I have a feeling that the track width of all axles on the XJ Series saloons and all the XJSs is the same. I think, repeat think, that the E Type's axle, at least the non V12 ones, is narrower.

 

Bob
As Thorsen wrote:
Being retired, I have plenty of that sort of time which is not money! and just enough energy to use it...

 

To my knowledge, Jaguar only built 3 widths of IRS. E-type the smallest, S-type/420, and XJ/Mk 10.

 

Tonight I got a couple things done. First up were the connections on the fuel rail. I've had a fuel system fire before on a car that landed me in the ER with severe burns to my arm, so I don't mess around. I picked up a 3/8" (for the fuel supply) and a 5/16" (for the fuel return to the tank) quick connect to AN adapter.



The adapters have a C-shaped section that slips over the fuel line on the engine side. This threads into the other part of the adapter which has a -6 AN fitting. The adapters make a fuel-tight seal and you can use standard AN hoses and fittings to plumb the fuel system.


Both fittings in place.


Next up was spending some time with the rear axle. The hub-to-hub width of the 2HA axle in my Mark VII was right at 59.5".
While measuring the axle width, I noticed that the frame rail takes up a fair amount of real estate.
The frame rails are spaced apart at 39", and there is about 9" from the rear edge of the frame rail to the front of the trunk compartment.


I more concerned about this than I am about the axle width. If there isn't enough room between the frame rails and the front edge of the trunk I'm kind of SOL for fitting the Jaguar IRS.
This is a picture of the IRS from my S2 XJ6. My concern is the area around the springs having enough room to fit in the car.



It looks like tomorrow night I go and hang out with the Wednesday Night guys and spend some time with the tape measure.

 

I did some digging around and found this website that details the hub-to-hub width of the Jaguar IRS units. The three widths are 53.125", 56", and 61.75".
Based on this I would need to find a 70-74 E-type or 60-69 3.8S rear axle to fit underneath my Mark VII.

 

I know of several 420 and possibly a 3.8s for parts but they're not close to you. If you want the info I'll provide it to you.

 

Might check out some of the cobra and other kit car sites where they routinely use the jag rear suspension without the cage. Some pretty cool engineering there.

 

More progress tonight. I replaced the thermostat, the thermostat elbow, and the PCV hoses and valve.



I wanted to see how my new motor mounts fit in relation to the chassis rails.
Spoiler alert - they are too wide.


I went to the back of the engine and installed the new flywheel with a set of new ARP bolts. Picture was before I cleaned the friction surface.


After that was a new clutch disc, pressure plate, and release bearing.


The bellhousing back in place.

 

Thomas,

For a man who supposedly "works" for a living, you make incredible progress on the Jaguar each evening!

Cheers,

Don

 

After a long day of managing projects and resources the way other people want it done, it's quite relaxing to spend a few hours in the garage getting things done the way I want them done.

 

^^^
Not only that, you can work off most of your frustrations, aggressions and disappointments and rage, and your wife and kids know where you are nearly Every. Waking. Moment!

 

I spent some time cleaning up the garage tonight before getting back to work. First up was up was installing the EGR blanking plates that I designed and had cut. These only need to seal the intake manifold from vacuum leaks so it's a lot easier to deal with than if hot exhaust gases were passing through them.



I had to do a little wood working tonight. At their lowest setting, my jack stands had the car up so high that it was tough getting the engine in and out. I made a wooden crib to hold up the front cross member at a height that was tall enough to let the engine hoist slide under the car, but low enough that I didn't have to have the engine hoist all the way up to the garage rafters.


Next up were the front brake calipers. Out of all the taps I have, I did not have a 5/16-24. And that was the size I needed to finish up the front brake caliper mounts. I have a set of 3 coming Saturday. But things are moving along on this part of the project.

 

YUP!
Whenever I need a tool for my work that I haven't got (doesn't happen much now after 20-odd years), I pick up 2.
One for the shop, and one goes on the Truck for the next time I need it.
So I can say, "When I roll up on a job I come fully equipped."

 

It's been too cold (4°F / -15° C) to go out to the garage so I've been doing in-side work. I designed a motor mount plate to attach to the LT1 and also ordered some corner gussets to reinforce the end product.


The forecast for this week has us warming up significantly so it's easier to wait a day or two than it is to suffer in the garage.

 

I had a good night in the garage tonight. I am very close to finishing the front brakes. I need to have one of the brackets re-cut in 3/8" steel instead of the 1/4" it is today. It's the silver one below.



I ended up using brake caliper from a 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L with 14" wheels. Part number 18B4360 and 18B4361 which cost me the princely sum of $23.79 each.


Here is the view looking from the outside.



The rotors are from the 1973 Cadillac Eldorado (Part # 5802R) which sell for about $32. You will need to find a machine shop to open up the center bore to 3.875". If you have a drill press you can counterbore the rear of the stud holes from the rear to a .625 ID with a depth of .125". This is to clear the collar on the wheel stud.

I also did some more work on the back brakes but I'm still a couple weeks out from finishing those. More to come as I get the parts in.

 

Sa-weet!
I *Luv* it when stuff is "repurposed!"
(';')

 

Extremely professional smart job. Superb. Maybe buy a spare set of rotors and calipers, at that price, to reassure the next owner of the car's future-proofness?

 

My nephew who just graduated with his degree in mechanical engineering says "the best engineered solution is something you can buy for the right price"

 

I did a small amount of work on the back brakes. This photo shows the clearance of the El Dorado brake rotors mentioned above. They measure about 2.5" from the massive lip inside the rim to the inboard most section of the rotor.



Most of the rear brake calipers I found are for thinner brake rotors. I picked up this rear brake kit from Speedway motors. The rotor hats are taller which moves the brake disc farther out of the wheel.


This is important because it provides clearance for the rear brake calipers which are tougher to fit inside the Jaguar wheel. With this option I do not need to grind any of the wheel or brake caliper as others have done.


The rear calipers are from a 1980 Cadillac Eldorado and include a parking brake mechanism. The integral parking brake mechanism is what set me down this path to begin with. Part numbers 33146610 and 33146611 for the left and right side rear brake calipers and the nice part is they include the parking brake levers and springs.


This is the first time I've seen/touched/used the two piece rotors and I am impressed by them. You can find a wide variety of rotors (vented/non-vented, cross-drilled, etc) to match up to your needs.

To mount the rear rotors, I designed a bracket that's being cut out of 3/8" steel. The rear brake kit I linked above comes with weld-on mounting brackets that would work but I don't love welding axle tubes. I'll save that for Plan C in case nothing else works.

 

With the holidays coming up there have been many Christmas parties to go to but I made up lost time this weekend.

First was a piece of new equipment. It has been a real struggle to find a machine shop near me that had the time to bore out the center of the brake rotors. If they did have the time they wanted more $ than I personally felt it was worth. I found a nice 10" lathe that I was able to pick up in Friday for a song since it needed a new motor and it was very large and heavy. Around here, the bigger and heavier something is the cheaper it is. I borrowed a flat bed trailer and used my engine hoist to get it into the garage. Yesterday I picked up a new motor and had it running by lunch.



Today was motor mount day. These are the motor mount plates I designed in AutoDesk and had SendCutSend make for me.


Bolted to the block.


I wanted to put the transmission on so I could measure and align everything as it will sit in the car. I pulled it out of its hiding space behind the MGB and bolted it back to the bell-housing.


With the car on her wheels I was able to get the unit in with the help of an engine tilter. It was tight but manageable working solo.


Here is a picture showing clearance on the left side. I will need to resection the lower portion of the inner fender to clear the exhaust manifold.
There is plenty of clearance to the steering column.


Here is the clearance on the right side of the engine compartment. This side had more room but still needs some inner fender massaging.


Here's the view from the front of the engine. The factory bracket for the AC compressor/power steering pump/alternator won't fit but I am not too worried about that. I don't need a power steering pump and was planning on designing something different for this anyway,


Next up is trimming the inner fenders and removing the rear set of engine mounts.