Hi,
Next week I have been going to see a 1987 xjs sitting for about 10 years. The seller sent me this picture.



What do you think? To see from the engine compartment I would say that the car is full of rust, yet the seller guarantees that there is no rust.

I have 4 points of attention that I would like to point out to you:
Point 1: Which hose is not connected? Is that the gasoline rail? By chance, should it connect a hose that goes up to point 3?
Point 2: In your opinion, is there a tape to stop the loss of liquids? What is that hose?
Point 3: which hose is not connected?
Point 4: might the brake booster be too rusty and require replacement?

Thanks you a lot
Paolo

 

1 is an unused, blanked off port 8n the fuel rail
2 is hard to see clearly, but I think it looks normal
3 is the filter for the air line that goes to the distributor cap for ventilation. It isn't supposed to be hooked to anything on that end.
4 the booster is likely ok. Just looks like surface rust.

​​​​​​If the engine is in that bad of condition appearance wise I'd have concerns about the rest of the car. I will say that items in the engine compartment do readily oxidize in a moist environment.

 

Oh dear, rather neglected, sadly.

#2 looks like the PCV hose, with a very rusty PCV valve in its end. It fits into a grommet at the front of the air cleaner backing, probably under that fuel cooler, which somehow looks odd to me.

I see MANY hundreds of hours of work, just in the engine bay, to bring it just close to reliable.

Booster looks as mentioned, but I reckon the internal flexible diaphragm is probably NOT so flexible anymore.

Would want to cheap, and you will need some serious patience.

Body MUST be suspect, just makes sense, based on that snap.

Take care and good luck.

 

That level of corrosion inside the engine is a no no for me, you'll be expecting all sorts of body rust all exposed rubber failed including engine bay...lots more I could list.

If the sale price is $1000 or less then ya.

 

I respectfully disagree with the consensus above. 2 by the way, is the fuel cooler hose which is part of the return line. The tape is a factory ID label.
The corrosion is only on the aluminium parts and has nothing to do with body rust. All that ally will clean up perfectly well.
The brake servo (booster to USA readers) is just surface rust and will clean up fine. In any event second hand ones are easy to find.

What you must do is check the body panels VERY carefully: behind the rear edge of the doors, rear wheelarches all round, under the rear side bumpers rear of the wheels, floor pan under the drivers and passengers carpets, sills along between the wheel arches under the doors, front inner wings (guards) from the inside of the engine bay looking downwards from the shock absorber tops. If this is alll solid, you have a potentially good car.

BUT, interiors are expensive to make good, so look VERY carefully at the leather, dash, carpets etc etc.

If all this was good, and i enjoyed working on cars, I would go for it no bother at all, providing the price is good. But remember, you WILL need to renew suspension rubbers, shocks, tyres, maybe ball joints and track rod ends, fuel system rubbers throughout, brakes, service coolant system with hoses, thermostats if not radiator, aircon system will need an overhaul, before you have a good car at the end of it.

 

Thank you all for your opinions. I found this picture where I see that point 1 should be connected to the fuel pressure valve. Did I understand well?


I asked for more pictures from the seller who sent these confusing pictures.















Does it seem that anti-noise material has been placed in the bottom of the machine?
The seller told me that the interior is okay and that the roof covering is still the original one.

Thank you
Paolo

 

OOPS. The joys of one eye, bugga.

Yes, Greg is 100% correct, and deserves a beer for that.
That is the fuel return hose via the cooler,and SAD is an understatement.

 

Those photos are of the boot (trunk) interior and underneath. That floor does not look rust free to me, and is that rust above the hinge on the bodywork?
I would not buy the car on the strength of photos alone; if you cannot inspect it personally, I would pass.

 

If you've been wanting a project, you've found one


In the world of old cars the term "No rust" has come to mean different things to different people, just as the term "fully restored" has become.

I've seen some restorers and hobbyists look at an old car with some minor bubbling here and there and call it a 'no rust' car because, relative to the worst they've seen, it's a minor problem. Easily repaired in the course of the routine body repairs and paint job they already intend for the car.

For others, "no rust" means, literally, no rust.

And lots of other interpretations in between the extremes.

Lots of caution required. Most Jag hobbyists I know of do not have an unlimited budget for their project cars. Facing unexpected rust problems can change the entire landscape of a project.

Cheers
DD

 

Agreed there.

I see good and I see sad, I also see suspected issues.

As said, if you cannot inspect yourself, walk away. The snaps are not that detailed, and some are way too close to give a clear idea of what he/she is trying to pass on to you.

Under the beast may be a sad tale, and thats where your $$ could go, as a lot of that is semi structural.

A good project for you., for sure, but $10- $15K to put it as it should be, IF you do most the labour, is scary, and realistic.

Have a read of the top of this section at the Sticky that went up last night, "worksheet..........". It is based on a running driveable car.

 

Thanks so much for the advices!
Yes, I am looking for a new project
I will go to personal see the car next week.
Summing up:
- the engine bay is not so bad
- it is only right that I check as much as possible the presence of rust and the condition of the interior

 

Top idea.

Leave emotion at home, hard, but the best way.

When working thru what your "project" will cost you., remember the BEER, and lots of it, HA>

Good luck buddy.

 

Item (1) is for the 'Thermal Valve' which flushes Cool Fuel through the Fuel Rail during a Hot Start preventing Vapour Lock

Mine went wrong when the Wax inside it melted, so I took it off the Car and never replaced because it wasn't needed in my Climate and the Hole it screws into goes nowhere and is 'Blanked Off'

 

Too many "rust free" cars out there to bother with this one. Them are rust holes in the floorboard. I like the idea of saving V-12's but this one is going to need metal work which is $$$.

 

While I agree that “buy the best you can afford” is a good policy, we need to remember that different areas have different markets. The only thing I know for certain about the availability of classic Jaguars in Italy is that it’s different from the US, although I suspect there are fewer cars available.

OP, this car will need work. Go in with your eyes wide open.

 

When I got my car it had sat for 12yrs. There was NO floor on the drivers (LH) side. Much of the interior was completely shot. Rear brakes and more, shot. A crazy piece together excuse for exhaust. Fueling system nutts to bolts replaced under hood. Water pump, no AC. Fair amount of suspension work... I could continue. Most all mechanical. Engine looked a lot like what you shared

I found scary rust only under the rad support. Still needs fixing.

Less than 2 yrs later,,, more than 2 yrs actually, but I am spread between 3 project cars,,, and this is what I got. I still and will ALWAYS have something to do on her but she is definitely worth every penny, curse words, extended moments of confusion and work... It ain't nothing but a thing!

I have more pictures of the bits and pieces taken in process of fixing the car (by far) then I have of my girlfriend, lol. Insane!!! Hahahaha 😂

Its been NOTHING but learning (lots) and fun... No stress for fun.

Go for it. AND,,, like everyone here has said, make NO decision before you can actually go and see it using your own eyes. Look where folks are telling you to look. And read the before buying an XJS attachment inthe stickies...

That's just my 2cents...

 

If the price is right, and you are confident in your ability to do repairs yourself, I have not seen anything that would scare me off. Look for rust on the body at the trailing arm mounts in front of the rear wheel wheels and in the front and rear floors, as well as rocker panels and rear wheel arch. Make sure the engine is not seized.

 

That^^^^
Damn good point, haha!

 

Garethashenden said it right: in Italy there are few XJS and all of them are sold as collector's items. This machine is one of three that I have seen at a good price in the past 4 years.

I thank everyone for the excellent advice. Now I'm waiting for the seller to be available to show me the car in person.

 

Why not buy one in the UK? RHD is not that difficult to cope with in continental europe, as I can attest. There are lots of very good cars for sale in the UK.