Of course you should (unless you are a failed/wannabe vehicle breaker), even better when they are $1500, or $3.21US! Well, I know they are cheaper ones, but I have to get what i can, meet ‘Fortune Faded’ my new to me 1988 XJS V12 with 177k kms.

Usual story, been sitting for years, 8 to 10, (a life stretch in the hot Kelowna sun, I love the way the paint has patina and will leave it as I will the cabin.

l have done the usual, new fuel and filter, plugs, oil and filter etc etc etc, it runs well, will run better, pretty much everything works, even the lumbar do dad. I have to say, it’s a lot smoother sailing doing this the second time round .....(and having another car to test bits on). Cleaned and oiled the cabin, seats 3 times and still sucking it up. I will do the engine bay properly when I do the injectors.

Now I’m waiting on the Full Monty service parts to rock up, HT leads, cap, rotor, all fuel lines etc etc etc etc...................etc.

ln the meantime it can keep “Torrey Canyon’’ company, whilst I go look for more....

You Tube

 

I do love a red interior!

 

It's amazing how many cruise bellows heat shields are installed upside down. Does every mechanic think that steel is porous and the rubber needs a rain shield?

 

lm not as smart as you, so for the most part I put thing back the way they came off.

 

Sure... Why not?

 

It was a dig at you, but I have seen many photos of V12's with that shield upside down.

 

Well thanks for the dig, on the back of that, **** off back under your bridge, ****.

 

That was a typo on my part, should have read was NOT a dig at you..

Sorry about that.

 

I love that red interior it runs now...nothing to lose plus it puts a smile on your face gotta do it.

 

How the hell did you find that in the valley?? I search weekly across southern BC.

Side note...now that it IS warm you can definately revive those seats. I had great success with AutoGlym leather conditioner and some walmart hand lotion to thicken up the slop, utterly SMEAR it on then place a large water bucket inside the car to get it nice and humid, I wrapped the seats in garbage bags but not necessary.

 

Yep. Well 1500 for mine. Have got 2.5k into it and still not road legal yet. But getting there slowly.

 

.....runs, and now stays running due to locating a faulty temp sensor LOL. Onwards and upwards!

 

l was not up for long, like a hour or so, originally it was going to be a parts car but was potentially far too good for that so it will be a driver.

The seats are coming around nicely, by the time I get the title sorted they will be as soft as a baby’s.

 

It doesn’t go far, I put $2000 into the brown one and will do a easy $1000 on this one.......it would be more but I’ve decided I only need one good set of tyres due to only being able to drive one car at a time so the silver one will be ‘cheap’ .............

 

Those V12 beasts were the undisputed KINGS of freeway on ramps.

Like lighting the afterburner on a jet engine is the only description I've heard that matches the reality. Silky smooth acceleration.

Now, you know all about the cracking fuel rail, and the need to carry both a serious *** fire estinguisher AND an oven mitt with you, right?

I stood beside the owner of a partially engulfed XJS on the side of the 17 freeway, full sized fire extinguisher in hand, looked him in the eye and said, "Now THINK! do you really want me to put this out and you have to deal with rebuilding it with all the damage already suffered or do you want to just let it burn and collect the insurance.

He clenched his teeth and said,. Thank you for stopping."

 

“Those V12 beasts are the undisputed KINGS of freeway on ramps.

Like lighting the afterburner on a jet engine is the only description I've heard that matches the reality”

waaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaha.

Please, do me a favour. It could barely bust a 8 second 0 to 60 when new, it’s many things, quick isn’t one of them.

 

> A 5.3-liter HE or 6-liter model generally returned 150+ mph top speed and 0-60 mph in the mid-6 seconds range.

>No idea how slow emissions-burdened US cars are but my carbed automatic V12 E-type did it in 6.3

>when the XJ-S was in its prime, it was the fastest
automatic transmission car in the world, PERIOD. In stock tune, gearing
and tires, the 5.3L HE should be able to achieve 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

The ride I got in one, BACK IN THE DAY, was certainly exciting. Sorry if your wasn't/isn't.

 

Blah blah blah, I’m from back in the day Sunshine, admittedly not from fat car USA, in 1988 when the car in question was around most hot hatches would **** all over it where it mattered.

Please do me a favour and start your own thread if you want to play ‘Top trumps “ it’s a bit juvenile, there’s a good chap.

 

I'm probably gonna be at 5 to 7k before its on the road. Another 5k after that perhaps. But it will be almost like new lol when im done.

 

A bit harsh I feel, not really in the normal spirit of this rather decent forum.

Autocar road tested a UK spec HE as described in this link at 6.5 seconds 0 to 60 and over 150 top speed. The pre HE cars were as fast understand. US cars a second slower.
https://www.autozine.org/Archive/Jag...assic/XJS.html

Launch test:
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...w-breed-of-cat

I can attest, with reliable witnesses, that an HE will leave a Golf GTI for dead at anything over 100 mph. Not that I dispute guastly noisy late 1980s hot hatches could do a better 0 to 60 time than an HE. But on-ramps on motorways, where the torque and ease of an autobox with all its torque multiplying aspects, give me an HE any day!