You can't deny the purity of the series 1 E-type, it's cleanly styled and deserves credit as the 150mph revelation....but the later versions of the E-type were not just responses to legislative requirements but also fine-tuning and improvement of the original. The Series 3 is the culmination of these efforts- a car that has evolved into the Grand Tourer with presence.
The flared wheelarches, wider track and wide chrome wheels take years off the design, whereas the poor series 1 looks positively vintage on the road today... The Series 3 has got the proper brakes & suspension for the job: big vented discs and suspension with an anti-dive geometry. Yes, the power steering is too light and that big V12 pushed the limits of under-bonnet temperatures, but the poise & refinement of the car show it to be the true champion of E-types.
Please feel free to comment on what you see! [no registration required]
New Contributions & New Ideas!
Misc: Administrator @ Sunday 22 June 2008 - 09:40:34
Marek contacted me with some smart ideas on converting to orange indicator lights, see the Tail Lights article for details.
He also kindly provided info on an intermittent wipe upgrade for the wipers (saves you fumbling for that dash switch in light rain...) download the article here.
Kjell Eriksson also provided some pics & ideas on converting to euro-style over-riders whilst retaining much of the 'crash integrity' of the federal models, see the 'Bumpers' article for more info.
Thanks to Kjell & Marek!
On the road again.
Misc: Administrator @ Sunday 02 March 2008 - 14:05:11
Here's a short clip of the car taken on a sunday morning during our ritual run up to the dam at Teluk Bahang.
I like the car much more now; the vagueness of handling has gone (no doubt due to the addition of working shocks) and the positioning on the road is a lot more predictable.
Back on the Road
Misc: Administrator @ Monday 11 February 2008 - 09:10:34
The rear suspension rebuild is completed! The Chinese New Year holiday gave me the time to finish assembly of the brakes & handbrake into the subframe. Fitting the whole unit was accomplished in about 3.5 Hrs & a 'shake down' drive indicated no problems and much improved handling & stopping.
Rear Suspension Nearly complete...
Misc: Administrator @ Monday 28 January 2008 - 08:08:46
Well, at least all the parts are painted and all bearings replaced:
hopefully back in the car by Chinese New Year...
hopefully back in the car by Chinese New Year...
Rear Brakes
Misc: Administrator @ Monday 28 January 2008 - 08:06:49
Here's my rebuilt rear brake caliper in a distinctly non-original shade of boy-racer red. Click the pic to see the starting-point for this.... 
Compressing Rear Springs without danger of injury!
Misc: Administrator @ Monday 17 December 2007 - 09:24:07
For any of you who've tried to compress a Jag's rear springs using standard off-the-shelf compressors, take a look at this neat solution!
At last there's way to do this job without the feeling that the whole assembly is about to explode!
It's simple & cheap as well!
The Final Chapter of mechanical rebuilding
Misc: Administrator @ Wednesday 28 November 2007 - 08:45:11
The rear subframe sees the light of day for 1st time in 35 years!
You can read here about removal of the rear suspension unit, I'll be adding info on refurbishing various components as I go along.
You can read here about removal of the rear suspension unit, I'll be adding info on refurbishing various components as I go along.
1st start of the rebuilt V12
Misc: Administrator @ Thursday 09 August 2007 - 19:51:01
Here it is...truly 1st turn:
I had spent a few hours getting the fuel plumbed in properly, I had more than a few stromberg float bowl overflows...as a result the manifold was swimming in neat fuel...and the ambient temp here in Malaysia is a steady 28-32C....so it started well!
Automotive Art & Function
Misc: Administrator @ Tuesday 31 July 2007 - 08:47:27
You may have seen my wine rack project reported on sme of the automotive blogs over the last months, for more details read this
