The Restoration Page

his is almost the beginning of the story. It suffices to say that I didn't intend this to be a full restoration, I began by fixing a few things here and there, and then it would have been a shame not to do this and that, and while I'm there, well you get the idea. It took nearly two years in total to finish the project, working mainly nights and weekends. Now, I can't show every detail of the project here, or you'd really have to wait forever for the page to load, so I'll just try to hit the highlights. For more detail be sure to see the stereo page, as many of the restoration photos were actually to document the stereo installation.

Here's a sad sight! Actually it's not so bad. I was lucky enough to have a friend's garage available for the first half of this restoration. Here the car was stripped of its grills (one upper, one lower that's hard to see), emblems, headlamps, taillamps, marker lamps, door handles and locks, chrome trim, and bumpers. The sunroof and rear body underpans were removed for painting separately. The windscreen and backlight (front and rear glass, you non-Brits) were removed, and the interior was completely stripped out. Since all the body and paint work was yet to come, this was the perfect time to complete as much of the mechanical work as possible.

First was the suspension. It got a thorough going-over and everything substandard was replaced, including all six (yes, six) shock absorbers, all the ball joints, the mounts and boots for the steering rack, and the transmission mount. Leaks were plugged with new seals at the crankshaft, transmission and rear end. All brakes were replaced: New rotors, rebuilt calipers, new pads, new master cylinder. The fuel system was replaced (no small feat on a car with dual tanks, a diverter valve and solenoid-controlled return lines), and all body panels were cleaned and primed on the inside to prevent rust. The oil cooler you see here got custom braided lines. Lucky cooler.

This is where those Lucas Electronics demons get exorcised! First, at the heart of the electrical system, the stock Lucas alternator was appropriately tossed away, and a new GM unit upgraded to 140 amps was put in its place using a custom adapter bracket. To handle this extra juice, all primary wiring was replaced and upgraded to 4-ga oxygen-free copper from the flimsy stock wire, with all connections 24k gold-plated, crimped, soldered and sealed. A new starter and all new relays came next. Finally, an Optima 800 amp sealed battery went into a new tray in the stock location with custom brackets. All the rest of the underhood wiring was tested, repaired as necessary and wrapped with protective wire loom.

As for the engine, here you see a "before" picture, sans water pump, thermostat, hoses, belts, electrical and intake system. This is the venerable XK engine in its 4.2 liter incarnation. Straight six, dual overhead cam configuration putting out 205 horsepower into a Borg-Warner 3-speed automatic transmission. The previous owner claimed to have had the engine rebuilt, and the way it ran I believed him. Still, this engine received a thorough cleaning, timing chain adjustment, new water pump, thermostat, hoses, belts, and electrics (cap, rotor, plugs and wires). Also replaced were the air pump, cruise control servo and throttle cable. The cam covers were repainted, polished and re-emblemmed (is that a word?) and the intake system was cleaned out. The engine bay got a thorough detail, everything polished or repainted as new.

And it's off to the paint shop! The car got lots of trailer-miles being shipped back-and-forth to the paint shop, mechanic and glass shop. Brown's Auto Body in Statesboro, GA gets the credit for a show-quality paint job. Their main man Travis took the paint down to primer, and in some areas metal and repaired a couple small rust spots at the window openings. This car had been well taken care of, that was the only rust on it. Not only were all door dings removed but lots of the factory panel wrinkles as well. Then a basecoat/clearcoat in original-color Silver Sand Metallic was sprayed inside and out, including the underneath of the bonnet and boot (hood and trunk for us yankees). Travis sprayed a little extra clearcoat, then sanded and buffed it to a glass-smooth finish. Finally, the sills (rocker panels) and front valance got chip-guard coating. Truly better-than-new.

Now, the trick was to put this cat back together without damaging any of that paintwork! New gaskets were used to install the emblems, chrome trim and doorhandles. A new windscreen was fitted and the backlight was installed. New weatherstripping was installed on the doors, trunk, hood and sunroof. Oh, that sunroof! Jaguar used a remote motor in the trunk to drive cables up both c-pillars to open and close the roof. This was all greased and adjusted to perfection. This photo shows the driver's door, sans panel, with some of the sound-deadening material applied. Latches and locks were adjusted, and window tracks lubricated. Chrome windscreen wipers (sorry purists) replaced the stock black units. Even the air intake grill on the cowl is factory-new.

Well, check this out. Jaguar creates the most beautiful woodwork you've ever seen! OK, these pictures don't do it justice. Yes, the dashboard in an XJ6 is really a board! The Vanden Plas got the best: carpathian elm burlwood. Veneered by hand onto plywood, mirrored about the centerline of the dash. Unfortunately, the clear topcoat left something to be desired - durability! See the difference between the new, dark pieces and the original faded and cracked wood. The shifter surround was upgraded from black vinyl to matching wood. This wood came from England; it was produced by Jaguar in 1991 and crated as a spare-parts set for the XJ12, which was produced in England until 1992 with the same body style discontinued here in 1987.

What a mess! Yeah, looks like R2D2 threw up in here. At this point the new dash is installed, and most of the electronics are in. The blue cables in the console are the preamp leads for the stereo. The air conditioning and heating vents were replaced, the brain for the automatic a/c was replaced (megabucks) and the ignition switch is new. Jaguar was ahead of its time in some respects for 1985. One is the dash lighting system, which in addition to standard bulbs also used fiber optic cables to light the a/c controls, headlight and ignition switches. These did require some care to get working again, although at their best, well, hey - they tried. All wiring circuits were tested and fuses replaced. Jaguar even included a/c and heating ducts for the rear-seat passengers.

Coming along nicely, now, this shot shows the wood a little better. If you look closely you can see how the woodgrain matches perfectly across the glove box door to the dash. The dash is complete with new trip computer, switch panel, stereo head unit, a/c controls and vents, instruments and brand-new leather steering wheel still in bubble-wrap. Behind the wheel are new turn signal and wiper controls, and a new ignition switch. The wires dangling under the glove compartment are for the Alpine alarm system (see stereo page). Jaguar put the cutest makeup mirror in the glove compartment, it pops up from the opened lid. Maybe British women prefer to look down while putting on makeup, rather than up to a visor mirror? Perhaps someone will enlighten me on this.

Wow! The interior is complete, how'd that happen? After lots of undercoating and sound-deadening (see stereo page), a new headliner was installed, new carpet went in (with embroidered leaping cats), followed by all new leather seating. In the Vanden Plas, the console and door panels are genuine leather also, unlike the vinyl in the standard XJ6. The door panels were replaced after applying water-barrier plastic to the backside, and new burlwood on the frontside. The carpet and leather are the original colors, the carpet is "rattan" and the leather is "doeskin." The Vanden Plas even gets the coolest pop-out reading lights in the back seat.

Oh, those sexy curves! Well, we're there. Reassembly is complete. Dual tan coachstripes have been applied along with protective molding. All chrome polished, rubber cleaned and dressed. Bosch foglights (sorry, Lucas) installed in the factory locations. OEM mudflaps, while unfashionable, protect extremely well. Those hideous American-issue wheels (see trailer picture) dumped for newer model rims with new tires. All rear chrome was replaced with factory new, including emblems and exhaust tips. European rear fog lamps grace the formerly plain-looking rear underbumper (Europe only got one, but I like two better). Even with the oversize, ugly American-spec bumpers it's beautiful.

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