Shopping for a EType - what to watch for?

I may be starting to shop around for a possible XKE to buy. Of course I could spot the obvious, like rotton rockers, etc., but I'd like to hear from you all as to what are really some of the things I should be on the lookout for? Any help would be appreciated.

JD

Any place around the transmission tunnel under the interior fabric. Also under the gas tank is a piece of material which can hold moisture and cause rust to occur under the gas tank. This can be seen from underneath or tap on the metal to feel/sound solid. The undersides of the the struts in the engine bay can rust and not show but the paint will bubble or lift. The brake lines and fuel lines will rust, especially if the car is just sitting. I found on my car there is rust around the spec tag on the left side and on the right side under the fuel filter. One more place under the bonnet nose water can accumulate and eventually rot through. I found rot in places but ultimately it is all fixable. The car is worth it...... its an e-type. Paul.

Thanks for the info Paul! I have heard that rust is a big problem on older ETypes. What worries me is what you can't see because of the E's monoque body, any internal rust would affect the structual integrity of the whole car.

Jd

I am not an expert but there are lots of places that rust can exist and not affect the integrity of the car. Sills and rails floor pans need to be solid or repaired but many other locations you can repair with time or leave them alone. The rust is a problem but again it comes with the beast or should I say cat, especially here on the east coast and the Great Northwest where I used to live. I had a rust bucket AH when I was a kid and it is amazing how they can be put back together especially as a driver. Paul.

Jagdreamer,

I'll take mechanical problems over rust any day, but you should be aware that an E Type 6 cylinder engine rebuild will probably set you back $4,000 to $5,000.

Watch for bonnet fit, and poor/nonstock modifications.

On the positive side, E Type performance is dazzling. The only thing that I've driven that exceeds it is the C5 Corvette.

Steve

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by regred1:
Jagdreamer,

I'll take mechanical problems over rust any day, but you should be aware that an E Type 6 cylinder engine rebuild will probably set you back $4,000 to $5,000.

Watch for bonnet fit, and poor/nonstock modifications.

On the positive side, E Type performance is dazzling. The only thing that I've driven that exceeds it is the C5 Corvette.

Steve

<hr></blockquote>

Ditto what Steve said. Also, if you can, have any car you might consider checked out by a competent mechanic...especially the engine. If you buy from somewhere else in the county, be certain to have someone in that area check the car for you.

Basil

[ 05-29-2002: Message edited by: Basil ]</p>

The $4K to $5K amount, is that letting some pull the engine, breakdown and assembly figure? What would it cost to have someone do just the honing etc. and do my own assembly at home? Are the engine internals all that different from Detroit engines? Paul.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Paul:
The $4K to $5K amount, is that letting some pull the engine, breakdown and assembly figure? What would it cost to have someone do just the honing etc. and do my own assembly at home? Are the engine internals all that different from Detroit engines? Paul.<hr></blockquote>


You can rebuild a Jag motor for a LOT less than 4-5k if you do the work yourself and just farm out the machine work (to someone who KNOWS Jags!)
The actual $$ depends on just how far you go and what all is really needed.

$4,000 to $5,000 with you pulling the engine and delivering it to a mechanic.

The sky's the limit if you have the engine pulled. Remember, you've got to remove the bonnet, tear down the front end of the engine (pullies, water pump), jack up the rear of the car, and hoist the engine and trans out as a unit. Believe me, I know!

You can save money by doing it yourself, but take it from someone who's rebuilt pushrod English engines, the double overhead cam Jag engine is vastly more complex. You've got to get the cams installed and synchronized and from what I've seen, that takes an experienced hand. The machine shop (if you find the right one) can set up the valves: but again, they don't have adjustors like a pushrod engine, they have small disks that determine valve opening (and you have to choose the correct disk for each valve)

There are also some "tricks of the trade" out there that are good to know. My engine got a new front crank seal and collar made of silicone and teflon, with an o ring inside the collar. Very neat, hopefully no front seal leaks.

Again, despite my comments, I love the thing. Also, I've been quoted $3,000 for a full TR6 rebuild, so actually the cost for the Jag doesn't seem so outrageous.

Steve

Hi,
I have read the previous replies and accept that the E Type is a little more complex to refurbish than your conventional classic car, but this is only because it is bigger and heavier. You have to lift the engine and g/box out as a unit and it is heavy at nearly 900lbs if I remember correctly and to complicate matters it has to be tilted as you lift it up and over the picture frame. Once you have the engine out it is no more difficult to re-condition than any other straight 6.( assuming you are looking at a straight 6). The camshafts are not difficult to syncronise and the tedious bit is adjusting the valve spacers.
On the question of rust the E Type was a rust bucket! and the danger areas are the mounting points for the engine side frames ( mainly the lower ones ) and the side frames themselves as the tend to rust from the inside out. The other areas to look at are the sills( especially if it is a convertable ) and the rear axle radius arm mounting points.
When I bought my car in 1986 it was my first classic restoration project and the car finished up with a new bonnet, new doors, new sills new floor panels and a total engine rebuild all of which I did myself except that which required special machinery like a rebore and crank grind, all the bodywork I did myself. If you are not still put off buy the Haynes Manual then read it and then make the decision. If you have average skills you will succeed! Mind you I did work on the mechanical side of Concord!!

Good Luck

Hi all,

I’m in the middle of a rebuild on a 67 FHC and am pricing out parts. So far, a set of sleeves, pistons, rings, pins, bushings, rod, main, & cam brgs….timing chain, gaskets, seals etc. is around $1200. Crank, head & block are at the mach shop now….waiting to hear from them re crank grind & head work. I hope to get the whole thing wrapped up for around $3000-$3500 USD, but we know how that goes…lol.

Luckily, I have found NO rust so far anywhere (knock on wood)…..its a California Garage Queen that has been sitting with a broken piston since 1978.

Can’t wait to be able to drive it….closest thing to it I’ve ever driven is an XK150S, and it was quite impressive considering the engine is basically 1948 technology.

Cheers,

For those of you concidering pulling the engine and trans out of an E type, I actually disconnected everything , dropped the engine carefully on to a low 4 wheeled dolly and then used a comealong attached to a beam in the garage and the picture frame to lift the entire front of the car about 3'-4' in the air. Then I simply rolled the engine straight foward and out from under the car. Without the engine and tranny, the front end is very light and I reinstalled it by myself reversing the procedure. Not a nick or scratch if you take it slow.

On a more general note - responding to the original question - My advice would be to buy the Etype that is in the very best condition you can possibly afford. There are some cars out there that require no work at all. And, they are at some very attractive prices.

Believe me, even if you buy what seems like a perfect car, you will find plenty of maintenance to keep you busy. And, if you buy a piece of junk, you will spend more before it is over than if you had bought a "perfect" one.

Gene Williams
74 O2S

66 fhc….

Just curious, did you remove the engine & trans together? I recently took mine out at a friend’s shop (okay..he was the “director”..I just did the grunt work as directed). He has done a few and his procedure is to unbolt the sub-frame from the firewall (after disconnecting everything), pull the whole subframe & suspension out about 4 inches and then lift the trans over the torsion bar anchor and then up and out as a unit.

I guess there is more than one way “to skin a cat”