It's something I've been dreaming about for years; the more people that tell me not to do it the more I want to do it.

My questions are:

• What is the parts availability like for these cars nowadays? Especially if I possibly want to do a rebuild? Internal parts like sleeves, rings, rods, pistons, gaskets, etc.
  
• I'm expecting a lot of money to go into it. I consider it tuition. Are there any major surprises as far as what something may cost?
  
• What is the difficulty as far as resources go? I have Kirby's book, I'll get the repair manual. Are those sufficient for someone new to these cars to get into them?

 

Parts availability excellent. better than almost any other 35 year old cars
Assume you will need to go through the entire mechanical aspects of the car except the mechanical internals of the engine. Hoses, fuel lines, suspension, brakes, electronic items in the ignition, radiator, aircon, etc etc will all need doing, one way or another. Budget about 7,000 USD for parts by the time you are through, if you want absolutely everything working correctly. Any bodywork/interior leather will be extra.
No resource problems as far as info goes, at all.
You must have an undercover place to work, and you will need decent tools, and endless patience. Given all of this you will end up with a superb GT car.

 

Things to consider? These aren't cars people put lots of miles on, so its actually pretty difficult to find a V12 that really needs a rebuild. The engine is not at all a weak point in the XJS. Don't go spending the time and money tearing down a 5.3 with 120k miles just for the sake of doing so when it actually has adequate compression and oil pressure.

Idk whether the bentley/haynes/cheapo repair manuals give the proper specs for rebuilding an engine. The legit manuals can be hard to come by, but I gladly post pics from mine all the time.

I personally think a better idea would be putting the time in effort in working on everything else on the car to make it dead reliable. If you buy a used XJS and want to be able to drive it to the other side of the country on a whim, the actual engine is one of the very last things that would need attention, its everything around it. Plus the cost of an engine rebuild likely compares to dropping a 5 or 6 speed in it.

That being said I have seen some cars for sale that supposedly dropped valve seats or blew head gaskets, but that also doesn't really warrant a rebuild, thats just top-end work.

The unreasonably priced parts are totally random, like on most cars. For the most part things are decently priced. I think recently water pump availability has been down so prices have been up. Radiators used to be $800 and now they are available for $300. The kirby book goes over various idiosyncrasies of the XJS, but a car is a car. If you can work on a civic you can work on a XJS. If a mechanic tells you other wise, don't bother taking your civic to him.

 

Sidescrollin
Just edited my post, I stupidly wasn't thinking about the actual engine internals when I said everything will need fixing. I totally agree with you.

 

Answers my questions perfectly, thank you.

There was a non-running XJS for not much here with likely a dropped valve seat. I'll probably reconsider and just wait for a running one.

 

If you keep an eye out you can have a running one for the same money. People selling busted ones are usually dreaming with the prices, so its hard to get them down to something reasonable.

Try for one with a decent interior and body, I seen them all the time with interiors that look like the windows have been down 30 years go for the same money as ones with perfectly good interiors. Again they don't get driven much, so dents are pretty rare.

Also, lol, I didn't notice at all you had an Acura when I made that Honda comment. Really though, the V12 is pretty much all forged very high quality stuff as far as the engine internals go, you won't see many threads about people dicking around with engine internals. The thing is made to blast around a track at high RPMs all day, so the mileage you usually see isn't a big deal at all.

 

Two more things to consider:

1. H.E or Pre-H.E.? - Simply a matter of personal taste.
Pre-H.E. model have no wood, less chrome and lower gas mileage.
H.E. model have wood, more chrome and better gas mileage.

2. Rust is really annoying, everything else can be fixed. :-)
I bought an almost-rust-free XJS with a few mechanical issues.
Replaced cooling components, distributor, tires, and now it runs great.

 

It is odd that it seems in the XJS world HE and pre-HE have little bearing. Aesthetically most agree the HE has the win (chrome, wood, color options, etc), but some people like the "potential" of the old heads.

It is odd because it also seems pretty common in the XJ world that the late 70s and early 80s BL affected cars are the ones to steer away from while Jaguar started really getting its act together by the mid-80s and 86-88 is considered prime Jag quality.

Maybe it has to do with the number of owners and how often the cars are driven. Lets face it, the XJS rarely sees 200k miles, not because it doesn't last, its just people don't drive them that much.

 

I live in AZ and it's rare to see rust on cars here. Nice perk of the desert.

To be honest, I'm not picky between any of the V12's at this point. I'd love a pre-HE or a 6.0, but I'd settle for a 5.3 HE just to get my hands on one.

Unrelated question - do the pre-HE and HE sound any different?

 

With the stock exhaust both Pre-H.E. and H.E. are surprisingly quiet. I don't think I can hear a difference, maybe someone can. There are plenty of options to give it more sound.

 

GOOD move on that car.

The no runner, and dropped valve seat suspected = a neglected car in MY opinion.

+++ on the engine. Oil pipe internal o/rings would be my ONLY must do item on ANY V12.

Our PreHE V12 has topped 540000kms, and still blasts down the "black stuff" at close to 5500rpm regularly.

The HE had the engine pulled by me due to oil leaks and my boredom at the time, and one thing led to another, and a rebuild took place, but at 240000kms, the liners still had visual hone marks, and the rest was sweet as the factory made it.

Parts, simple enough.
Help, heaps now with this Forum, not around when I did mine.

You will need teh following:

Sense of humour.
Ability to throw things.
Ability to DRINK, and then drink some more.
DO NOT even think of "why did they do that", just accept it as normal Jaguar procedure.

You will be fine, we are ALL here at any time, thanks to time zones, and all you need to do is ask.

 

Can buy my black on black on black for 8,500.00 in Oklahoma City, OK
Very nice original paint, original interior very, very nice, new convertible top and after some maintenance,runs better than it has in the past 5 years that I have owned it. Inherited it from my Dad.

 

Oh I am totally qualified then.

 

As baller as black on black is, I definitely would have to go the opposite direction for AZ. While we don't have rust here, we have the Sun, and it gets brutal.

And I'm dying for a coupe - the buttresses just do something primal for me.

 

Good choice, the coupe's chassis is far more rigid and it handles far better IMO - takes cover...
Greg

 

Changed my mind, will post another thread.

 

Too right. A drop-top was never in consideration in my case. Why eliminate one of the car's most distinctive design elements?

 

I'll add my 2c worth.

If it were me I would be looking for a rust free car with excellent interior, buy the best car you afford.

IMO mechanical's are cheaper to repair than interiors.

For collectability early pre-HE (pre 1978) or late facelift 1993/4

 

There are (imho) 4 types of XJ-S out there:

#1: the bottomless pit sold as a restoration object.
#2: the cheap gem waiting to be brought back to life.
#3: the cared for an well maintained enthusiasts car.
#4: the overpriced fully restored #1

Head for 2 and 3. I took a 2.5 (from an enthusiast but with some age needing a little love) but it will probably end up as a 4 in the end...

OR you can make Orangeblossom an offer, as he must have at least 20 XJ-S sitting around his garden... At least it feels like it

 

I'm loving all the feedback, thanks everyone!

I'm essentially looking for a 2.5. The overall appearance for me isn't critical, but I would like it to run decent with no major issues.

I'm betting it won't be my last XJS, so I can save a looker for later