So, as some of you multi forum folks may have noticed, I have been appearing on the Ser I, II & III forum recently...... the reason for this madness is explained in my signature. Somehow, I managed to convince myself that I needed another Jag because, well, my '06 XJ SV8 Portfolio is a limited edition car and I was piling miles onto it. Also, my XJS is "fragile" and does 10mpg in town. See, it's obvious I needed another one, right guys........ guys ?

You all know how this starts...... it starts off so innocently...... you browse your local craigslist/autotrader/whatever the equivalent is where you live and you start subconsciously forming an idea of what you want. For me, I wanted a Series III. Not exactly sure why. I passed my UK driving test in one....... so I guess that was a factor. I had the memory of the amazingly supple ride (didn't someone say at the time it rode better than a Rolls Royce?), the narrow rimmed leather steering wheel, the wagging needle on the rev counter, and the view down the sculpted bonnet. The first one I saw was basically dead. 175k miles on it. Paint destroyed by sun. Wood about the same. Tired and wheezy engine..... BUT despite all of that, the memories were there when I drove it. I think at that point I knew I had to have one. The challenge was going to be finding one at reasonable money. I have an XJS to run you know, I'm not made of money :-)

Nothing came along for a while but then I saw the advert on craigslist. "Jaguar for sale" was the title....... none of the usual "L@@K, runs good shows great !@!@!@!@!@!" cr*p that you normally see. I opened the ad (remember I didn't know even what kind of Jaguar it was yet) and there were 2 pictures of a black 84 VDP. There were very few other words in the ad...... just "1 owner from new, 69000 miles" My initial reaction was that I really didn't want to add a third black Jaguar to the fleet, but, it was probably worth spending a few hours looking at it anyway.

So, after some phones calls the history of the car is clearer. I am talking to the daughter. It's her fathers car. Isn't getting used enough, his pride and joy, want to sell it. We arranged to meet........ the anticipation is building. I have the asking price in cash in my pocket, you know, just in case :-)

When the car arrives, it's obvious that it's what I would call a very honest car. It's clear the car has not been messed around with in any way, and it is complete and 100% original, down to the dealer fit chrome wheel arches that I don't like. The only faults to mention were :

1) A/C wasn't working, but the daughter assured me it only needed recharging. Hands up if you've heard that one before ? That same sentence cost me $2k to put right on my XJS. Anyway, more on that later

2) Sunroof wasn't working. This seemed to be a surprise because apparently it had worked the day before

3) Aerial was snapped off.

4) very small rip in the leather on the drivers seat bolster (not exactly unusual for a 30 year old Jag)

So, I bought it. I didn't haggle on the price, out of respect for the daughter and the family, plus I was 100% sure the car was worth more than I was paying.

I drove it to the autoshop. Bought a can of the A/C stuff (I had seen already it had been converted to R134 and there was a nice big service bill to tally with this). Checked the fill...... low........ filled it up........ice cold A/C. Automatic temp control fully working, and also the vacuum system sending the air to the right places (center vent when on full a/c, demist vents only when on full demist, etc, etc) My friend (a 3x Alfa Romeo guy, and a key supporter of "You should really have 3 Jags") is convinced it'll leak out within an hour. (1 month later it hasn't). Tick.

I took the car to work the following few days and was amazed at how well it drove.

Feeling that I had made a good decision to buy it, I then made "the list" that I'm sure we all do when we get a new toy.

First was new tires........ I was getting a vibration around 60MPH and looking at the tires they didn't look great, although they had plenty of trend on them. Took the car to the local tire place. The tires on the car were dated 1997 !! Got 4 tires fitted and balanced for less than I paid for ONE tire for the Portfolio. Tick. Took the car for a test run. No vibrations at all now up to 110MPH :-) (admittedly it took a little bit longer to get there than either the V12 XJS or the supercharged V8, but it got there and was pretty steady even at that speed). Tick.

First up was adding remote central locking...... that went relatively ok, once I had worked out I had no solenoid in the drivers door, despite the wiring diagram assuring me I did. Was puzzled at first that the boot/trunk locked but did not unlock. Read the owners manual (yes, it has all of the original documentation).... found the answer.... it's not supposed to unlock. Tick.

Next was the stereo and speakers. I took out and kept the working original stereo and fitted one with bluetooth and phone, etc, etc, but don't worry, this can be undone at any time. Also installed 4" Polk audio speakers in all of the doors. Good sounds. Tick.

Next I ordered a replacement steering wheel because for some reason the center was peeling on the original one. This is a weird failure that I haven't seen before and didn't match up with the rest of the interior condition. Anyway, ebay, bought from 86 XJS with nice gold background growler center that I preferred to the standard black. Arrived. 2 screws to take the horn button off. Big socket to unbolt. Done in 5 minutes. Compared to the absolute PITA to do the same "simple" job on my airbag equipped XJS, this was a dream to do. Tick.

Next, the sunroof..... it's got to be the switch...... changed the switch with a window switch. Window still worked, sunroof still didn't work. Boo. It's maybe the wiring to the motor....... checked voltage at motor with assistant pressing the switch both ways. 0V at OFF, -12V at "open", +12V at "close" Boo. Took the rear seats out to look at the gear mechanism. Loosened the bolts just a little on the gear mechanism...... tried the switch. Sunroof glided back. Also glided closed. Repeated 10 times. Reassembled car. Smiled a lot. Tick.

Next, the aerial. Well, let's just say there's a new one now on order and no tick just yet.

Last night the bulb warning light comes on while driving. Showed it to the wife. Explained how Jaguar had this fixation with building weird bulb failure systems that didn't work and tripped all the time. Wife got out of car at the house and, as she saunters into the house, casually says "You've got a tail light out" Replaced tail light. Tail light lights up. Bulb warning light goes out. (Tried to recant statement about weird bulb failure systems. Failed)

So, that brings us up to the current day.

Next is going to be working down the "lumpy idle" list, and here I must thank all of the members who contribute to this forum because I have learned so much and made a great list to work through.

I guess the point of this post is to say thanks somehow to all the forum folks here who, although I have never met most of you (expect for the bay area folks who are regularly meeting up now), I feel you are here with me in the garage in spirit, and I am confident we'll be able to keep this old girl going, just like you've been helping me to keep the other 2 going (some needing more helping along than others) .

To finish, I guess a picture is worth a thousand words.......

 

Those Series IIIs are great cars. Not just great Jaguars but great cars in the grand scheme of things.

When you consider how old the design elements are it's a bit amazing that they're still impressive to drive. Or.... if not "impressive", maybe it's just that they have a bit of "olde world" character that is very pleasing to many people.

Either way, it's a pleasure to own and drive one.

Cheers
DD

 

What a great looking Jag.

Nice write up.

I think that we deserve a 'group hug shot' of your stable (minus red thing of course).

 

beautiful =,)

 

Great looking car!

I like the way the Jaguar drives. I recently rebuilt the entire rear suspension (new rubber bushings, KYB shocks, King springs, etc) but I am still on old stock-size tires and 1/3 way through a complete front end rebuild - and I still like the way the car drives. It feels surprisingly nimble, especially for its age. I haven't driven that many old cars, but I've driven a few, and none of them had the confidence that my XJ6 does on the road.

 

@Richard

Thanks ! Actually the red thing is incredibly useful and reliable. It is my wifes car. It is her first car. She bought it new 17 years ago and has driven it ever since, so she has owned a total of 1 car her whole driving life. I, meanwhile am at car number 24, of which 3 of them are current, and Jaguars, so hats off to her..... she is EXTREMELY understanding :-)

@FastKat

Agreed. You can close your eyes (well, not actually when you are driving but you know what I mean) and you could be in a 1 year old car instead of 30 years old.

 

Great find!!

 

The ride quality of the XJ saloons from 1968-1986 was a high point that has yet to be matched by cars built subsequently, although the XJ40 and X300 was pretty close.

I had a 1980 Series 3 for 14 years, and it was built pretty badly, this being the era of British Leyland and our UK 'Decade of Madness' in the 70s. However, the ride made up for a great deal. The car was always a pleasure to drive on any sort of road, whereas my current XJ6, an X350 aluminium saloon, is only really happy at speed on smooth roads. On our local roads and lanes it is pretty awful, frankly, being bumpy and thumpy, and every little bump is felt through the seat cushion. My MG Midget is smoother, for heavens sake !

OK, I can hear everyone saying it is my own damn stupid fault for buying a Sport with the harder air suspension. Well, I am currently thinking of maybe converting to the 'Comfort' air springs. A used set will not be too expensive, and of course, the ones I have on the car are 10 years old, so well used. I would then sell the Sport set on e-Bay. Maybe there are people out there who like a hard ride !!

I am not going to look for another X350 as this one is now well sorted and I don't want to have to sort out the faults in another car which the last owner ignored.

 

Beautiful addition to the collection. It looks fantastic.



1) A/C wasn't working, but the daughter assured me it only needed recharging.

And congrats on finding a car where this was actually true. Hope it holds up. It's unbelievable how many sellers make this claim - even when trying to sell a car during a Georgia summer. Well hell, why don't you recharge the damn thing then?

 

Looks very nice! Even my slightly blemished '86 lump holds this distinction of amazing ride. I've not driven anything that compares to my Jag and mine is a sight apart from perfect. It looks very, very good on the outside but has some lurking demons (I just found out this evening the driver's floor pan will need new steel soon). They're just magnificent automobiles!

 

@Fraser

Agree about old v's new...... never mind Sport suspension, try sport suspension and 20" wheels as fitted standard on my '06 Portfolio. I've been driving the Series III for 3 weeks solid, only driving the XJS every now and again in between. So I've got used to the ride of the old stuff. Meanwhile the Portfolio sits under covers in the garage gathering dust...... Tonight the wifes Integra (The nasty red thing in the pics) limped home stumbling and misfiring and finally died and refused to restart. Most likely coil failure but it'll be a few days before my work schedule allows me to look at it. So....... I have to ask the question to the Mrs... "Which Jag do you want to take to work tomorrow dear?" Answer is Portfolio. Ok, so it gets uncovered, and woken up and driven out of the garage. I drove out down the very small kerb onto the street to turn it around and I honestly thought something had broken when it came down from the kerb, such was the harshness of it. I drove it round the block and I think the ride is "crashy" at best :-( (of course there's actually nothing wrong with the car, it's just that I'd gotten used to 16 inch wheel and 70 series tires and nice springs.

@Noah

I was amazed too. I think the fact that as soon as you turn the Jag "heating" system on the A/C compressor at least turns helps the seals survive a bit longer, even if the coolant is low. But, yes, on an old Jag, spending $30 before you sell it is going to be money well spent for sure

@Millster

That was one of the huge advantages of buying a sunny California car...... I never looked anywhere for rust, and not surprisingly when I did end up underneath the car (needed to see where my exhaust is blowing from), the floor can only be described as "new"

 

Very nice car. What a find!!! Enjoy it.

I've had my 83 since 2001. One of my all time favorites in a very long string of cars starting when I was 16! I hope to see 84 this year!!

I refer to mine as English elegance with an Italian touch and American power. Tis lumped with a 94 Cadillac engine and transmission. it had to be as the DOHC suffered a major melt down. Guages said all was well, than whoosh, coasted to the off ramp powerless. l0 Compression in all holes!!

 

So you're extra lucky, eh? I don't know the entire history of mine other than I bought it from the back-lot of a dealer (and REALLY talked them down) so I got a "Carfax" for free. It's spent its whole life in Montana but spent two 4 year periods unregistered. In any case, the damage to the floor pan is on the inside. If you looked at the underside, it is actually pretty good for its age. It appears to be either a leak or a blocked drain that needs some troubleshooting. I'm piecing together little bits of the history of my Jag as I go but the question I'd really like answered is why someone would spend so much time and money getting the car back running and fixing blemishes only to give up on it completely. I guess I shouldn't complain, though. It wouldn't be mine if they hadn't.

 

@millster

To your question about why spend a lot of time/effort/money then give up....... I was very, very close to getting rid of my XJS last month. This is a car that I love to pieces, and have had for the past 4 years and poured a ridiculous amount of money into it that I will never get back. The issue is not the money already spent, I wasn't expecting to get that back, but it's the issue of the money thats still going to have to be spent. The reason for the XJS being in the sin bin was a $4k bill just to get the car to pass SMOG. Now, if that $4k bill had only given me a piece of paper, I think the car would already be on Craigslist. I actually got a full fuel injector service and a custom made 4 cat high flow exhaust system. The car has never ran better in the 4 years I have had it, so it was this that earns it a place in my garage again, but boy, did it test my patience (and wallet)

@JagCad

I think the only single perhaps negative thing I could say about the Series III is the 3 speed transmission, so getting more cogs as part of your lumping is a nice benefit.

General question to all........ not that I would ever do anything to change the originality of this particular car, but are there gearbox alternatives for the Series III ? I don't have my Jaguar anorak facts and figures book with me, but was the Series III the last place Jaguar used the XK engine ?? If so I'm imagining it went to the very end with the 3 speed ?

 

Yes, it was. The V12s continued in production with the GM400 gearbox which was also a 3-speeder. 4-speed boxes came in with the XJ40. The XJS had a 4-speeder for quite a while in the late 80s when the AJ6 aluminium engine was fitted as an addition to the V12. Actually I was totally happy with my BW66 gearbox, the engine was torquey enough I never noticed a lack of ratios.

 

whoa! I just noticed your car has no hood ornament! is that consistent with the vanden plas and I just never noticed before? where's the leaper?

 

I wondered about that as well...... All I can say is that the hood is original, and there is no evidence (holes or filled holes) of there ever being a leaper on it. I looked at around 10 Series IIIs and less than half of them had leapers on them.

 

No Ser III ever left the factory with a leaper. It was a popular dealer or owner add-on, though.

As far as I know the same applies to Ser I and II cars as well.

As for transmissions, many have installed the GM TH700 (or later version, 4L60) with good results. It's a 4-speed auto. An adapter kit from Johns Cars in exes is needed.

Cheers
DD

 

Which is probably why I think that they look plain 'wrong' on any car later than the old S Types.

+ they are illegal over here, under reg#53 in the motor vehicles construction and use, which quotes 1937 as the cut off date, and also EU directive Community Directive 74/483 or 79/488 or ECE Regulation 26.01.

Basically it would have to be made from 'soft rubber'.
Each to his/her own though.

(pdf version of the regs available here) but I'm sure that polishing the cars should take precedence.

 

Doug, thanks a lot. I feel better now knowing the car is "proper". Good info about the gearbox.... I won't violate this car, but who knows in the future.

Richard, Thanks for the info. I've often looked at pictures of modern UK saloons (X308, X350) and I agree, they do look better without a leaper. Both my XJs here in the US have had them though. As well as the legal side of things, I think it's also a bit of a market sensitivity. For example, I'd never seen chromed wheels on a Jag (apart from wires) but they are very common over here.