Disclaimer, The story I am about to tell you is my own experience and is in no way associated with any business or organization of any kind. I would like to add that I am not a mechanic (Electrician actually), just a guy with some ability, some good friends and a broken Jag.


LS1 Conversion Chapter 1
Hello all
My name is Mark aka Skooba Kowboy. I live in Kamloops , BC Canada.
In April, 2011 I bought a 1998 Jaguar XK8 convertible. It had 262,000 kilometers on it. That's 162,800 miles for my American friends. I thought it was a good deal but a year and a bit later the tranny popped. A-clutch drum catastophic failure.
What to do? I got a quote to repair of around 8 large but with the engine getting tired I began to explore other options.

I stumbled across Jaguar Specialties on youtube one day and I recalled that I had met a local fellow who put a small block Chevy in a 1968 Jag.
I hummed and hawed for months and started talking to my good friend Johnny about a conversion.
We began to research it a bit when Johnny mentioned it to Troy (the Cascar Crew Chief) and he thought I was nuts!!
We showed Troy that there was a kit and his curiosity grew. We wanted more info so I started a dialogue with Andrew from Jaguar Specialties (Jag Specs) and we got the info we needed to get the research going full tilt.
The three of us put together the pricing and other resources and one day said those famous words in motorsports, "what the hell, let's do it".
We ordered the kit which was delayed by a few days because some of the parts did not pass QC. I figured I was in pretty good hands dealing with a guy who takes the time to check the parts.
I found a donor car in Vernon BC. A 2002 Camaro Z28 5.7litre with a 4L60E trans. It had 155,000km on it. We wanted to buy a runner so we knew what we had.
The complete kit arrived with the manual and we got the other parts on list in September and October.
And so (after two minutes of silence to honour the armed forces) it began...November 11, 2013 (Remembrance Day Canada)

Side note: I drove 200km round trip every Sunday all winter long. Never so excited to drive so many kms in my life...it was awesome

Stay tuned for chapter 2

 

Should be an interesting story.

Question is, how long will it be before there is a supercharger or nitrous or some other improvement, since it is all so easy now.

 

Hello, Please continue what my question is does this conversion work on the LSA engine???

 

Thanks for posting this up for us...and I'll enjoy following your story...but it does seem like a lot of work and expense for a replacement engine with 155,000km already on it.



.

 

can't wait for the sequel..!

 

There was a guy who put a 2010 engine in his '98 and that approach should work with an LSA (most of these are done with older LS1s). It wouldn't be cheap though. I've been looking at this myself because, you know, I'm insane.


Fortunately my car is too new (the conversion currently doesn't work with a 4.2 car) so my wife won't kill me.

 

Hey Guys,
Just to be clear, this is my first attempt at anything like this. I am happy to share info as best I can but I am not that knowledgeable on other mods.
Feel free to contact Andrew at Jaguar Specialties as he is constantly experimenting. He was working on the first manual trans conversion recently.
Sorry I couldn't be more help on the LSA.
As for the 155,000 km post, up here we consider that just broke in. Actually it was all I could afford and we wanted all the accessory drives etc. Besides, if I pop the engine I will put in a new Crate.
Chapter 2 will be posted soon and final chapter 3 shortly thereafter.
Just wanted to add that I did this for my wife. She has always loved the XKE Jag and when we found this one it was an impulse buy. A true labour of love.

 

After tearing down my engine,I can see a LS1 actually being VERY EASY to instal compared the Jaguar Engine and accessories.
4.0 Liters of displacement is nothing as far as performance, that we have now,and as much as new Jaguar cost, Id never buy one for its giving me in return.

I would suggest, you put a set of performance headers,camshaft and intake on the chevy motor before installation and tuning so you will be pleased for a while. Maybe even a set of new rod bearings, main bearings and oil pump, while its out the car.Since those are cheap parts anyway you know.

 

*watching*

 

Thread Subscribed - this sounds like it's going to get very interesting indeed...
(pictures and vid clips are always appreciated)

 

In this chapter I will go over some of the activities involved in the conversion
I am not a journalist so bear with me.

We pulled the donor drive train and the Jag drive train in the first two days. The most important thing we did was go to Staples and buy a labeler. We labelled everything we could on both cars as we disconnected stuff. Can't stress enough how this paid off later.

We needed headers and an oil pan and in Canada that is not a easy find if you are looking for used. Jag Specs came through with what we needed far cheaper then new and in excellent condition. Fortunately we have enough shops in this town to fab up the oil pan and the driveshaft. We did everything else. The manual is fairly comprehensive and easy to follow. We took the step by step approach or page by page actually.
Hind sight is 20/20 right? I advise anyone to read the entire manual thoroughly before work begins and in addition read all the "Tips" on the Jag Spec site as some things in the manual are explained there. Research is the key, this ain't no IKEA project. Jag Specs makes some assumptions and you may find yourself with an anomoly or two but don't worry because Andrew answered EVERY question (even the dumb ones) in a timely manner. I suspected the support was there from the beginning but never anticipated the level of service I received. Just had to put a Kudos in there for Andrew.

Once the donor was out of the way the drop in of the LS1 was fairly simple. Lots more room in the engine compartment than with the Jag mill. Surprised us. Routing of hoses and electrical was pretty easy. The only hard part was the alternator as the bottom bolt is so long we had to lift the rad a couple of inches to get it on. Should have put it on before we dropped it in. Hindsight again.
So here is who did what:
Troy - Mechanical
Works at Johnny's part store and is a fabricator/mechanic so he assembled all the mounts and manifolds and fabricated anything we needed or wanted to do differently.
Troy decided that he wanted to build a complete exhaust from the headers to the tips and I agreed. We went from a 2 inch exhaust with two CATS and four resonators to 2 1/2 inch mandrel bent exhaust with one cross over muffler. Bring on the ponies!! (no CATS req here in Kamloops)
Johnny - Gadget Guy
Johnny sourced and assembled/installed most of the hoses and fuel lines and throttle cable and stuff. They both researched and chose the parts we used from the list and any extra stuff we thought would be good or cool...like the AEM cold air intake...sweet!
Johnny is a research hound and loves to tinker to make things better, faster, cooler and more bling!
Me - Electrical
I did all the electrical and the PCM. This was a bit challenging but the more I learned the easier it got. Kudos to Jaguar Forums, LS1 Tech and Chevy Thunder websites for all the invaluable information I got from them. Chevy Thunder had every diagram I needed from the Camaro and Jag Forums provided me with a link to a PDF to the "complete" electrical schematics for the Jag.
I used this link: http://jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepa.../jagxk1998.pdf

I soldered and double heat shrunk each joint. No Scotchlock crimps here boys. I think electrical is the most intimidating part of this deal. I would not have even tried this whole thing if not for Jag Specs providing a module to make the gauges and other important components work. Easy to wire in, just read the instructions, take your time and have fun. I enjoy working with wiring so it came naturally to me once I got past the fear of blowing up a PCM. A word on PCM's. I discovered that the PCM is just a switching, powering and digital signal switching/sensing station. With the schematic I got online (for a 1999 Corvette) it was easy to identify all the leads and dive in. Didn't burn or blow up anything, not one fuse. That was a first for me ha ha. Most of the PCM functions do not need to be touched because they are related to the engine that came with the PCM so most of it is plug and play.

As I stated in Chapter 1 we started on November 11,2013 and fired it up April 1st 2014. Started first go. It runs great!!

Stay tuned for Chapter 3, the conclusion and final test drive along with how it is running today...

Cheers

 

Nice swap! Guess GM's into Jaguar's swaps are back. Not familiar with the LSx engine series and have heard that most are iron block, some are aluminum. What is yours and what do you estimate the weight difference to be?

Looking forward to the financial report.

Drove through Kamloops Sept '12. Beautiful area.

 

Wiring is a long slow process, I already know the deal.The Jag is a wire MONSTER.

But before I would of dropped that motor in, I would of installed new rod bearings, new main bearings, new rear main seal,new tranny converter front seal,new timing cover front seal,new head gaskets,new oil pump, new oil pan seal and high performance camshaft.

This would give the engine another 200+ thousand miles of life cheaply.

These are the things you cannot get to easily a,but your also speaking to a guy that would make a monster out of this engine lol. I have stroked a few of these, and installed supercharger kits on them.

 

...aode06,
That's funny because my buds were talking about all those things you mentioned to really ramp up the HP. Since the car is low budget and for my wife I did not go that route although most temping to be sure.
Sounds like you could pull this swap off in your sleep.
Cheers

 

The cars have aluminum blocks, most of the trucks are iron blocks. All of them have aluminum heads. Assuming he used the engine from the Camaro in the photo it is aluminum.

The great thing about the LS engines is they are lightweight. The LS1 engines weigh 430lbs wet with manifolds but not including alternator, power steering or AC. I don't know what an AJ engine weighs but my guess is it is pretty close to the same with the AJ being perhaps a little bit heavier. Although the LS has a large displacement, using a cam-in-block configuration saves a lot of weight in the heads and valve train as compared with a DOHC setup. The Iron block LS engines are about 500 lbs wet.

 

In this the final chapter I will write about the horsepower, the drive, the reliability, the costs, the kit and a little insight.
So we put the plates on and started to drive it in mid-April. Since we had more tiddling to do I was back and forth to Clearwater (115 Km one way) and each time I was like a NASCAR driver on the final laps of a race hearing noise and feeling vibrations. Of course this was only familiarizing myself with the conversion as it turns out.

First, the ponies, best guess we are getting in the 400HP range and it feels like it. First time I passed a car doing the speed limit of 90Kmh I punched it and lifted when I my front reached his back bumper because I was doing 140. Ole'. Burn the tires if you want to anytime. But of course, it's a Jag and the handling is awesome as usual. Topped it out at 230 once (just had to test it) and would have gone for more but ran out of road. Big smile!!

The drive, naturally it is louder under the pedal due to the exhaust Troy built but cruising still affords a normal conversation even with the top down. Nice!
Power is even under normal throttle, easy passing without mashing it and power in the corners is better than ever. Sounds awesome in town too.

The reliability. Well, time will tell as we are planning a 3400Km trip (6800 round) in August. No drips, not burning oil, coolant is perfect, fans work as they should and so on. This car is a daily driver that my wife uses as "her" car. That is why I did this, for her. I didn't mean to build her a hot rod it just turned out that way.

The costs. Labour was a cash deal so I am not liberty to disclose the amount but safe to say it was in the 3 large area. The kit was under 2 large. The parts (this will vary on your supplier of course) was just over 3 large also. The Camaro was 6,500 all in and I sold the roller for 2000.
The original cost of the car 3 years ago was 9,000. All in I am sitting at 21,000+ for an awesome car. Due to the age and mileage I will be rebuilding suspension bushings etc as time goes on. For a guy who knew jack about this deal when I bought the car I am happy with outcome. Money and time well spent.

The Kit. The claim is "no cutting, no drilling, no welding" and for the most part this is accurate. Let's face it, there is always going to be something that needs a little tweaking but when you can get a kit that allows you to bolt on some mounts and drop a drive train in under three hours that's pretty cool. The kit is worth every penny and the support unparalleled. Would I do it again? Hell ya!

To my knowledge we are the first to complete an LS1 conversion on an XK8 in Canada. Bragging rights are bragging rights eh?

In conclusion:
Insight, I believe these are the five most important things I had/needed to complete this project
1/ Will, patience, a good kit and the Internet (thank all again)
2/ Some mechanical or trade related ability
3/ Access to some tools and the work-space (we did this on jack stands, no lift available)
4/ A modest amount of loot
5/ Time, everyone works at a different pace, take the time to research and prepare and execute
Overall the project didn't suck the life out of me (us). We simply loved doing it.

The WOW factor. A Jag turns heads, the LS1 makes eyes open wide!!!

Happy Wife, Happy Life! I did it for you Babe, I love you. Thanks for letting me drive you around in it!

Feel free to ask me any questions, I will do my best to respond asap. I get on the forum about once a week so be patient please.

All the best Jaggers.
Cheers

 

Skooba thanks so much for this insightful and entertaining post. As I have been contemplating a similar move, I was more than curious about the additional 3K spent on parts. It is my understanding-misunderstanding, that other than engine, trans, driveline and a very few misc, that any additional would be minimal. Would you mind sharing what the additional consisted of.
Thanks much.
Dave

 

Platinummaker
Here are the bigger costs in round numbers.
Exhaust $1000 (you don't have to do this as you can connect to original exhaust for allot less)
Cold Air Intake $400 (AEM brand)
Drive shaft refab $350
Oil Pan refab $200
A/C compressor $500+
This adds up quickly, even so, not bad overall.
As you can see I am easily over 2 large here. Everything else is smaller stuff that also adds up. I budgeted for $2500. Not bad.
SK

 

Hello All,
It has been three months since we completed the conversion.
Here is the update on how things are running.
Got the AC working and wow does it work well. You can hold an icecream cone and it doesn't melt in 38C (100F) weather. Hood is up of course. Nice!
Over 3000 kilometers later and not a single problem, nada. Wow, thought something would crop up but what can I say, Chevy reliability in a daily driver.
This car has 266K km on the chassis so I had the rear bushings done. Sourced the parts from Jaguar Specialties because the Canadian Jag dealers are thieves, but that's it. We're done. Just gonna drive it and love it. BTW, the wife loves the extra ponies. I call her Little Miss Leadfoot.
Burning regular gas instead of premium is a huge bonus.
Thanks to Jaguar for building such a beautiful car, not many of these up here.
Thanks to Jaguar Specialties for making a great kit.
Thanks to Jaguar Forums and its wonderful members for being such a tremendous resource for everything and anything I have needed so far.

I will continue to post updates in this thread. Perhaps in a few months.
BTW this car will never see a snow flake so will drive it until late October before hibernating.

Happy Trails Folks

SK

 

This conversion with the LS1 does not work with 03 - 06???