Hi everyone,

I thought I'd post a quick 6 minute walkaround of my 1966 S-type, showing how it looks after 30 years of mostly sitting around (unfortunately) and soliciting opinions on what it might take to get it running again.


Apologies for the muffled sound in parts, I recorded it on an iPod Touch. I should point out that it last ran in 2011 and had fresh oil / coolant put into it then, and it's been sitting ever since. It last saw road service in the early 1990s.

The car was running well when it was put into storage, so the engine and transmission are in good shape, to the best of my knowledge. I'd be interested to know what you all recommend as a plan of action toward getting it back on the road and able to drive 3-4 miles at a time with minimal chance of needing a tow home. The brakes need an overhaul of course, and the power steering system needs to be flushed, the suspension bushings etc are tired and the exhaust needs some hangers as well.

Thanks for your input and comments.

 

Remove plugs and put a little oil down each one and turn the engine over carefully by hand (a number of complete revolutions) _ never use the starter.
The buckets and valves have a tendency to stick on a Jag engine after sitting so long.
Turning it over with the starter may have catastrophic results in bending a stuck valve.

A car sitting for 30 year may have some serious corrosion in water jacket if the coolant has not been changed.

Change your points...
Clean out the float bowls.
Make sure there is nice movement of the carb pistons in the dash pots.

You may want to by-pass the otter switch for the time being so you have more control over the automatic choke.

 

Every rubber component on the car is likely to require attention at some time. Start with Brakes. There is a fair chance of deteriorated elastomers in the braking system & corrosion if the fluid has not been changed every 2 to 3 years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic.(absorbs water)

Good luck!

 

Not a bad looking example of the S Type. Very original and not messed with. As you say the paint scheme is possibly not original but I have seen other S types with that black over silver. It was known for some Jaguar importers in the US to customise the paint scheme before they sold them so it might be original from the show room but not from the factory.
To get the car running and road worthy is often the hardest and most expensive part of a restoration. I personally would get a mechanic if you are not confident to do it yourself to go through the car.

Check the brakes work and don't leak fluid. Replace all the rubber seals as old ones have been know to blow out. Check the brake pipes, copper and flexi pipes for corrosion and rot..

Check and replace all the fuel hoses. With the new levels of ethanol in the fuel older rubber components will melt and a fuel leak is not something you want in the engine bay. Whilst on the fuel side check the leading edge of the fuel tanks in the rear arches. These tend to get a hammering from the dirt kicked up from the back tyres and over time can rust out then leak.

Have an experienced motor electrician go over the old wiring. If the car has been sat for a while it has been known for rodents to nibble away some of the cloth coverings on the wiring which might cause a short.

Replace the tyres. Any car sat for as long as yours has in one place will have caused a flat spot on the tyre. Not comfortable to drive on and if the tyre is old not particularly safe.

Check all the rubber suspension, engine and steering mounts. If you have had a failure of a rear bumper mount these are the same as used for mounting the engine. If a bumper mount has failed chances are the engine mounts could be on the way out. The rear radius arm bushes that tie the rear subframe to the car floor rot out and then allow the rear subframe to steer the rear of the car. Not what you want.

Check all four rear and two front shock absorbers for leaks and bounce. At the same time check the rear shock absorber bushes.

The original mild steel exhausts tend to rot out so check for leaks as you do not want exhaust fumes in the cabin.

Lastly your car does not look as though it has a lot of rust. Certainly not enough to stop you getting it on the road but the Mk2 and S Type Jaguars tended to rust from the inside to the out. This was due to a couple of things. First the cars were sprayed from the outside and so all the inner sills and inside any box sections were bare untreated metal. Over time one of the first areas to allow water to get inside the structures was via the front wheel arch in front of the "A" pillar. Water would then run the full length of the sill and try to exit from the area just in front of the rear wheel arch. Just where you have rust showing. On the Mk2 this is where the leaf spring was secured. On the S Type it is less important as the rear radius arm is more inboard but it does show that where the rust is coming from the inside and bubbling up the paint if you started to cut this away a can of rust worms would appear.

I am sure there will be other areas to concern yourself with and I am sure I have left something out that someone else will come up with but these are the starting points and I wish you well getting the car back on the road.

Last question is your car registered on the International S Type register. If you would like to send me your VIN plate details in a PM I can check for you. You might want to check out this forum which is dedicated to the 1963 to 1968 S Type Jaguar. Lots of write ups specific to work carried out on the S type there. Lots of very knowledgeable S Type owners always willing to give advice or lend a hand. THE INTERNATIONAL JAGUAR "S"-TYPE REGISTER FORUM - FORUM INDEX

 

Thanks for the info. I'll PM you the VIN information shortly-- the tags are a bit hard to read so I have to photograph them from a couple of different angles. They don't make it easy to see, way back in the engine bay!

 

Thanks Larry I have replied.

 

the good news is the car appears to be very sound .(btw:- the black over silver color combination is unlikely 'original'.. someone added the black..these cars near came in 2 tone except by special order, and even then it was usually done by the selling dealership) the reality is that it is both time consuming and therefor e costly to put such project 'back on the road'... if it was known to be a good running car before being laid up.., that is a positive... ..but to do it right, you will have to go right through ALL the operating systems.. ALL the brake system components will need to be attended to.. same for fuel system... as regards engine and transmission:- this is the first place to start.. after a routine check of carbs and ignition system.. often after standing long periods, the seal for the torque converter own fails..so best to get the engine fired up as first step.. to save time set up a separate fuel source. check radiator for coolant and top off... remove and clean ignition points and gap properly., disconnect white power leads from both fuel pumps...next revmove air cleaner assy , both the dashpots and float bowl tops and pull floats out ( a pair of thin screwdrivers helps grip the floats sufficeintly to get them out ) and blow compressed air back through jets into float chambers.. then pour some fuel into the flat bowls and see if it stays there ( the jet diaphragms often fail and allow fuel to leak out) ..assuming all is good, remove and replace spark plugs... you can check for spark by turning over engine with ign on and a grounded spark plug.. assuming you have good spark, replace plugs.. replace dash pots assys after cleaning, and make sure there is oil in dash pot inner tubes for damper, chck they are moving up and down freely and fully returning before replacing the damper rods..... loosely fit flat chamber tops back on carbs after topping them off with fresh fuel....lift tech dash pot piston and squirt some ether in there..( engine starter) and see if it will start up.. it will only run few minutes before using the fuel in float chambers.. but that should be long enough to see if its still sound or not... regardless..you can stop and add more fuel to float chambers for further assessment if unsure.. assuming it still runs well.. do a compression check, and if within specs (no more than 25 lbs difference between cylinders) move on to next step.. add fluid to brake reservoir and bleed the air out and the check for fluid leaks.. If the tires hold air and you have a good brake pedal you can move the car under its own power ... Ultimately you will need to :- remove both fuel tanks and have them cleaned and serviced.. replace all flexible fuel lines and service/ replace fuel pumps.. replace diaphragm jets in carbs.. remove and have radiator serviced,,replace with all hoses ( pay particular attention to heater hoses and the steel piping..and check/replace heater control valve ) brakes.. replace all flex hoses..remove servo/booster and replace along with its hoses ..remove and rebuild/replace master cylinder.. same with all calipers.. drop rear subframe and rebuild rear brakes and fit new subframe mounts. replace front subframe mounts... replace all oils and fluids..consider fitting 'spin on' oil filter conversion (Moss Motors or Flexolite Uk) its a LOT of work.. (+/- 40 hrs) but will be worth it..