1985 Jaguar XJ6

Sedan

Chevy 305 IROC V8 conversion

Automatic

sajav1348fc397363

Clear

Gasoline plus propane conversion

A well intentioned relative bought this 1985 Jaguar for my high school age son figuring the two of us could “fix it up nice”. Frankly this car has a little too much horsepower for him (my opinion not his) and while I have 100% of the desire to fix this up, I have only a tenth the needed time and available cash to do it right. Here are the details. 1985 Jaguar XL6 with Chevy 305 IROC Tuned Port Injection V8 engine conversion. Great classic ride and handling with plenty of American power under the hood. This car also has an alternate propane fuel system. Based on the paperwork in the glove box and the information from the prior owner this vehicle spent most of its life in Texas, coming to the Madison Wisconsin area owner in 2005. The body is in very good condition, it has been repainted and the Wisconsin firm that did the work did an outstanding job…normally you can spot a re-spray from 30’ away, not this one. There are areas of rust, the worst spot is on the right cowl (see photo near the Jaguar logo). The bottom of the doors where the outer skin is folded over the inner is in great shape, in this part of the country this is usually where we see the seriousness of the rust problem or the attempts to repair it (see photos). The 305 IROC engine has 6000 miles since its rebuild, it runs nice and strong. Sounds as an IROC should, like a well tempered monster waiting to be unleashed. Transmission is Chevy as well. Interior shows its age frankly. Seats have covers on them because the leather covers are in bad shape. The foam looks to be intact. I had thought of recovering them but never got to it (see paragraph 1). The headliner is sagging badly in many spots as is normal with these cars. Driver side sun visor is missing, previous owner tried to tack up the headliner in that spot not sure what the plan was but this is the one thing that bugs me the most. While the originals weren’t very substantial but a guy needs a sun visor. The dashboard has the varnish checked throughout as is typical but this one is still acceptable and still has great character. The top of the dash is cracked badly in a few places and should be re upholstered. Lots of British car electrical idiosyncrasies I haven’t fully sorted out yet (small bulbs not lighting or inoperable switches), the critical things function (headlights, radio, all gauges except the tachometer, which is for the old inline six). Radio works but the sound quality is poor, I suspect speaker issues. The V8 engine conversion has left many of the original engine sensor wires unhooked and in place in favor of the new harness and computer. There is an electronic propane fuel controller under the hood as well. Previous owner installed a battery cut off switch for when the car is setting for longer periods. Kind of a neat little thing, I think I’ll put one on my other collectable. I know the driver’s door light switch is broken and the mirror adjustment switch is temperamental so these and other issues I haven’t run down yet are the potential voltage drain sources. No idea how long it will go before fully discharging, as a weekend driver I throw the switch at the end of each day of use…its there I’ll use it. All windows all go up and down, very slow to come up as it is getting colder outside. Haven’t had the sunroof open since I’ve owned it. Previous owner said it dripped water, I’ve not seen it do so in the car wash but I suppose the headliner is the proof. It does drip on the top driver’s side door when in the power car wash blasts that spot. The heater seems to work but the belt is off the A/C under the hood. While it is ‘new’ with the conversion I haven’t installed a belt to check it out yet. The propane conversion…some folks may be very interested in this, for me driving around with a propane tank in the trunk is a little unsettling so I removed the tank (which is quite substantial) from it’s clever spot in the spare tire area of the trunk. Originally this car had two saddlebag gas tanks, the right one is the feed hose for the propane, the left tank holds about 12.5 gallons of normal gasoline. This car has the inboard rear brakes which you don’t see on very many (if any!) cars these days. The brakes function and it stops straight but the brakes aren’t near as robust as I’d like. I suspect the rear brakes are the issue and they should be checked by someone capable of that unique configuration. I may or may not have accomplished this by the completion of the sale. Our local foreign car specialist says those rear disks can be resurfaced in place if they aren’t to worn. The body elements are all intact except for the upper left corner aluminum trim of the rear window (see photo). I’m listing this with a low starting price that reflects what I have in the car so the next owner can feel good about putting some money and time into it. I think you fall into one of two camps on these cars, the people (like me) who prefer the original Jaguar motor and all its problems, or the folks who want the Chevy conversion. I think with some work this could be one of the nice survivors. I’d rather see it go to someone who would use it rather than part it out. We are all merely caretakers of the cool cars we currently own; ultimately we take care of them for people we’ve never met yet. I’ll pursue a smaller, newer car (with half the horsepower) for the kid. If you have questions please e-mail me at hdm300@tds.net and I’ll try and answer as best I can or send different pictures from angles you request. I value my ebay rating and I want to describe this as accurately as I can for you. If the price rises to the point where it is ‘serious money’ to you (whatever that is) I recommend you have it inspected or come have a look. Buyer is responsible for arranging pickup or shipment; I’ll help as best I can on this end. $500 within 2 days of auction close, balance at or before pick up/shipment (clear Wisconsin title). I can hold it for a little while if fully paid but I’d like to have it shipped (zip 53597) before the real snow falls. I reserve the right to reject bids from people who don’t have a good eBay rating. Addendum: The spare tire and propane tank are not yet pictured. On Oct-17-12 at 04:03:31 PDT, seller added the following information: Addendum: Note that per the eBay supplied vehicle history the car came to Wisconsin not in 2005 as stated above but rather around 1993-6. On Oct-18-12 at 18:26:08 PDT, seller added the following information: Addendum: I'm looking at my own listing here and the number of owners the eBay VIN# tool has auto loaded isn't right. The original owner in Texas (whose name is on some of the paperwork), the second owner in Wisconsin, and then me...thats three, not two.