Newby here with some questions please !

[Fredomusicman]

After my presentation in another Topic, I would ask you some questions, thanks in advance for your advices ! I want a manual “S” with OD:

- Do you feel a real difference between 3.4 and 3.8L ? Only 10SAE HP between, but I saw the curves here, the power and torque is on lower RPM on a 3.8L, so really the best choice ?
- I can’t find somewhere the different colors existing, exterior and trims, is it registered somewhere ? I didn’t found it in the brochures.
- I heard that adding a power steering to a not powered one is not so easy as that, because it affected the heating of the interior because it steals room to the heater jacket ?
- Model years to avoid ?
- Are the spoked wheels easy to find if not equipped with ? Same question for finding a sport 3-spoke flywheel (seen in MKII and “S”).
- As common for the US, models from there have another compression Ratio ? Who affected the power ?
- Can you list me the points I have to look carefully for choosing my “S” ?

I already noticed: Oil pressure when hot. Engine noise (Upper or lower “ticks”). Mileage of the engine. Rust on all the wheel arches. Status of the paint, Trim, Wood, chromes, electrical equipment’s, roof, door alignments.
Thanks a lot for your help (I hope !), I guess this is the best place on earth to talk about the “S”

[David Reilly]

Welcome.
Very good questions and I am sure that you will get many interesting answers.
As to colours, you can find the ones offered at various times in the 'S'-type's production in Newsletters: Vol. 1, Nos. 6, 9, 10, &11; Vol.9, No. 5; and Vol. 10, No. 9.
Cheers,
David

[Fredomusicman]

Thanks David for your infos ! I will already check the newsletters for the colors.

[Glyn Ruck]

After my presentation in another Topic, I would ask you some questions, thanks in advance for your advices ! I want a manual “S” with OD:
I will answer some of your questions
- Do you feel a real difference between 3.4 and 3.8L ? Only 10SAE HP between, but I saw the curves here, the power and torque is on lower RPM on a 3.8L, so really the best choice ? The extra torque of a 3.8 is absolutely noticeable 10bhp difference does not tell the full story
- I can’t find somewhere the different colors existing, exterior and trims, is it registered somewhere ? I didn’t found it in the brochures.
[[color=#BF0000][/color See link below for all colour & upholstery combinations by year]
- I heard that adding a power steering to a not powered one is not so easy as that, because it affected the heating of the interior because it steals room to the heater jacket ? Not true ~ adding a power rack & pinion is where the problem lies as it messes up your Ackermann angles. Try and find a Varamatic PAS & pump on Ebay ~ the best of the 3 systems used ~ you will need a generator that can accommodate the pump on it's rear or go for an alternator similarly equipped ~ look identical to generator ~ available positive & negative earth.
- Model years to avoid ?Late 63 early 64 only because they are so variable using up old parts. There is nothing wrong with the cars
- Are the spoked wheels easy to find if not equipped with ? Same question for finding a sport 3-spoke flywheel (seen in MKII and “S”). Spoked wheels are easy to find from Dayton US or MWS UK ~ Motor Wheel Service ~ watch Ebay for flywheel
- As common for the US, models from there have another compression Ratio ? Who affected the power ? US only got the 3.8 and the difference between 8 to 1 & 9 to 1 compression ratio is difficult to tell once you rebuild an engine with skimming of block & head plus rebore. More is gained by porting & valve seat angles[/b]
- Can you list me the points I have to look carefully for choosing my “S” ? I will post a picture but suggest you buy James Taylor's latest book from Crowood Press

I already noticed: Oil pressure when hot. Engine noise (Upper or lower “ticks”). Mileage of the engine. Rust on all the wheel arches. Status of the paint, Trim, Wood, chromes, electrical equipment’s, roof, door alignments. Oil Pressure should be between 35psi & 45psi hot at 3000 rpm dependent on oil viscosity used ~ suggest you search for all details and read my thread on my car. A tappet hold down kit is worth fitting. Cass can advise you best in this regard. He has done the job. My car is still standard with zero ticks.
Thanks a lot for your help (I hope !), I guess this is the best place on earth to talk about the “S”

S Type rot spots.JPG (95.37 KiB) Viewed 2117 times

Good luck! Pre British Leyland cars are best to buy.

Go to the link below for paint & upholstery colours by year.

http://www.jagstyperegister.com/forum_n ... 3804#p3804

[David Reilly]

One correction to the above. The 3.4-litre 'S' was available in the USA, but most American buyers chose the larger engine. However, the 3.4-litre engine was chose by the Metropolitan police for their cars for its lower weight and almost same horsepower.

[Glyn Ruck]

I'm afraid you are at odds with the scribes David.

S Type In America.JPG (156.31 KiB) Viewed 2087 times

AND

Jaguar in America1.JPG (31.71 KiB) Viewed 2035 times

And the Metropolitan Police while majority 3.4, bought some 3.8s for certain duties post highways/motorways and the Brivadium sleeves were more durable in the 3.8. Source ~ someone who worked for the Metropolitan Police who lives just over the hill from me.

[cass3958]

- Do you feel a real difference between 3.4 and 3.8L ? Only 10SAE HP between, but I saw the curves here, the power and torque is on lower RPM on a 3.8L, so really the best choice ?
- I can’t find somewhere the different colors existing, exterior and trims, is it registered somewhere ? I didn’t found it in the brochures.
- I heard that adding a power steering to a not powered one is not so easy as that, because it affected the heating of the interior because it steals room to the heater jacket ?
- Model years to avoid ?
- Are the spoked wheels easy to find if not equipped with ? Same question for finding a sport 3-spoke flywheel (seen in MKII and “S”).
- As common for the US, models from there have another compression Ratio ? Who affected the power ?
- Can you list me the points I have to look carefully for choosing my “S” ?

Nice questions and I am sure we are all going to enjoy answering them.

First the difference between the 3.4 and 3.8 is negligible. I say that and yet I have not driven a 3.8 to compare against my 3.4. Lots of people have said the 3.4 is a better engine, less stressed and just as quick but then again are you ever going to drive it hard enough to notice. In the Mk2 world a 3.8 does have a better value over a 3.4 or 2.4 but in the "S" Type world there is no discernible difference in price between the two. I would be more concerned in the overall condition of the car and enjoy which ever engine it comes with.

David has pointed you towards colours but you will find a lot of cars out there that have been resprayed with a modern paint and colour. Unless you are trying to buy a concours car pick a colour that you like and can live with. Having said that Glyns S Type which is a 100 point concours car did not start off as British racing green.

A lot of S Types were factory fitted with power steering so go for one of those. Later cars from 1967 had the Adwest Variomatic power steering rather than the Burmen type 2 and were a better steering set up. Less lock to lock and better feel. You could also go for an electric after market system but they are expensive. Changing from a non PAS car to PAS involves changing the front subframe as well as fitting a different dynamo to take the PAS pump which sits on the back of the Dynamo. There are lots of cars out there to look at so look for one with factory PAS. The Chassis number will start with a "P" if it was factory fitted as in my chassis number P1B8973BW.

There are no years to avoid but there were a lot of changes over the years and Jaguar went through a lot of industrial action by their workers and suppliers around 1966. So the 1966 cars were strange in that some were fitted with parts that were earlier than the model should have had or had parts from other Jaguars on the production line fitted. That is not to say they are bad just different. Later cars from 1967 on with the upgraded power steering are possibly the better cars but some people like the early cars fro their originality. Later cars had a lot of the original fittings removed and were offered as options so leather seats were replaced with Ambla which is a vinyl but leather was a option you could have added. 50 plus year old Ambla as in my 1968 S Type is still like new where as 50 plus year old leather if not looked after would have to be replaced as it would be worn, faded, dry and cracked.

My 1968 S Type came with steel wheel and I converted it several years a go to wire wheels. All the hubs, splines and wire wheels are all available either new from SNG Barrett as a kit or you buy them second hand and have them swapped over. Three spoked wooden steering wheels are also ready to buy from several manufacturers with lots of options. I have changed mine to a wooden steering wheel and combine that with the change to wire wheels and in my opinion it has transformed the car from a dowdy old mans car to a very sporty looking saloon.

There were three compression ratios. 7:1. 8:1 and 9:1. Very few 7:1 ratio cars were made and mainly for export. The majority of UK and European cars were 8:1. A lot of the 9@1 ratio cars were sent to the US market. The difference between an 8:1 and a 9:1 ratio is not really noticeable. I have driven an 8:1 3.4 and mine which has been fitted with 9:1 ratio pistons when I had the engine rebuilt. I did not thrash them so in normal driving conditions there is no difference. If anything the 8:1 is smoother, easily tuneable and will run on cheaper fuel as I have to run on the more expensive 97 RON or I get run on when switching off. The ratios are shown at the end of the engine number so mine is 7D102118. 7D defines it as an S Type engine and the last number being an 8 means it had 8:1 ration pistons fitted when it left the factory.

Glyn has posted that very good buyers guide showing the potential rust spots which are mainly sills and wheel arches.

Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions please ask. We are always willing to help and post pictures.

[Glyn Ruck]

Having driven both the 3-4 & 3.8 hard I can assure you that there is a noticeable difference in performance and it shows in the 0 to 60 figures & top speed clearly. The reason lies in the torque production, not bhp. The 3.4 is a beautifully smooth easy revving engine. The Brivadium sleeves in the 3.8 from Bristol Aircraft are more durable than the 3.4 block.

The way we are going to use these cars the 3.4 vs 3.8 is not a bother both are nice. Condition is more important. Rusted bodywork is expensive to fix with repair panels available from Martin Robey. Interior repair is expensive. Best, most accurate supplier of interior kits is John Skinner. Google

The 3.8 Manual Synch 4 box with OD is considered the most desireable and in equal condition will fetch a better price in most markets. See Hagerty pricing/valuations.

[Fredomusicman]

Thanks a lot Glynn and Cass, I need some time to read all of these, but very, very helpfull !! I have all my answers I will read again all of these this week-end !

[Glyn Ruck]

Amongst all the question answering I realised I omitted to welcome you.

Welcome!