"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
06/26/2015 at 09:41 • Filed to: None
6
12|
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
06/26/2015 at 09:41 • Filed to: None | 6
| 12 |
My problem is that I love the early 70’s Jaguar XJ12. I love the look and have the greatest vision for building one up. I mean, it seems like the single cheapest way to get a carbureted V12 from the 70’s. I mean it’s not like I’ll be able to find a Ferrari 365 on the cheap these days. Here’s my dream:
The car I want was only built during one year, 1972. That’s the only year that you could get the glorious 5.3L V12 in a short wheelbase sedan. For 1973 and onwards, all the V12’s were long wheelbase cars. They also changed to the series two body style which I find less attractive but I digress.
Step one would involve actually finding one which would be rather tricky as they only made 3,325 of them and they didn’t have the best survival rate. I’m typically a ‘leave it stock’ OEM guy but these XJ12’s with their mandatory three-speed autos and heinous build quality issues scream for a fair shake. Assuming I could find one I’d have some big plans for it.
The first thing to do would be to gut the vestigal 1972 emissions crap. That stuff was complex, vacuum intensive and could contribute to overheating. Next, I’d install a big, fat aluminum radiator with some electric fans. Again, overheating is the killer when you have 12 cylinders banging away under a hood.
I’d then bring my attention to the transmission. I don’t mind an automatic but a three-speed just seems wrong behind a V12. I’d replace it with a period correct Jaguar 4-speed or possibly a 5-speed if I was feeling a bit more modern that day.
Next thing to do would be to slightly lower the suspension on stiffer springs and redo all the crispy 40+ year-old bushings. All that would be left then would be to install some E-Type-spec knockoff wire wheels and enjoy motoring!
There are of course, a few problems. For example, allow me to scoop this from Wikipedia’s XJ12 page:
the XJ12 featured a complex “cross-flow” radiator divided into two separated horizontal sections and supported with coolant feeder tanks at each end: the engine fan was geared to rotate at 1¼ times the speed of the engine rpm, subject to a limiter which cut in at a (fan) speed of 1,700 rpm. The fuel system incorporated a relief valve that returned fuel to the tank when pressure in the leads to the carburetters exceeded 1.5 psi to reduce the risk of vapour locks occurring at the engine’s high operating temperature, while the car’s battery, unusually, benefited from its own thermostatically controlled cooling fan.
That’s right, the radiator has a radiator and the battery has a cooling fan. These are attrociously complex cars and they competed with the elite supercars of the day in terms of top speed and horsepower. I feel like one of these would make an excellent GT and daily car once it was properly sorted but doing so would easily cost over $10,000. I’ve had this idea in my head for years and who knows, one day, I might just go through with it.
I found
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
for just $1,800 and while it’s the ‘wrong’ year for me, it does make you wonder if it’s worth it to take the plunge.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
505Turbeaux
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 09:45 |
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oddly enough the S1 has a MUCH better build quality than the S2, but survivability of either is nil. I prefer the lines of the S2 over every other series - for quality and relibability my go to is the XJ40
djmt1
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 09:49 |
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I share this dream but with one tweak.
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cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
> djmt1
06/26/2015 at 09:57 |
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I prefer the coupe too but they go for too much money for me to buy.
KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 09:59 |
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False. This is not a Jaguar V12. Notice the distinct lack of oil or coolant or other vital fluids leaking everywhere.
bob and john
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 10:00 |
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“ I was feeling a bit more modern that day.”
HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 10:22 |
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Too bad you're not looking for a Series 3 XJ12...there's quite a nice one for sale in my driveway.
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cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
06/26/2015 at 10:28 |
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It’s gotta be carbureted if I’m to have a chance of keeping it running. Also induction noise!
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bob and john
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 10:50 |
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I donder...how hard would i be to convert to carbs?
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cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
> bob and john
06/26/2015 at 10:55 |
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Noooooooo way am I converting a car that complex to carbs. If it’s a series 3 then it has all manner of computerized sensors that would scream their little electronic heads off if they couldn’t get proper readings due to a row of webers standing on the intake plenum.
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bob and john
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 11:20 |
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aannnddddd why do they matter? sure, you might have a CEL, but the rest of the engine would work fine. right?
CaptDale - is secretly British
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 11:36 |
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I want to resto-mod and track:
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
06/26/2015 at 23:33 |
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You sir, have excellent taste. I like this better than your merc idea from the other day. And I may just know where one of these resides, though it may be a 6er, can’t remember. And anyways, I call dibs. But it’s been sitting untouched in a driveway for years ago it may not be worth the effort.