Gday I recently was gifted a 1966 S Type Jag and the owner had passed away before completing the build, now he was doing a conversion to a XJ40 4.0lt and auto which all the mounts were done and modifications to the body and chassis including widening of the trans tunnel but I am personally not happy with this engine fit or the way he was going about it.

Now he was going to gut all the old gear and run all XJ electrics and dash,steering wheel, ABS ,seats and so on.

I have started to sort out all the parts and put all the XJ parts in the shed as I personally dont want to see them again. If I was to go ahead with the XJ I would do away with the factory electrics and run a stand alone ecu and rewire the cars electrics but keeping the old look ( not sure how yet).
Then I considered a Barra engine from a Ford XR6 but not sure about then?
I do like the idea of a modern running gear but I also like the idea of going back to the original donk... I know the purists will not like me much but I am not deal with a straight forward restoration.

My mate suggested a chevy V8 as that seemed to be the done thing at one time.... Im really struggling with a direction and was hoping there might be a path I can take that is a known formula that works well.

Thanks in advance and please no roasting me for any insurrection I may have done.

Photo of the dizzy mod that is not pleasing to me...

 

Where's the original drive train, eg engine and trans ?
If it were mine I would put the 3.8 or even a carbureted 4.2 in with the manual 4 speed and over drive.
There is also an adapter plate where a Ford 5 speed can be put in if you can't find a factory one.

 

It's a pity so many body mods have been done already. Care to post some pics of them. People state that the AJ16 engine is a good conversion & tough as nails. It also has nice torque characteristics. Rather XK like.

 

I agree with Glyn that the AJ6/16 engines are as tough an engine as any you'll find. They are also relatively inexpensive and available and maintain a lot of the character of the old XK. If you depart from the original XK, they are the way to go. It's only my opinion, but on a subject that I've thought about a lot for my own Mk2. For me to modify is OK, but it's nice to maintain character and keep major components Jaguar. However, there are several owners on this forum who have made absoloutely fabulous projects using non-Jaguar or more modern Jaguar engines.

For the seats, the originals are not the most comfortable in the world. At least, the ones in my Mk2 were not in the days that I used it for long, continental journeys - S type are not exactly the same. XJ40 and series XJ are much better (and lighter). It's a matter of whether you going to be driving great distances, aesthetics and how much you worry about originality. The dash, dials and switchgear are a big part of the character of these cars, not as unergonomic as some claim and you can find everything. I'd never change them in any major way.

The electrical system could benefit from a few extra fuses. If you opt for an engine that needs an ecu, the choice of OE to the engine or after-market depends on cost and convenience and your own familiarity with electronics.

 

Personally, I would not put an American V-8 into a vintage S-type, so making the existing replacement engine work would be the way to go. Do you have any idea of the condition of the engine already sort of installed in the car? Does it turn over by hand? Is there any oil in the crankcase, etc...?

 

I would not do a v8 either. It's my opinion that there's enough Chevy 350s in the world. It's a Jaguar for the gods' sake. That said, it's Your Car, you can do what you want. I would try to find a 3.8 for it. My Opinion. That is a very constricted space and you'll be fighting for every centimeter it you try to change very much. They used 2 carbs instead of 3 like on the E type because of space. As has been said, the 4,0 is an excellent motor and I haven't had any problems with the motor itself. Accessories are another story though. Ultimately it's yours. You need to figure what will give you the most enjoyment and head that direction.

 

I think the XK engine suits the character of the car, a nice engine with lots of torque. It's certainly far from a weak or fragile engine. If you are looking for an XK engine, I would probably go for a 4.2 rather than a 3.8. The reason is there are more bosses cast into the block, so if you wan to update to a modern alternator and power steering pump it makes it easier to do. The original S Type had a generator instead of an alternator, and the power steering pump was siamiesed to the back of the generator.

Depending on what spec you get, many factory spec Chev V8's will put out less power than a standard Jaguar 4.2 or 3.8. Any time you start making modifications it always takes a lot longer and costs many times more than you think it will. If depends on if you want a project for the sake of doing it, or the goal is to have a running car in a reasonable amount of time.

Put on a twin carb manifold with a a pair of SU carbs and you'll have a nice running car with the least amount of work.

 

You mentioned you wanted modern features but like the stock look. That is exactly what I wanted and did.

I will buck the purists as I am very happy with my restomod 3.8s. I am running a GM LS1 and would not recommend a carb V8 as most people whom want a modern restomod do NOT want a carb engine but rather a reliable fuel injected LS as they are light and reliable. Driving the 3.8s with the aluminum block LS1 to me is what the car really needed as it did not have the power it should to keep up with current cars for me. My car will go 0-60 in 4 seconds and with the wider tires and other mods the car handles much better and is a reliable daily driven sleeper. I have about 150,000 miles on her now since the car was finished about 4 years ago.

To not only match but exceed what modern cars have now, the 3.8s really needs about 400HP and the 3.8 or 4.2 just does not put out enough power. Driving it with the 400+ HP LS1 is incredible with a great smooth wide powerband. This car will haul *** and blow away most other sedans and has the cool classic look.

I will tell you it was not the easiest build but worth it. You can see my build on this forum.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...st-done-73952/

 

Sigh...
There is nothing wrong with a carbureted engine, or a fuel injected one for that matter, they both have the pros and cons.
One is not any more or less reliable then the other.

 

If you decide to stay with XK engines, Presuming you are not a boy racer. I would go with the sturdy 3.8. The 4.2 has a very long history of cracked blocks. My restored but very original 3.8 that you can see in my signature has no trouble keeping up with modern traffic whatsoever. All depends what you personally want.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...4-3-8s-237260/


https://www.jagtas.org.au/torque/tec...-engine-block/

 

The 'OP" is looking for options and feedback so I will keep my comments to my opinions and not bash purist, etc. My opinion of carb vs fuel injection is based on what most people prefer today and especially in engine swaps. Carb cars will have to deal with a manual choke, the starting issues on cold days, and needing one to make sure you properly start it and not flood the car. Most people today do not even know how to start a carb car on a cold day. They are a technology one can work on if they have that knowledge. Also today just like my original 3.8s when I purchased it, had a iron block 350 carb V8, and I gave it away. Cars that have engine swaps with old school V8's are not desirable and not worth much but restomods with modern LS type V8's command great popularity. For me it was an obvious choice to scrap the iron block V8 as the aluminum block LS1 is lighter than the iron block and actually less weight that Jag straight 6, but more importantly they will get 250,000 plus miles trouble free and you just put gas in the car and drive it. They have so little maintenance as there are no more points, no distributor, and you never worry about cold starts or changes in altitude which will be an issue with a carb engine.

If the OP wants to keep the stock straight 6, you can get a bit more power, maybe 200 to 250 HP if you do a high quality blue printed build but that will be about $15-20K. Another option if he wanted to keep it a straight 6 which is less customization is to use either a Nissan RB twin cam or the Toyota Jz twim cam; both of those will do 400-600 HP in stock trim and blue printed built motors will do 700-1000HP reliably. This is one of the nicest Jaguar restomods using the Jz

I have seen more DIY people do the JZ and that or the Nissan RB would be a much easier fit than the LSV8. The LS V8 has the advantage of being inexpensive as there are millions of those engines around and so many helpful aftermarket parts both for performance and specifically for engine swaps. Yes the stock engine if you get used to the normal 1960's carb behavior will run decently just not very powerful so if you are ok with not having good acceleration of any modern car even the bottom of the line Nissan Sentra being twice as fast, then it would be fine. Either way rebuilding it stock, or restomoding with a modern engine, the Jaguar is NOT a cheap car so parts like the stock wood, chrome, and other bits will be expensive; I just acknowledge that as either route is not a super cheap build but both done well will hold their value and increase. Yes both, a stock one and a restomod will increase in value but on both you need to do them well.

Besides the engine yes the stock 3.8s seats are very uncomfortable as they are 1960's seats with no upper back or head support. I installed the Jaguar Vadan Plas front and rear seats; the rears required sectioning to fit the fronts were not that hard other than a little fab for the seat mount.

For brakes Fosseway Performance not only makes mild 4 piston upgrades for the 3.8s Jag but they do make a 6 piston brake upgrade with true vented large rotors. In this forum people have discussed power steering upgrades so there are a number of options for that as well.

 

Yes ~ the OP needs to understand that if he wants to overpower the car with whatever e.g. an XKR supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III R direct-injection V8 engine having a maximum power output of 550 PS (405 kW; 542 hp) at 6,000 to 6,500 rpm and 680 N⋅m (502 lb⋅ft) of torque at 2,500 to 5,500 rpm.

Then the car's safety features require a substantial upgrade. The S Type body has no crash structure & progressive crumple zones to absorb energy. e.g. brakes (preferably with ABS), coilovers or whatever with adjustable spring rate & damping. Stiffer front torsion/anti roll bar. Fitting the rear anti roll bar that provision is already made for like the E Type & readily available for the S Type. Applying some decent castor to the front suspension. Decent correctly speed rated tyres on wider rims, a collapsible steering column. Some decent padding on the upper dash. Ballistic/pyrotechnic pretentioning seatbelts etc. etc. etc. And most importantly an impact sensor & airbags.

All doable without excessive sweat but some cost.

 

I don't know what the vehicle registration/licensing rules are in Australia for old cars. In the UK you have to use an engine (and other major components) broadly of the same type as the original if you want to maintain 'historic' status. With historic status, you don't pay annual tax and aren't compelled to submit to annual safety (MoT) checks. You may even be able to drive in some 'low emission zone' areas. There aren't any limitations on how you use the car. You can certainly swap a 1960s Jaguar to a different XK engine, even a fuel injected one, and just maybe an AJ6/16, but certainly not to something from another manufacturer. As I said, that's in the UK, the OP can probably find out what applies in his state in Australia.

If it's possible to fit fuel injection (mainly that's if there's space for the manifold), I'd go with it. As I wrote previously, SU carbs are excellent devices and work extremely well. I certainly wouldn't use any other type (apart from some Japanese motorcycle CD carbs). However, if you are going to tune your engine beyond standard, you need someone who has all the needles and knows how to select and swap them. There are not so many of those people about. The second problem is finding the SUs and spares and other parts. I know that there are suppliers, but they aren't cheap. And are they as good as the original equipment from 50 years ago? I think the time has arrived where electronic fuel injection may well be easier and price competitive with SUs.

 

Yes upgrading the suspension would obviously need to be done and simple upgrade of the stock lap belt to a three piece retractable is an easy upgrade. Yes you can upgrade the steering wheel to an air bag but really changing the beautiful wood is really overkill in my opinion.

I am very familiar with SU carbs and they are very forgiving but if you upgrade the power of the stock using those stock carbs like any carb engine they will almost not be drivable in different altitudes and changing needles when you drive to the mountains is not what most would every be willing to deal with.

I know Jaguar people are very passionate and are very polarized about engine swaps and restomods but it is up to the OP. I think we have all provided good information but we can debate this to death as there is no right way, it is up to each owner to do what they want. If the OP wants modern power and features then there are many ways to do this and yes purists will be against them all but it is his car not our car...

 

Peter ~ what amazes me in the damp UK is that many people fit aftermarket, throttle body, fuel injection with open, unfiltered trumpets. You would not get away with that in SA with our silica levels in the air quite frequently both inland & the coast when the wind blows. Having lived in Aus. I would have the same concerns there. Silica laden air would bugger up an engine pretty quickly here.

 

Primaz ~ I'm talking about pretensioning seat belts fed by the impact sensor that a small explosion in a cylinder activates & tightens the belt against the occupants with multiple air bags & if you crack your skull on that chunk of wood you would know all about it. Worse if the wood splinters.

 

Glyn, I think open trumpets are for people who don't actually drive their cars.
The safety stuff is a big question and I'm not sure that we can answer much of it without volunteers for crash testing! A 1950s/60s car shouldn't be as safe as a modern car, but ... .

 

Yep ~ these cars don't take accidents well. Register member that fortunately survived but was severely injured. (I would not show the pic if he was deceased.) He blames the rubbers on the front sub frame letting go. Can't guarantee the veracity of that ~ sounds a bit odd to me. He left the road & went down an embankment.

 

Space is always the problem for S Types and Mark 2's, espcially for a RHD car with the original engine, space is so tight in the engine bay. I have fitted EFI using carb adapters on top of the original SU's. It works ok, but not as well as EFI should. The series III XJ6 EFI manifold will not fit without cutting the body, and probably not possible on a RHD car, as the portion that the pedalbox bolts to is what needs to be removed.

 

If you want modern power and features buy a modern car. It will be easier, quick, cheaper and perhaps more importantly, safer in a crash.

It can be fun to modify an old car if the process is enjoyable to you. It will however, be slow, expensive and take a lot of skill and you'll end up with a car that you'll have far more money invested into than it will ever be worth.