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If you are here then you probably have or love the F-type. They are perhaps the best looking car out there right now, support the legacy of the E-type legitimately, and are frankly a bargain in the used market.
The point of this thread is to summarize things that modernize the first gen F-type to be "almost as good as new" given they are easy to find and wonderful cars.
Please add to this in your replies as this is unlikely to be a complete list.
1. Add LED headlinght bulbs to replace the HID bulbs in your car. Light is much better and the units still "turn" with the car...sort of best of both worlds really. A LOT cheaper than the LED OEM option and frankly just as good.
2. Add an aftermarket Apple CarPlay/Android Auto solution. I have the UAD option in my car. There are a lot of threads on this - here is just one. Paid a pro to come to me and for 100 dollars he put it in. Microphone on the A pillar works superbly...better than OEM. Yes, you lose OEM navigation...but unless you don't have an Apple or Android phone this is not a huge loss. WAZE tells you about things up the road like debris, traffic, etc. There are other map apps too. You can do voice text and other things via SIRI, etc. Win. Win.
3. To optimize handling and performance, consider non-OEM tires. I have found that for street driving (non-track and even some basic track), the continental DWS-06PLUS tires to be amazing in the SVR sizing of 265/35/20 in front and 305/30/20 in the rear. And the upgrade to 20" wheels improves for me handling while the car remains comfortable due to the dynamic shocks. I went oem forged. Not as many choices in wheels as for a VW or BMW or Porsche, but there are choices out there. Note, other brands of tires are great too, and summers only are great. I happen to like the fact that these are 5 or so lbs lighter than any of the other top tier brands (Michelin, Bridgestone, etc., in the same size or nearly same size....that matters).
4. Have mechanical empathy. Fluids, use the good stuff and don't follow the once a 15,000 mile oil change (my opinion). I use top tier fluids in oil, diffs, and transfer case. Brake fluid is CASTROL SRF because even when "wet" it can take temperature well.... Change the plugs and such too. I run BG44k about once a month or two and have not had any "sticky" injector issues. It is a preventative measure on my end. When all of my stuff was opened up to do coolant metal pipes the mechanic took a look around and saw no carbon build up or other issues...so I am sticking with BG44k. Have about 57k miles now...
5. On the steel braces under the car....address them because in early cars they can rust. There are links here on different ways to deal with it. I put new ones on and am using "Fluid Film" spray a few times a year, especially before winter. It is basically a rust inhibitor. It is oily and less sexy to look at than a dry clean car, but I hate rust and don't care. Others take the ratty ones off, clean/bead blast them/sand blast them, then paint/powdercoat them. Key is to stop the rust. I happened to replace my rear subframes too but this is not likely needed by 99% of people...that raises the cost a lot.... Anyway, I plan to be religious with the fluid film going forward.
6. Change the plastic coolant tubes out for metal ones. As part of this I did the fluid in the supercharger, the super charger coupler (via an eBay part), thermostat (these are hard to find...found mine on rockauto), and water pump. This is the perfect time to do pulley upgrades and tuning if you are so inclined...and plugs and etc.
7. Once you are off warranty, be aware there are tuning options out there that can net up to 550hp for the V6 cars using e85. Not sure how high the V8's go. The ZF8hp70 is good to 516 ft lbs (so a tuned v6 is ok, not sure if it can take a tune on a v8). One source of these tunes is VAP. They post a lot here and answer quesitons (check threads first of course as many questions have been answered).
8. Buy some rubber washers off amazon that are I think 10 or 11mm ID (measure the posts) for the rear hatch cover if you have a coupe and put them on each side to keep the cover centered...it will no no longer fall off. About 5 dollars or less to fix this.
9. Want nicer paddles. Simple, order SVR aluminum OEM paddles (or some aftermarket ones via ebay/Aliexpress/etc.). I find the solid aluminum ones with the plus and minus machined/cut completely out to be optimal. You lose the lighted up plus and minus of the standard ones but the metal ones feel better (they do get hot/cold though more) and are a little larger. Too large blocks the turn signals/etc. YMMV.
10. Drive it. As much as you can. These cars are reliable and amazing to drive. I am one who feels that using a car is best unless it is a Ferrari 250 GTO or the like...And even then...if somone had a 250 GT0 with 300,000 miles it may be worth 90% of one with 10 miles...who knows.
11. Take care of the interior/exterior. I use meguiar's on the leather, ceramic coated the outside on my own, and for buttons have the Dunlop 65 lemon oil on hand (have not gotten sticky yet but have used it on other cars and had success).
That is it. The cars have a timeless design, amazing sound, and super looks.
What you cannot upgrade to: oem cooled seats (might be possible, not sure it is worth it, and I like the way the older seats look better actually), digitial dash (not sure I want to have that as a failure point downstream), and adaptive cruise control (I don't use cruise control ever anyway).
These are great cars. You can service them and they are not boring at legal speeds like many P cars are (all).
Last edited by jcb-memphis; 04-02-2023 at 06:04 PM.
I agree with your comments completely. Keep on top of your f type, frequently checking your fluid levels and you will have many years and miles of enjoyment. The f type linage to the e type is unmistakable. The total number of f type from 2015-2024 is about 40,000 jags, the e type from 1961-1975 is about 75,000 jags. There will be far fewer f type 20 years from now than the e type. Take care of one of the most beautiful cars on todays roads. I had the 63 e type for 21 years and drove her over 50,000 miles throughout the northeast. I know the f type is a bit larger than the e type but I venture to say we all may be a bit larger than we were 60 years ago.
13. For convertible owners, re-waterproof the roof yearly. I use this 303 kit, with cleaner and sealant. I use a paintbrush, so I don’t have to do any masking. I stop the roof closure about 1/2” short of closed, so I can get the leading edge.
I agree with your comments completely. Keep on top of your f type, frequently checking your fluid levels and you will have many years and miles of enjoyment. The f type linage to the e type is unmistakable. The total number of f type from 2015-2024 is about 40,000 jags, the e type from 1961-1975 is about 75,000 jags. There will be far fewer f type 20 years from now than the e type. Take care of one of the most beautiful cars on todays roads. I had the 63 e type for 21 years and drove her over 50,000 miles throughout the northeast. I know the f type is a bit larger than the e type but I venture to say we all may be a bit larger than we were 60 years ago.
Looking at those photos of the E Type and F Type together I am reminded that when the F Type was in development stage, the designers considered having the rear hatch open sideways like it does on the E Type coupe. I can remember when I was a kid back in the 1960's there was a maroon color E Type coupe in the neighborhood that I used to lust for every time I saw it. One day I rode by on my bicycle and it was parked on the owner's lawn with the rear hatch opened. I had to stop and look. I had never seen anything like that and thought it was so cool. Too bad they didn't do that on the F Type.
Your E Type is gorgeous Frank Barone. I still lust after one almost 60 years after seeing my first one.
If you are here then you probably have or love the F-type. They are perhaps the best looking car out there right now, support the legacy of the E-type legitimately, and are frankly a bargain in the used market.
The point of this thread is to summarize things that modernize the first gen F-type to be "almost as good as new" given they are easy to find and wonderful cars.
Please add to this in your replies as this is unlikely to be a complete list.
1. Add LED headlinght bulbs to replace the HID bulbs in your car. Light is much better and the units still "turn" with the car...sort of best of both worlds really. A LOT cheaper than the LED OEM option and frankly just as good.
2. Add an aftermarket Apple CarPlay/Android Auto solution. I have the UAD option in my car. There are a lot of threads on this - here is just one. Paid a pro to come to me and for 100 dollars he put it in. Microphone on the A pillar works superbly...better than OEM. Yes, you lose OEM navigation...but unless you don't have an Apple or Android phone this is not a huge loss. WAZE tells you about things up the road like debris, traffic, etc. There are other map apps too. You can do voice text and other things via SIRI, etc. Win. Win.
3. To optimize handling and performance, consider non-OEM tires. I have found that for street driving (non-track and even some basic track), the continental DWS-06PLUS tires to be amazing in the SVR sizing of 265/35/20 in front and 305/30/20 in the rear. And the upgrade to 20" wheels improves for me handling while the car remains comfortable due to the dynamic shocks. I went oem forged. Not as many choices in wheels as for a VW or BMW or Porsche, but there are choices out there. Note, other brands of tires are great too, and summers only are great. I happen to like the fact that these are 5 or so lbs lighter than any of the other top tier brands (Michelin, Bridgestone, etc., in the same size or nearly same size....that matters).
4. Have mechanical empathy. Fluids, use the good stuff and don't follow the once a 15,000 mile oil change (my opinion). I use top tier fluids in oil, diffs, and transfer case. Brake fluid is CASTROL SRF because even when "wet" it can take temperature well.... Change the plugs and such too. I run BG44k about once a month or two and have not had any "sticky" injector issues. It is a preventative measure on my end. When all of my stuff was opened up to do coolant metal pipes the mechanic took a look around and saw no carbon build up or other issues...so I am sticking with BG44k. Have about 57k miles now...
5. On the steel braces under the car....address them because in early cars they can rust. There are links here on different ways to deal with it. I put new ones on and am using "Fluid Film" spray a few times a year, especially before winter. It is basically a rust inhibitor. It is oily and less sexy to look at than a dry clean car, but I hate rust and don't care. Others take the ratty ones off, clean/bead blast them/sand blast them, then paint/powdercoat them. Key is to stop the rust. I happened to replace my rear subframes too but this is not likely needed by 99% of people...that raises the cost a lot.... Anyway, I plan to be religious with the fluid film going forward.
6. Change the plastic coolant tubes out for metal ones. As part of this I did the fluid in the supercharger, the super charger coupler (via an eBay part), thermostat (these are hard to find...found mine on rockauto), and water pump. This is the perfect time to do pulley upgrades and tuning if you are so inclined...and plugs and etc.
7. Once you are off warranty, be aware there are tuning options out there that can net up to 550hp for the V6 cars using e85. Not sure how high the V8's go. The ZF8hp70 is good to 516 ft lbs (so a tuned v6 is ok, not sure if it can take a tune on a v8). One source of these tunes is VAP. They post a lot here and answer quesitons (check threads first of course as many questions have been answered).
8. Buy some rubber washers off amazon that are I think 10 or 11mm ID (measure the posts) for the rear hatch cover if you have a coupe and put them on each side to keep the cover centered...it will no no longer fall off. About 5 dollars or less to fix this.
9. Want nicer paddles. Simple, order SVR aluminum OEM paddles (or some aftermarket ones via ebay/Aliexpress/etc.). I find the solid aluminum ones with the plus and minus machined/cut completely out to be optimal. You lose the lighted up plus and minus of the standard ones but the metal ones feel better (they do get hot/cold though more) and are a little larger. Too large blocks the turn signals/etc. YMMV.
10. Drive it. As much as you can. These cars are reliable and amazing to drive. I am one who feels that using a car is best unless it is a Ferrari 250 GTO or the like...And even then...if somone had a 250 GT0 with 300,000 miles it may be worth 90% of one with 10 miles...who knows.
11. Take care of the interior/exterior. I use meguiar's on the leather, ceramic coated the outside on my own, and for buttons have the Dunlop 65 lemon oil on hand (have not gotten sticky yet but have used it on other cars and had success).
That is it. The cars have a timeless design, amazing sound, and super looks.
What you cannot upgrade to: oem cooled seats (might be possible, not sure it is worth it, and I like the way the older seats look better actually), digitial dash (not sure I want to have that as a failure point downstream), and adaptive cruise control (I don't use cruise control ever anyway).
These are great cars. You can service them and they are not boring at legal speeds like many P cars are (all).
their timeless design makes me think of the original Dodge Viper…that shape/look of the Viper still wows me to this day.
the rear end of the Ftype has that appeal…so gorgeous from many angles even as it ages.
I had a '64 E-Type roadster and a '71 E-type coupe in BRG, just like the picture. It never seemed that small to me, but wow, side by side with the F-type it looks tiny in comparison. The scariest part was parking..........you couldn't see where the nose ended or how close you were to the rear. Some things never change!
The LEDs are interesting. I'll have to research that, I've been happy with the OEM output but my other vehicles are LED and would love to see what improvement they could give the F-Type. I've had issues with other LED brands in the past but may give the linked company a shot.
The LEDs are interesting. I'll have to research that, I've been happy with the OEM output but my other vehicles are LED and would love to see what improvement they could give the F-Type. I've had issues with other LED brands in the past but may give the linked company a shot.
Put them in my own f-type and they were way brighter. The original author deserves full credit (he commented above). Great mod. I tried to link to the write up - apologies if I messed up.
04-02-2023, 11:59 AM
How to Keep Your Old F-Type New
