Curious about 1966 Jaguar S-Type Saloon

[karls59tr]

Hi I'm visiting from the Triumph Forum I was wondering about the desirabilty of this model Jag. I think I read somewhere where some Jag afficianadoes thought that the rear of the car with its Mk X infuences was ugly? I suppose the Mk II Jags are the ones most people want. I heard of a 66 S-Type that has been garaged for 20 years and looks complete with 134,000 on her. I was wondering what this model generally sells for when unrestored?Looks clean, no damage,2nd owner. If all it needs is freeing up the engine with some diesel, a good tuneup,go thru the SU's,clean out the tank and go thru the hydraulics(I'd stay away from redoing the leather upholstery $$$) it might be a good opportunity to own an old classic Jag for under 5K! Any thoughts or advice from the Jag enthusiasts?

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Ahhhhhh....
"S" types have their own following, for sure.
The arse end looks odd to me, but I believe it was done that way to allow boot space with the IRS.
Just a WAG.

Usually parked for 20 the leather is toast, and the wood has delaminated, but worth a look anyway.
Some think anything Jaguar is worth a bundle, but not always so, when you calculate restoration costs and resale value.

Jags do not like being parked.

Getting one to re-lite after 20 may involve more than the purchase price of the car.
And, at 138K, well, depends on the maintenance it had for tose 134K.

Seals dry out, gaskets dry out, valves stick.

Gonna take a lot of playing with the plugs out and a careful watch to make sure no valves hang open and impact the piston OR the opposing valve.

First question I would ask is "Why was it parked?"

Automatic?
Did it die?
Head gasket?
Wiring?

Something simple usually won't get them parked.

You'll need to do carbs, pump, flush tanks, calipers, master, booster, trans, engine seals and probably a head gasket.
Tyres.
Exhaust is probably a rust streak on the ground under the car.

Front and rear suspension bushes, were the ball joints and tie rod ends lubed regularly?

REALLY hard to place a value without seeing it, but a pig-in-a-poke, go low, as you really won't know what it's going to need until you get it home.

My MK2 ran, drove it the day I got it, and I am STILL un-doing 30 years of gas station maintenance, in addition to things it needed and normal wear and tear.

Complete and presentable, running, a good price, but $500 for an unknown, for me, would be tops.

There are stories in the Jag Club of going out to look at a restored Concours winner for big bucks........guy had died, wife left the car in the garage for a LONG time.
Headliner fallen down, paint shot, tyres flat, leather toast, wood delaminating, wouldn't run.....they walked away from it.

 

[MikeP]

You'll want to inspect underneath for rust damage too since in your area of the world I'd think it's early life could have included lots of all weather use.

 

[karls59tr]

Thanks for the responces. You sort of brought me down to reality. Good point about not knowing why the car was parked ie. blown headgasket?...damaged valves? $6000=engine rebuild? It's a gamble. Ideally I would ask the owner if I could squirt some oil or diesel into the spark plug holes...see if could turn the motor over by the fan...run the carbs off a fuel can source...clean up the points...install a new battery and try to fire the old Jag up.That way I'd know if I had a runner or not. If the owner was reluctant to let me do this I'd have to walk away. Car was lady driven untill 1980 so I'm assuming she took it in for servicing and there should be bills and hopefully an indication from the owner of why it was parked. While there I would take a look underneath to see if the tinworm had gotten to the frame. I love those old Jag saloons but I dont need a money pit.

 

[DrEntropy]

On th' bright side, it'd be a money pit that rolls around.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Before you start trying to rotate, watch the valves.
If one is hung up (as in rusted stem), you WILL impact the piston and/or the opposing valve.
That is going to get real expensive.

Apparently, there are limited/no power steering box parts available anymore.
Pump runs off the back of the generator, most folks seem to end up with an electric rack and an alternator.

All do-able, and since you have unlimited funds and tme, a great project!

That said, lots of locals have "S" types and like them.

Hopefully, minimal issues and dry storage, and you'll get a peach!