Making My £420 Jaguar XJS Roadworthy... I must be Mad!
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Getting my £420 Jaguar Xjs ready to hit the road! in order to do this we need an Mot on there car and there are a few things to do before it is ready for a test.
In this video I replace all the front brakes and give the car a full and overdue service! Unfortunately I am soo close to bringing this old jaguar back to life but it will definitely be in the road in the next video, I promise!
Thank you very much for watching!
British, Building Cars in a shed, pissing it down, laying on the cold hard ground......You've got it! Excellent!!
Reminds me of laying on the floor outside mid winter few inches of snow trying to replace TR7 exhaust ready for work next day and one bolt gets stuck. Answer was stick welder. Got bolt red hot and it came off. Even blown old bolt heads off with welder.
Me this week freezing cold wind doing the brakes on my Honda jazz 😂
So refreshing to watch an average enthusiast rebuilding a British classic rather than some supercar from Copart "only" needing 48k worth of body panels...
Keep up the good work!
Doing it all on his own, in a cold, leaky shed without a load of expensive equipment and lifts or people giving him stuff or services for free, in return for being plugged on the channel.
This the ‘real deal’ ! 🙂
@@derin111 Agreed. That and not sending off stuff to be done elsewhere too !
Exactly...
This is why I love this guy’s channel. This is all of us - trying to work on our stuff with everything else going on. No sponsors to speak of, no bazillion followers, just a normal guy talking about what he’s doing and being very candid with the setbacks.
Love his can do attitude nothing is a problem he's got a great future .
Absolutely can't wait to see this car back on the road. What a brilliantly told story and another episode is great news. Just a brilliant watch, thank you.
Yeah, loving this. Just honest to goodness guy-in-a-shed trying to do his best. You can relate a lot more to channels like this imho. Fingers crossed for the MOT. If it gets a fresh ticket for under a grand then I'd say you've done very well...
I'm more of a classic motorcycle man myself, but I keep getting drawn to this channel.
I love it too. Feels really authentic
Sir,
We have been following your progress with the XJS, and would like to take the opportunity to commend you on the restoration thus far.
You're obviously a highly skilled man. Auto elecrics, welding, painting and mechanical engineering all seem to come naturally to you. Well done. These are all hard won, but sadly underestimated talents.
You are very interesting to observe, when doing what you do so very well. As are all artisans, for that matter. However, you have real flair for narration and presentation. Not easy in limited space.
We wish you well for the New Year, and with the Brown's Lane Cat, and hope to see you brandishing an MOT pass very soon.
One final point, you stated that 'this was getting out of hand' during your commentary. On the contrary, we would opine that you have the project very well in hand!
Kind regards,
MP
One of my favourite UA-cam projects right now. Kudos.
Thanks Dan!!
Really enjoying seeing you bring this XJS back to life. Keep up the good work!
One of my favourite cars the XJS, I thought this was going to be too far gone but no, great work and that rocker cover looks ace
Don't forget to cycle through the gears when doing an at fluid change then check the levels again when warm 👍 looking good
I had a V12 XJS years ago - rusty in all the same places ! The inboard rear brakes are a total pain - the heat from them cooks the oil seals on the diff so oil sprays out onto the pads and rots them. It should have just needed a few pounds worth of new seals on the Salisbury diff, but no ! My car was fitted with a Dana diff which has the seals integral with the bearings. £300 later, and that was back in the 90s ! The other thing to watch for is a rusty fuel tank - it's in two halves welded together, but the seam runs diagonally on the two ends, so one long seam runs along the bottom edge. If that goes like mine did, even running the car til it's out of fuel won't stop the leak. The boot fills with petrol fumes, and the tank is right next to the battery - I don't know how it didn't blow up ! A great driving car, but full of silly design elements that make working on them unnecessarily difficult
Really invested in this project. Love what you're doing!
I’m reliving my youth vicariously through your exploits on this car 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great content tip for brake pipes use a pice of string to get length saves having to straighten them keep up the good work
Quality content. Interesting. Honest.
I appreciate that, thank you 🙏
@@cashmachinecars My pleasure.
I'm noticing a pattern here since I started watching.
Hard work, Enthusiasm, and giving anything a go.
Very well done buddy, good skills indeed.
I freely admit that I was skeptical when you started this project, but you have proved me wrong! Credit to you for taking this car to another level. Your work on the electronics alone would have put most people off. If you want to retain a clean finish on the rocker cover, I would recommend a clear powder coating over the surface. As you have already painted it, lacquer is probably more cost effective. Looking forward to seeing your next update, and keeping 🤞for the MoT 👏👏👏
Thanks David! Yea I thought about getting it powder coated but wasn't really in the budget atm but could possibly be in the future maybe! 🤞 Thank you
On my Rover V8s and XJ6 I have just sprayed with WD 40 after doing the top covers, lasted for years. Clear laquer on aluminium is difficult to get to adhere.
Yes wd40 is way to go
Thank you Gary I'll do this! 👍
The XJ-S is the the cover car on the new issue of Classic and Sports Car magazine this month so you're well on trend here!!!! Keep up the good work.
"I must be mad" but still proceeding, is the effect that a Jag has. My x350 has already cost me upwards of 5k to fix and is nowhere near fixed, needing at least another 5k to get it to drive like it should. But still it is a matter of love, they have so much character that you just want to go that bit further to save the car.
haha this is soo true, there is just something about them! nice hope you get the x350 back on the road soon!
Those 3.6 and 4.0 engines really are superb and the equal of anything BMW and Mercedes made.
Nice to see a younger person at diy on British cars good luck
Great work, I admire your quiet, confident skills. Good luck with the MOT.
Lovely old sykes brake pipe flaring tool you got there.
Healthy engine oil?? Well aside that it's is as black as the ace of spades! Lol, not surprising though seeing how long it's been laid up (I guess you meant only from a lack of metallic particles POV).
Btw, rather than straighten out the old brake pipes to measure them, you could just use a piece of string.
At 19:03 , it sounds like the fanbelt is slipping slightly (assuming all the pulleys are ok), you might want to check the tension and check the belt for any perishing (or anything leaking on it).
If you haven't checked the suspension, I'm sure the MoT will 'highlight' some issues 😉
Great to see progress though 😎
Am pleased your going for it, and getting back on the road. another one saved. also key ring arrived so thanks for that.
Such realism and sheer dogged persistence. You have to admire someone who is so determined to fix the unrepairable! I’m looking forward to the next instalment..
All those green Lucas parts boxes lying around gave me the heebies 🤣
No need to apologize!!! If you can get this thing roadworthy for less that 2K you're still WAY ahead. My favorite part of the video though was that I happened to have close captions turned on, I turned audio off just for a moment but left CC on, and when you went to fire it fire the engine up after all the work was done, CC simple said "[Music]" and I immediately thought, "I couldn't agree more!" :)
Fantastic job mate and I love that Alpine IDA series, that was an expensive bit of kit back in the day and even these days you would pay a fair amount for it, as they’re quite sort after.
If you’ve rescued that XJS and put it back on the road for under a grand that’s a fantastic achievement mate.
Poor Ben from Tasty Classics (another brilliant channel) had some real hassle getting his laid up example running again and it nearly broke the poor guy.
I’m around your neck of the woods in Sussex, so if you see someone waving or flashing up in an old Green V5 Golf, I’m not warning you about a Bomb crater of a pothole or hidden speed camera lol.
Proper mechanic, cold, damp, no ramp, nice one dude, subscribed..
All good fun. When I have had caliper problems I have bought rebuild kits so I kept the original castings. A bit cheaper than buying new calipers but there you go. Not every is as daft as me I suppose. Brings back many memories of my red XJS.
Completely agree I like to rebuild them but the calipers where so cheap I couldn't resist haha 🤣
Your doing a fantastic job, well done
Good to see you back. I've been waiting for this! £420 quid 😂. Got to be worth it at that price ❤
Don't tease us too much! Take a leaf out of Ben at Tasty Classics book. He does one video (usually) on a car resurrection and we LOVE it. I'm personally happy to watch up.to 2 hours when the subject is as interesting as this one. Thanks for these anyway. You're an inspiration to all us lovers of older cars!
Chris Harris is doing an XJS too.
Thanks I could save it all up for one video but It would take a lot longer to come out, I have been just doing updates as they happen, I think I will hopefully do a few more videos where it's all in one longer vid. Thank you
Your doing a great job with this old girl. Enjoying the rawness of the video. Not a high production vid that seems fake with the troubles encountered. Keep it up. Your doing a great job.
Love my new XJS t-shirt and thanks for keyring.
Thank you very much I'm glad you like it! 👌
This series on the XJS is hugely interesting, but as a former owner of a V12 convertible, I find the naivety of our host to be wonderfully compelling. In my 30's XJS ownership was okay, but now, in my 50's, I just don' t have the energy. That said, these videos feel very nostalgic and very much capture my experience as a young man. If I had a criticism, it would be that the 6 cylinder is lightweight compared to the hugely refined 5.3 ltr V12 I owned...
Good to see another old Jaguar saved and hopefully going back on the road, last year I spent a lot of time resurrecting an XJ8 that had been sat for a few years
Thank you! What happened to the xj8 did you keep it?
@@cashmachinecars Hi, yeah hope to hang onto it for a while, we had it out today to a morning meet despite all the mud/salt on the road :-/ I've done a few episodes about it, this is when we first checked it out: ua-cam.com/video/D1AKKxZu748/v-deo.html cheers, RJ.
Enjoyed that very much. I have subscribed. I also like your attitude to the MoT test. It is the most cost effective safety check you can have done on a car (or bike), so as long as you've done what you know was needing to be done, if it fails, for very litttle money you've had a mechanic telling you what needs to be done next. Looking forward to the next episode.
To stop aluminium corrosion use ACF50, developed by US Navy for spraying onto carrier aircraft actually penetrates the metal. very good stuff been using it for years on my vintage BMW motorcycle and it lives in a similarly damp garage.
Pleased to see your giving this XJS the love.
Rocker cover looks Good just wipe some clean oil over the fins and she'll be good.
If the transmission works well change the fluid again as there will be dirty oil in the torque converter.
Good Luck for the MOT test.
I'm an ex Tester and it's always nice to see effort like you've put into the car.
XJSs are very cool, I'd love one.... but I'm used to a 50mpg car, I imagine the fuel bills would be terrifying.
It's very nearly the same - all you have to do is swap the 'm' and the 'g' 😄
3 eps in and its only just dawned on me.
That really is a 420 jag,
Dude.
great channel- love it. The damp in the garage is prob condensation. get yourself a dehumidifer it may help.
You're testament to Britain's ingenuity, skill, knowledge & intelligence. So please change the dollar sign in your intro graphic to CA£H. I know it's not quite as neat but I'm proud to be a fellow Brit subscriber and citizen! Also there are lots of brash, showy American car channels already. Yet you're so good at extolling patience and British sensibility.
I second that motion - all those in favour say - aye
The car is a death trap. The multi skin internal chassis structure close to the panhard rod mounts is rotten. This idiot doesnt have a clue on how to repair or and doesnt seem to care if someone gets killed at some time in the future.
@@battlebbothave you even watched these episodes?
@@battlebbot My apologies in advance if the below seems a tad terse, yet, you seem to know an awful lot more about this guy than I do, whom I haven't met, perhaps you know him personally? With your more in depth knowledge of this man, please now verify how you can so confidently confirm this man is infact an idiot? Please also supply a globally agreed definition of the word idiot, as your defintion will no doubt be different to me. Then define the word kind or reasonable for me please too or how to make spaghetti bolognese. Perhaps you 'know' this man's IQ, perhaps his CV or his qualifications or experience, perhaps his BMI has a bearing on the matter, maybe it's his star sign or whether infact he is vegan or even his sexuality proves he is an idiot? From my initial and albeit rather humble perspective and assessment, you assume far too much Mr battlebbot sir, you "know everything" but sadly can't 'prove anything' about this man and in addition, rather foolhardily state that this guy doesn't 'care' whether he kills anyone. I do hope you apply the same radical factual judgements about me having not met either (I'll give you a clue, I am probably circa 15kg overweight for starters despite having cycled for almost 50 years and being 182cms tall, but you knew that already didn't you, now over to you). Finally, this chap does now know about the chassis sit rep as you have so kindly pointed out and likely there will be someone along sooner rather than later, who will, rather than pull this guy to pieces, perhaps, you know, offer some advice on how to repair the problem, rather than try to expose him as a charlatan, rastabout or a snake oil salesman as you have tried so hard to do. We all need a mentor don't you think? Hopefully you aren't one of "those" people who get so very defensive when your work is shall we say 'sub optimal' or do you simply reach for the book of justifications? I rather think that in your above rant, sadly you may have tacitly exposed your own shortcomings in the comments section. You see, when you don't know anything or very little about the subject matter or person in this case, in order to prove you know 'something' you have to fill in the blanks with generalisations, judgements (rather than the kinder observations) and stereotypes and what we call in the trade "illogical leaps based on sweet fcuk all". Can I politely suggest you see a psychologists for own issues (including your anger or am I assuming - see what I did there, IYKYK as Gen Z say) rather than simply 'projecting' onto this chap. I refer you back to my first line response. Best wishes.
@@fuzzbox3912 I KNOW you dont have the skills or knowledge to replace the corroded parts, and the cost of having the work done properly professionally would be more than the car is worth!
Restoring old cars is highly skilled work, and if you don't have those skills, make videos about something else.
2k direct to metal laquer. Dont use ordinary laquer as it will flake off. If you can leave a dehumidifier in the car overnight it will help dry outcaroets etc.
Lovely old beast, this, and in a great colour too. Nice to see they're finally starting to be appreciated after many years of being sneered at and living in the E-type's shadow.
Can't wait to see that gorgeous car back on the road
You and me both!!
2500 views in 2 hours, I think you've got a hit on your hands! Good work, keep going. :)
Thoroughly entertaining series of episodes - so admire your skill enthusiasm and patience, please keep up the great work.
Fantastic job you're doing young man. Best of British with the M.O.T..
Just found your channel. Like your videos and subscribed. Maybe I am your only subscriber who lives in Bali. Keep up the good work mate.
Great to see the progress on the old Jag! getting so close to having her back on the road now.
Many thanks for the key ring!
Great job getting this far, and it's great that it's getting back on the road where it belongs. Keep at it!
Thanks, will do!
Great progress 👍 the rocker cover looked great after your work. I think the engine bay would detail up pretty well. Maybe something to do whilst you wait for the rain to stop 😁 along with taking off the many stickers and a bit of red oxide over the bare metal patches.
Love it when guys like this spend hours of their own time fixing something up, using their talent, years of experience and accumulated skills (not to mention tools), and then say "It only cost a grand!" :D
Key fob arrived today thx, very cool.
So far so good! Most enjoyable. All the very best with the MOT. ❤It 👍
Thank you! 🙂 🤞
As much as I enjoy the other young lads buying super cars and getting them spotless , this is closer to where I am .
I'm not particularly in to cars but i'm really enjoying this XJS story. Looking forward to the next video
I love it Watching old school mechanics at work. Much more than modern cars. I have mum big regret. I rebuilt a triumph stag I sold it making a huge profit but I loved that car As soon as I sold it , I tried to get it back.
Thank you!! Was the stag a V8? I've never owned one but I've always been keen to get one!
Another enjoyable video, I greatly admire your perseverance working in that cold, damp garage…..have you thought of a suitable dehumidifier to help with the moisture? So glad you tidied up that rocker cover😂 ask a local body shop regarding an appropriate lacquer. Good luck with the MOT.👍
Thank you!! Good idea I think I should invest in a good dehumidifier! 🤞
It's getting there. Fingers crossed for the MOT. I always think it's best to just get it tested and see what you're up against. Hope the gearbox works, that would be my main worry. The BMW ZF boxes hold loads of fluid, about 8 litres from memory, so, where has all your fluid gone I wonder? Anyway, we'll see, my wife says I'm too suspicious, but shelling out for a new engine then not running the car could indicate something else major wrong with it.
Very, very well done, looking great around the engine now and presumably only the rust issues to be cleared up but so impressed with what you do and in fairly stark circumstances at that garage.
Keep up the great work and look forward to seeing this baby back on the road and up and running!
Great channel mate 👍
Can't wait for the next vid , lovely old car .....the " splendid cat " .
The car is coming along nicely!You'll be on the road in no time now!
It was MOT'd on 8th January 2025. ;)
💪🤫🎉
Well done fella, brave project and as somebody commented before, the rust would have been the end of it for me personally. First car I drove was my dad's Xjs V12 at the age of eleven. Tentatively and supervised around a private car park 😂. Beatiful cars 👍 p.s. back in the early eighties, he did Birmingham to Glasgow in it, in a little over three hours!
A great channel, kind of reminds me of 'The Savage Garage' of 3years ago, unfortunately no more videos from James.
Great project 👍
Thanks 👍
What a beautiful car to work on. It was so unique and ahead of it's time. Go for it. It'll be a money toilet but who cares it's a fun project !!
Cam cover is a massive improvement.
Doesn't matter how long it takes fella just get it on the road,
Excellent video's mate 👍🏻👍🏻
One of my favourite channels. Thanks for the videos you do.
Great job mate. I imagine the sound proofing under the carpets is probably soaking.
PS. I think you can find heat resistant lacquer online. Not sure of make but it will be there somewhere for engine top cover. Great work. 🏆👍
To stop the aluminum oxidizing sand it down to 1200 grit. That is a north american specification so yours across the pond may be different. Once sanded down, maybe twice a year, block sand with 1200 to remove any corrosion which will be slight. That will look much better than any kind of clear coat. Cheers.
They can't fail it on none structural rust .They can advise but not fail . Good luck 😊
Excellent work, that engine sounds good. Please tidy your garage and dump the inevitable junk and clutter. You'll gain more space and a more pleasant working area.
Really enjoyed watching you work on the xjs, look forward to seeing it with a MOT
Watching your progress with great interest as i have a Signal Red 1990 3.6 XJS and and even greater admiration of your skills, dedication and ability. Electrics, welding are not easy skills to acquire, the rest of the work to the brake pipes, brakes, service items all tackled with assurance and confidence. Great tidy up job on the rocker cover too. Really impressive, and as others mentioned all whilst its chucking it down and freezing 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 👏
Very envious, always wanted one of these. Hoping a few projects left in next few years when I finally have time to work on one. I’m in West Sussex, hope to see this driving about.
Not MAD ! But it is an illness , well that’s what my Mrs states I have , when I bring home another unloved , forgotten classic , and live my life in the garage until they are saved !!👍😁😁
Great progress, looking forward to the MOT, hope that there are no unexpected issues. 🙂👍
Absolutely loved watching this. Looking forward to seeing you get through the mot and out on the open road. Maybe a road trip.
Just remembered, I meant to suggest to you a couple of reusable dehumidifier bags from Amazon for £25. I use them in my Classics and it helps keeps the moisture out of the car and the electrics.
Well done with your commitment & will power. My father is currently trying to sell his E type roadster. He loves jags & had many over the years. 👍🏆
Excellent, love these old jags... catch you later
Enjoying this mate, sorry for dull post but the condensation happens when you get a warmer day following a cold snap, I get it in my garage workshop and it’s so irritating, everything gets soaked, only way to stop is insulate and ventilate
Great stuff coming on well, look forward to see it out on the road.
You and me both! Thanks Francis
Looking good there Harry. Restoring some British history to its former glory. Love it.
Nice job on that rocker cover.
It’s been great watching this so far. I had a lift in an XJS in the 90s and it stuck with me. It’s a proper car but I’m glad that I don’t have one because it’s massive!
Love what you do,Harry, takes me back to my early days fixing things in sheds. Though I confess engineering was a lot more straightforward then! Particularly impressed with your electronics work, far too complicated for my simple brain - so looking forward to a happy ending with the XJS. Top work best Chris.
So happy you repainted the rocker cover, I was staring at the screen willing you to clean it up :)
excellent work..loving this. I prefer channels like this as opposed to the Mat Armstrongs of the world as it's more relatable. With regard oxidising, try ACF50 spray..might be cleaner to spray it onto a rag and wipe it on...
Brilliant, love the way you sorted out that crusty head....keep on trucking.
Really impressed great channel love the Jaguar XJS slowly but surely your bringing this classic back and saving it from the scrap yard