17x07 - Jaguar XJ6

[bunniefuu]

Wow, look at that!

As we take on a complete non-runner.

The last time it was on the
road was summer of 1990.

That's last century.

It'll be a risky business.

We've got to wake this car
up after its 30 years of sleep.

It's a full re-commission.

I mean, who knows what else?

Full of uncertainties.

Oh my goodness, that is absolutely ruined.

But if we finally wake this sleeping beauty,
will it result in a happily ever after?

Just hide yourself a little,
because it is a surprise.

Oh, I love it, love it, love it.

I'm Mike Brewer and I've been buying
and selling cars for nearly 40 years.

It's rattling, it's noisy,
it's utterly wonderful.

Now I'm set up shop in Britain's motor
and heritage heartland near Oxford.

I've got to stop smiling.

Along with ex-formula one
mechanic, Mark Elvis Priestley.

Come on, hurry up.

Together we're going to buy.

I love these, mate.

So do I.

And fix up.

You'll be right down there, eh mate?

Yeah, I'm fine.

The most iconic and
exciting cars on the market.

Why is it on a trailer?

It hasn't run for 30 years.

30 years?

With Elvis' engineering skill.

Oh my goodness, what a mess.

And my car-dealing clout.

I think you're being a bit
cheeky with your prices.

We should be able to
make ourselves a tiny profit.

Another happy customer, mate.

Another happy customer.

Are you still trying to beat my eye, Scott?

You know these classic
arcade games, mate, I

mean they're long before
my time, aren't they?

Talking of classic, and before your time,
Cameron, the mechanic next door, he's just

told me about his
neighbour's car, he's looking

to sell it, it's a mid-1970s
Jaguar Series 2 XJ6.

Nice.

Is it the 3.6 or the 4.2?

The big one, 4.2.

How much does he want for it?

Only five grand, believe it or not.

Is there some kind of hidden catch?

No hidden catch.

And it's been garaged its whole life.

That sounds good, yeah.

Okay, well, I'll go and have a look at it.

Are you going to do any actual work today?

No, not at all, until
I've beaten your score.

Now I have got a
little bit of a confession.

I did leave one minor detail out when I
was telling Elvis about the Jaguar, in fact

the advertisers are non-runner,
but that goes somewhat

to explain his very
keen five grand price tag.

Plus I'm hoping it's going
to be a nice and simple fix.

This is a car that's
definitely worth going to see.

The XJ6 was conceived by Jaguar founder Sir
William Lyons as the experimental model.

Launched in 1968, it combined lavish saloon
features with the handling of an E-Type.

Five years later, the
Jag took another big

leap forward with the
Series 2 and its massive

almost five metre
wheelbase, a legacy left by

Sir William and his
very last model created.

Powerful and luxurious,
the XJ6 proved popular

with business fat cats and
gangsters of the silver screen.

The diet he's advertising this
Jaguar, that was genuinely only

one five grand for it and that
is so cheap for this kind of car.

I've seen them advertised
for double neck and

this looks, by the
pictures, to be in very,

very nice condition.

Probably because this Jag was bought
for pleasure, as a bit of fun and luxury,

just for weekends and special occasions.

I'm going to calm myself down now.

I don't want to get too excited
until I go and stand in front of it.

Ah, are you Gary?

Yes, I am.

Gary, how are you?

You must be Mike.

I am, yes, nice to see you.

I'm excited about seeing
this XJ, so where is it?

It's behind here, yeah.

Let me open this for you.

Wow, look at that.

That's what I've come to see.

Fantastic.

For a five grand car, it's
caught me by surprise.

The roof looks good.

Yeah.

The bright work looks
good as well, a little bit pitted.

So how long has it been sat in here?

Thirty years.

How long?

Thirty years.

No way, seriously?

It has, yeah.

The last time it was on the
road was summer of 1990.

That's last century.

I reversed it in, closed the door,
put blankets over it, and that was it.

It never came out again.

Why is that?

Why didn't you drive it?

I was just too busy with work
and everything, you know.

Wow.

I knew it was a non-runner, but I didn't
realise it was that much of a non-runner.

For a car that's been
laid up for thirty years,

I need to have a really
good look around it.

Yeah.

The first thing you look at is
the heart and soul of the car.

It's the engine.

I see the bonnet's already popped.

Most people, they
would open this and they

would go, I don't like that,
it's filthy dirty, and walk away.

But that's wax oil.

It is.

Under the bonnet, inside of the
wings, and all underneath the car as well.

I'm so pleased you did,
because that would help

preserve this car from
rust for those thirty years.

It's been sat in the garage.

And there it is, that 4.2 straight six.

That's right, yes.

It's a blime engine, absolutely
beautiful looking thing.

So have you done any kind of maintenance
to it over the last thirty years?

Yes, I've took the spark plugs out and
I've put penetrating oil down the bores.

No way, seriously?

Yes, I have, yes, on a regular basis.

I didn't want the engine to seize up.

But I can't test that, because we don't
know if this engine's got any oil pressure,

the gaskets could have dried out, we
could be causing all kinds of damage.

But it's pretty good under there,
it's put a lovely big smile on my face.

Oh, thank you.

I like it a lot.

I think we are going to
have to push it outside.

Oh, Gary, I can see the side of it now.

Got the twin tanks,
no rust over the arches,

the seals, they're
really in good order.

Bottoms of the doors.

They're okay.

That is fantastic, I can't
believe how straight it is.

Oh, I tell you one
thing I've just noticed,

it's still got the dealer
plate on the front.

Yes.

Still got the dealer plate on the back.

That's right.

Well, that's a really
good sign, because if

a car's had an accident
and it gets repaired,

if they have to change
the number plate, they

don't put the original
dealer plate back on.

Exactly.

So it goes to show that both the front and
the rear of this car are probably original,

which is lovely.

It looks like it's almost showing fresh.

That dashboard, usually by now the veneers
have peeled off and they look terrible,

but that looks like it's
just come out the factory.

The rest of it looks like
it's just covered in dust.

Totally original.

And on the radio, when you turn that
on, the aerial comes up on the back wing.

You can't even get FM
on the radio, it's that old.

You can only get medium waves.

Well, prior to that, it was Morse code.

And it's got central locking as well.

Which is really unusual, isn't it?

It is.

Yeah, very early car with central locking.

And it's only done 51,000 miles,
so what's the provenance behind it?

I've got all the MOTs
from the very first one,

which proves the
actual mileage of the car.

Do you know what?

I love this car.

There's something so
charming and nice about it.

Although there is a massive
gamble to it because we

don't know what's going
to happen with the engine,

this has got all the
makings of a really good car.

So you said you wanted five grand for it.

Are you still happy with that price?

I'm happy with that, yes.

Well, I think you've got yourself a deal.

Right.

And I just bought myself a 4.2 Jaguar XJ.

And I couldn't be any happier.

No.

Nor can I.

I'll be honest with you, I've
got butterflies in my stomach.

I'm slightly nervous
about telling Elvis that

this car slung out behind
me is a non-runner.

And I can understand how
these kind of cars get like that.

You know, it's easier to
push a car that needs constant

maintenance in a garage
and then forget about it.

Especially as the world's
got busier since the 70s.

It can just be too easy to
put on those big car jobs.

And before you know it,
30 years have passed by.

I know that car's going to need a
full recommissioning back on the road.

And that doesn't mean just pumping
up the tyres and putting fresh fuel in it.

No, it's a lot of hurt.

It's going to be a huge mission for Elvis.

And that's why I'm
ever so slightly nervous.

Wow, what a car, mate.

Mate, look at that.

XJ6, man, these things are incredible.

And what amazing condition.

1976.

76, same year I was born.

44 years old.

I mean, it's been well looked after.

It's been such good, Nick.

I'm slightly confused as
to why it's on the trailer.

Well, it doesn't run.
It hasn't run for a little while.

How long?

30.30 years.

30 years?

But don't let that dissuade you, because I
had to have the car from 1976 up to 1990.

It was running, driving beautifully,
and they really looked after it.

And then in 1990, I just
left it there in the garage.

Goodness me.

That's why it looks so good, but, I mean,
what sort of state's it in underneath?

This is going to put a
proper smile on your face.

Look at that bad boy.

That is a beast, isn't it?

It's a 4.2, straight
six, twin carbs as well.

And they used to use these
in the old E-types, you know.

Well, because it hasn't run for 30
years, it needs a full recommission.

Let me take you into the boardroom.

Step in there.

Look at this.

I mean, it's like the day it
came out of the show, isn't it?

In my nearly 40 years of
buying classic cars experience,

I don't think I've ever seen a
more preserved car than this Jag.

Look at it.

It's unbelievable.

It's like stepping back in time.

Plus, it's got four electric windows.

It's absolutely stunning in here,

which means nothing for you to do.

Which I love.

Right, have a look at this.

I mean, the chrome down
the back is as old as you

and, dare I say, it's worn
a little bit better than you.

I'm not going to argue
with that, mate, yeah.

So that's all the good news.

The bad news is if we've
got a car that's running right,

we're going to need to make
sure it's safe and it stops properly,

so the brakes are going to need doing.

The brakes are not in the
wheel like they are on most cars,

but they're inboard at the
other end of the driveshaft

by the diff, which makes
them much harder to get to.

I'm sorry, mate, but all we've got to do

is wait this car up after
its 30 years of sleep.

It's a full recommission of that engine,
which is an unknown quantity in itself.

It's flushing out and
cleaning the fuel tanks,

of which there are two,

checking electric tyres as well.

I mean, who knows what else?

But at the end of it, I
mean, what a special car.

Right, shall we get it in the workshop?

Let's. Lovely.

Now, I've recommissioned
classic cars before,

but this one's a bit of
a special case, isn't it?

I mean, this Jag on a surface
level is almost immaculate.

And yet, it's been sat in
someone's garage for 30 years.

Who knows what I'm going to find
when I really start picking it apart?

Re-commissioning an old car means

checking more than 50 different parts.

The cooling system, for example,

the engine, transmission, brakes, tyres,

the exhaust system of the
car, of course, fuel system.

I know, it's pretty
much everything, isn't it?

It's one thing you can guarantee.

with a car that's been
sat around for as long as

this one has, is that
any fuel left in the tank,

or tanks on this one,

is going to be stale, smelly

and about as combustible as porridge.

Well, it's not a huge
surprise because over that

amount of time the fuel
could well have evaporated.

Let me grab a screwdriver.

There's a whole load of
something stuck up there.

There we go.

And that is 30-year-old fuel.

You can tell by the colour of
it, it's mixed with dirt and rust.

You get that in your carburettors,
it's going to block them up.

But before I even think
about dealing with that,

I want to make sure we haven't bought a
car with an engine that doesn't even run.

At a glance, recommissioning
our pristine XJ6 may look easy,

but after being off the road
for a whopping 30 years,

who knows what nasty surprises
we'll find or what state that engine's in.

There are so many things about this car

that I love, that it's what's under
here that has the potential to undo us.

That straight six, if it works,

great, we're laughing, but if it doesn't
and if it ends up needing replacing,

well, this XJ could end up being expensive.

I really want to turn it over by hand
just to make sure that nothing's seized.

There we go.

It turns, and that's good news.

But just because it turns over by hand

doesn't necessarily mean
it's going to start and run.

The fuel in our fuel tank, as we
saw, is like treacle, it's disgusting.

That should go nowhere near an engine.

So, I give you some
brand new, fresh, unleaded.

Now, our car wasn't
designed to run on unleaded,

so we have to put some lead
replacement fuel additive in there.

That needs to be mixed
in the right quantities.

The additive is super concentrated.

Just 250 millilitres

will treat 250 litres of fuel.

So, we're only putting a small amount in.

Right, now that's in there.

It's this that's going to act
as our makeshift fuel tank.

There's only a litre in here, but.

once it's hooked up to the carburettors
it's going to give us a self-contained,

clean fuel supply.

And that's the important bit we need
to prove that our engine's going to run.

I'll hang that up there and connect
it directly into the carburettor.

Just like they do in a hospital

when they're trying to bring
their patients back to life

I'm going to use this as a drip to gravity
feed the fuel directly into the engine.

As well as draining out the old petrol

I've also drained and
replaced the old oil with new.

I'm just disconnecting the low tension lead

from the distributor to
make sure there's no spark.

and that the engine won't
start until we're absolutely ready.

So, I've given the battery
a full charge overnight

and it's now sitting nicely
above 12 and a half volts.

I just want to spin it
over for about 20 seconds

just to push some oil around the
engine and build up oil pressure.

before I finally give it a go.

Okay.

I'm just going to reconnect the distributor

to make sure they've got a spark.

and turn on our temporary fuel tap.

There we go.

That will allow the fuel to
drip down into the carburettors

and in theory we should have
everything we need to start it

but this thing's been asleep for 30 years
so I've no idea what's about to happen.

Come on.

Come on.

Yes!

It sounds great. It's running.

I'm so happy.

We haven't bought a complete dud.

Yes!

Oh, the cat is purring.

I know, honestly.

I can't tell you the relief
knowing that thing runs.

Amazing.

Not as relieved as me, I'll tell you.

That is fantastic.

I'm so pleased, honestly,
but before you get

carried away and start
listing it for sale online

there is a huge amount of work still to do.

before we can even think
about trying to sell this on.

So the engine doesn't
need an expensive rebuild

which would have taken a
massive chunk out of our profits.

but we're not out of the woods yet.

Now the rotten fuel that
I drained out of the tanks

is symptomatic of a car that's
been stationary for this long

but I need to deal with it and
whenever you're dealing with fuel

it's a nasty old process
and what I've found

so far could just be
the tip of the iceberg.

I'm worried that the fuel
tanks may be so rusty

they'll need replacing and
that doesn't come cheap.

Plus, I need to take them out to check them

and that's not an easy job either.

There are two tanks because
this Jag uses about three

times as much petrol as
a modern family car would.

Plus, they're independent from each
other which means even more work for me.

The steel fuel tanks are
situated inside the wings here

rather than being tucked in behind or
under the rear seat like on many other cars

and it allows for these sleek
Jaguar lines and tapered rear end

while still keeping an enormous
boot space to fit your golf clubs in.

Exposing the tanks is
a fair chunk of the work.

and the first step is
to take off the bumper.

Now on this job I'm going to be working with
fuel and that comes with its own obvious

fire safety risks attached and for
that reason I've got the workshop door

wide open, I've disconnected
the battery on the car

which is an absolute
must but easily forgotten

and I've got myself a fire
extinguisher nearby too.

Nowadays, fuel tanks are situated
further forward ahead of the rear axle

providing more protection
in the event of a collision.

The next step is to focus
on these lower quarter

panels. I'm going to start
on the right hand tank first.

And there it is. Look at that.

That is our 57 litre fuel tank.

Don't forget, there's
another one on the other side.

With the tank exposed I need to disconnect

everything that's attached to
it before it can safely come out.

There are three bolts holding the fuel
tank to the car's body. The problem is

that there's no way you can get
access to them with the exhaust in place.

So that has got to go.

But it's been sat on
here for 30 years and look

it's totally corroded so rather than waste
time trying to free up this joint which is

completely welded together
with rust I'm just going to cut it off.

And for that I'm going to
use my trusty pipe cutter.

It's a spark free way to cut metal.

There we go.

With the exhaust and
the heat shield removed.

I can finally get some bolts.

I also need to disconnect
the electrics with a tank

sender which sends the
fuel level to the fuel Gauge.

All these junctions can
be fragile so don't just

yank them off by the wire. Make sure
you get hold of the connector properly.

I've taped off around the edge of the
filler cap just to protect the paintwork

as best I can. And then it's a case
of getting these four screws out here

that hold the filler neck
to the quarter panel.

That's why I put the tape on there.

Come on.

Here you come.

That's tight.

Come on.

Oh yes.

Look at that. Oh my
goodness it is covered in rust.

Covered in it.

And then tank number two will be
the same work again on the other side.

But I've done it once
so it'll be faster this time.

Fuel pumps.

These little babies are what should

make that buzz that you can hear
when you turn the ignition on. These ones,

maybe not.

Oh my goodness. That
is absolutely ruined. It

is corroded. It's
melted by the look of it.

And look it might cost over
a hundred quid to replace

that. But that's a cost
I've just got to suck up.

Now this is called an endoscope.

Essentially a tiny little
camera on a stick. The

inside of this tank looks
like the surface of the moon.

It's lumpy, it's bumpy,

it's corroded. It's definitely not the
sort of thing that should be housing.

fuel that's going to end up in our engine.

Problem is it's not an easy thing to
clean out. This has got proper surface

corrosion on the inside
and to clean that out

you really have to take it
apart. This is made of two

halves welded together.
It's just not a possibility.

Unfortunately you're going
to have to replace that as well.

We're aiming to

put a classic Jaguar XJ6.

back on the road for the
first time in three decades.

We pay just five.

thousand pounds so could be looking
at a tidy profit if we don't discover

too many hidden surprises and
if Mike can find the right buyer.

Is that a wedding mag
mate? You and Michelle

thinking of renewing the vows again?
No we wouldn't

need to the time we've
been married but one day

it might be nice. No
I've been thinking. Go on.

Brides want every detail to be perfect.

How to get to the church, how to get
back from the church and I was thinking

our Jaguar being white
and all and with that full

webasto roof it's the
perfect wedding car. I mean it

is the right colour yeah.
The interior is perfect.

as well. We had loads of space in the
back for an enormous wedding dress but

the brides need to get to
the church on time. If we're.

going to get anyone anywhere on time
we need some new fuel tanks for that Jag so

maybe you can get your
feet off the desk and crack

on with that. Don't
worry son it may not look

like it but I'm on it
like a morning suit.

Don't worry Elvis those tanks are already
on order. You can get on with sorting

out those out of date brakes.

At the front end the
braking setup is relatively

traditional with discs and pads
that are accessible but at the rear end

not quite so much. You can't just pop the
wheels off and get to everything because

the braking setup is
all inboard at the far

end of the drive shaft
just like on the old.

E-type Jaguars or the F1 cars.

of the 60s and 70s.

The advantage of inboard brakes
is that you reduce the unsprung

weight of the car. Essentially we take the
mass of the braking components from out

here and we put them up in here which
puts them under the control of the car's

suspension improving things like ride
and handling. The downside of all of this

is to get access to these
brakes I need to remove

the entire subframe and
rear axle from the car.

And no one said it was
going to be easy did they?

I've already drained the brake fluids,
disconnected the prop shaft and the handbrake.

cable. I'm supporting the weight of
the subframe on this trolley so I can now

undo the eight mounting bolts that connect
the v-shaped mounting brackets to the body.

Now all I'm going to do is start
to gradually lower the trolley

which should bring the whole rear axle
and subframe down leaving the car in place.

So clear, actually looks
quite nicely balanced.

Look at that, a huge amount
of work just to get some brakes.

but we've done it, it's out.

Lovely. You can see why a mechanic
might charge you upwards of six

hours to do a job like this but
look, it's covered in corrosion which

you might expect. I just don't know
exactly which bits I need to replace.

First I need to strip everything
down starting with the two-pot calipers.

I use grips to squeeze
the pads into the calipers

to free up the discs.

I remove the brake pipe
that sends fluid to the calipers.

Then I remove the locking wire

on the caliper bolts so they can be
undone and the calipers can be lifted off.

Now these calipers might
look like they're in a right state

but they're made of cast
iron so even after 45 years

they're perfectly capable
of being refurbished.

I'm using a small punch to tap out the two
pins that hold the brake pads in position.

Now the brake pads
are probably the cheapest

part of the entire
braking system on the car.

They are though quite
heavily worn so for just 20 quid

a set, it's a no brainer but
I'm going to change them.

Now for the discs.

To remove them I undo the jubilee clip

on the cover at the inner
end of the driveshaft.

With the cover out the
way I can undo the inner

driveshaft bolts and let the
suspension move away from the disc.

Got a bit of a problem here.

I thought that I'd be able
to get the disc unbolted

and slide it off these
long bolts that are holding

it here to the flange behind it

but the bolts are too long and it's
hitting that lower arm of the suspension.

I now think I'm going to have to

disconnect the shock absorbers to
lower that arm out the way which means

raising this up to get enough
clearance to get the disc off.

What an absolute nightmare of a job.

I think that might be enough.

Yes!

Yes! Beauty!

Look at that. What

a mission to get that off.

Do you know what?

I don't even actually look that bad.

But there's absolutely no way

I'm not changing them now.

My special delivery has arrived.
The two brand new fuel tanks

I ordered online
are finally here.

Elvis mate come and have a
look what I just pulled out the box.

Nice mate. 155 pounds each.
No way. Well done. Nice one.

I've got something for you as well. I
need a new set of discs. Not a problem. And

I can do it with a big favour
because I've taken the calipers

off and they need a full
rebuild and I just haven't

really got time.
I've got so much more to do.

Is there any way you
could take care of that bit?

Yeah, of course I can.
I can sort that out for you.

Now Jaguar don't manufacture
the XJ6 calipers anymore

so I've been searching around online
and I found this company in the heart of

England at Worcester and they reckon they
can make these old ones look brand new.

Ah, are you John?

Hi, yes I am.
John, how you doing? I'm Mike.

Hello Mike, nice to meet you.
When I spoke to you on the phone

I told you about my calipers
for my Jaguar XJ6. Well they're

looking fairly grim but
if you go and see Josh

he'll be able to strip
them down and we can

sort that out for you.
Top man, thank you.

Josh, how you doing mate? I'm Mike.

Nice to meet you. Oh we
get some air tools that's good.

The air tools are used to remove
the pistons from the caliper bores

but Elvis has warned
me it won't be easy.

Unfortunately sometimes
the air isn't quite enough.

They are tight aren't
they? Yep. So we will have

to manually use a pump

and pump brake fluid through.

So just like it would be if it
was on the car, so yeah. Yeah.

Put some fluid through it
and then push the pistons out.

Say when.

When?

One of the pistons in
the caliper has come out

the other one's stuck in, sort of rusted
in so now we need to put it back in

and clamp it and then put pressure
back in to force the other one out.

If you've got a car that's
been laid up go out, run it,

get the engine up to temperature,
make sure you pump the

brakes regularly, get the pistons working

otherwise they start
to just rust and dry out.

Here it comes.

Here we go. Yes!

Both pistons have popped out.

The last step is to split the caliper
by unscrewing those last few bolts.

There we go. There we have it.

Look at the state of
that rust inside that pot.

The thought that you could clean that up,

I can't wait to see it
to be honest with you.

Once any grease is removed from
the calipers it's time to get them into the

blasting machine.
So we just throw them in do we?

Yeah. Yep. And what's the medium
we'll be using to shot blast them?

The medium we'll be using is...

So that's like little ba*ls
of steel is it? Yep. So

that's being blasted out
at the surface just taking

off that top layer yeah? Yep.

By shot blasting them it will clean the
calipers and remove all those years of rust

and corrosion.

Oh no way!

Look at that! It looks brand new.
Fantastic. So what happens next?

So now they would go and get electroplated.

With zinc? Yes.

So zinc plating is basically
the process where it has to get

dipped in a bath and plated
all over. Stops the rust coming

through again in the future.
That's done somewhere

else at a company in Birmingham.
So can I see a set of calipers

being built up? Yes if you go
over to Alex he's doing some now.

Right to you Alex. Hiya.

So these are the same

calipers aren't they as the
ones that we've got on our car?

It is exactly the same caliper. So
these are zinc coated. The next step is

putting the bore seal in.

I'll just push it into there do I?
There you go.

Then what we'll do is put some sealant and
grease in there to stop any sort of leaks.

Put a piston in and we have to put

a bore seal over it as well.

And then this one here is a lubricant.

What that does then
is just allows the piston

to move up and down.
What's happened to your brush?

Have you worn it down? That's
going to wear me a pair of eyes.

That'll do yeah.
And then just give it a gentle push.

There you go. Next thing you want to do
is put your ring round it. Right. Got it.

It's time for those bolts to go back
in ready to lock these two halves

together. Right. I think that is
tight enough. Yeah. That'll do.

What we're trying to do is
torque them about 60 Nm.

I did 60 Nm on every one of those bolts.

Go on. Prove me wrong. Prove me wrong.

They are pretty tight to be fair.

Last stage to get you
tested. So you need that

block over there. You
want to put that in for us.

And you're just checking.

for what? To make sure
that there's no leaks in there.

That'll get it nice and tight.
Right. Lovely.

And then press that green button.

Popping air through the caliper.

At the moment that's
holding what 3.06 bars there.

Yeah and that's out. There's a
leak coming from somewhere.

That's probably me.
I'll be honest with you. Watch.

You'll turn that another half turn.

There you go. That might be you.

Go on then. Give it another go.

You have a pass. So it's all down to me.

Not screwing that pipe up tight enough.

So now my caliper
is ready to go.

Well it would be if this
was mine. But I'll be

ready to go and put it
back on the car. Absolutely.

Top man. Thank you.

So that's the brakes under control.

Back at base Elvis is
busy with the electrics.

The XJ6 was a luxury car of
its day. Packed full of advanced

technologies including mechanical
innovations and some clever electrics

too. It was one of the first
cars that had everything

wired in. Like features
available at the touch of a button.

But that's where some of the problems
on this car could come in because

having been parked up for decades
many of these features may not now work.

There's been a great deal of
disassembling and refitting but

we're finally on the last leg
of recommissioning our JAG.

So now it's time to check
out those old electrics.

I've got a checklist to
go through as I do it.

All good.

Let's see if the electric
radio antenna works.

It does work.

Now that was a feature that only ever
appeared on the top end luxury cars.

Tick.

Good.

And the wipers work too.

And apart from a few new bulbs in
the front and rear lights it seems so far.

so good.

So all that's left is to
check those windows.

This was one of the first cars to have
electric windows all the way around.

Small touch that we
take for granted today.

Switching back works.

Now there are only four significant buttons

on this dashboard.
There's one to switch between

the two fuel tanks at the
back. There's a heated window

interior lights and this one
which I love which is a map light.

Remember those the days before Sat Nav

but it's been bugging me because
it hasn't even got a bulb in it.

Hey look at that!

Love it!

We're never going to get lost
on the way to the church now.

Mike reckons this would
be the perfect wedding

car but that means it
has to be both reliable

and refined.

Which means those final checks
and finishing touches are just as crucial.

Oh my goodness.
There's a lot of leather in here.

Now having had the car sat
stationary for so many years

it's a no brainer that we're going to
change the spark plugs and HT leads.

And my only little tip for this one

it might seem obvious but you'd be
amazed how many people don't do it.

Just change one at a time.

And when you put them
back on there's no way

you can get the leads
back into the wrong order.

Just fitted a brand new shiny stainless
steel exhaust system which looks great.

I think it's ready to go.

Wow! Look at that!

At the start we took a
punt on a hidden treasure.

I couldn't be any happier.

Nor could I.

That was a complete non-runner.

It's in such good Nick I'm slightly
confused as to why it's on the trailer.

It hasn't run for 30 years.

30 years?

Bagging ourselves a colossal restoration.

Come on!

It was never going to be easy
to bring this jab back to life.

Oh yes!

But after some dirty work

Look at the state of that.

And hands on restoration.

Yes!

Our XJ6 is now working
and wedding worthy.

Got loads of space in the back
for an enormous wedding dress.

It's the perfect wedding car.

Our sleeping beauty has
been given the kiss of life.

But how much did our happy ending cost?

We spent 5 grand on the car.

Fuel tanks, 310.

Fuel pumps, 200.

Caliper, reconditioning, 180.

Front and rear brake pads, 58 quid.

Disks, 72 pounds.

Exhaust, 665.

4 new tires, 704.

Front and rear light bulbs, 125.

And that's a total of 7,314 pounds.

Now that may sound like a
lot but it's a worthwhile cost

for the revival of a
72 pound with his icon.

Mate, Jag's done. Finished.

Fantastic. See, you've done your job

and guess what?
I've just done mine. I've just sold it.

Already? Yeah, sold it to a guy.

I showed him all the pictures.

He absolutely loves a car.
He's desperate for one.

It's not the biggest profit in
the world but a profit is a profit.

I've just sold it for 8 grand.

Alright, well we still get to go
and test drive it though, surely?

Of course we do.
Not only that, I also negotiated.

that we can use the car for one special
occasion before I get it delivered to him.

Intriguing.

Now it's sold, the new
owner has the perfect car for

any special day and who
would love it for a wedding?

Do you know what, mate? I feel like a
cliche car dealer sitting in the back here.

A bit like Minder.

You know, half a daily,

he used to sit in the back
of a Jag like this and Terry,

his driver, was up front
taking him to do the deals.

Mate, that's before my time.
I think my parents used to watch that.

Thank you.

It's comfortable, it
feels smooth as well, the

suspension's sublime
sitting in the back here.

What's it like up front?
It's, do you know, exactly the

same. It's lovely. I've got loads
of space and it's got a 4.2 litre

engine up front. You can't hear it
and you can't really feel it vibrating

the car, can you?
It's amazing. No, you can't.

It's lovely. To recommission it back to
the road, you've done an epic job, mate.

We have to give a little nod to the guy
that got the car from because he did some

good preventative stuff like
turning the engine over, making

sure that the engine
was free and lubricated.

You're absolutely right because.

one of my biggest worries was that huge
engine down there would have some problems

but it was fine and it's
tedious sometimes doing that

boring maintenance but it
genuinely makes a difference.

When you're
recommissioning a car like this,

it's about checking everything.
You want to make sure that you've

ticked every box because as a wedding car,
it cannot fail. You know, you can imagine

breaking some bride's heart with a
car broken down on the side of the road.

It needs to be flawless, this car.

One of the things that
I really like is this lovely

great big webasto roof. Pull in
here and let's give this roof a try.

So you fold that
down, twist that handle.

Yes!

Oh mate, look at that!

The amount of light that
floods inside. You can just

imagine this. Can't you
with a bride sitting in the back

here? It feels like you're in
an open top carriage. In fact,

do you know what,
Elvis? Talking about

weddings, I have got
a little surprise lined up.

That's it. Nice. Just pull up there.

Lovely!

This looks lovely, mate.
Is this a surprise?

Not quite. What happened is I got approached
by a young lady called Jasmine on social

media. She's getting married
today and her future husband

is a massive fan of our show.
And she asked me to do a video

message, but you know
what, I thought we could do

one better than that.
Why don't I surprise them?

Let's go and take the car to the
wedding and give them a little ride

in it. Perfect. On me,
because I've got some wedding.

paraphernalia. So I've got you
some tin cans to tie on the back

of the car. Classic. I've got some
ribbon to decorate the front of the car.

In the meantime for me,

chauffeur's hat,
your jacket, brilliant.

I'll go and get changed.

This grand old Jag
has delivered a profit.

But the question remains is the car worthy
of the most special occasion possible?

I'm about to find out.

Oh, the car looks absolutely fantastic.

I've got to say, you look great, mate.

Thank you very much. Listen, I've arranged.

for you to have proper high tea in there
this afternoon for all the work you've done

on the car. Nice rest. Couple of
hours off. Leave it to me. I'll get

the wedding done.
Oh mate, has he got a star?

Lovely venue.

This looks like the place.

Right, the ceremony is actually taking
place right now. Now the bride, Jasmine,

she set this up for her
husband, or now husband, Adam.

Here we go.

Do I look smart? Yes, I do.

Just hide myself a little.

Because it is a surprise.

Adam!

Hello. Mike Brewer.

Don't say that on camera!

Whatever you do,
congratulations to the pair of you.

Little surprise laid
on by your nail wife.

We thought we'd take you for
a little spin on one of our cars.

There you go.

Let's get the bride in.

There you go. Let's hope there's
space for that lovely dress of yours.

There you go.

Your first duty as a husband, Adam.

Well done.

Look at that.

That's wonderful.
Give them a big round of applause.

That gives us a lovely surprise.

Right, let's take them for a spin.

Let's hope this car don't break down.

The pressure is on.

This is a nice little surprise because we
like to look after our Wheeler dealer fans.

That's not the car, by the way, Ratling.

That's not the exhaust.

So, what do you think of
this lovely XJ6? Very nice.

We thought it was the perfect
wedding car because it's got this

full robusto roof. You can
get a little bit of air after

that ceremony where you
might have been sweating a bit.

Yeah, yeah, I was.

Well, I didn't leave him waiting, so...

Oh, you didn't leave him waiting.
You were there on time.

I was.

Is there enough room
for your dress in the back?

Plenty of room, yes.

It is the perfect
wedding car, this, isn't it?

It's brilliant.

What a lovely journey this is. Fantastic.

Well, this car had been
laid up for decades,

dormant, asleep, but we
woke it up and we've given

it a very special day out
and it's been a real treat for us

to be a part of Jasmine and
Adam's very special day. And guess

what? Nothing to do
with that. I managed to sell

the car as well. We didn't
make a massive profit,

but a profit is a profit.

And if you want to see more iconic cars
like this being turned around by me and

Elvis, then join us again soon
on Wheel Of Dealers. Ta-la!

Hooray!