Just waiting for the bumpers to come back from the chrome shop but have installed all the Jaguar trim and coated the front fender wells.

 

now we can start the long list of things to do in order to put the car on the street!

 

I've just followed the thread photo sequence right through. Looking great!

Knowing how much work goes into getting to this stage, you're making very rapid progress.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham!

Yes it always seems easier until you get into it and discover something else needed to make it perfect but it sure feels good when it is done. I am happy with the bodywork as the Jag looks clean, stock, and has the modern POR15 undercoating to keep it rust free for years to come.

I will start a new thread as we start installing the GM LS1 v8 & tranny, interior, modern Jag seats, front adjustable coil overs, Wilwood brakes, custom radiator, custom driveshaft, Watts linkage for the rear, new AC system, sound system, mobile office, dual battery system, custom stainless exhaust system, new rims/tires, and I am sure during the process we will find something else not mentioned that will be a must do before completion....

I hope everyone has enjoyed learning and seeing the journey this old 3.8s has been undergoing and soon it will be my ultimate daily driven sleeper ready to dust a BMW M5 with an old 1960's Jaguar

 

California Boy - your 3.8 S project is looking awesome. I'm planning a similar V8 conversion on a Mark 2, so I really appreciate the detailed documentation you're sharing here. I'm curious if you're planning to use wire wheels. After reading your earlier comment about custom wheels I called the Dayton folks and they didn't blink at making up a set of 17 or 18 x 8.5 wheels (no idea what offset but I guessed at 2") - with splined hubs no less. Not sure if wires are appropriate for the hp you're installing but they'd certainly complete the look and keep it a sleeper.

If you have the time at some point I'd appreciate any details of the front and rear coilovers you're using - how did you go about calculating spring and damper rates and what manufacturer did you use? I've never driven an S- Type but suspect the ride and handling is somewhat improved over a Mark 2 given the independent rear. I've previously restored a Mark 2 to stock and was always disappointed with the ride and noise - not sure if it was the drive train and suspension isolation they had 50 years ago or if it has something to do with the nature of the tub structure. I'm planning to narrow an XJR 308 rear and use the entire drive train including motor and trans mounts - hopefully that quiets and settles things down. I don't have a clue how to go about matching springs and dampers for the Mark 2, so any insight you can share would be appreciated.

Good luck with the project, keep us posted, and don't scratch the paint dropping in the motor.
Doug Dooren
Avon CT

 

Doug,

I sold the wire wheels as I wanted to go with more modern three piece billet wheels. Take a look under my posting about beefing up the rear suspension for big horsepower and you should see the details as to the proper off-set but that is after changing the hubs to 5 lug versus the knock off's. Never guess on an offset as it needs to be a precise measurement or you now own a new set or rims that are worth nothing. The Jag will be able to fit 245 wide tires easily with the right offset.

Keep postes for a new thread on the mechanical which should help you...

 

I think that that almost goes without saying. I might not comment on every post you make here, but I most certainly read and follow your progress with great pleasure.

Looking forward to your progress 'loading' the front suspension.

 

Very interesting!

 

Hi, just found this thread, what is the latest on the conversion, or was another thread started?
thanks
Pete

 

The engine and transmission are installed but with any more custom car it is often the details that slow things down. After about three different sets of headers we finally fouind a set that works without cutting etc. The new stainless exhaust pipes still needs to completed.

The front suspension has been dropped and it is being rebuilt with new bushings, adjustable coil over shocks, and Wilwood brakes. After that is done we need to finish one more modification in the rear suspension to make the Watts linkage to work, then install a new custom driveshaft, aluminum custom radiator, dual battery system, and a new AC system. Then we need to do a few mods to fit the modern Jag interior and re-install the rest of the interior.

I'll post more pics as we get closer, I hope to get the car on the street soon but I do not want to cut any corners and this has to be a reliable street car as it will be a daily driver.

 

Just finished all of the wood restoration and cannot to see it installed in the car. Also mounted the custom aluminum radiator. The brakes are installed, the suspension is close but we will make some changes to the front coil overs after we get the car almost done so we can test the ride quality and get the right look for the car. The steering had to be modified a few times to clear the headers which required two universals, a common mod for rodders but just another example of the little things bogging down the build.

There is still a lot on the list before we can call it done but our goal is finishing the car around end of March and then it will likely need another month to finish the stereo and the custom electronics for my mobile office. At least things are gettng closer.

Still left:

• modiify the front seat mounts for the electric Vaden Plas leather seats
• set the wiring for the front seat operations
• finish the the fuel lines and electric fuel pump set up
• finish the computer install and wiring
• finish all electrical to start the car, separating all accessories to a separate electrical fuse system, and the dual battery set up - seeing if we can find a way to mount the batteries under the rear seat to save room for the mobile office in the trunk
• install custom AC system
• install stainless radiator tube overflow
• install new steering wheel
• install HID headlights
• clean and repaint front seats
• either modifiy rear seat from the Vaden plas or reskin the stock rear seat with the Vanden plas leather
• new leather for the door panels and headliner
• install all the wood and dash etc.
• order custom aluminum drive shaft
• final the front coil overs
• install custom stainless exhaust and muffler system
• shake down the car and tweak suspension and engine
• install stainless engine cover with Jaguar decals
• install the mobile office (lazer color printer, wire binding and hole punch machine, 6000 watt inverter, usb wiring for the laptop mount, laptop mount that can provide good positioning yet easy removal for weekend use, color high speed sheet feed scanner, see if we can install a microwave and frig and still have trunk space)
• install new stereo - separates in the doors and either four 8" or four 10" subs in the rear deck with a pop out nav unit, amplifiers either under the seats or in the trunk, alarm, extra screens along the dash storage tray so I can display several web pages at the same time)

Crossing my fingers we can finish all of this so I start using the Jag as the daily driver....

 

Primaz,
Really glad to see an update. End of March is a pretty aggressive schedule for the work remaining, but your progress to date looks great.

Do you have a website or a photos site like shutterfly, Flickr, or photobucket where you are keeping a collection of images? If so, I would love to look at it. I would be very interested in information and detail photos of your seat installation including floor modifications and wiring.

What was the vendor source for your aluminum radiator?

I don't recall, did you install power windows? If so, do you have any photos?

Your wood looks great. Did you do that yourself or source that to a specialist?

Thanks so much and congratulations.

Lin

 

I will have to look up the vendor for the radiator and let you know. It was the same one I used for my custom Datsun street cars as they will custom make it to your needs, amount of rows, how many fins per inch, etc.

I was thinking of doing power windows and there are some good universal power window kits that most rodders use but that is more of a minor item to think about after we fire up the motor and make sure all the key mechanical/electrical works.

The wood I was lucky to have a friend whom used to do that type of work professionally. I had him repair the wood and do the coloring and then we used a body shop familiar with wood clear coating to do the clear coats; we did one last coloring after the first coat to give some of the depth for a few areas. It is not concours but plenty good for me. Will post more here as we get closer to the completion.

I will post some pics of the floors for the seats as I have seen some others people did but they really look like a hack job so I want to keep it simple yet look clean and will post them when we get to that spot.

 

Primaz,
Thanks for the update! I will look forward to more in the future.
Lin

 

Wow great progress, it will look a stunner on the road. I am currently doing a complete rebuild of an unrestored 340, you can see my blog in this section. Although I am not yet at this stage I am interested in what you used as a liquid sound proofing like Dynamat.

What is the product called and where can somebody purchase this?
Did it also work out cheaper that the matting from Dynamat?
Is it spayed using a standard paint gun or does it come in an aerosal?

 

I used "Quiet Car" but that is just because a friend of mine had left over paint from his 240z so I used it in the Jaguar. It is much like Por-15 thick stuff painted on by hand or with a less expensive gun as well. I plan on putting Dynamatt over it as well since this is a luxury 4 door to try to keep it as quiet since the car will have such a high horsepower motor under the hood. I also plan on trying to use a set of mufflers to quiet it yet still give good flow; that is always the trade off great flow big noise, quiet is more restrictive so I will strike a balance for my personal taste....

 

Here are some pics that will give you the company we used to make the custom radiator...

 

Primaz,
Thanks for the radiator information!
Lin

 

Here are some early shots of the front seat mods to allow full travel of the Jaguar Vanden Plas seats into the 3.8S

 

This is exactly what i want to do but with XJ40 seats, was this hard to do and do you have any tips/dimensions I can use. how did you determine how much to cut out.