I’ve gone off-piste with this one.
Usually I go for simple cars, roll up or even no windows. No exterior door handles is good. Lack of complexity makes it easier to restore/maintain an old car.
But I’ve loved XJ6s since I was a teenager. They’re just so gorgeous.
And when I saw a picture of one in my preferred colour combo, it was love.
So I made plans to drive the 6 hours to look at/buy it. Had a mate teed up to come and drive it home.
But then I remembered a car that an old guy had offered me about 5 years ago. An XJ12.
And they say you should own a V12 once in your life, so it was easy to justify even more complexity with a lower entry price and a much, much closer pick up. I had to ring and cancel the love at first sight one.
So I’ve brought this home.
It needs serious recommissioning just to get it drivable. If I can get it past that hurdle, I’ll drive it a bit, and decide if it’s worthwhile doing a more thorough resto.
Started with the fuel side of things. It hasn’t run for 5 years or more, so dried up fuel will have to be sorted.
The filler neck of both tanks was enough to tell me the tanks would need removing and rust repairs would be just a question of degree.
So off with the back bumper and lower rear valence on each side.
The valences had been off before, evidenced by the assortment of washers.
What do these people do? Throw the fasteners from all jobs in a bucket and then select ones that are ‘close enough’ when reassembling?
It took most of the day to get both tanks out, but I am chuffed with what I’ve found. The tanks will need cleaning but seem to be in excellent condition. As is the rear of the car. No rust found other than a pinhole in the spare tyre well. Hasn’t yet been cleaned in this photo.
The area occupied by the tanks is thankfully rust and damage free, both sides.
One of the tanks. That’s the drain on the bottom left of the photo. About 3 cups of dried up fuel flakes came out of each tank. Not sure how I’ll clean these yet.
Was also very pleased that all the fasteners came out with no trouble. Nice in a 50 year old car.
Next will be to flush the fuel lines an see if the pumps work, then carbs.
Thanks in anticipation of advice to come.
