Good morning everyone,
I'm a newbie to the forums but have spent the last few months benefiting from the vast info on this forum from a distance. My wife has a very tidy 85 s3 with 70k miles and is a delight to push around the turns. Her car needs very little and has a service history that looks like a phone book. She wants it dead stock with no alteration that wasnt available from the dealer.
My car however was owned by a gentleman that was as mechanically inclined as a soft boiled egg and must have been blind for all the visual atrocities that were going on with the 84. I went into it knowing it would need extensive work with a smile on my face and I am still convinced I got a fair deal.
Since my car has 140k miles and has some rust I have decided that originality is not paramount. The interior has been rehupolstered (thank Zuess!) and the body is relatively straight (exempting the standard winshield rust which will have to be fixed the right way).
My question is will the deck lid from an S2 xj12l fit my S3 xj6? They look Identical exception being the plate light chrome and the presence of the back up lights. I love the look of the narrower trim and the white lights hanging above the chrome Jag script. I am aiming to shift the back of this vehicle to the look of the S2 which I prefer personally (No offense intended to the S3 folks).
I have restored Porsches, Bmw's and plenty of american rides. My old Range rooney was a challenge so I am not a straight beginner and small alterations aren't an issue but is it possible the decklid may be longer? Is the S3 the same length since they stretched the wheelbase for the final go around?

I know the purists will have a freak but since this thing couldnt get worse looking I am planning this= An s3's tech reliability and driveability, A dead stock euro s2's stunning good looks and the charm and vintage car feel of the S1's interior and sophisticated burble rising from the twin swan neck exhaust tips. Other than the state tags it will look like it has only had alterations that would be period correct/Jag designed. Color change from 'metallic whatever the hell' blueish grayish to a solid British racing green. Thoughts? suggestions? fears?

 

The boot lid off a 76 will fit an 84, but I am not sure about the rear lights on the wings, because they will not line up with the reverse lights on the lid, and if you try to fit the earlier light assembly, you will have to fill in the much larger hole on the 84 wing.

The 76 boot lid may not be made as well, and whilst it will fit, it may not be fully flush with the rear tonneau panel below the rear screen. Jaguar went through a very rough patch in the 70s; the whole country went collectively crazy. I know, I was there !!