I’ve been searching for this particular part, manufactured of pure Unobtanium, for well over a year. I’ve scoured eBay for the past year+ looking for one of these, which to the uninitiated is a stock air cleaner cannister for a Series 1 Jaguar E-type. They are available from the usual suppliers but I would have to mortgage my home, or sell of a child to slavery in order to purchase one. I prefer to remain out of debt, and the kids are a bit dear to their mother, so I’d risk a lot by selling one off.
So I turned to eBay. As I noted before some guy seemed to be buying every single one that came up, always outbidding me… even on fairly tired looking ones that would take a lot of effort to restore. I had a eBay search query that would email me whenever one showed up, and I’d dutifully place my bids (via a client’s excellent sniping service BidNip.com) and no matter what, somebody always had a higher proxy bid than me. I finally gave up about two months ago… for one life got too busy, but I was also pretty worn down after losing around seven consecutive auctions. Tired ones or incomplete ones seemed to sell for between $80 and $100. Really good ones sold for between $140 and $200.
The eBay search query was in retrospect redundant, because the guys over at the E-type mailing list on Jag-Lovers.org inevitably informed me when one showed up on eBay. Everyone knows I’ve been looking for one, though I hadn’t informed them that I had given up. So late last night Bruce Cox up in Vancouver emailed me and let me know about this auction.
This air cleaner cannister is decidedly NOT stock as it has been polished to within an inch of its life, but I’m OK with that. At least it won’t require a lot of “freshening up” like the plenum and trumpets I found on eBay seemingly two centuries ago.
Now my next trick is to find a Dyno. I can FINALLY lay to rest the never ending Great Air Filter Horsepower Debate, whereby the stock vs. K&N crowd can all finally STFU. 😉
you think there will be any difference between the two on the dyno then? be interested to see the power and torque curves of the 6
Jerome
Good job! That’s mild steel, isn’t it? Mine is, anyway. Is that just raw polished steel, or has someone plated it? Can’t have enough bling, some folks. 😉
Roger, I won’t know until I have it in my hands.
I’ve never really asserted that the stock filter v. the K&Ns is a horsepower loser or gainer, certainly not enough to feel or to measure on a stock engine, meaningfully. However, I *will* assert (and BOBISTHEOILGUY’S test supports my theory) that this new polished cannister/filter will DEFINITELY keep more dirt out of that *very* expensive and now well-done engine rebuild. And, just as the number plate on 65E’s snoot looks ‘right,’ this will now make your engine compartment look ‘right!’
And THAT you can take to the bank, chuckles!