Having trouble fitting a bell stainless kit to my 1960 Mark2. My manifolds are the angled type. I bought the bell kit for the early MK2. The downpipes that came with the kit don't seem to line up right. Also it doesn't seem studs will be long enough. Arg!!! Thoughts?

 

Have a read of this thread, it hopefully helps, or post the part numbers for the exhaust you have bought and your engine and chassis numbers and we can see what we can do to help further.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...xhaust-189313/

 

1960 Mark 2 3.8
Chassis# P212391 DN
Engine# LA4512-9

Bell down tubes # JR 59 & 60

 

Im thinking i might have the wrong downtubes. They seem to be angled for the straight manifolds.

 

Jr 59 and 60 are the right part numbers. That is what I have for mine, but not at the point of installing them yet.

 

wow, I have a Bell stainless system in my S type, beautifully polished, I installed it myself with the car raised on blocks and a trolley to slide under it. everything fits perfectly. Sounds like a XK-120.

 

They seem to be the correct parts for your car, question now is may be the manifolds been changed ?

Can you see the part numbers on the manifolds they should be C16191 and C16192, if they are C18398 and C18399, they are the later manifolds, the earlier manifolds are no longer available so they may have been changed in which case the downpipes will be wrong and should be JR70 and JR71

 

I had the same issue with the length of the studs. Longer replacements are readily available. I think I got mine from McMaster-Carr.

 

I had 1" 3/4 studs installed last week and just ordered JR70 and JR71 from SNG. Hope to have good news later this week.

 

I have two manifolds for a 3.4 or 3.8 liter with long studs if anybody needs a pair.

 

The new Bell downpipes came in and fit like a glove. Crushable gasket that comes with the kit is still to thick, but I found a thin pair at a local auto parts store that seemed to do the trick. We'll have to see how it all works when its running. Hope to get the rest of the kit installed today. Thanks to everyone for the help.

 

Fitted up the rest of the Bell kit and the tailpipes are sitting tight against the fuel tank. Tried loosening the mounts etc but to no avail wondering if thats the normal fit?

 

I recently installed the Bell system on my 1960 MK2 and noticed the same thing. The tailpipes touch the fuel tank at the rear. They also touch the body. I'm not sure if this is the normal fit, but I used all new hangers and this was the result I got.

 

in my inexperienced opinion with the MK-2 tailpipes. I would say no, they should not touch the body and certainly not the tank. There should be enough clearance.

Maybe the hangers are the problem.

 

The hangers I installed with my Bell system are identical to the originals. I am wondering if the Bell system dimensions are wrong. I agree with Jose. I doesn't make sense for the tail pipe to touch any part of the body or fuel tank. Heat should not be applied to a fuel tank via the exhaust system.

 

+1. Jose is absolutely correct.

Aim for 1/2" (12mm) minimum clearance. Vibration is a normal feature of any engine mounted component but especially exhaust pipes. That's why they are mounted with flexible hangers. Any rattling against the body will transmit noise into the cabin and result in premature wear . . . the thought of such abrasion of a hot exhaust beating a hole into a fuel tank could quickly result in a rear end barbeque noone needs.

Cheers,

Ken

 

yes, I do not like the idea of a hot tailpipe touching the gas tank or anything else for that matter.

when I installed a new Bell exhaust in my '65 S type there were no fitting or clearance problems, and I did it all by myself, piece by piece, everything just "fell" in place, and the S type has two tanks, two rear resonators near them, but the clearances were fine.

Since there are two of you with the same issue, and this is obviously a serious concern, I would contact the seller and ask for a contact person at Bell Exhausts UK.

I am sure others are having the same problem.

 

I just went back to my garage, disconnected the rear hanger and "bent" the pipes down at the rear of the mufflers. I intend to make a small extension that will keep the rear hanger low enough to provide for about a 1/2" clearance from the fuel tank and rear body. I also had a problem with the installation of the Bell system and sent an email to Bell asking about their quality control, but received no response. I had to do some cutting and "adjusting" to the Bell parts to make them fit together and to fit my car.

 

Ted,
document it with pictures, it might help others. And what is a 1933 Standard?

 

Ted, your experience of Bell's poor customer communications really is a concern and again, I commend Jose's sound advice to write direct to Bell's top brass . . . yes, there really still is a place for old fashioned snail mail. Email may be fast, but it is unlikely you will hit the boss, so it becomes "not my problem".

Certainly sounds like a QC problem. You should not have to go cutting pipes to fit, or making up special hanger brackets. Having said that . . . Ted, you did as I would have also . . . whatever it takes to gain and maintain that essential clearance.

Best wishes,

Ken