Drilled most likely and everything that gets taken off reveals paint in a different colour with less scratches and discoloration.
I like original but for this car original means something a little different so I would wear that outfit until something must be done around the windscreen. Unless that leaks the car may not need special attention just yet.
The headliner you must pin up, I havenāt found a good enough solution, you can try it in situ but itās hard to glue it up and then it will need to be removed to do it properly, and you will hate yourself for ruining the fiberglass.
The windscreens do not appear to be leaking inside the car. Right now I do not have a garage spot for the car but I do keep it covered and just havenāt had it and used it enough to say that definitively, but I donāt think itās leaking inside the car.
That said, it DOES need to be addressed (the rust bubbles). It will not get better and it will get worse and it will get more expensive as time goes on.
The trim on the edge of the doors is adhesived on. The trim was there when my professor bought the car in 1989, but in the 1990s he had the car repainted locally and at that time they put new trim on the door edges. It isnāt on there perfectly either ā it makes the car look as if the rear doors are ajar when theyāre really closed.
David, the cleaner lines of your car are very nice and compelling as I think about where to go from here.
Iāve spent a lot of money on the car to get it just to a reliable running state right now so Iām going to pause before the next big step (besides tires), but I think in the not too distant future Iāll address the rust repair and headliner. Itās a slippery slope though, because really the rust bubbles should be addressed when the car is being repainted for all the issues, and when I do the headliner with windscreens out sounds like the right time to recover the front seats and either do some re-dying or recovering of the rear seats. And on and on and onā¦oh and by the way, if thereās a new paint job, do I really want to put bumpers that arenāt re-chromed and stainless that isnāt repolished back on? ETC
Thatās why I said you should enjoy it now and in two or three years new paint, rust repair, and all the aftermarket stuff must go. Do it once, do it right, but it wonāt be that car anymore.
As an aside to your concernsā¦may I add the subject of lighting. If you are going to be driving your car regularly, I think you will find the headlights and high beams for the American market were quite anemic at best. You can invest in some 7" buckets, lamps using LEDs and european sized chrome trim rings to bring your carās headlights into the modern age. I am using driving lights with LEDs of the same size as the original high beams in the bonnet section that are night and day brighter too.
ā¦ which is why I am totally inflexible on the six-year-old date. Some folks think Iām nuts, but your picture proves I am not.
Your picture is completely indicative of how the tires were on my 10,000 pound motorhome when I bought it: the seller told me the same thingā¦
Itās more amazing they held air.
Unfortunately, my normal daily driver (an 04 Jetta TDI wagon with 388,000 miles on it) was involved in its first accident (a hit and run where the other guy got away), so the XJ6 will be put into service as my daily driver until I get the Jetta out of the bodyshop.
I say that to say this ā I need to get new tires now. For this stage of the restoration Iām simply going to replace the old tires on the wire wheels. I sense that down the road Iāll likely move back to original style wheels but for now, for simplicity, Iām going to stick with these.
My issue is this though ā I notice that the tires on my wire wheels are 215/70/15. I believe that they are supposed to be 205/70/15. These are the same Dayton wire wheels many owners use on their XJ6, so I assume that both size tires will work fine.
Besides cost and availability, any comments or recommendations on which size to choose would be appreciated.
Thanks,
-Matt
The 205/70s were standard issue on the XJ6 until '83 or so. Then Jaguar starting using (for the USA market, at least) 215/70. Either size is OK. If you look at the tire spec placard (under the mirror in the glove box) itāll probably show both sizes
Cheers
DD
I went for 215/65R15ā¦
That was back in 2018, still happy with them.
The photo I posted further up the thread is with these tires.
Mine came with 215/70 (84 UK model) but the speedo was underreading which is technically illegal. With 205/70 it was spot on.
Matt,
the 6 cyl models came standard on 205/70, the 12 cyl cars standard on 215/70. Iām not aware that Jaguar responded to the difference in circumference with a different speedo transducer. The bigger wheels look a bit bulkier. Both will fit the same rims.
In this part of the world it is no problem to have the 6 cyl cars registered with 215/70.
Both sizes are though not hard to find, but either āvintageā production by Pirelli, Michelin or Vredestein and quite costly or cheap, but designed for minivans and the like.
As Aristides suggested: using 215/65 will be closer to the original circumference and give you a bigger and better choice.
Good luck
Jochen
75 XJ6L 4.2 auto (UK spec)
Not quite correct I think.
All XJ 1970 (circa) onwards can run on 215/70 but 65 is indeed better for speedo accuracy.
As Doug mentioned above, there is a tire spec annotation on the glove box door. It actually shows both 205/70/15 and 215/70/15 as options. I ordered the latter today from Costco, the only all-season they have is BF Goodrich Radial T/A (Tires: Shop for Car, SUV & Truck Tires - Costco | Costco Tires). Iām hoping that the backside is all black (I donāt want white lettering) and they can mount them as such.
Some tyres are directional and cannot be āreversedā, Matt - but not in this case?
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
70s muscle car tyres, certainly reversible in all ways.
