And there’s this: https://youtu.be/zOrNCZPMriw
2 Likes
Is there a way I can check the serial number of the car and see when it was made? Also The interior center console thing is from S3 too.
The S2’s last year was 1978
Konstantinos,
it has always been a kind of fashion to “upgrade” outdated models to the looks of younger generations. The same seems to have occurred with “your” car. 1977 is a SII year. The roof shape (including the screen seals) and the air intake underneath the front screen are clear giveaways for a SII basis. Also, with a “restoration” badly needed for the older SII car a younger SIII donor car might have come to the relief and given all the bits and panels needed to ressurrect the older car …
As it has been stated the upgrade has been executed quite nicely. Even the doors have been taken over from SIII (flat handles) and the SII window frames have been transferred to the SIII doors. With the SIII doors a SIII interior has been fitted (centre console and rear door cards are different) as were SIII bumpers (not easy; you need different hinges for the front bumper at least). Probably in the course of a needed restoration front wings were exchanged for SIII wings as well. Plus, SII cars never had a factory steel sunroof. Strange again, the interior doesn’t seem to be SIII Daimler, does it?
Of course the car’s value depends on what it’s worth to you. - The good thing about it being a SII car is that pulling the screens is fairly easy, the metal around the screen can be repaired and the screen be reinstalled with an - available new - rubber seal. The old design is much easier to keep in shape than the SIII glued-in screens. The market value for classic cars is quite clearly reduced severely by that kind of mix and match “restoration” though.
The main question for me would be remaining rust anywhere underneath the waist line (trunk, floorpan, A pillar, front crossmember, along the outer and inner sills, especially where the radius arms mount underneath the rear seat squab (only two screws to remove and get access to the rear part of the floorpan), and the quality of the engine: smooth delivery of power up to redline, good oil pressure, no smokes or fumes, no inappropriate leaks, and in Greece in particular, stable temperature. Late SII cars should have twin HIF carbs with an AED - in your first pic I think I spot the black plastic top of the AED. So, at least engine wise, the car might be original.
This car is said to be original and restored, supposed to fetch 9 kEUR https://www.autoscout24.de/angebote/jaguar-xj-6-4-2-lim-serie-3-restauriert-rostfrei-histo-benzin-gruen-40f4004c-231d-49c9-8c92-4877b25b2860?cldtidx=7&cldtsrc=listPage.
So, yes, if there is not much more rust around, the engine is good and you feel like you can handle this lady, go for it - maybe not at 5 k, but at 3. But make sure to have at least the same amount ready in your wallet for upcoming need of repair - most things are not terribly expensive, but you’ll always have to ship from the UK or the Netherlands, and as you state, you won’t be able to just spot a rusted away car with a good engine around the corner, if you happen to need an engine. You’ll have this list, but knowledgeable mechanics that do not command hourly rates of a cardiologist with expertise in transplants will not abound where you live either.
Curiosity killed the cat, they say. I’d probably be curious enough, in your shoes …
Good luck
Jochen
75 XJ6L 4.2 auto (UK spec)
1 Like
The factory never made a bastard like this, no way, transition period or not. As we’ve agreed, it’s been modified to look newer. That’s all.
2 Likes
Hell, until this thread, I was fairly unaware of all the differences between all the series.
Thank you for the help!
This community is really active!
I will make sure to inform you all about what happened mid July!
Any more tips are welcome!
Ahhh… we Greeks !!!
1 Like
Γεια σου Κωνσταντίνε,
The car is indeed a SII as stated above.
From the VIN and door tag can verify if it’s a Daimler or Jaguar.
It looks well taken care of, someone has put a lot of work in it. It seems to be well done.
I concur on the rust issue… you should really look what is the situation underneath and under the floor mats. The windshield rust is quite common, but the windshield definitely has to come out and the interior checked as there is water coming in. What you see is the tip of the iceberg as it’s rusting from the inside.
Check for leaks at the usual places but also at the rear output shafts of the differential. Check also the condition of the rear discs. Any of the two would require the IRS to come out, an expensive and time consuming job.
90% chances that the cooling system will have to be addressed.
Check for signs of rust at the sills behind the rear wheels, the fuel tanks reside in there… better even remove one of the tail lights and have a pick at the fuel tank behind it (if water goes in they tend to rust) and check for fuel smells. It would also give you an idea of how well the conversion was done.
Never the less, all fuel hoses will have to be changed.
An other PITA job is power steering leaks.
Most probably it will have some electrical, Lucas Prince of Darkness, issues.
The interior looks well done as well, albeit the gap in the center console, but I sure hope it’s done in leather and not à la Grecque…(i.e. plastic).
If the car runs and drives well I think the price, as a starting point and for the Greek market, is fair, but every fault should be deductible.
Having collectors plates means you don’t pay circulation tax, so that’s a big plus.
Do you plan on doing the work yourself?
If not, be careful, things can get out of hand very easily, it’s a car that’s not made like the others and the average mechanics do not know them, sometimes doing more harm than fixing things, not to mention the cost.
Where are you in Greece ?
Any connection with the Gioumas fron Ioannina late 19th century?
Good luck and keep us posted.
1 Like
Thanks for the tips! I will make sure I check everything thoroughly!
I don’t know of any family connection!
I live near Aigio, achaia.
-
Boot plinth and wheels are not SIII.
-
Greece has graffiit as well !!!
-
Nice looking car…
Carl
Konstantinos,
Welcome to the list.
Attached is a picture of the very serious rust that was hidden beneath the front windscreen of my 1987 XJ6 parts car. There were some minor paint bubbles visible on the outside but I had no idea that the rust would be this bad until I removed the windscreen. The hole was so large that I could stick my finger in it. From the records that I got with the car it had always been located in the mild climate of southern California, USA.
Paul
Yikes… that is just bad/shoddy design.
That is very much a S3 problem, Paul. Not applicable in this case.
Nick,
You are correct, my mistake. I see now that this was a SII modified to look like a SIII. AFAIK the SII cars did not have this windshield channel rust problem
Paul
I/IIs didn’t have this issue? What changed?
The earlier cars have rubber seals, the S3 has front and rear windscreens glued in place. This construction allows water to sit in the channels, resulting in rust.
Aha! My understanding grows… and reinforces the idea of “not-well engineered.”
Pininfarina did a grand job on the remodel. Took the car from an end of it’s model life to a refresh that kept it alive for another 14 years. Sure, it had a few flaws, but it remains one of the most beautiful saloons ever made.
1 Like