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Thanks for all the info. I will pull the plug and take a look inside.

Just to confuse matters a beautiful looking (only seen the foto's) 420 has now come to my attention. Not so sure about the padded dash. It's a lot more money but I think I will take a look. Half the fun is in the looking!
https://www.autowereld.nl/jaguar/420...9141/foto.html

 

I boroscoped my sills both inner & outer.

 

420's are also nice but real gas guzzlers. Expect 12 mpg (imperial gallons)

Also see: Fraser Mitchell on this forum says this applies to 80% of 4.2 blocks

https://www.jagtas.org.au/torque/tec...-engine-block/

 

This article was written by a Brit in the UK. Jag Tasmania copied it.

 

Needs wires. (Easy Cleans not Curly hubs). Looks best in Daimler Sovereign form.

 

I think they all do. Looks so "old" with the steel wheels.

 

I prefer it in Daimler Sovereign form with all the extras as standard and perforated seat centres & better wood. The Rexine dash is hell to fix if it cracks. These guys below did a good job in leather on a Jag. (upholstery is Cinnamon in colour ~ a very late option)

 

I have been watching that 420 with some interest. The asking prices are a lot higher on that side of the pond. In the USA that would be ~$15,000 (USD) car. I've seen a 420 sell in the USA for $6,000, get shipped to the Eu, have a little work done and dealers ask 35,000 Euros for it. I'm looking for a nice driver 420/Daimler Sovereign with 4spd O/D. I agree with Glyn that they need wire wheels

 

I looked it up on Hagerty and was surprised that they give a figure of $29K for a good condition (3) 1968 420.
A 1966 3.8 S is "only" $26K.

 

That is unusual let me assure you. S Types always fetch more than 420's & by some margin. Here you can't give a 420 away. A friend has been sitting on a very nice 420 Auto for 3 years now (dark blue over grey ~ smart combo) with no offers. People prefer the typical Jaguar curves on the front of an S Type.

 

The S Type has stood the test of time ~ nevermind what Cyril Crouch thinks.

 

Same here in the UK. 420s are not as popular as a Mk2 or S Type and the price reflects that. An equivalent spec and condition 420 could be anywhere between £3000 to £5000 less than an S Type and really tatty ones are unsaleable as the restoration costs far out way any profit margin you might see at the end. Most are broken for spare parts when they get to that stage.
I personally do not like the slab front end and have said in the past that Jaguar made a mistake doing away with the curves on the front of the S Type to make the 420.
The 420 was a better car in a lot of ways over the S type. Better steering with the Adwest Marles PAS. Better split system brake pipes. Better front brakes and callipers. The 4.2 engine was thirsty compared to the 3.4 and 3.8 and in my view not as quick plus the added problem of the cracked blocks. The 420 also had the very old Model 8 Auto gearbox. What lets it down though in my opinion is that slab front end.

 

The stupid thing with the 420 brakes is that they are not a proper dual system. They still have the single master cylinder and a single pipe to the servo/booster. Dual after that ~ crazy.

 

And guess which seal always fails first ~ you got it! ~ the Master Cylinder seal because it sees the most movement. And especially if you fiddle around with silicon brake fluid instead of DOT 4+ that turns many seals to mush e.g. Alan Wiedie's car ~ no more silicone brake fluid in that one. Pity he had to learn the hard way. It is simply not a dual braking system.

 

Here are a couple of recent auctions for 420's on Bring A Trailer
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-jaguar-420-10/
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...r-sovereign-5/
Hemmings
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/196...wv-258937/sold

3.8s
Bring a trailer
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...uar-s-type-10/
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968-jaguar-s-type/

Hemmings
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1966-jaguar-38s/sold
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1967-jaguar-38s/sold
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/196...8s-167581/sold

As far as looks go that is a personal preference. I like the 420 looks over the S-type. I never cared for the eye-brows over the headlights on the S-type, but that's just me. To me the 420 looks more modern and sleeker.

 

There are going to be variances by country. I cant stand US 420's with deletion of the outer 7" headlight & that stupid trim ring they had to insert. The bodies are pressed for a 7" outer light but US Regs put a stop to that.

 

A lot of people replace the outer headlights with 7". It's easy to do and can be done cheaply. I agree that it looks better too.

 

It's certainly an easy job. Is it now legal to do that?