I wish to determine whether the rear springs on my recently acquired 1963 FHC need replacing. I think so, as the rear seems softer than the front, the top of the rear rim is about 1/2" below the top of the body arch, and I can barely see out the rear window with the top of my head 1" or so below the headliner. Is there any way of a more accurate determination, or is what I have mentioned above enough? The only other thing I thought about adding is that the center of the bumper at the left nerf bar is 20 3/4" and 21 1/4" at the right nerf.

1951 XK 120 OTS RHD; 1963 E-Type FHC; 1984 XJ6 VDP

Submitted by rbrand@grtnw.com on Sat, 10/01/2005 - 01:04

Thank you, Tom. I believe that my shocks are okay as I don't get any continuation of bouncing after hitting a bump and none are showing signs of leaking. The fronts were recently replaced with BOGE shocks by the previous owner. It just seems that things are a little soft to me at the rear. I would assume that if a coil springs usefullness could be measured by some measure such as compressed height, etc., that a shock would have little effect on that measurement. 1951 XK 120 OTS RHD; 1963 E-type FHC; 1984 XJ6 VDP

Submitted by htech@cwnet.com on Sat, 10/01/2005 - 00:21

A little off the thread, but not too much.

At about 55K miles on my E-type the original shocks were nearing the end of their useful life. This was proven very dramtically one day as I traveled down a straight, but undulating, road at 80 mph when the car suddenly went into oscillation with rapidly increasing violence. Only with heavy braking was I able to bring it back under control.

It was then parked until all six shocks were replaced. Tom Hughes

Submitted by bonnettoboot@e… on Wed, 09/28/2005 - 22:54

I would guess that 80% of E's out there sit about two inches lower than normal. The torsion bars have also weakened and so the front is likely down by a similar ammount. Test by pushing down on the front and rear bumpers alternatively, it's likely they will hardly move, now lift them, this is the height it should be. Bill Brady Jaguar affectionado and etc.

Submitted by htech@cwnet.com on Wed, 09/28/2005 - 16:32

On our '63 E-Type coupe I've faced this rear viewing problem from the time we purchased it from the original owner in 1970 with 50K miles. I am six feet tall and have had to lean forward to see out the rear via the mirror.

Today I took a few measurements. From the center of the LR bumper blade, at the overrider, it measured 20 1/4". RR was 20 7/8"

My observations of the tire rim vs fender were L rim slightly above the body arch and R rim about equal with the arch.

All the above are with about 3/4 full fuel tank. Tom Hughes

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Wed, 09/28/2005 - 09:30

Randy,

I'm no expert on the Jag IRS, but it sounds like you've got more problems there then just the springs. Did you inspect underneath to see if everything is connected properly and whether anything has rusted through that might cause the rear end to drop? If you take it to a non-Jag shop to put it on a lift, be careful. The IRS on the E-type is not held in there by much and if there is a lot of rust, the whole thing could come crashing down (you don't want to be standing under it if it does let go). If you are not planning on doing the work yourself, take it to an experienced Jag mechanic, preferably one that specializes in E-types.

Steve Weinstein
'70 XKE FHC
'69 XKE OTS