In last week’s Project XJ6, I got the Jag running and moving. This week, we’ll bring it one step closer to the all-important road test by finding some tires that will actually hold air.
So we’ve got a JAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGG… and it’s ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEE! Too bad it’s sitting on four flaaaaaaaaats.
How bad is it? All four of this car’s tires are at least 15 years old, they all have weather-checking, and two of the four won’t hold air for more than a few minutes (if that). So, yeah–pretty bad.
I need to be able to drive the Jag down the road (at least a mile or so) to check for additional problems. But on those tires? Fuggedaboutit!
Herein lies the conundrum. Until I put new tires on, I can’t perform a road test. But if I drop a bunch of dough on new tires and then discover some major, deal-breaking issue during the road test, I’ve now got a scrap car sporting several (rather expensive, and now steeply depreciated) hunks of rubber. What to do?
The obvious answer would be used tires. Pretty much anything would do, within reason. But there’s two problems: one, the cost of mounting and balancing makes installing worn-down tires more or less pointless; and two, finding good used tires at a reasonable price can be often be difficult, if not impossible.
Having nothing worth bothering with on the rack, I started checking local junkyards and tire shops. But as expected, most pairs or sets were priced too high. (Why would I spend $80 + mount/balance on two cheap tires at half tread, when I could get the same cheap tires new for $125 a pair installed?)
Having struck out with the traditional method, I decided to hit up craigslist. As usual, it was full of single tires, overpriced pairs and sets, and mismatched junk that someone, somewhere had decided was “close enough.”
But I did find one interesting ad amongst the rubbish. Some guy was offering a set of four aftermarket Borbet wheels with usable tires, which he claimed to have pulled from a mid-’90s Jaguar.
Would it be the look I was going for? Not at all (a quick Photoshop job was sufficient to prove that). But for $200 or best offer, it was worth considering. After all, they could easily be resold or scrapped once I was through with them.
But those few minutes I spent debating it were enough to let the deal slip away. By the time I called, they were already sold (so much for offering $150!) and I was back searching. The only other semi-appealing ad I found was for a pair of bare tires with perhaps 40% tread remaining, available for $20 in a neighboring town. Good enough for me!
Since two of the tires held air (more or less) and two didn’t, I selected the latter to be replaced first. Into the Suburban they went–and it was off to the junkyard for some tire swapping.
As I rolled the Jag’s “Kent” rims in the door, the yard employee told me that those wheels would demand more than what their old tire machine could provide. Lucky for me, they had just taken delivery of a new rim-clamp machine that morning… a far more suitable choice for these odd wheels, he explained. (I can count on one hand how many tires I’ve mounted, so I had to take his word for it.)
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that this guy was not yet familiar enough with the new machine to make it happen. I watched him fumble around for a good fifteen minutes before another employee wandered in and offered to assist.
The second guy knew what he was doing. Though the level of difficulty was still plain to see, he pressed forward and managed to swap both tires. He also knew how to get the computer balancer into static mode, allowing him to apply the needed weight to the inside of the rims only (instead of attaching ugly adhesive weights to the outside, as some moron had done to these wheels in the past).
Turned out the second guy had previously worked at a tire shop which was located near both an airfield and a drag strip. Spending time there had given him experience on just about every kind of odd wheel you could imagine–including ones like mine. As always, having the skills makes the difference!
With all that done, it was off with the old…
…and on with the new.
Finally, the Jag could finally stand on its own four wheels.
A thought for the future: right now I only have two of the four “growler” center caps, and few things bug me more than wheels with missing caps. In my junkyard travels, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for them–but so far none have appeared.
However, I did stumble upon something else…
…a set of lattice wheels, like this one. Price? $200 for all four (the fifth is absent).
Getting the Jag roadworthy is first priority; accessories can wait. But still, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might look like. So, while I was Photoshopping, I whipped up one more quick rendering:
Yay? Nay? Ah, who cares–right now I just need to get it out on the highway!
Will this Jag finally be ready to hit the road? What will be revealed in its first test drive? Will Keith bring along some comfortable shoes for the walk home? There’s only one way to find out… check back next week for more Project XJ6!
Yay to lattice wheels. they actually look OK to me.
I like the look of the original wheels, myself. Surely a couple of center caps are available online. If everything goes more or less according to plan, maybe those can be the cherry atop the sundae.
Definitely no to the 90s five spoke wheels. Always liked the stock ones on these Jags and the lacy spoke ones look nice too.
Leave the original wheels on they suit the car better.
I vote for stock, I like the stock wheels, I’ve always liked them since I first saw them on an XJS. The dark wedges around the lugs have a 60’s “mag” style vibe.
“The dark wedges around the lugs have a 60′s ‘mag’ style vibe.”
Agreed – and I do like that about them. But for some reason, looking at them on the car, I just can’t get myself all the way there. I’m sure having caps will help.
For the record, those five-spoke aftermarket things were merely a potential “quick fix.” Appearance-wise, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave them on any longer than necessary.
I’m still a little torn on the cross-spokes. Sure, they’re available, they’re not terribly expensive, and they do offer a different look… but I’m not 100% sold on them either.
Guess it’s a good thing there’s no rush to make a decision!
How about some gen-u-ine wires?
There was actually a set of Dayton wire wheels up on craigslist a couple weeks ago. But I can only imagine all the work that would have went into cleaning them (initially, since they were kinda rusty – and on an ongoing basis).
So much steel wool-ing to be done. Uffda!
-1
+1
I like the BMW wheels on the Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag.
You’ve found a good yard to deal with. The first guy knew that the old machine wouldn’t handle the rims and the second guy actually knew how to mount them with the new machine.
Those lacy ones look like a fugitive from an late 80’s/early 90’s E30’s BMW. Definitely a no-no on a Jaguar, as you’ve already got better.
The lacy wheels look like they came off an XJS from the early 1990’s.
The originals suit that car best. For an 80’s Jag, the only other option would be the “pepperpot” alloys, and just try finding a set!
What years were the perforated alloy wheels (Pepperpots) available? The Hollander book doesn’t seem to think they exist here in the US.
From what I can see on s/h XJ6 Sovereigns for sale, 1984-89 at least. Perhaps a little earlier, perhaps a little later also. 1992-93 have a different style that might not look bad either.
I’m not a fan of the original wheels. They look like something out of the 70’s and make the whole car look older than it is.
The BMW rims, on the other hand, take 10 years off it. I think the only reason they look a bit odd is because we’re so used to seeing them on BMWs.
“The BMW rims, on the other hand, take 10 years off it.”
Also agreed. I kinda like them, but something about the combination still strikes me as being a bit, um, odd.
“I think the only reason they look a bit odd is because we’re so used to seeing them on BMWs.”
…and that’s probably why.
I’m a fan of the original wheels, but basketweaves can be a great option for replacement wheel sets on a budget (expensive BBS RS wheels in your mockup withstanding). They look good on almost anything, not just BMWs (see old Mazdas, Infinitis, VWs…. not sure about English cars though)- but they kind of give off a late 80s/early 90s vibe that isn’t really appropriate for this whip. Nonetheless, sometimes it’s nice to have a backup set, and $200 is a pretty sweet price if the rubber is good.
Good luck on finding the center caps. That can be challenging and expensive- I know from experience trying to find the centercaps from my 95m Miata 15″ BBSs.
Also, Dayton wire wheels? Oooh baby.
Those are Jaguar wheels not BMW.
+1 : “The BMW rims, on the other hand, take 10 years off it.”
They actually look as good if not better than the original. Unless removing the black wedges and make them all silver, those wedges made them look dated.
It may seem like a subtle distinction, but not all lace wheels are alike. Those Jaguar ones would look more appropriate than the BBS wheels you used in your PS. Any chance you can PS the actual Jag lace wheels?
How about some Minilites? Might be hard to come by, but they look good on any Brit car.
Couldn’t find a dead-on shot of the correct ones… only pic I could find without any angle applied was from a Beemer 🙂
For all who are curious, here’s a shot of a Series III car with cross-spokes (the only one I could find on short notice, as it happens).
There you go, pic of $200 wheel grafted onto your Jag.
Will look better with the actual ones. The profile seems off in the rendering. The pic from the previous comment looks great.
Whoever mounted wheel weights on the exterior of your rims wasn’t a moron in my view. Dynamic balancing is superior balancing. Sacrificing performance for the sake of having wheel weights hidden on the back of the rim is a compromise that I would not accept on any car that I was actually going to drive instead of just stare at.
The fact that they used cheap adhesive weights, many of which didn’t stay stuck, also factored into it.
Depends on the wheels. My Nissan Skyline had carbon-look deep-dish alloys with a 3″ chrome lip. No way was I letting the tyre guys put weights on the lip! The balancing remained fine.
Keep it original,looking forward to the next part Keith,thanks again for another great read
+1
After all it should be a curbside classic not a boy racer’s dream.
I say this even though i truly like the basket weaves of BMW and the others. But by keeping it original you don’t mess with the date stamp. There is no point with taking 10 years off unless you want to sell and there is even less point in adding 10 years with real wires because of their inherent flex.
I appreciate this series. I helped a friend working on an S-Type. This takes me some 30 years back.
Given the rust and the overall scenario, it’s fairly likely that I’ll be this car’s last owner. Therefore, for once I’m free of worrying about what will make it sell quickest.
All that really matters is choosing something that strikes a good balance between being inexpensive, and being something I’m willing to be seen with 😉
I’m surprised no one has suggested Rudge steelies as used on Briggs Cunningham’s 1962 LeMans E-Types. Stock wheels bore me, but marque-correct racing variants always get me hot.
Or as Paul has suggested, Minilite variants. Real Minilites are magnesium and unsuited to the street, but Panasport or similar Minilite knock-offs would be quite fetching.
Actually, those were Dunlop alloys, although they do look a bit like steelies. They would look great, but good luck finding a set of those….probably ten times the price of what Keith paid for the car 🙂
I’m actually not a big fan of those stock alloys; they’re just not very handsome. I’d prefer steelies with hub caps, like the early XJ6 had:
Those steelies are definitely the best looking, and are necessary when you have a euro spec I or II car with chrome bumpers. Here the ‘rubber’/chrome bumper combo works well with the dark/light contrast within the wheels. I agree with Keith about a complete set of centre caps, a small thing like that would bug me no end.
For some reason, I always think of the XJC when I see these dark/light ones. All Keith needs to do is chop out the b-pillar and hide the rear door handles. hehehe
I actually don’t mind the steelies/caps combo. Don’t know where I’d ever find any, but I could see doing that if I stumbled upon some.
The most frequent offerings I see (and immediately reject) would be the XJS-style “starfish” 5-spokes, and the ’90s “Aero” and “Kiwi” rims. They’d bolt up, but I’ve yet to see any with decent rubber, and they’re always priced at $50 per or more. If we were talking $100 for four with decent tires, that’d be one thing (use for temporary/backup, as those aftermarket ones above would have been); but there’s no benefit to be had at that rate.
You could find a generic set of steelies, then paint them a matt silver to mimic the Dunlop alloys. It’s not my way of doing things, but for me it would be better than using newer style wheels. I’m still thinking 60s/70s even when I’m looking at a series 3.
I’ve never liked the Kent wheels; they don’t suit either the XJ6/12 or XJS in my opinion. The Pepperpots are a beautiful design though, suiting the car perfectly. Maybe a set of them?
I was gonna say Pepperpots, I’ve got them on my ’84 XJ-12 and always thought they were the best looking wheels for a SIII XJ.
Bimmer wheels…, No Way !!!
Even four round wodden plates looks better !
The rims you have on now, actually looks cool, so keep’em.
Definitely keep the originals! Everything else looks too boy-racer.
Are the Borbet considered Bimmer wheels cause they were a common upgrade or were they a factory add-on?
I actually thought they were off an XJ-R at first glance. They give it a 90s XJ-R look.
The lattice wheels woul look good too.
Then again, there’s nothing wrong with the factory rims. They complement the car very well and I think of them when I think of the XJ-6.
Those steelies on the E-Type would look great too. So maybe something similar to them.
Decisions, decisions…
Getting to know a new car is very much like getting to know a new girlfriend. When we see that the car is available…we swoon…we plot….we inspect…we negotiate….we dance. Then…the courtship…how thrilling are those first days/weeks…..
Then of course, after several weeks/months/years/decades….we discover a few…., let’s say “rusty spots”. We ignore….we defer maintenance….we demote to “daily driver” status….we are distracted by a newer model……
As Keith has mentioned above, he’s likely to be the car’s last owner. Same with me and my W116. Rust, particularly in the boot, is just not worth the expense of fixing. The car will never return that value. As long as its not a death trap, I’ll just keep mine going at minimum cost without sacrificing safety. Fun while it lasts, although Keith has the added bonus of skilled spanner-hands to keep costs down. Eyes wide open.
Keep the stockers! I love mag style wheels. So what if they bring a late 60s early 70s vibe to the car…that’s when wheel styles RULED. If you want to change the look up a bit, maybe instead of the inner ‘wedges’ being black…a medium gunmetal grey?
You really need that $250 parts car.
It would have probably saved you a lot of time and shopping already.