I take a closer look at my new 1978 Jaguar XJ6

[@DC-bm7oz]

You’ve got a beautiful canvas to start with. The bones are amazing for its age

[@petermccann7933]

Squadron blue....brilliant colour....❤

[@Mitkawatch]

It’s the perfect colour for that car! ⚡️

[@kge420]

Never knew the name of that color. Thanks

[@robrobster9148]

Nice Jaguar. Nice to see a young guy being into classic cars. Enjoy the car!

[@JonDingle]

That's a tidy example. I have had four XJ6 Series 2 cars. Looks like you need to replace the front and rear window seal rubbers. These perish and allow water into the front footwells and across the floor. The rear window leaks and leaves puddles in the wells under the rear passenger seat. AED is pain. You can buy a manual choke to replace it. Also check the fuel ranks and especially the submerged fuel pumps, they clog up with rust around the gauze filters. Fosroc Galvafroid is good high zinc cold galvanizing paint. Use a pneumatic needle scaler on the floor, weld up and holes then liberally paint the floor. The lower Jaguar mascot badges are off a later model so need swapping later. I would recommend you buy a MiG welder if you don't already own one. The front cross member under the radiator tends to rot but isn't too bad to replace. Life long Jaguar fan, welder and new subscriber from North Yorkshire here!

[@biroldjoshan3745]

Looks like a nice solid series 2 , a good base to improve as now a very rare car

[@Mitkawatch]

Question is how far I want to go, the idea is a to have a nice usable car. I think the first priority will be cleaning up around the front and back window a with new rubber gaskets.

[@biroldjoshan3745]

I think it is best to make it a nice solid usable car with out going overboard on expenditure and then keep on top of it and just enjoy , i did have a series 2 SWB manual / od many moons ago , they are nice cars when right

[@workshop_deluxe2493]

Are you kidding me? Lancia Flaminia, Peugeot 404, Jaguar XJ6 and Omegas? Exactly my favourits... Cheers, Chris

[@Mitkawatch]

Welcome to the channel! I see you have a XJ also:D

[@berwhaletheavenger]

Btw, the hood is called a 'bonnet' in the UK. 👍

[@gdfggggg]

My kids keep calling a torch a flashlight. I correct them.

[@SimonBell-kz4nw]

Looks like a survivor! Always liked them - stunningly good in period. My dad ran several from new - and they all leaked clean water into the rear foot wells - but only in heavy rain when parked pointing steep uphill.. diagnosed then as front bulkhead and sills draining internally rather than externaly due to parking gradient - so park it level-ish and it will be all good once it is dry again. Hope this is useful!

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks for the info! It will be

[@eddiecollymore390]

Great video. I have a 1978 XJC 4.2 in exactly the same colour (Squadron Blue the best colour IMO) and with the gold pinstripe too. My heart overruled my wallet when I bought mine as it was registered on my birthday, 21st March and I started working in 1978. The clincher being the private number plate includes my initials ! I’ll be interested to see how you tackle the jobs in & around the car. Good luck and I look forward to more videos.

[@Mitkawatch]

Sounds like a very nice car!😁

[@AbandonedClassicsOne]

All things considered, it's a fairly well sorted Series 2 bar anything lurking underneath. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes if you post future vids. I remember driving in them when new - grace, space and pace! Be nice to have one here in the US if I could find one without the bloody awful US regulation bumpers. Best of luck with it

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks! I’m enjoying the car. It’s very different from the Peugeot 404😂

[@Brain_Juice]

My dad had quite a few of these from new. What you need to do is a proper professional inspection of the chassis. Don't be scared, worse to ignore it spend (A whole heap of money on a heap) that's rotten as a pear etc... The arches seem good, this is an appreciating classic, if it is worth saving, but only if it's worth saving, be sensible, pragmatic, do the maths... Worst comes to worst, break the car for parts and get your money back. Best case scenario, new floor pan, not as bad as it sounds, better to take out the rust clean and in one go than to mess about with patches. Take your time, be patient with the old girl! And hopefully you will have a real gem on your hands, hope the advice helps!

[@Mitkawatch]

It’s an impressive car, but I’m not intending on making it concourse for the time being, I think stabilising any rust and use it until some of my other cars are finished. Aka the life ruining Fiat 2300 and the Flaminia sedan😅

[@Brain_Juice]

1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupe?@@Mitkawatch

[@Mitkawatch]

@@Brain_Juice Yes stacked away waiting for the workshop to be ready… got a video on my channel looking at it😅

[@richardautenzio8117]

Beautiful car and very nice colour inside and outside. That floor pan and boot rust is a job that needs carefull attention. 40 years ago I wou,d have scraped it down, made sure it was treated with rust converter and then applied fine layer of fisholine and let it sit for a week or two. Then I would paint over the fisholi e with Kill Rust paint which actually used fish oil in it. I still have a car that I treated that way and it is still good with no more sign of rust. That head .ight rim rust was very common on these cars. I had a series 1 and sills were a problem with rust. Also some times the rear panels over the petrol tanks can rust from condensation. I love the engine and the only problem I had with that engine was the AED between the carbs. That might be your starting problem. Pull off the main hose AED hose and block it off. Put your foot to the floor and it should start. Good luck. Many years ago I considered buying one of these but settled on a 1996 X300 instead as a driver. I never liked the changes to the series 3 even though it was a big seller. The ones and the twos were the best looking cars. Pininferrina made all the changes to the series 3 and looked odd to my eye.

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks for the good advice!

[@MrRicardo11]

To be expected for it's age. The box sections will be full of rust once you dig into it. Once you have fixed it, make sure you invest in a good rust treatment. They all need it

[@lewis72]

Harry of Harry's Garage spent over £50k restoring his V12 XJ-C !! I think the engine alone was around £20k.

[@Z06-viper]

Nice Xj6!!!!

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks!

[@AngelDlamini-g3k]

I love S2 XJ6,it's unique

[@robinharrison3907]

Nice looking JAAAG 🥳🥳

[@AngelDlamini-g3k]

It's just a complete classic,it defines Jaguar 100%

[@peterchapman8357]

its a shame that previous owners didnt deal with the window rubbers which has caused the rust in the floors, needs a good drying out and see what needs doing, your biggest jobs could be the twin fuel tanks and the rear brakes cost of both of those could be more than buying the car

[@Mitkawatch]

Yea if those window seals had been changed and rust dealt with it would have saved quite a few hours repair now… new callipers and disks all around 2 years ago, also engine seems to have been refurbished/rebuilt. So it will be worth sorting out the body to make a good car again!

[@paulytwotanks]

That looks a pretty decent series 2 you have. Unfortunately there is a lot of filler around the arches hiding much worse corrosion than appears. However, all that can be dealt with especially in your quality garage. When i bought mine over 20 years ago now, it had the same problem of water ingress theough the windscreen seals, soaking the carpets. Like you i had to grind it all out of the floor section s then i red oxide painted them (as was original on my '74 model) . The leaper on the bonnet is not original. All series 1,2 and 3 cars were bare bonnet when manufactured. Also im not sure what is going on in the boot of yours, in the area where the spare wheel is stored on the right should be a petrol pipe leading fom the twin su fuel pumps, theough a filter located on the right near the rear bulkhead and onto the front. Under n the piece at the back behind the spare wheel cover is where the fuel pumps are located. They are probably still there but the pipes from them have seemingly been routed in a non standard manner at some point. Good luck, you have a basically good car that are finally beginning to realise the values they should have years ago.

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks for information! Im happy to see there are a lot of patch panels available for these cars! Unlike my rusty Flaminia Berlina and Fiat 2300 coupe😅

[@alantraish3368]

Beautiful car . Too many getting smashed on the track. I hope to save one too. Subscribed

[@Mitkawatch]

That’s not going to the track on my watch!

[@davidcooks5265]

It's very nice 👍

[@Mitkawatch]

Thanks!

[@A_Different_Kind_Of_Truth]

I'd say you paid around £15,000 for it considering it's condition 👍👍

[@rodrigoantunes8502]

Behind that filler is much worst then you expect, bellieve-me... mine was like that and when i started to scratch was a disaster... sand blaste it, new sills and bottom trank...

[@johndavey72]

I hope you have very deep pockets . There's a lot more rust than you think .....a lot more ! Did you buy this unseen ? Hopefully you didn't pay any more than the previous owner did on the engine rebuild . Couple of points . When you shut the bonnet , put your right hand under the top of the grille , your left in the centre of the bonnet and then shut the bonnet very firmly . And l mean firmly !!! Take those rags out of the vents . They are to vent out any exhaust fumes. The fumes get dragged through the boot seal and fuel tank box sections . Good luck

[@Mitkawatch]

Pockets are not to deep, but I got a workshop and a welder😁

[@johndavey72]

@@Mitkawatch l bought a '76 in 2008 for my daughters wedding . It was looking rather sad and neglected on a nearby drive. But it looked to be a good car under the dirt and grime . I knocked on the door and an older gent answered . I asked if it was for sale . He replied a scrapman offered him £350 for it . He said he wanted £500 . I said if it started l'd give him the asking price. He looked at me rather glumly and said it hadn't run for 12 months . Well he got the key and it immediately started and purred like a kitten !! Sold !! On further inspection the front wings were perfect . Both front doors just needed the rear outer corners cutting out and repairing . The rear arches needed replacing as did the lower rear valance . On closer inspection the outer sills also required replacing and once removed the rear sections of the inner sills also needed attention . The lower radiator support needed replacing and the front outer chassis leg needed replacing . The floors were pristine. Oh and l had to cut out and replace the lower outer edge of the boot lid. Apart from replacing the headlining the interior was immaculate . And although a 4.2 , the seats were a special order in velour . The first owner was the wife of a wealthy businessman and was chauffer driven . She always took her dog with her and didn't want the dog to slide on the standard leather seating. Ironically , the velour was standard on the cheaper 3.4 XJ . I restored this in 7weeks including painting the car (except the roof ) and still working full time. I've restored many cars but l still wonder how l acheived so much in such a short time ! It was mot'd with 2 days to spare ! My oldest daughter drove the Jaguar with the 4 brides maids and hadn't driven an auto before .....a natural driver. I sold it in 2009 to John , who still has the car and it still wins trophys today !

[@Mitkawatch]

The trick is not to scratch the surface 😂 sounds like you did a good job on the car!

[@peterriggall8409]

Shame about the bits of rust but not structural. As you say wet floors probably due to perished window seals. Looks like lots of money spent on engine rebuild. Trans. was working as it should so hopefully mechanically you will not have much to spend. Nice to have books and history with the car. You can’t buy that. I have found anything with SU carbs are absolutely gutless until warmed up.

[@Mitkawatch]

It’s not rotten, but not perfect either.. all adding up for a usable car! You can buy rear wheel arches repair panels, that makes that job a lot easier! I also found a couple of holes inside the rear arches also. So welding practice coming up…

[@wojtekpawlowski4951]

Rather typical rust for these cars esp when seals around windows and sunroof were not replaced. However, none of these rust spots seem to be just surface - ask me how I know. 😢 What you show next to right front door is rotten from inside from water intruding via windshield. If no one has fixed it, even better. Nothing is worse than rust repairs done after unsuccessful repairs. Good luck!

[@Mitkawatch]

I have a feeling you have been to close to one of these in person 😂👍

[@wojtekpawlowski4951]

​@Mitkawatch Correct, it is still work in progress. 1975 two-door coupe in my case.

[@Mitkawatch]

@@wojtekpawlowski4951nice!

[@kge420]

I had a1979 in the same color blue exterior and a dark blue interior. What a beautiful car but it was rusting away while I looked at it.

[@Mitkawatch]

Bio degradable😂

[@TheHorsebox2]

I think it's called Squadron Blue. Lovely car at any rate.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Everything rotted in the 70s.dick.

[@ivanfernyhough3851]

Looks like a nice car,my dad had a vanden plas one in the 80s and i have had a couple of series 3s.whats this american nonsense,its a boot,bonnet and a wheel,not a rim.tge philios turnlock radio cassette in the boot is original equipment to.

[@pdterre5496]

Restored a Ser1 much worse than yours and drove it everywhere in summertime. You are lucky if you get away with sills and wheel arches.

[@Mitkawatch]

Have yet to find anything terminally bad. It’s been MOT since new so always been kept in roadworthy condition. Love the series 1!

[@pdterre5496]

I did too but sold for house renovation...later owner put it on YT with injected V8: look for "Jaguar donut". Now offered on a Ser3 in I think same blue as yours. Cheers from Finland @@Mitkawatch

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party and Gretas FFF movement gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now these green heroes want to slow down all the gas station fuel pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions- and smoke crime :-(

[@robmcintosh725]

what a pile of bollocks - time to take your meds

[@Mitkawatch]

I’m not exited about fuel restrictions, but I hope there will be ways around it🤞in the meantime I’ll enjoy burning bio fuel (compressed plankton) from millions of years ago👌

[@kge420]

Have fun walking!

[@Mitkawatch]

@@kge420😂

[@peterpaliwoda1527]

Is this true ? Thought it was just ending of the manufacturer of new ice cars ….I assumed the still existing “used” ice cars would trundle on for many years forward ….?

[@deanstanley5799]

Who the bloody hell put that leaper there 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@Mitkawatch]

Some former owner, but have to admit It’s nice seeing it on the hood while out driving.