Hello, I'm an active participant in the XK8/R section; I own a 2000 XKR.

I just came across a 67 Mark II Saloon, 3.8L Right Hand Drive!! here in the US. I have the option to buy after giving it a going over. It's not running..yet, but just did a compression check 210psi; with mystery oil poured in, so I think it's good. No spark yet, that's tomorrow. Then with 2 SU carbs and 2 fuel pumps I some sorting out to do.

So what are these worth? It has bondo covered/painted but rusted rockers or sills. I know it has more moderate to severe rust here and there, but I'm not scared yet--can't see it all of course due to crude paint job trying to hide it. The door bottoms are solid. The front suspension needs bushings, but amazingly the brakes work and aren't leaking (don't know about the power booster/vacuum canister--if it has one--yet). Auto Trans condition unknown. Seat leather and interior pretty nice except veneer on top of dash. Hope to get it closer to running next few days.

So I'm sure I'll have lots of questions..hope this generates some interest.

 

I had a '67 2.4 and rebuilt it over 7 years from a bare new shell and a donor car from 1980-1987. The big killer on rust with these cars are the rear spring hangers. Mechanicals are not usually the big trouble items as most things last a very long time. Having said that I did have an axle failure due to a pin costing 50p dropping out inside. (the Pinion Mateshaft Locking Pin, if you want to know ! - it wrecked the diff.).

The rear springs are cantilevered out from below the floor pan, so the rear end of the spring connects to the axle, not the middle. The hangars are inverted square-U shaped sections situated underneath the rear seat pan, with the centre of the spring bolted up with rubber isolation bushes at the rear of the hanger, and the front of the spring bearing on a rubber block at the front of it. It can all rot away, and is very expensive to repair, but not impossible. The axle also has a Panhard rod for sideways location and the body mounting point can also rot away, again an expensive repair and again, not impossible.

A lot depends on where the car was for most of its life. If in a sunshine state, the rust will be less, but northern states and winter salt devastated these cars so most went for scrap. Engines are usually very reliable, and everything on the car is easily DIYable, they are really very simple, but stylish, cars. If you want to swap the drive over, the things you will need are the two walnut dash assemblies for the left-hand drive model, which are mirror images of those on the right-hand drive cars, the rest is swappable quite easily, even the wiring loom is the same for left or righthand drive.

Most mechanical parts are available, and a lot of body repair panels, remanufactured in the UK by Martin Robey. You do need to be skilled at sheet metalwork to repair the bodies of these cars, though.

http://www.martinrobey.com/catalogue.cfm

Trim is virtually all "off-the-roll" material, there are virtually no plastic mouldings, it is all traditional trim techniques with tacking strips and so on to secure everything. Actually the tacks, (which the trimmers use to store in their mouths !!), were replaced by electric staple guns in the early 60s. Damaged wood trim can be refurbished or even replaced, it all depends on how much you feel you can do yourself, and how much money you have, but it is all worth it as these cars are not just elegant, but seem to be attaining good prices now, at least here in the UK.

By the way, the body is full of lead filler in various locations to make the body lines and fill gaps and conceal weld joins. Top rear of the front wings where they meet the scuttle is typical, so if you're wondering how the wings are fixed on, they are welded, then the weld lines covered with body lead. To remove a wing, you first melt off the lead, then drill out the spot welds.

Hope this helps you.

 

Thanks Fraser for that good rundown. I have learned a bit more in 24 hours. I was wrong about the car...it is an S-type (has XK independent rear) so I don't have to worry about spring pocket rust. So are the body panels available for this. I have reviewed SNG Barratt's PDF file and they have prices for them, so I'm hoping that means they are available. (Haven't called them yet). Should have the engine running next week. Got spark after playing with points today. Drained 5 year old gas out of the tanks. Found out fuel pumps are Kaput, so I put in a modern 2-4psi in-line pump. Disassembled carbs, hope to get rebuild kits tomorrow. Compression was good so it should startup. BTW, compression was 210psi (3 strokes and with oil squirted in cylinders), except 1 at 185psi.

Do I move to the S Type Segment, or stay here in the Mark II section?

 

Nope, S Type section is for the modern ones.

Fraser, can you point me in the direction for finding out about converting to LH Drive please. Don't know if I would, but like to see what's involved. So is steering box the same. Does the heater box have to be swapped to the other side? You said it's relatively easy so what unique parts are needed?

For you to spend 7 years restoring one must mean you really love it and hopefully a pretty good value. Mine was $2,500. If I can get the body panels, I can weld them in. I can handle all the mechanicals. The wood trim is something I think I'd have to send out for. Most is good except the dash top. The leather, door panels (cards) and headliner are in good condition. When I figure out how to post pictures I will do so.

 

Hi Steve

The S-Type of 1964-on was a development of the Mark 2, in fact my new Mark 2 doors were actually for an S-type, but I had to get Martin Robey to alter them to take the earlier door locks. The front has different wings but is essentially the same as the Mark 2, although you may have power steering fitted. Swap-over of steering should be as simple as the Mark 2, but I am the dash is different to the Mark 2, so will be more difficult to find left-hand drive examples, unless you make them yourself, they are plywood with walnut veneer on top, I believe.

As far as I remember the heater stays in the same place, and the battery, but I am not totally sure on this as it is a long time ago. There are two holes in the bulkhead for the steering column, and you will find the one on the left side blanked off with plate. This is below the heater just like the battery location. Note, however, that the engine exhaust remains on the same side, so there may be heat shields and things needed to protect the steering on left-hand drive cars. If you have the power steering you will see it is driven off the back of the dynamo, so the feed and return hoses will be the wrong lengths, and the reservoir may need repositioning.

Body panels will be a lot more difficult because fewer cars were built, and they did not become so desirable as classics, but Martin Robey does make some repair panels. Where the panel is the same as a Mark 2, then no problem., but there are fewer than you might think.

The car does have an in-line brake servo, and this is, I think, the same as the Mark 2. If it is the same, then it sits partly hidden from view in a hole in the inner wing, (RH side for a RH-drive car, maybe same for LH drive) protected from road dirt by a panel, and connected to a reservac tank which gives a reservoir of vacuum. So from the brake master cylinder, a line goes to the servo, then out of that to a 4-way connector, which also has a pressure switch on it to turn on the stop lights. There is no dual-line safety on this car, it is single pipe, but we seemed to manage OK !!

Here is the original Motor roadtest
http://www.jag-lovers.org/brochures/..._05-12-64.html

And here's an owners experience of some years ago.

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/jaguar-s-type.htm

Best of luck with it !

 

Thanks again Fraser. I saw the plate cover on the left under the heater for the LH column pass-though. It does have power steering and vacuum brake servo. What about the steering box on the frame. Are RH & LH the same or does it have different pitman arms? I kinda like the oddity of RH drive, so I'm in no hurry to switch it, but want to figure it out and collect unique parts required.

I learned more today from a Jag restorer in the area. I pulled the starter; bad switch/solenoid. It was not to easy to get to, but much easier I'm sure with the carburettors off and out of the way. He said it has been refitted with a 4.2 type...switch located on the starter itself...vs remote original type, also has 4.2 flywheel..beveled teeth in front vs. original where starter gear engaged from backside of flywheel...how wierd was that. He also said these originally had a Positive earth/ground; however, someone switched it over to Negative Ground. So were they really Positive earth? I'm sure glad someone changed it over. Also obtained carb rebuild/gasket kits from a local Jag restoration shop. So tomorrow I will be busy. Should get it started by Monday. Don't think it has run in a decade; been a least 5 years I know.

I'm liking the S-Type more and more; sportier with IR axle. This one is no "pristine example" but could be a nice car with new sills and patch panels. They are slathered with bondo and painted over. Also one rear wheel arch has severly rusted lip. I don't like the "flatened" rear wheel arch as much as the Mark IIs rounded opening, but I like the front end better with the molded in 4 lights. It is no XK style wise, but its growing on me. I'll keep you posted. BTW, you said you "had" a Mark II, guess you no longer have it?

 

Hi Steve

Steering box is the same, but you may have to reposition the arm attached to it, apart from that it is all the same. To convert, you swap the idler casting and the box over. I think there is also a means of locking the steering box to ensure the nut on the worm is central, (and for steering wheel centralising), probably by taking out a plug somewhere and inserting 3/16" dowel or some such.

Your box will be a Burman. The later cars were fitted with the Marles Varamatic box which gave a variable steering ratio depending on wheel position. The Varamatic is a worm-and-roller mechanism, and a marvellous piece of kit, although racks are better, being more precise. When I was rebuilding my Mark 2 I actually visited the Burman factory in Birmingham to see if I could get an oil seal for the box. A kindly engineer gave me one free !!

Most cars of this era were positive earth, but are easily swapped over, I swapped my Mark 2, (actually an auto electrician friend where I rebuilt the car did).

Regarding body repairs, I think your best bet is Martin Robey. They may have a US agent, but S-type is on the catalogue I looked at, but they will mostly be repair panels, not the full ones. Rear wheel arches are a common rust location. In fact many of the large panels like the front wings are made up from two or more pressings welded and then leaded to hide the joins. There is body lead all over the car.

As regards the engine, it could be that you have a 4.2 engine from an earlier swap; have you checked ? There was a model based on the S-type called the 420 which had a 4.2 litre engine, and a restyled front end that looks remarkably like the XJ saloon Series 1.

You have got a very rare car there, they are hardly ever seen nowadays in the UK, even at club rallies.

Oh, by the way, I sold the Mark 2 in 1988; much regretted sale, but me and my wife needed the money. I then bought an XJ6 Series 3 and had that for 14 years !!

 

Hey Fraser. Well it's definitely a 3.8 as per the casting on the right side of the block. I've ordered service manuals from the JCNA. I asked some questions and was informed that about 25,000 total were made from 1964-68. Only about 10k were 3.8 automatics. Of those about half, 5,000 or less were RH drive. So at this point 43 years later there can't be but a few thousand left. I'm gonna leave it RH Drive..don't want to ruin it's originality, rarity, and over here in the US, it's oddity. So that's nice to hear they are rare UK as well.

 

Got the 67 S-Type running today! Tomorrow I drive it. After sitting maybe 10 years the engine has come to life again. I'm hearing some ticking/tapping noise though. I think it's the valves/tappets but I don't have the service manual I ordered yet to see if that's something that needs to be shimmed. Is this normal tapping? Do you "adjust" the valves by shimming them?

 

How did I miss this thread?

Anyone restoring a classic car instantly gets my attention. Kudos.

You may have seen this site already, but they specialize in older jags and are OK for the US.

Part # 29 on the cylinder head page is listed as a Tappet Gap Shim.

MK11 Parts catalogue download.

 

Body panels are not that hard to come by in the US. I have seen Jaguar dismantlers that have multiple body panels and parts even for the 3.8S. I have a 3.8s and found used hoods with no problems at all.

 

Any update on this car ? These are a bit of a forgotten model, certainly here in the UK, but a fine car nevertheless. They did not sell well even when new, and Jaguar developed the 420 in a very great hurry to keep sales up until the iconic XJ saloon of 1968 was ready.

 

Primaz I tried to send you a PM but I can't. I guess you have not yet established full member status yet...get busy posting! I just purchased 2 S-Types for myself. The RHD one I was working on for a lady is all done mechanically and she will get it tomorrow...body and paint in the future.

I bought a totally rust free, complete, LHD, 65 which is coming from Arizona. It was in storage for 28 years. It should be a great car. I also purchased what I thought was going to be a parts car, but it is a complete, unmolested car. It's a 64 LHD. The body is rusted in the the back, but I can fix it. However; I NEED A HOOD. This one is really sad You said body parts were not hard to find. Can you give me some leads. I also need an S-Type Air Filter..the kind that looks like a muffler. So any leads; phone numbers or web sites would be extremely helpful. PM Me and I'll give you my number and email. Thanks

 

Would you be interested in a Jaguar 3.8s hood that is louvered? I have one and would be interested in selling it. Sorry I cannot PM you yet but am close I think to have enough postings but I guess I am not there yet?