Hi all. I went a little crazy before Xmas & bought not one, but two classic Jags to join the 99 S-Type I've owned for the last 5 years. I couldn't decide between a S3 4.2 or a 64 S-Type 3.8S. & as they both represented good buying & were just within my budget I ended up buying both, within a few days of each other.
Here's the S3 & my 99 S-Type



& here's a pic of the 64 S-Type, with it's very proud new owner



Unfortunately both cars suffered overheating problems on the trip home, with the blue car seeming to be the most badly affected. It's now very hard to start & running very rough until it's warmed up. I'm not too worried about it though, as I got the car very cheap, & always intended to do a full rebuild on the motor at some stage. It looks like it will just happen sooner than later, though the car will just sit in my shed until I've got the red car sorted & I've got the money to do the proper job that motor deserves.
The red car didn't get as hot, or for as long, as it only had to travel 400 klms home, whereas the blue car travelled almost 2000 klms, through the hot Aussie outback too. So I'm hoping my mechanic will get it sorted as soon he gets back from his holidays. It's in his workshop & will be the first thing he sees when he rolls up the shutters on Jan 9, so I hope it's the first job he tackles. Even if he just gets me the RWC I need to transfer the reg into my name, it'll save me a lot of bureaucratic BS.
I do feel like I've jumped into the deep end with this, especially with both cars requiring more work than I'm prepared for, or have budgeted for. But both cars are solid rust free units that cruise really well, & I'm sure that I'll be very happy with them, once they're sorted. I did get them both for great prices ($6K for the S3 & $9.5K for the S-Type) & even budgeting for top grade mechanical work I could still make money on them, not that I intend to do that with them. I intend to keep them until "The Man" won't let me drive anymore. By which time both these appreciating, well-loved, classics will be worth substantially more than my investment into them. I'm calling them my automotive superannuation fund, & I'll take my dividends in the amount of fun they give me per year.
So, am I mad, bad, or just dangerous to know? I know which one my Accountant would choose (all of them!). But fun doesn't factor nearly as highly on his forward planning forecasts as it does on mine.

 

If you look carefully at the left hand wheel of the red car you can see coolant that was overflowing from the bottle. This was the first sign of it overheating, though I didn't think much of it at the time, as I'd filled the bottle that morning at home, while cold, & I thought it was just spitting out the excess from the overflow. It actually ran very well on the trip home from Townsville, with the temp needle staying firmly in the middle, even though it was a hot afternoon (35C) & it ended with a high-speed run (100kph), rising 1100 metres over 40 klms, up into the mountains. This pic was taken the next day when I ran back down the coast to pick up my white Jag from the airport car park I'd left it in the day before, when I flew down to Townsville to look at the S3. She boiled about an hour after this pic was taken, on the way home, when I took it up the steepest range back into the Tablelands, rising 1000 metres in 19 klms, with over 250 bends. This is my local fun road, & I was a bit enthusiastic with her on the run up, & that's where the temp started to rise, though it still didn't smell too hot. I thought the temp gauge would come down when I got off the steep bits & up into the cooler air of the tablelands. But when it just kept climbing, & I could smell the heat coming off her, I shut her down & called in the tow truck. I started it again when we unloaded it at my mechanic's workshop, & she started easily, with no nasty noises. So I'm hopeful that no major damage has been done. But I still want the cooling issue sorted before I have anymore fun on the range with her.

 

What a trio!
I *Like* the blue one! Very classy!
(';')

 

Very nice looking fleet! Older Jags are usually "happier" in more temperate conditions so your overheating problems in the tropics, in summer, are perhaps not surprising. Anyhow it sounds like your cooling systems will soon be getting overhauled. Even in Victoria's extreme summer heat (and very high humidity this year) my S3 prefers to stay home on all but cool change days! Seems you did well on prices, thankfully nice example S3's are gradually on the way up. S Types have long dwelt in the shadows of MkII's but I think this is changing as the latter are getting out of reach for many buyers. IMO S Types are vastly underrated and great value. Surely they can only appreciate.

A great way to enjoy your superannuation investments, if only my shares could start to appreciate...

 

Very nice indeed.....I'm sure much enjoyment will be had.

 

"superannuation"
I had to look that up!!
Oz's rough equivalent to Mercan FICA?
(';')

 

Not sure what Mercan FICA is, Elinor, but Super' is basically a private pension scheme for your old age. It includes mandatory employer co-contributions paid in addition to your pre tax earnings. Does that sound similar?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federa...utions_Act_tax
Quote: Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax (/ˈfaɪkə/) is a United States federal payroll (or employment) tax imposed on both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare—federal programs that provide benefits for retirees, the disabled, and children of deceased workers. /Quote
(';')

 

Superannuation is different by being a contributions based benefit (i.e. contributions by both employer and employee) which accrue directly into an account set up for the individual, it's not collected by government, but is regulated by them. Contributions are invested and only accessible at retirement age by the individual. Simplified (perhaps overly), it's a sort of compulsory private pension scheme intended reduce dependency on Social Security at retirement. The incentive to add to your fund (within limits) is that all contributions made throughout your life are tax-free. The idea is that the greater your superannuation wealth at the end of the day, the less SS you require/receive from the federally funded age pension. All the elements that fall under our SS umbrella come out of the federal pot funded by taxes.

Note:
Apologies for hijacking the thread folks, but as we're all friends across international borders, sometimes it's interesting to learn about how we all exist outside our Jags, as well as in 'em!

 

A great trio of Jaguars and some very interesting explanations about Australian and US pension contributions.

What a truly diverse and informative forum this is.

Graham

 

I drove my series 3 from Brisbane to Yepoon on Wednesday and back yesterday, a little over 1400ks done in the hot weather, i run au falcon thermos with a auber instruments controller set to come it at 95 and cut out at 92, yesterday was frigging hot with windows down and roof open all the way[im not a fan of air con especially with a german shepherd on board], the fans only came on when stuck behind a 4wd or truck and generally were not on at all on the highway at 100-125ks, so dont be worried that our cars cant cope in this heat at all...do enjoy

 

Graham, do you read EVERY post??
(';')

 

Hmmm, guess he isn't the only one.


I love word play. This one is marvelous. Akin to super majority. Found in various places.
The U.S. Senate, for example. Of the 00 senators a vote of 51 is a majority. But, think it takes 60 to attain a super majority??


In an academic administrative process, a local institution of higher learning appointed a board of 5. Good, odd number implies an ability to get a majority. But, not good enough, a super majority called for. 4 votes needed for the super majority. Then changed. Go to 4 members. super, super?? Unanimous needed????


So, here. Super, as an adjective modifies annuation, a noun. The latter derived from annual. As annual means once a year in normal palance, Super makes it more often than once a year. Quantification missing??


No, I've had no adult beverage this morning. Later.....


HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

 

I actually wrote out superannuation because I wasn't sure how widespread the term was used internationally. But in this country it's so common it's been abbreviated to the one word "super" (of course it is, we abbreviate everything!). So it's fortunate I didn't use it's abbreviated form or you damn furiners wouldn't know what I was on about. Would yaz?

 

Hiya [scatcat] . . . what a bevy of beauties . . . the red Series III looks a twin to mine and the '64 S type I knew well in an earlier time of life. I think they are littered in my forum albums. Sad to hear of your overheating problems . . . and have all my fingers and toes crossed that damage is not terminal.

Apologies to any who have heard my similar tale of woe during drive home with "new" 8yo Series 1 E-Type from Adelaide to Mildura . . . and the "fixed for life" solution. After checking/replacing cooling bits from w/pump, hoses, t/stat, then welch plugs and blow through etc . . . attention turned to radiator . . . a big, cross-flow, but marginal at best in our Sunraysia blow-torch summers . . . and our rad was 50% or more blocked. Re-cored with change from OEM design (5core to 7core, with 30% increase in flow rate) . . . core was about 8mm thicker, but not noticeable from stock.

The following February, Sunraysia recorded 18 days over 40C and a new record of 52.3C . . . that's 126F . . . taken under the "cool" of a shaded verandah at the local airport! Our E-Type, with modified rad, never missed a beat . . . nor have others in Arizona and Nevada since modded by friends on the E-Type forum.

So . . . my advice? Sure . . . check all the obvious, starting with fan belt and water pump . . . but don't neglect your rad. After all, it's the bit doing all the hard work of cooling.

Best wishes,

Ken

 

I was actually thinking of starting with the rad

 

The quantification is there Carl, Superannuation measurement is equal to a working lifetime in its entirety, with an accrual of more than one contribution per year (i.e. contributions are made at every salary payment).

A very Happy New Year to you.

 

the classic S type is the great-grandfather of the XJ, once you dismantle them both, you will see similarities in so many ways you can write a book about it.

Start with the monocoque bodies, I leave the rest up to you.

 

Well the motor's been around since 1948, & powered most Jags for the next 40 years. The independent rear suspension & disc brakes all round are a more obvious link. Though they were lifted from the Mk X, along with it's massive boot (trunk), which I would call the true great grandfather to the XJ. They are very similar to drive. Though the older car tends to waft along, which is why I call it my cruiser. Whereas the S3 is a more direct & engaging steer, which is why I intend to add some more mumbo & make it my bruiser. The Daily Abuser is just going to have cope with being a hack until I've got my classic cars sorted before it gets a full rebuild. By which time it should be "classic" enough to be worth pouring dollars into.

 

Wait a minute! Who you callin a furiner?! I was Born here! (snicker)

You're right though; you'd be surprised how much I have learned in forums and the old NNTP newsgroups.
(';')