Can anyone point me to discussion on converting a 1969 (or SII) E-type to triple SU carburetors? I currently have dual SU's. Beyond replacing the manifold, carburetors, and air intake, I do not know what I will need to upgrade (distributor, cams, etc).

A step by step would be great but a few helpful hints will be very welcome...many thanks!

C. Bruce Jones
Hartwell, GA
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Greetings Bruce ... from an Australian E-Type Jaguar fan with 35+ years of Series1 love affair. May I suggest you start by reviewing this thread 1969 E-Type - Update to Drivers Car.

There are now more than 30 posts in that thread and I suggest you review all of them as they go to the heart of each of the questions you have asked ... and perhaps some you haven't thought of yet.

For me, the key question starts with the XK head, because several S1a and S11s we have seen imported into Australia from NA as spares have had saloon type setups with M or C heads and cams, smaller valves, either dual SUs like you describe but of smaller bore than for our E's, or even twin Strombergs ... all very, very big disappointments up front that, even with diff changes, were unable to replicate ROW performance:

• either follow the suggestion to retro-fit a later XJ head with improved cams, valves and airways ... or
• if you are determined to retain the original era head, at least ensure that it is the genuine straight port S head - originally painted gold;
• as gold paint is cheap, look deeper than the colour of the head; start by miking both cams for lobe lift and timing.

Yell if you need further info, always check the NA specs and forum advice re later S1, S1a, and especially S11 and S3 E-Types by comparing with the home market spec ... in many performance areas by the later 60s, they were quite different, as you have found. My last piece of advice is to take the opportunity to check with the Jaguar UK Forum also for your year and model ... not only for their home market specs and knowledge, but also as a source of the parts you may require.

I commend you for what you are setting out to do ... you will breathe the roar back into the one Jaguar that deserves it most ... and will reward you most.
Best wishes,
Ken

 

We offer a kit to accommodate this conversion. Feel free to give us a call to discuss.
Regards

 

Many thanks Ken, My 69 is a pretty car and is mostly restored but I am "hell bent" on squeezing the best possible performance without putting it in racing configuration. I admired these cars when I was about 20 years old and vowed that I would own one some day. When I finally bought one, it was not the beast that I had envisioned. Soon, I found out why...might as well have a governor on it. I believe my car's net hp is less that 200 hp judging by it's performance. I don't have access to a dynamometer so it's just a guess. Non-NA versions boast of 269 hp (gross).

Where can I get the non-NA specs...ie; cam specs, head variation, etc. versus NA...I read something somewhere about rough airways but I can't re-locate that blurb.

 

I thought '68 on had dual Strombergs. Years ago when I had a modified E we used dual 45 CFM side draft Webbers and put in more aggressive cams. Had the rear wheels widened but you had to start slow because it would snap spokes at launch if you were too aggressive.