Snowball: 1972 Jaguar XJ6 Restoration
1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums
Read the full write-up at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
Photo: 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar ForumsA 1972 Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 saved from a year outdoors
The owner, posting as purplegoldcat, bought a former Concours-condition XJ6 that had sat parked outside for a year and was suffering fuel system leaks, rust, and interior damage. The thread follows fender and rust repairs, a carburetor rebuild, fuel system replacement, and interior work through to the car returning to regular driving. It is a good read for anyone tackling a mostly original but neglected Series 1 saloon.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Carburetors
- SU carburetors, rebuilt
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Fuel & Ignition 2
- SU fuel pumpsSU (England)
Replaced leaking original pumps
- SU carburetors
Removed and rebuilt, cleaned of ethanol residue and old gaskets
Photos
11 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
purplegoldcat · Oct 10, 2023 | 09:42 PM 4this post at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
purplegoldcat · Mar 10, 2024 | 12:11 PM 2this post at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
purplegoldcat · Apr 14, 2024 | 09:25 PM 2this post at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
purplegoldcat · Dec 1, 2024 | 02:03 PM 1this post at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
purplegoldcat · Aug 30, 2025 | 08:58 PM 2this post at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
The car had been parked outside for a year after a quick flip by a previous seller who lost interest. It was a former Concours car, largely solid, but had leaking fuel pumps and lines, carbs needing a rebuild, failing windshield seals, a dirty smoke-damaged interior, and one serious rust spot behind the right fender.
Body and rust repair
Inspection found only one area needing welding, caused by a Jaguar badge mounted with bolts through the fender. The right fender had prior repair and was kept for the season; the left was too far gone. Replacement fenders were sourced from a 1973 parts car, though their bolt holes did not perfectly match the 1972.
Fuel system and carburetors
The fuel pumps, lines and filters were replaced after the old lines were found rusty, leaky and ready to fail. New pumps were sourced from SU in England. The carburetors were removed and rebuilt, clearing out ethanol residue and old hardened gaskets, with the front carb's loose throttle disc among the issues found.
Interior and electrical
Windshield seal failure forced an urgent interior cleanup. Later the interior was removed entirely to access wiring, revealing more mouse nests and damaged wiring to repair. A CD player installed by a previous owner was slated for removal. Paint was found to be original and good quality, requiring only minor touch-up rather than a repaint.
Progress so far
The car returned to the road and has covered about 600 miles. Remaining issues include non-working main headlights, a rough choke mechanism, carb tuning, a failing headliner, inoperative air conditioning and radio, poor footwell insulation, a non-functional second fuel tank, and worn vent window seals.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at 1972 XJ6 restoration! — Jaguar Forums ↗
Worth knowing
- Badges mounted through the fender with bolts can trap moisture and cause hidden rust
- Parts from a nearby model year may not be a perfect fit, as the 1973 fenders' bolt holes did not line up with the 1972