Part 20 - Am I Becoming an XJS Whisperer?

 The XJS coupe had remained tucked up in storage for much of the remainder of 2023 until the MOT became due.  This prompted a call to action:  Use it or lose it. A few longish trips ferrying Max from Essex to Loughborough blew the cobwebs out of the V12.

A few running repairs were needed:  The petrol tank started to leak (again), but, naturally, the second time around, it was much easier to extract and refit the tank.

The enormous Cibié spotlamps needed rewiring, but came in useful on a Winter's evening when in order to keep the mental cobwebs away, Dexter and I competed in a 12-Car navigational event organised by the CSMA NWL in February 2024.  We were pleased to record a class win and 2nd overall with zero navigational penalties, and despite a largish time penalty when we overshot a junction by some miles!

The weather remained frightful, with the UK recording one of its wettest ever Winter and Spring.  This was preventing any useful work being carried out on the project XJ-SC sitting forlornly on axle stands on the drive.  However, we now had a new deadline to meet:  I had been invited to take part in a road trip with like minded individuals to the Italian Alps in early September.  About a dozen assorted sports cars are expected on the trip, and I thought the XJ-SC would be an ideal companion on the long drive in the early Autumn sunshine.

By early May work was at last beginning to progress.  A few warm days, and with Davina away with some girlfriends, I had four uninterrupted days to cut, weld and grind!  Progress on this project continues on a separate thread in this blog (Another Needy Jag).  It really needs about an uninterrupted month, such is the work required!

In the meantime, my friend Charlie C had asked me to take a look at a barn find Jaguar XJS convertible.  Charlie is no stranger to spanners and sports cars, so I was pleased to accompany him to the barn in question.  Based on my experience with British Leyland's best, I was not expecting to see much worth saving of a car that was parked 32 years ago.

Asleep for over 30 years!

We pulled back the dirty, dusty tarpaulin to reveal a car with four flat tyres, but otherwise, to all intents and purposes, it looked as though it had been parked in the barn last week.  As try as I might, I could not find any rust, the interior was perfect (no sign of rodent damage), the hood was as new and the paint was original.  We found the service book which confirmed it had been serviced within the last 2000 miles (but 32 years ago!).  It is the stuff of (some people's) dreams.

Now we knew the car was worth a further look, we agreed to meet again the following weekend to see if we could move the car...and perhaps get it started.  Charlie pumped up the tyres (which held air), but the brakes had seized on.  As we had both forgotten a tow-rope, there was no alternative but to try to start the car in order to move it.  We checked the fuel, which seemed still fresh enough (probably 5-Star Leaded!).  We hooked up the battery to Charlie's BMW and tentatively turned the ignition key.  The fuel pump primed the system, the ABS pump started charging the braking system, the instruments flickered into life...one more turn of the key and the big V12 turned over lazily.  Almost immediately the engine caught and the mighty Jaguar ran for the first time in over 30 years.  We had oil pressure and an engine running evenly on 12 cylinders.

We let the engine warm up gently until we saw smoke curling up from under the bonnet...ah, that's where the rodents had been camping out.  We removed several nests from the engine bay and tried again.  The car moved gracefully out of the barn under its own power into the afternoon sunshine.  Even the hydraulically operated folding top worked smoothly.

The owner is keen to sell the car, and naturally wants top dollar for a cosmetically near perfect car.  There was some discussion on value, so I suggested contacting the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club to get a professional opinion.  Their valuation was shockingly low...but justified by the amount of money they estimated might be required to bring the car up to par mechanically vs the current market value.  It is a beautiful car, and  one that I would be pleased to acquire, but the owner and I were simply too far apart on price to start a negotiation (at least until she gets some quotes for the work!).

Various side issues had been preventing much work on the rally XJS, which really needed some cosmetic titivation.  It has been near five years since the last renovation and some of the work carried out during the Covid lockdown is beginning to look a bit shoddy.

Davina's venerable Range Rover Sport was hit by an uninsured and unregistered car (the police suggested it was likely being used for local drug deliveries).  The insurance company wrote off the Range Rover as the repair was uneconomic, but realistically, it just needed a new bumper, some brackets, a windscreen water bottle and some paint.  We negotiated to keep the car and I sourced the necessary parts, fitted them and sent the car off for paint.  All in all, the cost was less than a quarter of the quote for the insurance company!  The car continues to put in sterling service ferrying us backwards and forwards to the West Country.

The XKR was showing signs of problems (again) with the charging system.  Naturally, the cheapie alternator I fitting last year was just out of warranty when it started to fail.  I bit the bullet and invested in a new and hopefully better quality unit.  Second time around, swapping out the alternator proved far easier and quicker.

We have been using the house in Padstow much more intensely, especially Dexter who spent most of the first six months of the year working in Padstow.  On one trip to Corwnall in the the Spring, Dexter surprised Davina and myself by arriving on a new motorbike.  His gap-year bar job had provided the funds, and his new purchase provided me with the excuse to ride down a week or so later on my Ducati.   It was great fun to take a few rides out together as he gained experience on two wheels.

Dexter has the L-Plates!  I'm the Dad in the photograph!

With no available navigators, my rallying had ground to a standstill, but nonetheless, I entered the East Anglian Classic, our local club's home HRCR event, advertising for a navigator.  Much to my surprise this elicited a response from Ray "Crow" Crowther, winner of this event six times.  His regular driver had just had his rare Porsche 911 restored and was reluctant to risk such a valuable vehicle in competition, so Ray happened to be at a loose end.  

Ray has navigated for Ed Abbot in another XJS in the past and was keen to experience the comfort once again.  We arranged to meet and we did a mini regularity section to see how we would work together.  All went well and we agreed to compete in the EAC in late June.

The  day arrived bright and sunny. The Crow settled himself into the car and started his preparations for the event. We were seeded 16 out of 38 entries.  As a well known character in the club, Ray was given the option of either the Clubman class (marked maps - easier) or standard navigation (hard enough for most navigators).  Ray chose both and decided to check the marked maps against the navigation - essentially doing both simultaneously!  

By the lunch halt we were making good progress with no wrong slots, running as high as 5th overall thanks to Crow's navigational expertise.  The speed tests (more my responsibility) were very tight for a large Jag, but we made a reasonable fist of them, with no wrong tests or cones hit.  As always, I regretted that the car is not fitted with a sump-guard (still on the to-do list) as our times would have been significantly faster if I had not had to worry about putting a hole in the engine or transmission on the off-road tracks.

At one test, we were warned that it would be a very tight squeeze to fit the XJS between two trees on a narrow track through a copse.  We breathed-in and slipped the Jag through smartly, somewhat to Crow's surprise that such a sizeable vehicle can be so nimble!  Nevertheless we were caught by a Mini that was travelling considerably quicker than us, and having nothing to gain, we let him pass, only to find the Mini spinning in front of us as the driver had brain fade at the next change of direction.  To his credit, he did apologise for his actions afterwards!

At the finish we were beaten into 2nd in class by 13 seconds, and a creditable 8th overall.  Both navigator and driver were satisfied with our first event together. 

Shortly after the event, my services as a Jaguar XJS consultant were once again requested, this time by one of Davina's tennis buddies.  

A few weeks previously, I had been chatting to her husband, who mentioned that he owned a Jaguar XJS V12 convertible.  The car had been parked in a garage 5 or 6 years ago, and he now wanted to restore the car to its former glory.  Why the car had been parked and left was left unsaid.

A Jaguar specialist was been asked to collect the car to quote for the work.  The estimate must have been a frightening amount as soon after I was asked (by his wife) to take a look at car to see what might be done!  Wives are rarely swayed by man maths. 

Max and I went to see the car on a sunny summer's morning.  Not knowing what we would find, I had filled the car with jack's, axle stands, battery, jump leads and a selection of tools.  We were led up to the garage that the car shared with a tractor and various heavy duty estate maintenance equipment.  

The car looked a little unloved, but on closer inspection, it was another Jaguar in pretty fine condition for its age.  

A new battery had been fitted (secured solely by a few cable ties!) and the car started without hesitation, but only on about 9 cylinders!  There was a sticker on the windscreen warning of a large cooling leak, so we shut the engine off after confirming the oil pressure was good.  A quick look over the car revealed that the passenger floor pan was in poor condition and the jacking point on the same side had corroded to the point that it had collapsed.  The driver's side floor pan had been repaired, but a pop-riveted panel covering the repair led to a niggling feeling that this was a bodge job.  There was evidence of a previous large leak from the heating system inside the car (rusty water all over the carpets).  That could be a headache.

The paintwork and chrome looked as though with a little attention, they would come up well, but the canvas convertible hood had definitely seen better days with many patched repairs and splits - this will definitely need replacement.

Under the bonnet there was a mixed bag...the aircon compressor was missing and the cruise control bellows assembly (normally mounted to said compressor) was flapping about and resting on the high tension leads to the spark plugs (not ideal).  The expansion tank had a fibreglass patch and looked ripe for replacement and there had obviously been a long-term oil leak from the rocker cover gaskets as pools of oil had solidified on the hot surfaces of the engine.

The inner wings had their customary rust issues (which irritatingly requires dropping the front subframe to repair) and the suspension rubbers looked long past their best.

The car is basically sound and well worth saving.  But as the valuer from the JEC said, the garage bill to do so will be more than the value of the car.  I'm looking a dry garage for the rally XJS and they are looking for an economic way of restoring their convertible.  

Maybe there is a deal to be done!