Ok, so I came across this 1991 XJ-S at an insurance auction, and purchased it… call it a moment of insanity, but I just felt sorry for it.
As you can tell from the photos, it has multiple “water lines”, the highest of which was directly across the instrument panel. Bringing this one back from the dead, should be fun!
…you could make it into a dually…
So was the flooding fresh water or salt water. If it was fresh water, this car probably will not rot out before any other Jaguar of this era. Depending on the state of the electronics this could make a good candidate for a Chevy /A/T conversion. Pete
This was a fresh water flood car… I wouldn’t even attempt to revive a salt water flood vehicle. And yes, plenty of disassembly and LOTS of cleaning.
The first thing I did was to remove anything that was still wet, such as carpeting, seats and padding, and then proceed to wash and dry everything out. This photo shows the extent of the water as well the silt left behind once the water subsided. Yes, that’s indeed silt on the steering wheel.hopefully it was not wet into the roof area…I have an extra dash cluster with similar miles on it…maybe a glove box compartment and few minor things…but you should be able to find everything…wd-40…maybe spray into some crevices…WD I believe stands for water displacement…I have used it where there are folded seams that are questionable…you haven’t got too much to lose unless you paid big bucks…heat and fans to dry out some hidden areas…hair dryers…Good Luck
Every computer in the car is of course junk, having been submerged with the battery still connected. Oddly enough, any of the many relays that were positioned upright, were perfect… no water ingress due to the plastic case creating a “diving bell” effect, or air pocket, which kept the internals dry. However, any relay mounted sideways was found to be full of water.
I was expecting the leather to be shrunken or somehow destroyed, but oddly enough, it was still very soft. On hooking up a jump box to the car, I was able to raise the front windows, and the headlights/parking lights were still found to be functional.
Scrimbo,
This car was dirt cheap, as in under $1k cheap, and aside from feeling sorry for it, a buddy and I are in somewhat of a competition, to see who can revive the worst flood car. He purchased a Camaro convertible, which has a matching water line, so we are both seeing how quickly, and economically, we can bring these cars back to life. I have a couple of 80’s XJ-S coupes, so they will be able to donate a few parts. He has plenty of Camaros, so our mutual adventure should not break the bank.
I do agree, WD-40 is your friend in such a scenario, along with Aero-Kroil, and of course electrical contact cleaner, and PLENTY of soap and a power washer…
I’m not entirely clear on why the computers are a presumed loss. Yeah, if
they were powered up when flooded, they MIGHT be damaged, but if the car
wasn’t running I don’t see why you couldn’t just open the case, clean off
everything inside with rubbing alcohol, and button it back up.
– Kirbert
Kirbert,
I would agree, but after cracking one open and having a look inside, I decided against it. The ignition computer, on the lower passenger kick panel literally spewed rusty water when I removed it… The injector computer was equally nasty, and the one that looked decent, the ABS computer, even after cleaning, would instantly trigger a trouble light, when plugged into my other XJ-S. Not being a computer guy, nor knowing anything about circuit boards, I just opted for replacement.
I was able to obtain a “package deal” from an out of state salvage yard, as they were parting out a rear ended convertible, and were amused at what I was doing.
Pete,
Actually, this will be converted to stick shift, and retain the v12.
Here are some snaps of the interior after several days of drying out, disassembly/reassembly, and tons of leather conditioner.
Here is the engine… you can see the sediment all over everything. On pulling the dipstick, the engine was found to be completely full of water. The transmission fluid however, was still red in color.
It’s looking much better already! I went through the same process when I acquired a Chevy station wagon after hurricane Agnes roared up the east coast, in 1972. Good job!
Keep the updates coming! I love this sort of thing! I wish I were closer to buy a flood car for cheap and do exactly the same thing. what fun! It sounds like you are just the right person to tackle the job.
please post more pics as you go along!
These "flood cars are starting to make headway up north. What is the status of the Title? is it an insurance write off? I have experience with this. I purchased a 90 XJS-C that showed signs of water damage. It wasn’t an insurance write off so I picked it up for cheap. 60 kilometers on the clock.
There wasn’t any sign of water ingress in the engine. Before I purchased it, I took a look at the wires and connections for signs of corrosion; which there wasn’t any. it didn’t run, but for the same reasons other jaguars fail to start. Bad chassis ground. fixed that and it fired right up. the passenger compartment electrics are all wonky. Door skin driver side needs replacing. I’m scared to try the top to see if it goes up or down.
There’s a laundry list of other issues as well, I just have more pressing Jaguar issues to contend with.
I guess my point is this. Look at the wire connections for corrosion, especially since the binnicle (instrument cluster) cluster is out. Unless there’s been steady water ingress or the car has been sitting for a while damp, these connections should be in good nick. My point is this, The state of the bare wires where the copper is or was exposed to air and moisture will give you a very good indication of what you have to look forward to. for me, the pitting on the chrome was an indication that the car had been wet inside for a while, and interior would require being gutted, and all of the wiring would need to be looked after.
Harbored Fraught; and amazon dot com; both have inexpensive borascopes. Or if you have an Android based smart phone there’s a borascope add-on for $10.00 on amazon. Anyway get a camera, pop a plug out, and stick the camera in the hole; and have a gander of what’s in there. you can do the same through the intake manifold / plenum, fuel tank as well.
Oddly enough, this wasn’t the case under the boot or bonnet. however, the headlights look a little rusty on the inside. Not sure how I’m going to address this one; considering the Euro headlights are a bit hard to come by.
Anyway, keep us posted.
Mark
Keep us posted.
Mark,
I suspect your car might have been flooded with either salt water, or brackish water, as either will cause rust issues VERY rapidly. The title status on my car is “Salvage”, and is branded “FLOOD”. Here in Texas, we can have the vehicle inspected, and the title will then be changed to a “Rebuilt” title, however, the “Flood” remark will stay with it forever. None of this really bothers me, because I don’t plan on selling the car.
I am working on another XJ-S, which was flooded to the floorboards, and while it’s a 32K mile car, it was most definitly subjected to salt or brackish water. The calipers, both front and rear all needed replacement, due to the fact that the steel pistons have corroded into the aluminum caliper housings, and vice versa.
The bad thing about ALL flood vehicles, is that they wind up sitting in an insurance company storage lot, until the date that they are auctioned… this can often be 30 days or more, and flood damage that could have been quickly solved by rinsing off with fresh water and then lubricating, doesn’t get done, so you are faced with the replacement of previously salvageable components.
On my car, the only corrosion I encountered, was inside of the relays (the ones sitting sideways), and inside of the injector and ignition computers. The connectors and plugs on the car are in excellent shape, as are the wires leading down from said connectors… again, evidence of a fresh water flood.
Yes, many of our flood cars are heading all over the USA, and other countries. While some of these cars really did go under water, many did not. We have several cars currently that are prime examples of “garden hose” floods, aka insurance fraud cases, yet their owners were paid off by insurance. Many people did not have flood insurance on their homes, but did have car insurance, so they “flooded” their cars to collect the insurance money, in order to repair their homes.
Here is what I pulled out of a cylinder with my Mighty Vac… since the water went over the engine, it of course made it’s way into the cylinders. I suctioned out each cylinder, and then proceeded to lubricate each of them with ATF. I then let this sit for several days, and then spun the engine over by hand, then amazingly, with the starter. I then replaced all the plugs, wires, cap and rotor (genuine Marelli parts), as well as both ignition coils. The ignition modules were removed and tested on another XJ-S, and were then re-installed. Water had made it’s way into the transmission, via the dipstick tube, so the fluid and filter were both replaced. The rear end had about a pint of water in it… not too bad for being completely underwater. So after double checking connections, and of course having a fire extinguisher handy, I decided to start it up. The trusty Range Rover P38 was connected by jumper cables, to give the battery a little extra help, as the Jaguar had to deal with clearing out the residual ATF in the cylinders. The white smoke coming out of the tail pipes is ATF and of course, the water that was still present in the exhaust system. It smoked like this for a good 20 min or so, before clearing up Here are the gauges after start up, and after the smoke cleared… The car runs quite smoothly, and drives very well. I will be driving it with the current transmission, so that I can make sure there aren’t any additional problems. Here is the interior, with all the carpets and under panels back in their respective places…I still find it hard to believe that it cleaned up this well… And here it is after a much needed wash. This was the result after nearly an entire bottle of car wash soap, and about an hour and a half of scrubbing. Next on the agenda is changing all the belts and hoses, and another oil change. Hard to believe this was the same crusty flood car.I have done this with electronics more than once. without power, it cant short circuit so the issue is removing any moisture before power is applied and second would be any corrosion that could short it in the future.
WOW. WHat can I say… This is inspirational . beautifully done Jack
Jim,
Why thank you! Quite honestly, it wasn’t anywhere as bad as I thought it would be, and not expensive either. I just couldn’t stand seeing it wind up as scrap metal. There are still things to do, such as the a/c system, which will need servicing, and who knows what’s messed up as far as servos or computer in the climate control system, but really, I’ve run into worse issues in Jaguars that haven’t taken a swim. But right now, with winter coming in, I know the heater works, so I can’t ask for more.
The next big thing is to service the cooling system, all the hoses, belts, thermostats, etc, and then of course rebuild the fuel rail. After that, it’s losing the seized air pump, related plumbing, and the converters as well. I do plan on changing out the dash and door wood, as I’m not a fan of the lighter wood.
Nicely done! where did you find the drowned kitties anyway?
I have to say yours turned out alot better than mine. the top mechanism is going to require replacing. Nicely done!
Lighter wood.
On my Jags, the “lighter wood” isn’t factory. It’s from years of being exposed to sun light. At least that’s been the case with my cars.
It’s an easy fix with a bit of sand paper, oil based walnut stain , and petroleum based clear lacquer, air sprayer or air brush.
Use the stain as a colorant for the lacquer. put the mixture in either a detail sprayer, or as I do, an air brush. a light sand to knock off the high poa bit of polishing compound, and good as new. This works only if there aren’t any cracks in the existing finish.
Cracks, and veneer pealing is a whole different ball of wax… I have on occasion salvaged veneer buy applying furniture oil to the wood, which gets absorbed, and delaminates the finish from the wood veneer. I’ve been able to pick off with a fingernail. This process can take weeks to get the finish off. Then I use stain and surfboard resin for the quick finish. Block sand smooth, and polish with polishing compound. The downside of resin is if it gets messed up, there isn’t a sure fire way of fixing it. I’ve pretty much had to start over with new wood and new veneer.
Mark,
Thanks you! The cars came from an insurance auction. As to my dash and door wood, I will soon be replacing it all with a set that has the boxwood inserts in the door and quarter trim. This has the burled elm, and aside from it having gone light in color, it’s actually in pretty nice shape, just not my cup of tea. The flooding didn’t hurt the wood at all, amazingly!
The only thing hurt on my top, as of course the electric motor, which powers the top pump. I have a spare sitting on my bench, and that will wind up going in this car, after I finish sorting out the other issues which take priority.
My friends car, pictured below, is the other cat that we acquired from the auction.
It’s a 32K mile car that was only floorboard flooded. On that one I’m dealing with issues never addressed (ignored) by the previous owner. Things such as a dead convertible top pump, leaky brake calipers, and old brake hoses.Ot is amazing the wood didnt get water damaged. Its been my experience, than an eye dropper of water and heat, will cause the finish to delaminate from the veneer. You probably know this but all XJS’s as well as XJ Sovereign / VDP’s. Had book matched burled Carpathian Elm, console included. That is why i would spend the time picking the finish off, because I didn’t want to re do all of the wood so it matched. Oddly enough the console in the picture is vinyl color matched to the rest of the console. That’s new to these eyes. If the console wasn’t wood, then it was black vinyl. Usually the pre 86 XJ’s
