1973 (Series 3) E-Type re: throttle linkage, etc.

Rob,

It seems like you're enough of a mechanic to realize that you should buy with your head, not your heart. Even if you find one in "good" condition, there is a lot of work just to keep them up. $12.5 sounds way high for this one. Plus, you're going to be spending a huge amount of time and effort, not to mention money for parts, on this car. If you're looking for a car to drive, this doesn't sound like it. If you're looking for a hobby to spend your free time in the garage, then it might be worth considering, provided you can about cut the price in half.

With the ready availability of car transporters these days, couple with the internet, location is not an issue anymore. You'd be much better off looking for a good car than jumping at something that you know is a problem from the get-go. From my experience with a Ser. II and Ser. III, when you start fixing things, you're going to find a LOT more problems than what's on the surface. Seeing your list, I can see that you've got a lot of hidden major work to be done in addition to what you've got listed there.

Not trying to be a downer, just trying to give you a realistic perspective. Let us know what you end up doing.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Bill,

Although I agree that this car appears plagued with items needing attention, on the bright side the rust doesn't seem to be present on any of the crucial frame pieces... My biggest conflict is whether I should make a low offer on it and see if I get a bite, or just forget about it. There are very few E-types that come up for sale in my area (mind you, I shouldn't buy it because it is convenient!)

I guess that quick drive in it bit me like a bug...

-r

Never lived in Calabasas...

It appears you should look around for another car, from your responses this one would seem to be a disaster, many british cars did not come with A/C so be careful, rust, rust, rust. There are often good cars for sale on the internet or via jag sources, better to by a sound original car than one that you can never properly revive! If the John Mc fadden who writes is the one who used to live in Calabasas call me, Bill Brady from Bonnet To Boot.
Jaguar affectionado and etc.

Heh, heh. He's gonna find out exactly how many hoses there are in a III...

the compressor sits in the vee, ahead of the distributor... it's possible to retrofit the system will be costly... I think the vents that go on the dah are hard to find now...

I'd say 12.5k is way to high considering what has to be done...

Pascal Gademer
South Florida Jaguar Club
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKR Coupe
99 XJR

I'm trying to sort out whether the $12500 is too high... I plan on doing most of the work myself, but I would rather be able to take a few grand off the price and put that into repairs rather than straight at the purchase of it. I'm looking at this as being a hobby rather than a money-maker... but at the same time, I don't want to make a decision that ends up hurting my ability to throw money into improvements/replacements.

No, there isn't any A/C. I inquired about that, but the owner doesn't know anything about the existence of A/C in this one. I didn't get a chance to see if a compressor is running on a belt under the hood.

Thanks for your help, Pascal.

-R

this is all typical of a car that's been sitting for a few years... you're looking at rebuilding the front and rear suspensions incl brakes, all hoses, etc... IF the body is solid and there is no rust it could be aggod buy at the rigth price.

let's put it this way... a nice, clean, presentable, driver series 3 2+2 shoudl be around 20k... depending on what needs to be done, you're looking at 4 ot 5k for an decent paint job and probably the same to address these issues... PLUS any other surprise that may come up on a "sitter"

oh... and no A/C ?? Ithought all 2+2 had a/c...

even if you start below $10k, by the time you're done... you'll be well over $20k... of course all these numbers are guestimates based on my own experience of 6 years owning the same car... now if you do the work yourself, you'll come ahead but then factor in your time and...

Pascal Gademer
South Florida Jaguar Club
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKR Coupe
99 XJR

Ok, the inspection was done... and there's a heap of things to be done (mostly small, I think).

- Seat belts are not functioning, e.g. clips, no retraction
- Spare tire flat
- Brakes need flushing
- Rebuild calipers
- Brake hoses need replacing
- Rotors need machining
- Brake lines in poor shape, should be replaced
- Radiator stabilizer bracket missing
- Radiator fan switch wiring missing (dual electric fans)
- Cooling system hoses swelled, need replacing
- Heater core missing
- Lube service required
- Differential fluid change
- Front turn signal and rear marker lens cracked
- Steering rack boot worn out
- Missing ball joint boots
- Tie rod boots worn out
- Lower shock bushings worn
- Right front floor pan shows sign of being pushed inwards at torsion bar anchor (?)
- Floor is solid but shows many repairs
- Lower A-arm bushings cracked
- Trailing arm bushing cracked
- Rear wheel bearings noisy, loose
- Some exhaust hangers and shielding missing
- Pinion seals need replacing
- Some grease fittings in poor shape
- Spring & bobbin (???)

From seeing this list, I'm thinking that the asking price is way too high (by how much I'm not sure). I'm no expert on prices for parts/time for most of these items on a Jaguar, but I'm guessing probably at least a few thousand easy - am I close? Maybe I should hunt for a better example...?

Thanks,

-R

Rob,

I agree with Pascal here. First, the throttle should be smooth. You should look at the entire linkage. It's possible that it is hanging up on something under there, need lubiration, or needs to be adjusted. Something in the linkage could be broken. Not difficult to repair.

As far as the exhaust smell and idle, it is definitely too rich and idling too high. I like to keep mine idling around 800 rpm in park. Some cars will idle comfortably down to around 600 rpm in park.

The needles in these carbs are adjustable, as is the idle speed. The needles control mixture and the idle screws control speed. There is a very good procedure in the Repair Manual for balancing the carbs and setting mixture. You should follow that and the car should run well.

You must also be sure that all of the vacuum line and connections are in good condition and that you do not have vacuum leaks. Vacuum leaks can cause the engine to idle too high. The vacuum system looks very complex at first glance, but it's not. Just trace everything down and replace any lines or hoses that are not tight. On the larger ones, consider using clamps to assure a good seal. The old emissions system can be removed and air injection holes sealed up. But until you do that, make sure all the vacuum lines are in good shape.

As far as the brakes go, you may need new pads, and under any circumstances, the system should be bled and fresh fluid used (Castrol LMA brake fluid). You may find "gunk" in the reservoir bottles. If so, remove them and wash them out thoroughly with soap and water and a bottle brush. Replacement hoses are available from Welsh Enterprises running from the reservoirs to the master cylinder. You might also want to change the flex lines running to the calipers with stainless braided lines. That definitely improves pedal feel. You should verify that all of the calipers are working properly and that none of the pistons are frozen.

A note on bleeding the brakes -- do NOT push the brake pedal all the way to the floor when bleeding. If the master cylinder has not been rebuilt recently or replaced, there is likely a lot of corrosion inside the cylinder past where the pedal would normally move the piston. If you push the pedal all the way to the floor when bleeding, you will likely tear up the seal, necessitating a master cylinder rebuild.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing. If you buy it, post some pictures.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Rob, If the car has car has been sitting for some time the brake system may have air in it and need to be bled. The plastic behind the door handles is available and can be replaced. The door panel needs to be removed to do it. The window winders have a balance spring that makes a noise when winding the window up or down. The winders will respond to lubrication and that can be done when the door panels are off. Good luck and Happy Jaguaringf, Bob Aldridge

rob,

pedal feel vary from car to car... even modern jaguars are know fo a progeressive and soft pedal but in any case, they should be effective and lock up if pressed real hard. the stock brakes on the V12 e-type are as good as any other modern brakes...

good interior is a plus...

Pascal Gademer
South Florida Jaguar Club
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKR Coupe
99 XJR

Pascal,

There isn't any rust on the rail frames or anywhere noticable under the hood. There is some rust on the bottom driver's side corner of the hood that seems to have consumed about 2 inches along the edge. There is also some rust around the rear hatch edges, the fuel door, and the passenger door's latching mechanism, but it feels like surface rust. The car appears to have been undercoated at some point in time (perhaps the restoration that was done a decade ago) so it is difficult to know if there is rust underneath - I didn't have a magnet at the time to check that.

As for the interior, it is burgundy and looks to be in good shape - apparently it was redone during the restoration as well (not really to my standards, but it looks presentable to most people). The seatbelts are nil, the inside door opening lever has a plastic insert behind it that is completely shattered, the windows wind up/down very clunky, the radio is not stock and looks like a fair replacement from the mid 80's, the carpets and leather are in good shape (no tears, marks, or extreme wear in spots), the indicator steering column arm feels fragile with lots of play, all buttons/lights appear operational... I'm not sure if the speakers that are in the side panels just behind the front seats should have grills over them (or if they should even be there in the first place!).

I took the wife with me for the test drive, and although it was exhilarating, the brakes and throttle were scary to both of us but the sound of the roar was out of this world. Should I expect the brakes, when in tiptop shape, to be similar to all-wheel-disc brakes of most modern cars or will it normally be a little cushy? I understand that it's an old car and things were a little less refined - just not sure what my expectations should be. My prior addiction was an '81 GTSi, but I don't think some of my expectations from that car should apply to the e-type.

Thanks for your help,

Rob

PS: It's getting an inspection done at a Jag specialist, so it will be interesting to see what the report brings back.

rob

throttle shoudl be smooth. that should be easy to correct...could be coming from the pdestal in the midle of the Vee, the cable/pedal or some of the linkages going to the carbs.

idle shouldn't be so high... especailly with a slush box you don't want to always jerk it in gear at too high rpm. chances are that it is set high because it stalls when in D ... some exhaust smell is normal, better run them rich than lean... all of this indicates the carbs need to be checked and adjusted. not a big deal for someone familiar with them. if you mention that the carbs are new... doubtful if it runs like that.

rust to a minimum is the alarming statement... rust can be VERY expensive on an e-type... new floor pans are fine but the floor pans are not the hardes thing to replace... the sills and rockers are, they are critcial structural parts and usually rust just like the floors... make sure they did't just bondo them ...

check the engine rail frames very carefully too. repairs on these are not jsut plain dangerous sicne they hold the engine AND front suspension. watch for corrosion there too.

40k miles is good if documented... like service records over the years showing mileage. otehrwise, you cna't be sure.

if you are not too familiar with e-type, I'd stongly suggest you have someone who is inspect the car... jaguar shop with e-type experience... or even club member...

12.5k seems on the high side even if there is no rust... little things can add up very quickly... automatic and steel wheel are worth less than manuals and wire wheels... how is the interior? leather condition, etc...

Pascal Gademer
South Florida Jaguar Club
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKR Coupe
99 XJR