Headroom/Gas Tank Issues/H&E 1988 Jaguar XJS

as far as I know they all have it. removing mufflers and resanator produces a noise cancelling effect..LOL. listen to the music. from a V12...

Joke guys, joke.... remember, if you have an old Jag you have to have a sense of humor and a deep pocket! ;-D

Just in process of dropping a wad on virtually all of the parts offered by Faster-Jag to upgrade my cooling and fuel injection, etc. on my '90 XJS convertible. Also new exhaust system incorporating Magnaflo high performance cats and mufflers, Monza exhaust tips, new rotors/pads, etc. Not looking for concours, looking for a good recreational "driver".

George "Sandy" Browder
Winston-Salem, NC

I understand your comment George but I had a 99 XK8 that with the top up was as quiet as a two door coupe with the windows up.

Hahaha.....love this.....they are BOTH convertibles....noisy, they are ;-)

I have not seen a measurement of DBs of both cars. The Hess car has much less resistance with the top down and it has the ability to raise or lower the quarter windows which the factory car does not.

Any comments as to "wind noise" when driving at freeway speeds in either an H&E or Jaguar XJS convertible? I have seen many comments about this noise issue. Thank you all for your input!

Thanks,

Scott

My first Jag was and is a 1987 XJS Hess & Eisenhardt convertible and my second Jag was and is a 1990 factory XJS factory convertible. The Hess is a bit lower as it does not have all the padding that the factory Jag has in the headliner since the Hess does not have a headliner. The top on the Hess sets much lower into the car when the top is down and presents a much cleaner look as opposed to the factory top which sets much higher above the body than does the Hess. If you can get a Hess for a good price...GET IT! There were only 838 of these cars made because Jag only had an 18 month contract with Hess & Eisenhardt in Cincinnatti. The contract was from late 1986 to early 1988. They only made 1987's and a few 1988's before the contract was over. I did a lot of research into this and they are one of the rarest of the XJS models. The biggest problems with the Hess is the gas tank being a dual tank system but do not let that keep you from getting one. Gas tanks can be fixed! The other trouble is the various linkages for the top. These can, in time, fail and there are no parts for these tops, but...parts can be fabricated very easily or you can have someone make the part. I have had mine for some time and it shows no signs of any failure. So, to tie tie things up, get one, any one, because once you turn that key and get that "Cat" running, you will never regret it. There is nothing like a Jag, and there is nothing like a Jag XJS Convertible. An E-Type is an E-Type, and a XJS is an XJS. They are both Jags but nothing like each other which is why I said there is nothing like an XJS Convertible. I, as an example, picked up my Hess & Eisenhardt from a restorer who got a job overseas and had to sell all his Jags real fast. I got it for $800 (it needed some work), the 1990 XJS factory convertible was obtained for $500 and an old rifle I did not want (this one needed some work as well). The point is, they can be had for good prices right now, but they will be going up i9n price since none have been made since 1996. Have fun and keep the top down.

G. Schuster

1987 XJS Hess & Eisenhardt Convertible
1990 XJS Convertible

Edited on 2011-05-02 11:11:34

Everything about a H&E convertible is lower. It sits lower and the roofline is lower. We had local NBA and NFL players that were so happy when the Jag Convertible came out, they had a better chance of fitting in the car! Personally, I never understood why someone 6ft 9in would subject themselves to and XJS. Just points out the allure of a Jaguar.
As someone who was around and worked on these convertibles when new, I can say I would not recommend them; nor would I discourage one from the purchase of one, as long as their eyes were wide open. They are a different beast. If you are a tinkerer, and not afraid of the time, attention, and expense that goes along with an H&E, then one might be for you. If you are a driver and tourer that has to hire most of your repair/maintenance out, I'd stick with the Jaguar model.
The fuel system is the sticking point for most folks. There is just something about a split tank system, where a fuel pump constantly pumps fuel UP to the top tank, so it can be gravity fed to the main fuel pump, that makes some people say...........HUH?? Other things that can be troublesome are the custom parts etc. that were required to make the conversion. These parts can be hard to come by. At one point I'd heard of some dealers and parts retailers hoarding H&E parts, but even that was years ago, now.

On the other hand, the H&E convertible has an almost cult following. Some folks dearly love these cars, which is why I say I wouldn't discourage buying one. I'm happy to work on one of them just as I am any Jaguar. It just involves more time than other models.

I personally would steer clear, but opinions are like you know what, everybody has one.

Next!

Cheers,