Learn me...uh... inherited E-type V12 (for a friend)

A non-car-enthusiast acquaintance just came into a Jaguar Series III E-type. It was cared for by their relative, it's in amazing condition, and they're probably going to sell it. They're pretty sure it has been driving recently and regularly, but they're afraid to try to start it. They said it "turns over" but then they got worried about damaging it. Basically they don't know anything about it and they want me to look at it first, even though I also don't know anything about Jags.

What should I look for? Is there anything I can damage? Any tips for getting it to start? I haven't even seen the car in person yet.

Wow!!

I would call Dean Cusano at Motorcars in Plainville, CT. He is a personal friend, buys, sells and restores these cars and is a walking encyclopedia on E-types.

Find out who was maintaining it for the previous owner. Take it in for a service and inspection. Put it on BAT.

There is an awesome article on the E-type experience in  a recent Haggerty magazine. 

Just give it a second, frenchy will be here.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

No home said it first. 

It is a car. If the oil pressure gauge shows movement during cranking and you hear the thump of the double barreled SU fuel pump when you turn the key then start it. Depending on how long it has been sitting I would look for the plunger under the dashpot on the SU's and verify they are free first. If it is in good knick I doubt this is an issue.

If the clutch and brake pedals feel good then take it for a spin and revel in that unpleasant feeling of driving from the rear axle like an outboard boat.

Well I'd add a couple of things.

Make sure the brake pedal doesn't go to the floor the first time you push it. Top up the brake reservoir.

Does the gas smell odd? If so replace it.

Turn on the ignition  with the bonnet open and look on the carb side to see if there is any gas running ut of anywhere (dried gasket, sunken float etc.)

Disconnect coil wire, turn key as if to start and watch your oil pressure gauge.

Check coolant and oil levels.

If it passes all that, see if it will fire up.

In reply to wspohn :

It has carbs on both sides.  V12. 
 To the OP 

      Those cars are really robust!   Darn hard to hurt .  
  The Convertible with wire wheels and a manual trans is selling in the $70,000 range. The coupe with an automatic is closer to $ 20-25,000 

It has a manual choke, the vertical slider on the dash that you will probably need to use for a cold start. If original they are Stromberg carbs, not SU, so no pin under the dashpot. You should hear the fuel pump with key on, and it should slow down as the float chambers fill up. If it does not, look for fuel leaks before cranking. Note some aftermarket pumps do not slow their clicking, so if no leaks move the choke to cold and crank away. Regrettably, the oil pressure gauge will be inaccurate during cranking, as it is electric on these. It should come up instantly when the engine starts, and cold idle should have at least 20 PSI with 40 by 2000 RPM. Do check coolant level and oil level, as well as smell the oil for fuel contamination. 

You certainly need to check all the systems and take a long road test.

In reply to bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) :

The XKEV12 does not have the problematic EFI with its high pressure (30 psi ) fuel issues.  Aged cracked fuel lines in the later cars has caused engine fires  

The carburetors  have a simple one and a half psi fuel pump. It is relatively safe to open the bonnet, turn on the engine ( but not start it ) and check to see if fuel is leaking.  Then check there is oil on the dip stick and coolant in the radiator. Assuming everything is proper. 
    At that point it's safe to go ahead and start. 
      

Thanks for the great responses everyone. I was ready to dive in, but it seems I completely misunderstood the new owners. Turns out it has NOT been driven, perhaps even started, in at least 20 years. It's been sitting in a storage unit since the 90's. The rollback just dumped it in their garage. It will be sold as a project car. Very cool seeing one in original, though somewhat decayed, condition. Lots of cracked rubber, bubbles near the edges of the paint, etc. I can count maybe 5 E-types I've ever seen in person. Yes it's a 4-speed.

In reply to maschinenbau :

I'd suspect having it gone through mechanically and sold as a driver would be worth it over selling it as a non-running project.  If they care about getting the most out of the inheritance. 

That looks like pretty good garage art to me!

worth a fortune in the UK now

I need better relatives

oh gosh. I want that... Do you know where or how they are listing it for sale?

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
 

In reply to maschinenbau :

Rust bubbles scares most investors away, non running status will scare all but a tiny handful away. Leaving only the determined left in the market. 
     It would be too easy to spend more than $70,000 ( peak market on series 111 roadsters) in a restoration.   As a driver the peak market would likely be south of $35,000 with possibly the rust bubbles dropping it further.  
The real value killer is if the rust bubbles are in the firewall. Floor pan and rockers are a straightforward replacement, but firewall is about as expensive as they get. 
     I remind you that the front subframe  is made of thinner than sheet metal steel  and thus extremely vulnerable to the dreaded Tin Worm.   

KyAllroad said:

In reply to maschinenbau :

I'd suspect having it gone through mechanically and sold as a driver would be worth it over selling it as a non-running project.  If they care about getting the most out of the inheritance. 

Very careful selection of the shop returning it to driver status is critical. 
V12's are terrifying to all but the knowledgeable. ( it's actually extremely robust and simple)   Rear brake work seems a nightmare but removing the whole rear axle assembly. ( less than an hours work) transforms it into a piece of cake. 
  The problem is those shops that do know also know their value and charge accordingly. 
 

maschinenbau said:

Thanks for the great responses everyone. I was ready to dive in, but it seems I completely misunderstood the new owners. Turns out it has NOT been driven, perhaps even started, in at least 20 years. It's been sitting in a storage unit since the 90's. The rollback just dumped it in their garage. It will be sold as a project car. Very cool seeing one in original, though somewhat decayed, condition. Lots of cracked rubber, bubbles near the edges of the paint, etc. I can count maybe 5 E-types I've ever seen in person. Yes it's a 4-speed.

That there is BAT bait if I ever saw it. 

Here is an annoying tidbit about one of my least favorite cars, the E type.

There is a coolant line that runs behind the bulkhead under the dash. It requires a pretty major dash teardown to replace and at this age they are all heavily corroded and all of these cars need them or else surprise coolant leak inside the cabin.

Here is one of the ports in the engine bay, you can see the other to the left.

And here you can see it under the wiper linkage deep inside the dash.

To make matters worse the quality control of the folks making the repops is lax and the mounting holes usually aren't clocked correctly.  

I allow 8 hours for this job on a complete car. It can sometimes run past that. 

I was just under the bonnet of a 12k mile series 3 car last week. My back still hurts.

Oh yeah. Those series 3 V12s have a really flakey Lucas ignition unit. I'm sure most have been upgraded since then but if it hasn't run in 20 years it might be because of that. The one I just installed cost about 600

NOHOME said:

maschinenbau said:

Thanks for the great responses everyone. I was ready to dive in, but it seems I completely misunderstood the new owners. Turns out it has NOT been driven, perhaps even started, in at least 20 years. It's been sitting in a storage unit since the 90's. The rollback just dumped it in their garage. It will be sold as a project car. Very cool seeing one in original, though somewhat decayed, condition. Lots of cracked rubber, bubbles near the edges of the paint, etc. I can count maybe 5 E-types I've ever seen in person. Yes it's a 4-speed.

 

 

That there is BAT bait if I ever saw it. 

I'd agree, lots of pics and let it go as is.