I know this idea has been brought up before, so I am sure it will ruffle a few feathers.

A while back I posted the thread-- runs, but won't move.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-fixed-62272/

The fault of the above was caused by the transfer case going to shreds enough to cause the half shaft splines to eject from the diff in the transmission. The inability to find a reasonable bearing set (my case was toast anyway), and the determination that the whole 4wd system seemed to create a lot of issues(oil pan change hurdle, lubrication of the T/C, Noise, difficulty to find one with a good inner seal, exec,exec... led me to the following solution. Keep in mind I live in Florida, and will never miss the 4wd option. I used scrap square tubing, a $2 collar, $3 timken seal, $14 pillow block bearing. Cost without fluids was less than $20

I have about 500 trouble free miles on this setup so far with no issues.

Heres what I did:

First Step: turn the 4 way differential in the transmission into a 2 way diff:

For fun I tore apart the entire transmision (quite basic on these Jatco's, contrary to what many may think.) For this design, you only need to remove the bell housing to allow you to pull the differential. once the differential was removed, I welded together the two outer concentric shafts.

Second step: create a way to seal the half shaft to the tranny:

I opened the transfer case, and basically discarded everything but the half of the case that attaches directly to the transmission. To create a seal for the half shaft (previously burried in the transfer case internals), I used thick wall steel tube that fit the final race lip that was left in the transfer case half. I then welded a flat plate with a hole in it slightly larger than the halfshaft to one side of the tube (I actually used a 220 electrical plate so I wouldn't have to drill a hole- this plate would eventually be the mounting surface for the seal support. This tube was then tack welded on to the race, flat plate on oppisite end. I then sealed it to the case with a packing of steel epoxy, followed by a silicone/cornstarch mixture (I tend to over engineer, and hate leaks).

Third step: Create a way to mount a bearing to support the opposite end of the halfshaft:

I welded up a support structure for a Pillow block. My second design was to use a bearing used to support a standard drive shaft. Due to an error in my calculations, I ran into clearance options, and had to go with my original design of a standard pillow block. I used the shaft that originally held bearing pressure in the case as part of the suppport for this structure, as well as welded two bolts together to make one long enough to pass through the support as well as the transfer case. The support was later shimmed with a large nut and washers that i miced to the .001" for proper alignment. I aligned the bearing and used a dial indicator to bring runout to about .004 (limit for the seal I was using) With the shaft supported I welded a colar that had a ID bore of exactly 1.5" and thanks to Timkens awesome catalog was able to cross reference a seal that fit both (shaft and bore) dimensions. when all lined up, I tacked the collar to the plate (electrical outlet) and finally sealed it using epoxy, followed by sillicone (did I say I hate leaks).

Fourth and final Step: Modify heat shield and roll restrictor.

Next I modified the heat shield and also gusseted additional support for the roll restrictor as that half of the transfer case that once supported it no longer existed.

Positives to this conversion.

Weight- This probably saves at least 200lbs of weight (no transfer case, no driveshaft, no rear shafts or gears. My other car weighs a mere 1340 lbs, so I am a bit of a weight weeny.

Quieter- Without the rear gears turning, that slight noise from the rear disappears. I am simply comparing running with the rear halfshafts conected and without, as I drove it both ways back to back

Servicebility- This was a big one for me. I can change the bearing and seal without messing with the subframe. I also used a small hole in the transfer case so I can remove an allan (replaced the hex) head screw through it to replace the oil pan gasket easily. This hole won't create a weak point in the transfer case as there is none. I can also grease the bearing as needed through the zerk (only use hi-temp grease)

Exclusivity- can brag that you have evolved your car backwards, and are one of the few (only) in my case, domestic 2wd x-types.


Negatives to this conversion-

Only 2wd. Snowbirds loose out.

The unknown- Could explode any day!

I have included some photos, however these are not of the most recent design. I will look for some more recent ones tonight. I make my living behind the camera, however, can't seem to take any photos for myself. These were just done on my wifes point and shoot. Kind of like the mechanic that never works on his own car thing!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

 

So you pretty much made it FWD...??

My neighbor did something similar to his Gallardo to make it RWD. The Lamborghini uses a viscous coupling system like the Jag, but his method actually involved less work! He's been running his setup for several thousand miles now and a colleague of his with a Murcielago did the same thing and has had no issues running RWD.

 

I thought about going RWD, but as my bearings and case were toast, I couldn't determine a cost effective way of transferring the power 90 degrees.

I would be interested in his design though?

 

Volvo guys do this all the time with the early '98-'00 AWDs also. I have heard of people going nearly 100k miles like this (even though there are FWD-only versions and parts cheaply had) without issues.

 

Wow! Great write up and a very brave move. I'm so impressed, hopefully it works out

 

It's great to hear I'm not the only wacko that's tried this and it actually holds up.

Thanks!!

 

Well done Dave, hope it holds up for you.

 

$20 is a lot of money these days, will buy damn near 5 gallons of gas.

Could you have gotten similar results buy filling the transfer case with sawdust?

Found this pic of the procedure online, seems appropriate (insert pic tool failed, so you need to click, sorry!)