New addition series III VDP
 

Greetings,

I just purchased a 83 VDP that came out of a time capsule.
I has 2,947 original miles and came with window sticker, all service records, even the unopened
wool mats.
Last Jaguar service was 2 years ago and still has break in oil (30 W)
I can not find much web based data on this car.
Drives like a dream, however seems to have much less power that my last XJ-40.(91 Sovereign)
Can anyone recommend a good source for shop manual and performance upgrades for this car?
I have been away from any of the Jag boards for about 3 years)

Sincerely,
Ben

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

The Series 3 has no where near the power of the XJ40, that is true. Personally, I think they are far better looking, so that makes up for it.

Where are you located? Or, where do you want to travel for service?

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

Hello Ken,

I am located in Brooklyn, N.Y.
I perform most of my own service so good data is what is needed sans the special service tools when necessary.
Does the 83 4.2L motor make less power then the one in the 91 Sovereign?
The rear axile ratio in the Sovereign was higher and it had a 4 speed auto vs the B-W 66.
Were these cars just slow?
Whar are the popular performance upgrades to this car?
It is far too clean a car to do anything radical like a 427 cid SBC / TH 350.
And yes it is very pretty as close to museum quality as you can find.
I'll post some pictures (I got my plates today and in$ured with Hagerty)

Thanks,
-Ben

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

They just didn't generate the power. It's the same engine as the 4.2 E-type, but the cams are not as fun.

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

Wow, wonders never cease on here. You bought a car like that, and you want to modify it and drive it around in city traffic? I'd be shopping for a bubble to put it in, and a nice set of jackstands. Wait a few years for the economy to stabilize, and sell it at Scottsdale for a bajillion.Spend the interluderesearching and testing leather preservatives.

You can buy a decent driver for three grand, and chop up anything you see fit to try and make it become the car it was never designed to be. Or find a '95 XJR for only a couple grand more, and scare the snot out of everyone on the CBE. This doesn't come from a purist who is appalled by your sacrilege, I am a realist who is baffled by your impracticality.

I've been working on XJ6's for a living since before yours was built, and I never saw or read of a performance mod that offered any appreciable gains at all. And it's been more than 20 years since I heard of one with such low mileage. How manySeries III VDP'slike that do you think there are in the world? A thousand, maybe? And you want to use it up, or mess it up, to make it just like nearly all of the rest? Wonderful. Happy motoring.

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

Put in some fresh gas and went on a little road trip tonight.
This car just keeps getting better and better.
Just got to 3,000 miles and motor is feeling quite a bit better.
Maybe the rings are starting to seal.
I may do a cylinder leakage test this weekend just to see if that is indeed the case.

I am getting quite a bit of encouragement from some of my car buds to put this thing away, but it is too much fun to drive.
The only mod I am comtemplating at this point is the filter box. (there is a serious inlet resitiction)
I would not do anything that could not be returned to stock!
Hoping that and a bit more break in time will give this car more get up and go.

I don't need to make this car into a road race or drag car as I have other nice toys to play with including an 11 sec street Pontiac with dual Quads
462 CID, and a 69 Grand Prix show car that runs 13's. Family car is a 1985 Eldorado with 27,000 miles in showroom condition.
This car was bought to replace the Eldorado as I need a 4 door car but I am starting to consider getting something else for everyday use.

A good friend that owns a auto parts store brought home the Jaguar Cars Limited Book 1 Series 3 Service Manual. (quite pricey)
Is this the one to use or is there a better reference for service data?

Thanks ,
-Ben


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RE: New addition series III VDP
 

ob1

I also answeredyour "performance" questions at the other forum. These cars are not red-light tire-smoking performers, they are cruisers, for stable, comfortable, high speed interstate driving, their power comes in after 90 mph, assuming you don't get caught.

what do you mean by "serious inlet restriction"? the only restriction is the o.e.m. paper filter, go to any autoparts and getthe K & N Air filter, part number E2350, and the plugs I told you about. That's about all you can do to it to make it a bit more responsive and gas-efficient.

based on the dash picture, the car has good oil pressure, good temperature, and good voltage, actually, great voltage.

Jose

RE: New addition series III VDP
 

Jose - could you be more specific on "the plugs I told you about" - Do you know of a plug that's especially Series III friendly? If so, share and I'll drop in 6 new plugs.

Ob1 - that's a true jaguar time capsule story if I've ever heard one. Sounds like you have a lot of toys - try to make sure this one has a nice dry seat in the garage.