G'day All. I'm looking at retiring my tired old 99 S-Type & buying myself a real Jag. i.e. One that was built when Sir Bill held the reins. There's a very tidy 64 3.8 S-Type Auto on the net for $10K AUD ono, which is one of the cheapest non-basketcase S-Types on the market down this way. The current owner's a mechanic & it's been his P&J for the last 15 years, & it shows. The engine looks like you could dine off it! & the paint & interior are flawless. There's a couple of things I don't like about the car though, starting with the slush box. I'd prefer a manual, especially with a 3.8. But I could live with an auto, for now. It had a bare metal respray 8 years ago into a metallic blue, when the seats were redone in blue brocade too. It looks nice enough, but I like my Jag's in Old English White with red leather. & I'd be looking to ditch the steel wheels for wires asap too.
So, question time.
1. How hard/expensive is it to put a manual box in the old girl? What kind of boxes am I restricted to? Do I have to stay with the correct four speed, or can I fit a later five speed from an XJ? Would there be any advantages to doing this, or would it be a retrograde step?
2. What would be the most cost effective way to score some wires? Jag Wreckers? Internet? Jag Clubs/Forums?
3. Would it be cheaper/better to source replacement seats in red leather, or have the ones I've got reupholstered?

I have a local spray painter who gives me mates rates. He should, I've put at least one of his kids through college over the last 30 years! But I'm not planning on doing the respray, or the reupholstery, until the paint & seats it comes with start looking very tired. Though I would be looking to change the transmission & the wheels within my first 12 months of ownership. I'm actually planning on pulling my 99 S-Type apart & giving it a resto, which will restrict how much I can splash on the 64. & I'll be using the 3.8 as my daily driver while it's younger sibling is in the shed. So it needs to be a good one.
The car's about 1000klm south of me. But I'm flying down to Brisbane next weekend for an operation on my shoulder. & I'll try to get up to see the car before I get sliced. If it's as good as it looks, & I can get a few dollars off the price (it is ono). I'll be driving the old girl home, one armed! It's cool. This is my 8th operation on this shoulder in the last 3 years, & I'm very used to driving one armed. It's very easy in an auto with power steering anyway, which the old girl has.
Anyway, sorry for the ramblings. Look forward to hearing your opinions & advice.

 

buy the best example you can from the start, not worth buying someone else's problem.

If the car is as good as you say, grab it fast!! not many S type remain in driver condition around the planet.

also join the International S type Register Forum as soon as you buy it, for specific info and Service documents. http://www.jagstyperegister.com


Retrofitting a manual transmission is surgery, a lot more hassle than it is worth, and the car will never be the same, too many parts to replace / remove.

Most people fit a XJ-40 Getrag auto transmission with the sport setting that allows you to shift manually, or a GM 4-speed auto transmission, an easier job for which there are kits available.

Wires can be found, you will need to replace the hubs if the car is steel wheels, which is better than wires. Wires require a lot of work!!

If you must have a manual transmission, my advice is to find a S type with the factory-installed manual transmission.

Here's mine!!

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought I'd get this kind of opinion fairly quickly, & I expect it to be the majority opinion here. I'm not inclined to disagree with it either. I'm definitely not too keen to mess with the unmolested, & I'd prefer to find my perfect S-Type, as it rolled out of Browns Lane too. But cars like that, at the same quality as this car, or 4 & 5 times the asking price of this one. & Mk II are up to 10 times the price! So it's a bargain I'm going to have a hard time passing up, & TBH, none of it's perceived shortcomings (to me) are anything I can't quite happily live with. I'll probably keep the steels too. They don't look too bad with their original hubcaps gleaming. & like you say, wires are a hassle. I remember how much time I spent polishing them on the various motorbikes I've owned over the years.
I can't wait to see it on the weekend!

 

In looking over the last year, I haven't seen any seats for sale that didn't need upholstery, and even if they don't, they will likely smell like mildew. But as you aren't in a hurry a set may come up. If that doesn't happen, then re-covering is a good alternative. It is hard to beat the patina of old leather though so it would not hurt to look.

 

the good news when your classic Jaguar came with steel wheels from the factory:

you can fit other Jaguar 15" alloy wheels, from more modern Jaguar. The lug pattern is usually the same in most wheels.

I have seen Series 2 XJ-6 (1973-1979) chromed wheels in older Jags and they look great.

As to upholstery, most of the upholstery material is vinyl, which Jaguar called "Ambla". The leather part is only the tops of the seat and back, and the center console front to back. Easy to change colors with vinyl spray and leather dye. The seats, front and back, are easily removed from the car.

The door panels or "cards" are a p.i.t.a. to remove, but if you are handy and patient, it becomes easy after the first one. Then you have the rear parcel shelf vinyl cover and the under-dash parcel shelf knee pads to repaint. It's a complete disassembly but it's also a learning experience. you will find other glued-to-the-body pieces of vinyl that cover other areas, especially in the rear seat area, mark around them with chalk or marker, then pull them, repaint, and reglue with contact cement.

It's a lot of fun. In my case I discovered that my '65 S type is the great-grandfather of my '84 XJ, they are so similar in details it is amazing. I concluded that Jaguar followed a "formula" to build these cars from the 1950's through 1992.

 

Yeah. There's nothing like the smell of old leather (without mildew). & aged patina is hard to beat too. I'm not keen on over-restorations either, & I think a Jag should wear it's age gracefully. So I think the hunt for old leather seats will be worth it, & should be a bit of fun anyway.
Still tossing up the pros & cons of the purchase. I've wanted a 3.8 S-Type for a long time. But this is still something of an impulse buy, that will take some talented budgeting to afford, without going into serious debt. So I need to be very diligent about everything, which will of course start with my first look at the car this weekend. The owner says he's got photos & records of everything he's done to the car over the last 15 years, & I'm very much looking forward to seeing those. But in the end it will come down to me carefully weighing out my wants vs my needs, & how I can best fulfil both. If the beast is worthy of my perusal, & can fit inside my envelope of the possible. It may well find a new home in my garage.

 

Scatcat,

Looked at your Jag on Gumtree, looks quite presentable. I am guessing it has the later XJ6 auto box fitted (BW65 or 66). Downside for me are those non-standard seats, appears the original were black leathers judging from the door trims. Has the vendor still got the original seats? Sourcing some replacements in Oz may be difficult. Car looks like it has potential as a good running project, better than making the mistake I did - paid $6,500 for a basket case Mk2 and have ultimately paid the price (including near divorce, although that may have ultimately been a bonus!).
There are a couple of other S types on Carsales, I notice. Some of the asking prices are a shock! At $10K, maybe the car is a reasonable buy. Good luck!

 

the French are paying big money for the S type.

 

I agree Redtriangle. The prices of those other S-Types on Carsales are truly shocking, & it does make this one look like a bargain. I'm not keen on the seats either, though they do have the benefit of headrests, which would be handy in the case of whiplash. But I'd prefer the black leather jobbies too. I haven't asked if the originals are still available, but I will. & I'll grab them, whatever their condition, should they still be in his shed.
A big thank you to all who've contributed. You've given me good advice & food for thought. It looks like I'm not going to be able to see the car this weekend. We just can't get all our ducks to line up in a row together. I may spin up & look at the car when I get out of hospital on Wednesday. But that depends on how crook I feel. & if my previous ops are any guide, I'll just want to get home quickly & curl up in bed with a good book for a couple of weeks. But I'm getting the guy to send me all his service records & pics, which he'll do as soon as he gets home from his holiday, & we'll take it from there. I am still keen to at least look at the car, & I may catch the Sunlander (train) down to Childers, where the car is, when I'm feeling better. I'm a Pensioner, so I get one free train ride per year anywhere in the state, which I've never previously used.

 

"The prices of those other S-Types on Carsales are truly shocking".


Not knowing what prices you are referring to, I suspect that a "truly shocking" amount is what it costs to refurbish a MK 2/S-Type. I assume there are still unmolested or well maintained MK2s, that someone might be willing to part with for a less than truly shocking amount, but as more and more of these cars have been restored, the cost of restoration drives the minimum amount one would ask for a MK 2. Does the demand for these cars equal the cost to restore? Probably not.


The caution here is to make sure the car is everything you expect for the cost. As RedTriangle said, it may seem like a bargain, but only if it is in really good condition.

 

The S-Types being referred were going for between $30-40K, compared to $10K for the car I'm looking at. There was a nice looking car in BRG for $12K, but it needed of a lot of work, according to the seller. & we all know what a money pit they can be. The one & only Mk II on Carsales is going for $69K! It is a manual 3.8, in a tasteful dark blue, with all the desirable options & recently restored. But Jeez Louise!!