Can't say - I know that in stock form you can remove the engine without removing the transmission, so presumably the reverse is possible, and I also know that it many cases (other cars) the upper bell housing bolts are accessible, if not able to be seen, from above - perhaps that applies to the MK2?

 

I'm not sure thats possible, I removed the gearbox from a 1966 S-Type 3.8 Auto with the engine in and the only way I could do it was to remove the four nuts that hold the box to the bell housing and leave the bell housing and torque convertor in place.

I only needed to change the seal on the main shaft so doing it this way worked ok for me but I don't think you could get the bell housing off with the engine in the car, the only way it might work (other than cutting the tunnel) would be to remove the rear engine mounting (which attaches to the bell housing anyway) and drop the engine down as far as you can at the back.

Overall it sounds like a lot of work and you have to be careful not to strain and damage things like the exhaust, throttle linkage and also how close to the bulkhead will the inlet be and also the fan to the radiator. If you do cut the tunnel be careful about how you do it so it looks neat and so many look like they were done with a tin opener. Personally I would always remove the front suspension crossmember and drop the engine out of the bottom.

 

Well, with all luck it's not something I'll need to worry about, my preference will be to keep the stock transmission and just have it work like it should. The engine is out of my '61 right now and my mechanic left the transmission in place, pulled the engien separate from the top (as opposed to dropping it out the bottom) - so there must be some access to the bolts. Here is the quote from John's Cars "I wanted to make sure you understand that you don't have to remove the motor to put in your Quarterbreed (Jag engine, 700r4 transmission). Many manuals say that pulling the motor is the only way to change the transmission! It simply isn't true – you can do a Mark Quarterbreed in 10 to 14 hours.

 

Hello all - again for any future readers, I have confirmed you can remove the transmission from the Jaguar MK2 without removing the engine, at least up to 1961.

I have an original hard-back copy of the Jaguar workshop manual by Scientific Magazines, covering 2.4 and 3.4 Mk1 and Mk2, and 3.8 Mk2 with automatic transmission 1956 - 1961. This manual has a section specifically devoted to the automatic and it is clear on the removal process, it does not require removal of the engine. Whether this also applies to later cars, I don't know, but this would apply up to 1961 for sure.

 

the tunnel is big enough to undo the bolts at the bell housing up to the 1968 cars.

 

This was done to satisfy the American Market.