no news?

Sorry. me again.

The usual cotton cover from California Car Covers works okay for me for indoor use, but sure it will get dusty and will need to be washed and dried occasionally. I once had one of those fancy "Tyvek" kind of covers, but it shrunk to 1/4th its size after washing and drying (I guess I should have read the label).

There is a particular brand of cover that I really like, but don't have a link for ...will have to look. But rather than a cover that just wraps around the body, these drape all the way to the floor and cover the wheels, keeping a lot of dust and stuff from getting under the car. And they look great. So that's the one I would look for.

I personally don't like the "one size fits all" from Target or Walmart. Yuk.

Anyone have a favorite car cover for the XKE III?? I have a few for my other cars but haven't done the research to really find the "best one" (if it exists) for a car always stored indoors and basically mothballed for the New England winters. I have one from Moss for my MGC and a couple from the Jag dealer for the later jags I own.

Are they all basically the same for indoor storage?

Tom

Unfortunately for me I did not work for the generous guy in Houston! I paid (with tax) approx. $110,000 in 2001 and I too feel it is a gorgeous car. I do get some comfort from knowing there are not many of them around- perhaps one day they will have some cache....
in the meantime I'll just keep driving it...

Tom

When the Silverstone was introduced, only 4 cars were alloted for Houston. The owner of the dealership bought one for himself, and the CEO (or President) of a local oil well contruction company (Mustang Engineering) bought the remaining three. At their annual christmas party, he gave the keys to the three to his top officers as a "thnak you" for a great year. Nice guy!!

If I'm not mistaken, they were in the 120 grand range, weren't they? We had one of them on display at our concours....a gorgeous car!

P

Thanks for the input. I do have a cracker jack group up here who can do webers etc. I thought I would drive the car all summer and see how it grows on me. I keep going back and forth on the whole originality question. I normally have no hesitancy in making things more reliable. To me the number one criteria for any change is does it make the car more reliable? Having said that there is certainly the charm of original "stuff" which is why one should buy a Jag in the first place. Presumably one likes a Jag for it's charm rather than merely buying a Jag body with a muscle car engine (and we have all seen those).

I will follow your advice regarding the hardtop. Things that wear paint off are probably not something I want to look for.

I will look in to new vinyl tops but again not for at least the summer.

Finally, ahh my Silverstone. Purchased new in 2001 (for a King's ransom) it has only 10,000 miles on it and I lament the fact it has not really held it's value. But the wife and I do love driving it although the new XKR design sure looks nice....

Will do on keeping all original parts if they are upgraded and the like. My new (and first) XKE has very low miles (17,000) so I want to retain as much charm as possible while driving it whenever I can....

Again thanks for your resonse...

Now about trailering my driver to the show............(just kidding)........

Tom

PS: I'm jealous of your Silverstone!

Tom, on the E-Type you need to decide if you are going to keep it original, or not care and make it a fast driver. Since you are already considering Webers and a 5-speed, I'm assuming you don't have a problem with it. I personally like Webers on Jaguars, but I don't know how well they would do up in your cold climate. They take considerable amount of time and money to keep in tune. Unless you want to teach yourself, or if you have a fantastic mechanic up there who can set-up a set of Webers, you might consider staying stock...but still sounds like fun. Same with the 5-speed...go for it! But there is more to consider in regards to performance on a series 3, such as tighter bushings, heavier roll bars, tires, wheels...plenty of places for you to spend your money. Do a Google search on XKE performance, or performance upgrades, etc. You'll find someone that has done what you are wanting to do, and can advise you better. Whatever you do, keep EVEYTHING that comes off the car when doing this upgrade.

I don't know if hard tops were offered for the Series 3, and I'm too lazy to look at the judging guide in the tech library...that's something you can do. I don't own one, but I hear they are more trouble than they are worth...and, they will wear away the paint where the seal meets the body. I'd pass if I were you...they are very seldom seen on E-Types.

In regards to the top, if it's good then leave it alone. Depending on who does it, your new top may leak like a sieve or fit poorly. If you just have to change it, then stay with the correct color and material for the Series-3 car, which I assume is vinyl.

The more you stray from original and authentic, the more you might depress the value of the car. (I said might). But the heck with originality; it's your car, do what you want with it; have fun!

Patrick

Ok - my first question as newbie member who just purchased a 1973 XKE- the convertible top is in good shape but already I am thinking of replacing it- suggestions??- Robbins, vinyl, other type?
Second question for the day- should I begin a search for a hardtop for the car? Will it be complete without one? I live in NE USA and no the car will never see snow....
Finally, (OK my third question, I'm on a roll..) what do you all think of webers and a 5-speed manual transmission upgrade?....
This should get a few responses.....

Thanks for your attention.....

Tom

Hello thanks for reacting on my call.

I life in holland, and have to pick the right time to be in active correspondence.
Sometimes my English is not to good, but i make myself understandable, i think.

My E-Type is produced between october 1965 and later on. It''s a 4.2 FHC.
The rest of information on this car is on my earlier messages.

thanks again NOL from holland, europe

The weather is getting better vand the cars are getting out of their garages, you are right about that.

nol de grooth:

I thought we answered your question(s). Was there something else?
Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to on the forum. Just because it is inactive doesn't mean no one is interested in answering questions....that's what its here for.

Patrick McLoad

Hello, Patrick & John.

I suppose everyone is out driving their E-Types! But go ahead and post questions, if you have them. That will get something going.

To be honest, I visit another E-Type forum too. It is much more active, just not associated with JCNA membership.