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I'm changing out the seats on my '88 Canadian S3 VDP to those from an earlier 80s US VDP model. The main motivation is that the U.S. VDP seats are so much nicer and luxurious with full leather instead of vinyl side panels.
Some interesting observations:
Front Seats: No chrome adjustment bar on front seat for US model. No passenger electric seat height adjustment. Both can be swapped easily.
Rear seats get interesting. The U.S. Version has no headrest (came in late 80s I understand) but is an excellent twin bucket outfit with a deep armrest compared to the Canadian bench seat.
The rear parcel shelf needs to be longer and has a lip where it meets the seat. Further, the center section is different to cover the sunroof cables hiding just above the center armrest
The old parcel shelf is water damaged, and I need to either repair or replace. But even so, I see a gap in the corners where the seat meets the C pillar. Can anybody with US VDP please post a pic of this part so I can see what the original looks like?
Also happy to be corrected as there seem to be some peculiar differences with different market specs.
However, it is my understanding that Vanden Plas interiors meant all leather (no vinyl surfaces anywhere) and individual seats in the rear, not bench.
The upholstery in the front should match the rear, in that the pleats on the seat part are hemmed in by an outer hoop of leather ie. the pleats don't extend all the way across the length of the seat.
Your Canadian VDP seats look like stock xj6 / sovereign seats.
As to the parcel shelf. wow, that is a dangerous vestigial name!!!
Side bar. My daughter gave me a black little bobble head cat to sit there.
Not my usual practice, but,,,,
Upholsters now use a spray on flock process for similar panels. Make a pattern, cut out a card,. spray it with flock. A shop did that for my son's classic 64 Chrysler 300K. It's interior is a bit flashy, red and black, trimmed in chrome. he as a top machinist and an upholstery shop did some barter work. Each quite pleased, I think....
That was also my thinking. Not sure about XJ6, but those seats are exactly the same as in my '84 Sovereign.
Yeah, jaguar reckoned the Canucks wouldn't notice. I've seen a number of Canadian S3 V12 VDPs on eBay and they all appear to have the same seats. That's why I'm going though this exercise
Gentlemen: a primer on the Canadian V12 Van den Plas:
The V12 VDP was produced from 1982 to 1992 inclusive, and after 1984 was made for Canada ONLY, in in very small numbers, the largest number being in 1986 when 624 were made. By 1989 the number was down to 69 (and these are calendar years not model years - Jaguar kept no separate model year figures for the V12 VDP) ...for 1992 a run of exactly 100 specially equipped and trimmed and individually numbered cars was produced.
From 1982 to 1987 inclusive, and again in 1992, these cars were straight Daimler Double Sixes (and listed as such in the factory build records), but badged as Jaguars for the Canadian market and with certain Canada-only items - such as the bonnet-mounted windscreen washers heated by the tubes running in the engine compartment under the bonnet (!) .
From 1988 to 1991 inclusive the cars were taken from the V12 Sovereign line with upgraded Daimler wood, door panels and door and console armrest in leather. The seats in the 88 to 91 cars were normal Sovereign seats (which explains the seat swap in question). The earlier and the 1992 cars were trimmed in all leather as the Daimlers were. The final 1992 cars had ABS brakes, a factor mounted CD changer and various other upgrades - I attach a few photos of such a car, my former car #92/100.
... I see a gap in the corners where the seat meets the C pillar. Can anybody with US VDP please post a pic of this part so I can see what the original looks like?
My car, at the time of RestoVersion in 1986, was given a VDP interior.
Below is a picture of the upper corner of the rear seat and how it meets the C-pillar. It's all very tight and snug, the seat frame follows the outline you see in the picture.
(';')
Nigel and Elnr, thanks for the pics. Looks like i may have placed the seat back lower than it should be. I took that pic without the seat bottoms in place.
David at everydayxj.com said there's a black leather or vinyl covering thats present on the vdp so it does look like i will need that even after the seat adjustment.
Greg, thanks for the info on the Canadian variances. I had no idea that the dual bonnet mounted washer jets were not part of the US package, I'd assumed that at some point Jag switched from the center mounted jet to dual.Any other differences ?
Is the vacuum and emissions the same as US XJS / XJ12? When l look at my S3 service manual, none of the diagrams are exactly what is on my car
Your Canadian VDP seats look like stock xj6 / sovereign seats.
Right, but note that the base model XJ6 seat and the Sovereign seats, while being the same style and appearing identical at a glance, are actually different. The cushion/bottom part is about an inch or so smaller/shorter on the Sovereign.
Is the vacuum and emissions the same as US XJS / XJ12? When l look at my S3 service manual, none of the diagrams are exactly what is on my car
I've had the same problem. I've found that, year for year, USA XJS V12 and Canadian Series III VDP V12 are almost identical so using XJS diagrams is probably as close as you'll get.
Nigel and Elnr, thanks for the pics. Looks like i may have placed the seat back lower than it should be. I took that pic without the seat bottoms in place.
...
The back of the seat isn't adjustable for height without heroic effort. One either has to move hangers on the seat back or the body. Whether the cushion is in place makes no difference in the height of the back as they're attached independently.
(';')
"Greg, thanks for the info on the Canadian variances. I had no idea that the dual bonnet mounted washer jets were not part of the US package, I'd assumed that at some point Jag switched from the center mounted jet to dual.Any other differences ?
Is the vacuum and emissions the same as US XJS / XJ12? When l look at my S3 service manual, none of the diagrams are exactly what is on my car[/QUOTE]"
The bonnet-mounted washer are only one of the differences on the late Canadian cars vs the earlier US cars. The post-86 Canadian cars all had factory mudflaps, the correct 7 inch headlamps with wash/wipe units, coolant pre-heaters mounted in the bottom rad hose and so on...finally the 1990 to 1992 cars used the same (excellent) steering wheel that was on the 1989 US XJS. Properly speaking, this is a Series III V12 wheel used on the Jaguar variant only, not on the Daimler which continued with the (awful) skinny Daimler wheel (which had a rim even thinner than on the pre 1990 Series III).
The vacuum systems on the V12 cars changed slightly from year to year but in general were similar to those on the US XJS. But note that the Series III saloon never used the Marelli ignition system that was on the XJS. The more reliable Lucas system remained on the Series III until the end of 1992.
Last edited by sov211; 11-28-2015 at 11:39 AM.
Reason: add photo
The vacuum systems on the V12 cars changed slightly from year to year but in general were similar to those on the US XJS.
Gregory, have you ever found any technical info from Jaguar specifically covering the later (let's say 1988-onward) Series III V12s? In all the tech info I've amassed I've discovered no specific mention of them. The parts catalogs are helpful in this regard but, still, I'd like to find tech/repair data.
Considering the low production numbers I suspect that Jaguar used the "Technical Service Bulletin" process to pass along relevant information...rather than update the service manuals.
finally the 1990 to 1992 cars used the same (excellent) steering wheel that was on the 1989 US XJS. Properly speaking, this is a Series III V12 wheel used on the Jaguar variant only, not on the Daimler which continued with the (awful) skinny Daimler wheel (which had a rim even thinner than on the pre 1990 Series III).
While looking for a nice Nardi wheel for my own Series III project I happened across a near mint 89 XJS wheel and snapped it up. You've been commenting on how great the XJS wheel is for so many years I decided to see for myself
I'd still like a Nardi but I'll have to admit that the feel of the XJS wheel is very nice.
Gregory, have you ever found any technical info from Jaguar specifically covering the later (let's say 1988-onward) Series III V12s? In all the tech info I've amassed I've discovered no specific mention of them. The parts catalogs are helpful in this regard but, still, I'd like to find tech/repair data.
Cheers
DD
Doug: the owners manuals for the late Series III V12 (the Canadian manuals, at least) contain the vacuum routing diagram for those specific cars. I no longer have one of those manuals available to me. The vacuum routings differed from market to market - the Australian V12 cars, for example, and the UK cars used different routings than the Canadian cars.
"The rear parcel shelf needs to be longer and has a lip where it meets the seat. Further, the center section is different to cover the sunroof cables hiding just above the center armrest "
I am in the process of swapping out interiors in favor of a VDP interior. So, by the quote given above, am I to understand I need to find a different rear parcel shelf?
I have the different center piece that hides the sunroof cables.
Thanks for any input.
Yes, you need to have a different parcel shelf or to alter the one you have. The Daimler/VDP piece has in the centre an elongated black piece that descends down the seat back area covering the portion between the seat backs.
11-26-2015, 01:54 AM
U.S. VDP seat swap
