One of Ungn many helpful posts from another thread has prompted me to start this topic. The post in question is this:

I have heard a variation of this remark several times. After researching it seems to me many of the things that go wrong are somehow related to gadgets, cutting edge (at the time) technology and creature comforts. The engine itself seems bullet proof once you correct the problems caused by "wrong" design decisions.

So I was thinking. What if we were to have a back to basics X100? You know, just toss out all the things which cause constant or repeating problems. Even if that would mean ditching toys, gadgets and creature comforts. Or even some modern tech for the sake of making it more simple. For example, if the electronic injection was a problem, and I'm not saying it is, I'm just trying to explain the spirit of the conversation, but if the electronic injection was a problem, we could just ditch that for a set of Weber carburetors for example. There are no rules.

This is one thing I miss from old cars. They were much simpler. So they were much easier to maintain and work on. The newer the car the more complex and the more things there are to go wrong and less things you can repair yourself. This is the idea I'm starting from. What would you do to take the X100 back to basics? What problematic part would you toss out of the window? Or what would you ditch just for the sake of simplicity and making it less complex, and easier to maintain and work on?

I for example don't need at all electric mirrors, electric seats, or even electric windows, sat-nav, etc. AC I would like to keep. I would absolutely keep the engine. That's the heart. But could do with a simpler transmission and so on. Let's brainstorm about this a bit. It could be a fun conversation involving the X100. Keep in mind we are not thinking about turning it into a race car. Rather back to basics. But still a road car. It has a lot of tech which fails or will eventually fail. Something you don't have to worry about for example with an E-type.

There are no real rules. It will be a personal thing. Some will ditch some things and hold to other things which others may ditch, and vice versa. It's all part of the fun. Let's just exchange ideas.

 

Unfortunately with the X100 platform there are rules. The can buss and ECU must be made happy and everything is interconnected. Pre 03 cars the code has been broken and it "may" be possible to cheat the systems but 03 up are still at the mercy of the onboard systems.

 

If I'm reading Jaegar's post correctly he wants you to ignore those rules and just imagineer your X100.

 

Tbh, what I'd change fundamentally is:

-Manual or electrical convertible top, no hydraulics.
-Factory Manual Transmission option
-Factory LSD option
-Aluminum body on X100

That said, I can "tolerate" what I've got .

 

Actually not Norri.

It should be feasible, somehow.

But Jandreu , if the ECU is a problem, then maybe ditch it for a stand alone ECU? Would that solve it? Or what is it that the ECU needs to talk to to make happy? Can we ditch those? Or replace them with alternatives which are less computer dependent? This is more the spirit of the thread guys.

 

Should it be financially realistic as well?

 

I'm in with that list, but they would currently be selling for '80's 911 prices and I already would have cashed out.

 

The manual convertible top is exactly the spirit of the thread.

Manual transmission as well, since a manual is less complex and in the case of the X100 most likely easier to maintain than the Auto.

LSD and especially the aluminum body is more of a wish list type of thing. Sure would be nice to have. But doesn't necessarily take the X100 more back to basics.

Another way to explain the idea behind the discussion would be a more analog X100. This is what I mean when I say back to basics. I mean less complexity, less superfluous stuff in it, which would translate in easier to work on and maintain and possibly more reliable too .

So not as much as a how I wish the X100 was or what I wish the X100 had thread. But more of what can the X100 do without to reduce complexity and make it a simpler machine, a more down to the core machine. Back to basics, or analog.

 

Well, it would be more fun if it was.

One could always cast a mould of the X100 body, totally re-engineer the car with a V12 manual and full aluminum chassis etc, or just drop the new X100 look-alike body on top of a DB11, Vulcan or something. But then it wouldn't be as much fun to talk about it.

It would be good to work with what we have.

The idea is not much adding but subtracting.





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Not an X100 owner yet....but one day.

When I started looking at these I always wished they had an AJ16 with a manual.

A simplified, stripped down, simpler car would be cool. Maybe an X300 heart and nervous system transplant??? Lots of older X300 that can be had cheaply.

Now all I need is a x100 coupe with a blown motor....

 

I'm looking for a motor-less, sunbaked coupe to strip out the interior, cage and replace my current '86 Pontiac for open road racing. Not in a huge hurry, but as we get closer to the 97's going TX emissions exempt in 2020, I will look a lot harder.


My current BBC '86 Pontiac is too heavy/ancient to run the fastest Open Road racing classes without me trying too hard. IRS, wider tires, high winding motor and 600lb less weight to haul around should make the extra 4 mph or so speed average a little easier.


I plan to LS/T56 swap Jag specialties my current XK8, but it is too nice to go racing with.

 

See, but that would be too easy.
Hence why I mentioned the goal was not making a race car out of it.

But I have thought about the motor-less X100 thing. If really cheap and the body is ok on the rust and electric side I would buy it. But I would want to keep it a Jaguar. Even if not the original X100 engine. It would need to be a Jaguar engine of some sort in there.

But the point of the discussion is more about getting the stock X100 we have and turning it into a more analog or back to basics or less complex car. But it should still be a X100 and a Jaguar in the end.

 

Now that's an outside the box idea. Even though I'm not sure it is really taking it back to basics. A straight 6 X100 is an interesting idea.

But somehow seems like a backwards step. Even the supercharged AJ16S barely makes more power than the stock AJ-V8. The Supercharged AJ-V8 makes a lot more power than the AJ16S

What is your reasoning behind the AJ16 transplant?

 

Don't be shy. What do you got, even if not financially realistic?

 

The more computers you take out the more, when trying to fix something, you also go back to parts swapping and hoping, since you no longer get codes.

Still, with money no object, just buy several cars and use whichever is working / swap parts / etc. Or pay a tech to fix it/them.

 

Didn’t they make a simpler X100 called an E-Type?

 

True. But it's several decades old now, risky to drive all the time and get hit, parts are more rare, expensive, well you get my meaning.

 

I think you might be missing the point. What if these parts were no longer there to begin with? The less things the less swapping. There is a reason we have codes today. Because there are thousand things to go wrong. One would never find them otherwise and sometimes you still can't. But how many things are there to go wrong with the E-type for example, as compared to a X100, X150 or F-type? This is nore the point.

Back in the day, you have a good battery, a full tank of fuel and your air-fuel mix is right, you were good to go!

 

Fun and interesting thread, which I will enjoy following. I had a Peugeot 505 Turbo wagon that had manual seat adjustments that included fore-aft, tilt, backrest angle, lumbar pressure, and head restraint. Much simpler and never failed.

If subjected to an LS swap or other pushrod V8 transplant, I'd lose all interest in an X100. The Jag six, however, can be argued as appropriate in that the original X100 and the Aston Martin DB7 were both based upon the old XJS platform and the first DB7s were powered by DOHC L6 engines, albeit supercharged. Now, an X100 with a naturally asperated V12 would appeal to me quite a lot. Probably cheaper than a used V12 AM DB7.

Granville

 

I was thinking that last night pulling every single fuse to check for a blown one and thought that's a lot of fuses!