I have a set of the OE wheels that came with that car, '84? then it would be the starfish. Actually I have a couple sets. Go to your local Tack store and pick up some leather cleaner and conditioner. keep the leather in good shape because Connolly is all but gone, and the wonderful smell of a Jag has to do with the Connolly leather.
Open the bonnet and look on the edge of the engine compartment I think the right side; I’d be curious if it reads Federal then a serial number. Also remember, don’t Drop the bonnet to latch it. set down gently, then pull the leaver to tighten it down.
The head lights are euro style; and are highly coveted. Available in Canada and Mexico; but not here.
I’m sure you can look on the lower drivers side label which should be able to tell you the year the car was made.
For example mine says December 1987, but is listed as an 1988 car.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
23
At this point I would not recommend the OE Starfish wheels because they are 15". If you’re replacing wheels at all – and if you have the Dayton wire wheels, you should be – take the opportunity to upgrade to 16" or 17" wheels. A quick check of tire prices and availability will show why.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
24
Highly coveted here in the US where they are difficult to come by. In Europe, it’s the other way around.
Note that what you have are the Cibie headlights with glass lenses. There are two different types; the very early had a separate adjustable reflector inside for high beams. I can’t tell which you have from the picture. Later still, with the facelift of 1992, came the Carello headlights which are also “Euro style” but have plastic lenses that protrude more than those. There are two types of Carello, too, the E-code for Europe and the DOT for the US. The DOT versions suck, the E-codes are very good.
There are plenty of tyres available for that wheel, I Have Toyo’s which are V rated (outside of that I hate the tyres). Michelin, Riley (which are V rated and made by Michelin), BF Goodrich, & Cooper all make sub $200.00 tires that will fit the 15” wheel. Here in the United States, there really isn’t any reason to go with a V rated tire.
If you do want to keep it OE pure. Michelin and Pirelli both got into the classic tire business, and have OE spec new tyres available.
2 of 3 my XJ6’s have Michelin’s which are H rated and were purchased for less than $180 a corner
The other has coopers which are truly a lovely tire.
2 of 3 XJS’s have Michelin’s
And the other Toyo Directional V-rated POS tires. Hard as nails, slippery as slime on a rock, and don’t hold air if the car sits.
I have the Dayton 72 wires on my XJ6 looks lovely; but a PITA to keep clean and rust free, kiss a curb. Then go find a local wire wheel specialist and have the wheel trued. I put the Kents on for a daily driver and the Dayton wires when I want to show off.
Yes it’s painful, but it’s the price of looking good.
Just got back from playing with it before it goes to the specialist (expert? whatever) in Louisville tomorrow morning. I took a pic of it but I’ll say it anyway. Looks like its birthdate was Oct 1983 & listed as an '84.
I know we’re going to find a lot of rust under the car, in the seams, etc—but the paint doesn’t look as bad to me as it initially did. There’s crackling on the right door & a little on the fender but the roof has more obvious paint damage (that I’ve noticed).
Previous owner said that he wanted to clean it up a little for me but I told him that I wanted to do it. I did some digging in all the cracks & crevices inside the car & found the damndest things. Cassette tape that came with the car (omg, that was a surprise). Inside the glovebox door was a makeup mirror, I flipped it up & found weight specs. LOL Odd place, isn’t it?
My 87 XJ12 has a very similar one but the announcer says… “This is Vanden Plas…” and there some seriously 80’s hits on the flip side. Peebo Brysen and the like.
with any vehicle, especially Jaguars, 3 critical areas for rust are around the windscreens, sills, wheel lips. A close physical exam will usually identify the last 2
for the windscreens, the most sure way is to get inside the car all closed and have someone hose the front & rear screens…then do a VERY careful inspection to see if any water is ingresing, left untouched, this problem can make a car uneconomic to restore
Update: Car was towed to the shop this morning, they gave me a call about an hour ago. I was right not to test-drive it (not like I needed to, I mean—who does) because a rear caliper’s broken & it’s leaking fluid. The best part was when he told me that on 99%, you take the wheel off & replace it in an hour but this one’s up by the differential so it’ll take them 5-6 hours. Get that first punch to the gut immediately & out of the way, baby.
An alternator belt’s just hanging there. It’s the furthest one in (?) so they’re replacing 3 other belts while they’re in there. I’m surprised the thing ran.
A shock’s missing entirely on the bonnet, the right one’s there but doesn’t hold. My god, heavy hood—this thing’s a tank. He mentioned replacing it but I told him that for the time being I’d be fine with propping it up with a 2X4. Padded, natch.
That was it, unless they find more when they get into it, for safety concerns. They’ll probably find more. Of course they’ll find more.
Anyway, he said that it was in surprisingly good shape for sitting in a garage for years. I think it sat in the previous owner’s driveway for the year he owned it. I’m not uber-emotional but I nearly had to wipe a tear.
Lyndi,
I’m sorry to say if done proper, it’s going to take longer than 5 or 6 hours.
Short version.
when it comes to rear brakes on a older Jaguar, it’s never just the brakes; it’s more or less an IRS overhaul. Realistically you’re looking at about 15 to 20 hrs for an IRS overhaul. aka rear brake job.
It’s best to remove the whole IRS cage than to attempt in the car. because space is limited, hugely limited.
If the brakes a gone, then (more often than not) so are the output shaft seals on the differential are spent too.
While the IRS cage is out it’s always a good idea to renew the fluid & evaluate all of the bushings, and bearings.
Typically when you see a not so beaten up Jaguar for sale, at a low price; 9 out of 10 times it needs brakes. particularly rear brakes. For some a rear brake repair is a deal breaker. Over here on the west coast of the US the price tag for such an endeavor will suck about $2,000.00 out of your net worth.
Don’t freak out cause the IRS is probably the most expensive maintenance item on the car. The other is V12 rebuild which can be a deal breaker. That’s why you see these with Small Block Chevy’s or other transplants.
Is the repair shop you’ve chosen familiar with the early Jaguar repairs? The reason why I ask is because the statement about the rear brakes, they should’ve known that straight away when they saw the car. The Jaguar Service manual (from Jaguar circa 1980’s) states IRS overhaul is 12.2 hours; and 8.4 hours for brake job.
Oh, and I’ve got two other Jaguars that weren’t on the list. It’s an affliction.
When they are replacing that belt…have them check the crank dampener pulley…with age, the rubber isolation deteriorates and spins on the inner crank sprocket…easier to change while they are there if it needs it.
I love the toothpaste. Looks like that Jag use to sport some swag! Tudor white & Red Leather, sporting Dayton wire bling, official Jaguar music playing on the radio, and a tube of tooth paste for a last minute freshening up. Back in the day that cat was on the prowl.
I really hope he knows what he’s talking about. He said “6 hrs at the least”, I shortened it to 5-6 hrs. I suspect that, at the price he quoted me, that he’s giving me a $$$ break of some sort because of the guy I bought it from (he’s the one who had it towed there & we’re just finding out that he’s pretty well-known around here—horses & Derby connections run thick in this area of the country).
I’ll be finding out shortly, I guess. grimace
The repair shop I chose was recommended by 2 places. One was the shop we take the Crossfire to. (I had jerked the car out of the hands of a place that had the car for 2 days last summer for a suspected tranny problem— it was hitching between gears a little—when the head mechanic proceeded to talk down to me when he explained his diagnosis. It literally went like this: “Hon, you had the ‘sport’ button turned on, it takes off faster & you’re just not used to it. You need to keep it on the other one 'til you’ve driven it for a while.”
“Really. Sport button. Wow, I’ve had the car for 10 years & there’s a SPORT button? Wow, that must be some powerful shit.” The W/S toggle is a Mercedes thing (summer/winter), when the W is flipped it takes off in 2nd gear in slick conditions. That’s it. A nothing, really & that wasn’t the problem. Dipshit.)
Found a great place that specializes in M-B, took it there. Tranny leaking fluid & I couldnt find it. Great guys. Anyway, they werent comfortable with this jag & referred me to a shop who does jags, who referred me to THIS guy because they weren’t comfortable because of its age. Did some research, this guy was recommended by 2 people I know who have older jags. He called me about 15 minutes after the car got there yesterday.
Long story short, I really hope he knows what he’s doing because I don’t LOL I may have to put you on speed-dial. Speed-forum.
edit: my husband is not a confrontational person. He’s extremely outgoing & assertive but if someone’s blowing sh*t at him he handles it diplomatically, gently. I’m not as patient as he is, so he backed off the second he saw that I was pissed at the 'sport button" guy. LOL I make him uncomfortable at times & this was one of them.
Replace “husband” in your screed with “wife,” and ya got my marriage!
That, and having been in the business of dealing with car jerks for 40 years, has made me less than tolerant with mechanics who talk down to women, and/or who try to shine on unsuspecting customers.
