E-type is really what pulled me towards Jaguar. With the market now on those models not really sure they are in my budget or really what I need anymore. I was never a big fan of the sedans... to grandpa to me but, then I saw a XJC. It had a sporty style and a bit more practical to put the family in.

The nice part of everything being ripped out I get to see the hidden areas. Most of the car is in decent shape. The rear deck and windshield area appear to be rust free. There are 5 areas that are the worst (lower A-pillar, floor, inner fender near battery & master cylinder, & lower rear). Luckily, the father-in-law is quite handy with sheet metal/bodywork (he restored his Austin Healy 3000 and numerous other cars). If it wasn't for him I'd probably would have walked away.

My vision for when I was going to restore/purchase a Jag would be to make it more reliable while maintaining the original appearance. No SBC V8 swap but, change the trans to GM. My end goal isn't to make a concour vehicle but, a vehicle that I enjoy to driving. Being that this is pretty much a blank canvas I'll be able to engineer those reliability issues out.

 

David (davidboger),

Do you typically sell stripped bodies? I noticed on your website that you have a 1976 XJC ready for disassemble.

 

There are virtually no factory body panels now available. Of course these do ocasionally turn up as New Old Stock, but no regular supply. However, Martin Robey in Nuneaton here in England does a lot of repair panels and panels are available from him, but not all, of course. He ships to the US, I believe. As far as I know, the rear of the car from the rear screen back is common with the saloon. I replaced boot floor and rear valance on a Series 3 saloon in the early 90s. It is fairly straightforward, but a pattern valance was no good at all, so I eventually bought the factory one that fitted like the proverbial glove. ON a Jaguar, be careful ! what looks like a straight line will have a slight curve, and what looks rectangular will have a slight taper.

 

As you can see, you've come to the right place for expert advice. There are owners of magnificent coupes who regularly post here as well as world class jaguar mechanical experts. David at everydayxj.com has helped all of us numerous times. We are all pretty much DIY kind of folks and really drive our cars.

Let me say we will all be extremely appreciative if you can rescue this coupe and help ensure it doesn't slide downhill into the proverbial crusher. These cars are definitely worth saving on an artistic, historic, and emotional level. As mentioned above it's not the right car if you want to make money, but if you proceed with care and foresight you can break even while having a lot of fun along the way. Compared to the sedans, the coupes are much more valuable and will continue to appreciate.

What does your Father-in-law think about the project? If he has restored British cars in the past I would guess he will be a great asset. If you buy the car be sure to keep us up to date. We will be here to offer help and encouragement.

Jeff

 

Bradley....
Unfortunately I'm out of most of the Coupe parts that I had on hand. I ended up sending everything I had to Australia earlier in the year. Nothing on the car was wasted, but was sent as repair panels.....
I see the seller has the one you are looking at listed on Facebook this morning. IMHO I'd try to get it for about 2/3rds his asking price... I think it's a little high (as he has it listed)...
Cheers,
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

Let's not forget this is a special car to drive too. If you haven't spent much time in an XJ6 Brad, you're in for a real treat. And honestly, once fixed they are not unreliable. Just sweet to drive, whatever your style. Not difficult to maintain. I drive my Series 3 a lot and it has the original automatic 3-speed. I'd only want an overdrive if I spent a lot of time on big highways. Just a thought.

 

Hello, Brad,
I'm glad to see you have found your way to our playroom.

In my opinion, and I freely admit my bias, the Series 2, which includes the Coupes, was the Most Beautiful of all the Jaguars ever built. As you get your fingers into all it's bits and quirks, you'll appreciate it even more, after you get past the inevitable, "WHY IN THE *bleep* DID THEY DO IT THIS WAY??!

But as others here have said, Nothing drives like a well sorted Series Jaguar! Nothing else gives one quite the same feeling of Class. Incorrigible and Unrepentant tomboy that I am, this car makes me feel like a Lady!

I'll be following your rebuild thread(s) with great enjoyment and interest.
Welcome from ElinorB
(';')

 

[QUOTE=

What does your Father-in-law think about the project? If he has restored British cars in the past I would guess he will be a great asset. If you buy the car be sure to keep us up to date. We will be here to offer help and encouragement.

Jeff[/QUOTE]

I don't think he was expecting what he saw. The 3 hr drive back home was interesting lol.

 

Bradley,

This will be a labor of love. But much closer to S&M than High Romantic...

Before slicing into anything, please read all available XJC posts on here and Jag Lovers. Many have contributed a lot of great stuff, but a few have 'deep dived' into these and posted many great photo's.

" ICAmerica" is one name, but there are many others. I do not know them personally, but they've helped me more than I could ever repay.

Pay special attention to how these coupes need braced before cutting certain panels. While important for any unibody, these coupes are somewhat more flexible than you may expect. Some not-bad looking coupes are already sagging or flexing while intact, just from rusting along specific panels.

But never fear, all answers are here!

 

I have new rear 1/4 panels up in my storage. They were from a Series 3 project that never got off the ground. They are the panels that attach and wrap around the lower portions of the fuel tanks. Let me know if you want me to dig them out.

Thank you.

Larry Louton

 

There’s a lot of information on how far to take the modifications or improvements on this site. Since you’re starting with a disassembled car, you have a clean slate to start with. Engine, brakes, suspension and HVAC are all possibilities, limited only by your dedication and bank account. There’s a lot of untapped, or maybe restrained, HP to be gotten out of the XK6. In US trim, the compression was lowered and the carbs just plain suck. Replace the transmission with a GM T700 and a lockup kit for the converter. The BW box is sloppy and only has 3 gears. Put in the best brakes you can, replace anything that moves in the suspension. Replace the steering rack with a rebuild, because it’s now or later. If you can find a newer rear suspension with outboard brakes, buy it. I have no experience with this one but some have replaced the HVAC system in its entirety with a later XJS unit. The Delanair II system in the car now is good for the 1970’s but doesn’t age well. There are repairs and mods for it if you want to go that route. And you’re going to want to replace all the window motors while it’s apart with newer units from a Series 3 sedan; look into rewiring that system at the same time. Pull the fuel tanks, repair or replace, and replumb the system with a single external fuel pump.
External appearance is the other consideration for a rebuild. Replacement of the bumpers for the European style is your first consideration, as it requires different hinges and they’re hard to find. Changing taillights or the grill to the Series 3 is a personal choice. I have seen the recessed door pulls from later XJ6 / XJS cars on a coupe; it’s a nice subtle change that smooths that beautiful long fender line. And then there’s the choice of wheels. No matter what you put on it, someone will hate it.
Good luck. Enjoy this experience.

 

Just another thing - the sill area below where the rear doors would have been is a notorious rust trap, and quite a few XJCs were scrapped for this reason. On a normal saloon the water from the rear side windows goes into the doors rotting them out, but with the coupe it goes into the sill area. At the rear, the boot floor has a very subtle taper towards the front, and the rear valance a very subtle curve at the top, left to right. At the front of the screw/bolt-on rear quarter panels where they continue to wheel arch section, there is a rubber seal between them and the rear of the wheel arch. This is a notoroius rust area, and I had to make repairs there with sheet steel when I replaced my boot floor and valance. I also replaced the quarter panels too. It is essential to success that the fuel tanks and piping is removed before welding around this area.

 

Thank you.

 

Thank you for your input. I'll be definitely looking into options like that.

I agree with the saying, can't make everyone happy. Some people just have to disagree just because. I guess thats the world we live in.

 

David,

The sale fell through on the buyer's end. They did not like the term on the bill of sale. Have at it if you want. I did get them down to $3000.



Also, if anyone is interested there is a local XJ12 PE-HE for sale that I was going to use for parts on the XJC. It's on Facebook Market in Montoursville, PA for $1,284.00. Again got that down to $600.00 but withdrew my offer being that I don't need it anymore. Below are a few pictures if interested. Keep in mind other than the engine there not much there.

 

 

That engine doesn't look too bad.
Take at look at these - these cars auctioned for less than $250 earlier this year.