Hi all,
This thread covers the acquisition/use/evolution of my battle scarred old Jaguar XJ6 S1. So far the timeline is as follows:
Sep 2009 - purchased the car from a well known banger site
July 2010 - Le Mans Classic trip
Nov 2010 - 2.8 engine ate its No 6 piston. Ropey is upgunned to a 3.4 litre
Mar 2011 - Ropey's engine gets pulled out to put in a S3. XJR6 supercharged engine conversion now planned
Apr 2011 - AJ16 transplanted in. Electrical problems.
Jan 2012 - Failed attempt at Megasquirt (to be revisited..)
Jun 2012 - XJR6 supercharged runs on 4.0 standard ECU, but not well enough.
May 2013 - Fitted 3.6 AJ6 from XJS Sports
Oct 2013 - 3.6 AJ6 running
The plan now is to rebuild Ropey to a state where he's roadworthy and can be used again, then look at getting the supercharged AJ16 running on the bench.
Here's how it all started:
The last Jaguar I had was on the road until about a year ago when the MOT man decreed that the oxide to metal ratio had gone way too far the wrong way. The engine was virtually dead and so the decision was taken to scrap it. This left me with a problem, and a convenient space at the bottom of the yard. Off I toddled to ebay and shortly won a nice series 3 XJ6. Unfortunately for me there was a reason it was on ebay, and that was that it was a hell of a lot worse. So that too went the same way.
That was where I left it for a long while. Summer turned out to be a real pain in the rear with me losing my unit and a lot of debt , but I've hauled my retro side back on to the straight and level and got hold of another Jag...
Would you believe that somebody was going to banger this if iit didn't sell?
I often end up on a couple of banger racing sites, as a few of the local lads have had Jag bits off me, on one site there was a gent living in Oxford with this for sale. I couldn't afford the asking price, so made him an offer, which he accepted. He even delivered the beastie for me.
It's a 1973 registered, 1972 built (Free tax...woooo!! ;D ) Jaguar XJ6 Series 1, short wheelbase, with the 2.8 litre engine and a 4 speed plus overdrive gearbox. Yup... a manual series 1. No leather interior, just cloth, but I had a cloth interior in one of my previous cars and it was a lot more pleasant to live with than leather in very hot and very cold weather.
Here's the interior....
All the dials laid out across that big ol' plank of wood like they ought to be. Shame my E-type woodrim steering wheel doesn't fit.
The car was laid up in a garage for 12 years, and has got loads of minor dents, but no bad rust anywhere. Sills, radius arms, radiator crossmember all clean. Not even a bubble on the arches. She was reluctant to run, but that was soon traced to old stale fuel and Jaguars notorious AED wasting bucketloads of fuel.
Here's the oily gubbins up front...
The cam covers weren't on it, I had them lying around and it was too much of a temptation to resist. It runs quite well, we have 40psi oil pressure all the time even when hot and it holds a nice temperature. I compression tested it when I first got it and the highest was 175 with the lowest at 168. I love the engine note as there's a hole a mile wide in the exhaust, that makes it sound like I'm qualifying for Le Mans. If and when it dies, I have a 4.2 engine I've been slowly building to keep me amused.
As she was so intact I decided to put some new tyres on it and head for a test. Those big Pirelli's come in at £100 each...
The test was amusing, as we all struggled to figure out where the dip/main beam switch is. It turns out it's on the floor next to the clutch. After being prodded and poked at the testing centre the big beastie made her displeasure known by having a float stick on the back carb, while the tester was under her. ;D ah well!!
She failed.
No passing mirror
NS top ball joint
Brake imbalance
Pitted rear discs
Shock absorber top bushes
Exhaust blow
That was it. The electrics all worked, on command. The handbrake holds, and hold well. I was stunned. The only bit I'm not looking forward to is replacing the rear discs as the rear suspension cage has to come out. I'm als trying to come up with a plan for the exhaust as series 1 bits aren't available and I love that engine noise.
Not a bad toy. Brake rebuild to be shown here as and when it happens...
Heres a couple more pic.
No such thing as Km/h in 1973. I love the warning lights are all in English too.
It lives... the idle is a bit high. It should be 650 - 750rpm, but the AED is still letting air in, and there's vacuum escaping from the heater controls somewhere as they all run off it.
Front view. Those headlamps are sealed beams and 36 years old. They are pathetic at night but halogen H4's from the series 3 will fit in the same hole. I'll need to build a relay set-up to stop the switch from melting though!
This is my favourite view. The lines of this car were just so right. That tow bar will come in useful too.
Regards,
Ric
This thread covers the acquisition/use/evolution of my battle scarred old Jaguar XJ6 S1. So far the timeline is as follows:
Sep 2009 - purchased the car from a well known banger site
July 2010 - Le Mans Classic trip
Nov 2010 - 2.8 engine ate its No 6 piston. Ropey is upgunned to a 3.4 litre
Mar 2011 - Ropey's engine gets pulled out to put in a S3. XJR6 supercharged engine conversion now planned
Apr 2011 - AJ16 transplanted in. Electrical problems.
Jan 2012 - Failed attempt at Megasquirt (to be revisited..)
Jun 2012 - XJR6 supercharged runs on 4.0 standard ECU, but not well enough.
May 2013 - Fitted 3.6 AJ6 from XJS Sports
Oct 2013 - 3.6 AJ6 running
The plan now is to rebuild Ropey to a state where he's roadworthy and can be used again, then look at getting the supercharged AJ16 running on the bench.
Here's how it all started:
The last Jaguar I had was on the road until about a year ago when the MOT man decreed that the oxide to metal ratio had gone way too far the wrong way. The engine was virtually dead and so the decision was taken to scrap it. This left me with a problem, and a convenient space at the bottom of the yard. Off I toddled to ebay and shortly won a nice series 3 XJ6. Unfortunately for me there was a reason it was on ebay, and that was that it was a hell of a lot worse. So that too went the same way.
That was where I left it for a long while. Summer turned out to be a real pain in the rear with me losing my unit and a lot of debt , but I've hauled my retro side back on to the straight and level and got hold of another Jag...
Would you believe that somebody was going to banger this if iit didn't sell?
I often end up on a couple of banger racing sites, as a few of the local lads have had Jag bits off me, on one site there was a gent living in Oxford with this for sale. I couldn't afford the asking price, so made him an offer, which he accepted. He even delivered the beastie for me.
It's a 1973 registered, 1972 built (Free tax...woooo!! ;D ) Jaguar XJ6 Series 1, short wheelbase, with the 2.8 litre engine and a 4 speed plus overdrive gearbox. Yup... a manual series 1. No leather interior, just cloth, but I had a cloth interior in one of my previous cars and it was a lot more pleasant to live with than leather in very hot and very cold weather.
Here's the interior....
All the dials laid out across that big ol' plank of wood like they ought to be. Shame my E-type woodrim steering wheel doesn't fit.
The car was laid up in a garage for 12 years, and has got loads of minor dents, but no bad rust anywhere. Sills, radius arms, radiator crossmember all clean. Not even a bubble on the arches. She was reluctant to run, but that was soon traced to old stale fuel and Jaguars notorious AED wasting bucketloads of fuel.
Here's the oily gubbins up front...
The cam covers weren't on it, I had them lying around and it was too much of a temptation to resist. It runs quite well, we have 40psi oil pressure all the time even when hot and it holds a nice temperature. I compression tested it when I first got it and the highest was 175 with the lowest at 168. I love the engine note as there's a hole a mile wide in the exhaust, that makes it sound like I'm qualifying for Le Mans. If and when it dies, I have a 4.2 engine I've been slowly building to keep me amused.
As she was so intact I decided to put some new tyres on it and head for a test. Those big Pirelli's come in at £100 each...
The test was amusing, as we all struggled to figure out where the dip/main beam switch is. It turns out it's on the floor next to the clutch. After being prodded and poked at the testing centre the big beastie made her displeasure known by having a float stick on the back carb, while the tester was under her. ;D ah well!!
She failed.
No passing mirror
NS top ball joint
Brake imbalance
Pitted rear discs
Shock absorber top bushes
Exhaust blow
That was it. The electrics all worked, on command. The handbrake holds, and hold well. I was stunned. The only bit I'm not looking forward to is replacing the rear discs as the rear suspension cage has to come out. I'm als trying to come up with a plan for the exhaust as series 1 bits aren't available and I love that engine noise.
Not a bad toy. Brake rebuild to be shown here as and when it happens...
Heres a couple more pic.
No such thing as Km/h in 1973. I love the warning lights are all in English too.
It lives... the idle is a bit high. It should be 650 - 750rpm, but the AED is still letting air in, and there's vacuum escaping from the heater controls somewhere as they all run off it.
Front view. Those headlamps are sealed beams and 36 years old. They are pathetic at night but halogen H4's from the series 3 will fit in the same hole. I'll need to build a relay set-up to stop the switch from melting though!
This is my favourite view. The lines of this car were just so right. That tow bar will come in useful too.
Regards,
Ric