If you have to ask, it's too much for you to undertake

 

I think you should look at that Craig’s list car. The guy claims he has over $20K in it and he is asking $8500. I doubt he will sell it period. Because what he is not telling you is nothing else works. Climate control all screwed up, Stability control, ABS all not working. All the warning lights on the dash will either be on all the time or he has pulled the bulbs so they don't show.

Why buy a modern car and turn it into a cave man car for power? You can still buy older cars that don't have all this that are much better swap candidates.

A real sweet one is the Monster Miata. If you don't know what that is I would do some studying! Even earlier Jaguars are a much better starting point.

Don't reinvent the wheel it's all been done before!
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(STR)+(AvosXTwinScrew)=Awesome


...it is coming (we hope)

 

Have a look at the Lincoln LS as well (you know it's a shared platform with the S-Type), there was also one that had an LS1 fitted. FS: 02 Lincoln LsX (Ls1/T56 swap, 19's, cammed, lsd) - evolutionm.net you can see what he had to do, new dash/gauges and the ABS/TC does not work. According to this article http://www.lsxtv.com/news/swap-insan...ed-lincoln-ls/ he used the GM ECU.

 

Thanks for the advice; ive put turbos on a lot of things and I am moving towards a pro-charger for this swap. I have friends who have experimented with the electronic side a bit and I am hoping the can help before I "start cutting" so to speak

One thing that we were tinkering with in the past was a sort of double system run off box-comps. Entirely separate systems that react to one another not together.

I am doing this as a side project for fun.

Yes swaping chevs are a 4 hour job which is why I asked you guys for advice (which was clearly a mistake for the most part).

I would have figured some of you would have encouraged the attempt to make a luxury sleeper!

@Cambo351 - thanks for your comments

@Mikey. You are telling me a 3.0L out performs the motors I have mentioned? I never thought I would hear that lol I thought 240 horsepower was less than 310 horsepower 5.4L V8's...

Not to mention it is extremely easy to put down 600+ rwhp well under 10k.

I'll figure this out myself... It's a $3k car. It's not like I'm risking a $60k new car.. I can afford to experiment.

 

Please let us know how you get on.

 

Like everybody else said your better off with a str. If you feel like you need more power build your own twin screw super charger set up. It's already proven that the stock drivetrain will handle 600hp. Which could easily put the car deep into the 11s or possibly faster with slicks and a lsd

 

I don't mean to dissuade you - if you are truly wanting to do it I would love to see the end product. Think of my advice about just selling your car for an S Type R as if I am your accountant

Anything is possible so you can do it, I don't have experience in motor swaps but only installation of forced induction so I will keep off your thread from now on (until I come back later to check out the end product). Go get 'em and don't let us tell you it can't be done!

There are many experienced wrench turners on this forum that may or may not be in possession of knowledge to help you along the way. I'm not one of them so I'm out! Until then, I encourage you to go turbo!!!! But then again, I'm forced induction biased (thus my username)

 

It can be done.
But is a heck of a big job.

 

After having done several big builds in my day, (mostly late model japanese stuff, so plenty of electronics and a far-cry from carbureted chevy 350's stuck in whatever) including engine swaps from totally different manufacturers, drivetrain layout changes, standalone ECU installs and setup, etc

I can tell you it is a huge headache and expense, especially in something like an S-type which has too many subsystems which are all inter connected,
Unlike other engine swaps, where the engine and chassis harness is seperate enough that you can throw in a LSx motor, hook up the factory GM ecu, and wire up maybe 3-6 other connections to the chassis, and you're good to go,
The S-Type you will have to go over nearly everything to get the most basic functionality back,

On current, late-model vehicles, there is NOTHING more sweet than keeping it simple with mostly factory electronics and sticking to bolt-on modifications,

A completely overhauled 'project car' becomes more of a pain in the *** that requires constant tweaking and going back and updating design decisions you made the first time around,

And why an S-type?
Quite possibly the worst candidate in the world for a 'fun project car',
First off, ugly by most people's standards, heavy, complicated electronics, automatic, with few if any, compatible and easy to swap parts between other cars,
Even if you do get it running, you've realistically compromised so many other functional aspects of the car, you have to ask yourself what was it all for?

I would never in a million years chose to do some wild engine swap to a non-R over just buying a modding an STR in the first place,


As has already been mentioned, you'll spend a fortune and waste a great deal of time wrenching on the drivetrain of this this dream project car, only to still be missing R package interior/exterior, brakes, suspension, etc, and probably still not come out any faster in the end,

STR's are getting so cheap now, there really is no excuse, you buy one, and go straight to enjoying it right there and then.
Do a bolt-on modification, and same day you're back on the road enjoying and showing off a pretty slick car,

STR with some bolt-on's and some wheels and you're good to go with a car that's running, reliable and has all systems working as intended,

You want a project car, chose something more suited to project status,

This sounds like the kind of thing I hear all the time from high-school dreamers, handed-down a free car from a grandparent, then coming up with some wild swap without the first idea where to begin (besides assuming that one ford engine will just bolt right in place of another), or shred of experience in these matters to even realize what they're up against.
These are the same guys who don't have even basic wrenching experience under their belt, thinking they can start fabricating a race car in their own garage. Not to say some don't prove me wrong, but the final product is such a clapped-out, corner-cut, poorly thought-out and ill-functioning result, with paint, body, wheels, brakes, suspension and more, still needing to be addressed, it makes me wonder what was the point.

There's more to a car than a big engine. Trying to build something very well-rounded is not easy, and it's best to just start off with the right platform what you're trying to accomplish and go from there.

 

The idea is doable if money is no object. Go for it.

If I were you I would start a dialogue with member tijoe. His build thread has already been highlighted on this thread with a link. He has many others including suspension etc.
He has mentioned the difficulties and money already spent.
Give him a shout

 

Wow GT42R!!

Well put!
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case in point; Tijoe didn't come on here and make a thread asking how to do an LSx swap...

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...-engine-33719/

It sure looks like he did to me

first post question 4

we all read things differently at times

 

heh, good point, although as Brutal says in that thread, "at least youre asking all the right questions"...

 

And wow has he worked at it.
It'd be interesting to have someone else.
Does need talent and deep pockets.

 

Looks like I missed this thread. It would have been fun to comment a month or 2 ago. I suppose that it is never too late.

Lots of great comments!

I am still working on the project, but as I recently stated in my original thread, my lack of rapid progress has more to do with lack of time and working out of town than anything else. If someone is energetic, knows modern car CAN systems, has the money and time, go for it! Nothing better than a good car project.

Back in 2010 when I had more time, I decided I wanted to do a modern engine swap into a more modern car. I looked at many different engines as possibilities before settling on a LS3. (If I could have found a LS7 or LS9 engine at a great price I would have used that engine. If I started again, I'd try to get my hands on a LSA Camaro engine. - But that is $18K+ for an engine/trans dropout.) I wanted to do a swap on a car that hadn't been done before.

I'll admit that when I decided to put a GM CAN based engine in the S-type I really didn't know enough about the details of the CAN controls. I did months of research on all sorts of engine control systems, and the possibility of integrating one into the Jaguar's control system. I decided that it couldn't be that bad, could it? I wanted as much integration into the car with the engine as possible. Choices were: Rewire the whole car,
Create a hybrid, half GM half Ford, or build a GM CAN to Ford CAN converter. I chose the second option. I am still wondering if I made the right decision, because I still haven't completed the electrical and the car isn't running.

In the mean time, without the car running, I purchased an 04 STR. After owning this car for a year, I find it is a nice car, but it has several limitations that I am not pleased with for a sports sedan. No LSD, and I don't like how the traction control works. The car handles good, but not great. Overall the STR is fun to drive. After owning the STR I have found out that Jaguar did numerous things to STRs to beef them up. My 2000 doesn't have these features, and has to be enhanced.

One lesson I have learned is that modern cars are very integrated. All the sub-systems are optimized to work with each other. Add any appreciable amount of power, and you have to beef up the rear end and the rest of the suspension. Put on wider tires, you need to flare the fenders. Wider tires leads to other suspension geometry limitations that lead to more modifications. On and on it goes.

If I didn't enjoy these challenges, I think I would have gone insane and trashed the project. Slowly, one by one, the modifications advance.

I encourage others to take on engine swap challenges in modern cars. The more it is done, and as more enthusiasts hack and work with CAN systems the easier it will become in the future. All it takes is money and time!

 

So as an update; I have decided on going with a modern small block 454 (it's a fairly new motor and the largest small block but we just built one and all motor it's putting out about 780hp). It actually fits (with a shoe horn) quite nicely in the bay of the S-Type and only need a few small adjustments; specifically the wheel well needed a few beatings but nothing serious and at the firewall near the steering column.

I work in a field where I have computer guys at hand readily available and I am having them code a computer program to essentially translate the jag computer codes and translating it into the chevy Painless set-up. I have a $5k budget for that - if I blow it; i will just end up like any hot rodder and Frankenstein'ing it (painless wiring for the basics and then one-by-one swapping modules and parts so everything works. I will be replacing the rear end either way so instead of the traction control button it will be the button for the line-lock and for sport model it will be my NOS unlock button for the switches.

I will keep it as stock looking as possible - that is the goal! I have a few bucks to spend and I have built a number of random cars. When you start from scratch with wiring - you can figure out problems as they come. Retrofitting is a PITA. But I am trying to come up with a computer program that will make it easier for other people for engine swaps.

I recently drove an STR and it was a great old-mans sports car but doesn't put your back in the seat... My goal is a track-ready car that I can pick up a client in as needed haha!

 

For a recently comparable; I recently sold my 1968 chev impala convertible that looked stock but when you sat inside it was identical in every possible way to a modern chev with every feature functional (heated seats) to stock navigation, power windows, etc.

You can do anything you want if you have the time and patience; its not just the money. I did the chev deal with a $6000 budget and $5000 of that was buying a wrecked 2008 for parts!

 

right... custom programming to interface with a painless harness huh?

whats exactly is a 'modern 454' anyways? 780hp you say...?

I don't think a push-rod SBC would need any 'shoe-horn'ing into an S- engine bay to be honest...

I'm calling bullshit on this one, but you go ahead and prove me wrong...