Hi guys,


Not really new to Jags or Brit cars in general but I've never had a saloon. I am going to look at a 240 this week. I have a couple questions.


1. Engine ID - how do you tell the difference between the 2.4, 3.4 and 3.8?


2. Engine swaps - right now there are two junk 3.8S and a MkII on CL nearby for cheap. Would the 3.8 engine be a direct drop-in for the 2.4 in the 240?


3. Along those lines, the car I am looking at is RHD. Would either of the above (3.8S or MkII) work as a donor for a LHD swap?


4. Suppliers for Ambla upholstery kits and carpet sets for the 240s? From all the pictures this car's interior looks to be in GREAT shape but I know that carpets and upholstery more than even 5-10 yers old just look worn, no matter how good of shape they are in.


5. Major watchouts? Again, I do the old-British-car thing a lot so I am well aware of the usual issues, rust, etc. I mean things maybe more specific - check x part for wear because it costs $5000 sort of thing.


6. What kind of compression numbers would you expect from the 2.4?


Thanks,
Darel

 

Also, what are some of the go-to parts suppliers for these cars? I am used to dealing with places for LBCs like Moss and VicBrit but is there anyone out there who caters more to the older saloons? I doubt most of my XJ-S suppliers could help either.

 

Found you over at JCNA too...
Engine size, Jaguar cast the displacement right into the block on the carburetor side. Mine says 3 1/2 litre beside the big Jaguar icon.
You'll need a mirror and a small light to this.
Mine's a 340 incidentally.


Two big suppliers are:


Jaguar Parts I British Aftermarket Car Catalog Parts I XKS Parts US


David Manners Ltd - Jaguar Parts, Daimler parts, genuine Jaguar parts, OEM parts and reproduction parts from David Manners Ltd UK


XKs will be able to tell you if the engine swap can be done, if no answers you here.

 

turning any RHD car into a LHD car is a serious undertaking, instead, start with a LHD car.

SNG Barrat is near PA.

SNG Barratt - The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Specialist

 

Thanks guys,


Jeff: sorry, casting a wide net. These are far more scarce cars than for example, my TR6 or maybe an E-type, and with even a smaller percentage of owners who actually work on them.


SNG Barratt looked promising, but as soon as I started clicking through their parts listing (which is extensive) virtually none of the parts were actually available.


Thanks for the info on engine ID. I did confirm the car I'm looking at still has the 2.4, I read somewhere the 2.4 sits much lower in the engine bay and when I compared pics of this car to other 3.4s from a google search the height difference is very noticeable.


Any idea what #s I'm looking for when I do a compression test, and what a normal oil pressure reading is?


Thank you!

 

Couple more questions came up during my internet searching:


When I'm researching a new project car I have a specific set of parts I'll go and look at that I know at some point I'll need to replace, so I can get an idea of how much it's going to run me. It seems like normal steering components (TREs, idlers, etc) are fairly expensive, especially when you factor in the number of them in the car.


What brakes would this have? Rear discs, I assume? It seems like there are many calipers available, which should I be looking at?


Can't seem to find a clutch kit anywhere...or even a pressure plate or friction disc. Are clutches available? Or is this something that would need to get sent out to reline the disc and resurface the pressure plate?


Which gearbox would this have? The car I'm looking at is a 4spd with OD. It seems my choices are synchro and non-synchro.


Thanks,
Darel

 

Surprising to hear of the unavailable parts, maybe our website wasn't displaying properly. We stock and/or can get most parts for these older saloons. All engine, electrical, body, interior etc should be no problem at all..


Give us a call and we can send you a free catalogue/parts book and let you know prices availability on anything you need.


Regards

 

SNG,


On your site, if a part says "not available online" does that mean it actually is available but we have to call up and order it? Sort of an "if it's listed we have it" sort of thing? Quite a bit of the stuff I was looking into was listed that way.


If so maybe I've got it wrong then, and I apologize.

 

Jaguar put in 8 to 1 compression ratio pistons in the 240 and 340, so that's 8 x atmospheric pressure (14.696 psi at sea level).
117.568 psi or 120 PSI.


You should be more worried if it's even or not of course. The 3.4 and 3.8 engines were taller because that's how Jaguar increased the displacement _ they increased the stroke _ deeper engine block.

 

No need to apologize, our website is in its early stages but hopefully is becoming more and more user friendly. It currently takes the information from the original Jaguar book and translates into its latest part number and checks with our system for stock price etc. Sometimes supersessions do not compute and/or certain items have so much variation we are unable to put each type online. Thus it's always worth a call if the item says it is 'not available', we may have a source or alternative part you can use.


Feel free to drop me a PM or email with anything you need and I'll do my best to help out.


Regards


William@SngBarratt.Com

 

FYI, the 2.4 litre engine has a short height block. Jaguar lopped about 1.5" off the stroke to get the smaller displacement, so the engine looks as if it sits lower, but that is because the block is shorter in height. Everything else was the same except carburettion, the 2.4 used Solex, not SUs, however the 240s used SUs. If you're dropping in a larger engine then the front springs need uprating and the axle diff ratio should be changed, I think. As far as swapping RHD to LHD, it is possible, but you need replacement instrument and cubby-box housings as these are handed. The wiring loom is the same for both drives. There are other things that need the mirror image equivalent, but I can't remember at the moment, it's too late at night and time for bed !

 

Two slightly more specific questions:


1. What gearbox will this have (it's 4spd with OD): all-synchro or non-synchro Moss?


2. Positive ground or negative?

 

Wouldn't the exhaust routing be different as well ?
Wouldn't the heat shield have to be moved ? Not to mention the cavity out of the gas tank or where the pipes leave the car just under the bumper ?


Or did Jaguar keep all this the same and run the pipes to the other side of the car before it gets to the heat shield ?


There is also a huge cavity in the body where the twin mufflers hang, is this on the right hand side of the car for a right drive.
My car is a left hand drive and the muffler pocket in the body is on the left.


Lots to think about and many logistical problems to over come.


@ Darel, more then likely positive ground, just look at the battery connections, if the positive post on the battery is connected to the body, then it's positive ground.

 

Thanks Jeff, this is the kind of info I'm looking for - were the cars' body shells actually built differently for LHD vs. RHD or was it all the same car just with different parts? Sounds by what you're saying that they're a whole different animal. No problem.


On the pos vs. neg thing, I understand how to tell...at the time I was pricing out common wear-and-tear parts and most electrical stuff has two different versions, and until I go look at the car I couldn't verify which to go with. Thanks again!

 

The body shell and the fuel tank are the same for all engine sizes, and there is no difference LH to RH drive. If you look you can find the blanking plate where a RHD car steering column goes through the bulkhead. The 240 has twin exhausts as I recall, just like the larger engine sizes whereas the earlier 2.4 has a single pipe that just fits into the space made for the twin pipes.

All cars were positive earth although it is a very simple job to swap it over, as I did this with my 2.4 on advice from an automobile technician. This allowed me to use a radio built for negative earth.

 

I was going to correct myself (I feel like an idiot) of course the exhaust routing stays the same, just because the steering wheel is on one side or the other doesn't change the fact that the exhaust manifold is on the left side of the car.

 

All 240s and 340s had the all-synchro gearbox. In fact the change to all-sync came earlier, as my 1967 Mark 2 had the later box. I think the change was roundabout 1966,but may have been earlier, like 1964.

If fitting one of the bigger engines, (3.4. 3.8). you must install uprated front springs to take the extra weight, and an altered diff ratio for the higher speeds they are capable of. The 240 needs a lower ratio to get up to its 110mph, and also give reasonable acceleration. That 1 litre give-away makes quite a difference in performance

 

I agree start with a left hand drive car. Engine swaps are not to difficult and I did the most extreme going to a GM modern V8.


The major thing to me is look for a car with not too much rust issues as one main item, then the other thing not typical on other cars but crucial on these old saloons are the interior wood. My car is a 3.8s so it has a bit more fancy wood but most Jag saloons have a good amount and if the vaneer is damaged too deep the repairs can get very expensive. I checked and to completely revaneer the entire interior of my car to concours level it would be $5000-$6000; I had a friend whom had this skill and used to do it professionally so that saved me thousands.

 

Sorry to bump this old thread but just in case somebody still consults it: the front suspension springs are different between 2.4 and 3.4/3.8 engines to accomodate for the difference in weight.

I'm trying RHD to LHD conversion but I have a LHD donor. Otherwise, if you have to source everything that's different and find out what's where you might be in for a difficult job.

 

Also the axle ratio will probably be different. Radiator badge colour is also different, - Black 2.4, Red 3.4, Maroon 3.8.

The 240 was the only 2.4 litre car that could exceed 100 mph, the old 2.4 Mark 2 couldn't, even if the speedo said it was !