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Small update, just to say the project is moving along. The 260Z shell has been blasted and primer'd, and I'll be doing seam sealer and Raptor liner to the undercarriage soon. After that, I hope to get the wheels back on so it can roll and I can get rid of the cart. Then, finally, I'll start working on mounting the Jaguar drive-train to the car!
I've been talking with a local clutch shop about getting a bespoke flywheel made for this engine, and it's looking like it'll be a relatively simple process. It'll be expensive, but ultimately a better setup, as I'll have it made with a serviceable friction surface on the flywheel, so all the wear items can be easily replaced with a simple Summit or Jegs order.
I wonder, would there be any interest here from anyone else in purchasing a flywheel and clutch setup? Prices usually go down when you buy in quantity! I know the AJ16/AJ16S wasn't a very common engine, let alone the 5-speed gearbox... but worth an ask!
I've come across the Swallows site, yeah. Just never could figure out how to actually purchase anything from it.
I saw the Drive Tribe XKR, kinda tuned out after they dyno'd the car and it was making under 290hp lol. Don't know why, never really liked the XKR much.
Not keen on XKR ether, it was more the fly wheel/clutch that had made for the swap I thought would be of interest. Just give them a ring and have a chat, Tom is very good at that lol
You may have seen in the other thread, but I got my custom flywheel and clutch setup in-hand today! Posting here as well to document the build progress. (If y'all don't want the build on here since it's a non-Jaguar chassis, just let me know! I don't want to intrude.)
Aluminum, single piece flywheel with serviceable friction surface and removable pilot bearing (a fully serviceable piece!) which utilizes the OEM ring gear.
Custom single-disc clutch package with cover bolts.
Custom hydraulic pusher slave with custom throw-out bearing
Shortened flywheel bolts.
Stainless Steel braided lines off the slave cylinder.
Shims.
I am trying my hardest to finish the body prep so I can get axles in, and set the car back on the ground to begin trying to fabricate engine mounts and determine how to stuff this massive lump and trans into the wee Datsun.
By the way, does anyone happen to know the degree angle that the AJ16 leans at? I figure I can get really close by eyeballing the oil pan, but a number would help my measurements and determining if I'm going to have to cut a hood or not.
This photo may be rather arbitrary, but I set the engine on a 2x4 across the flat part of the oil pan, then set an angle finder against the machined surface for the exhaust ports. Came up with this:
Your fixed point is the shift lever pointing straight up and the angle of the bore stroke is fixed by the hole patern as the transmission mounts to the engine block
Your point of interference in the X300 chassis to the X300 hood is the front cars left corner of the valve cover , I think the loose hood insulation wears on the left
An oddity that I.m not knowledgeable on is the X300 left and right engine mount away from the engine block points are different
What you probably need is the purely vertical dimension of a block mount hole to the valve cover corner , then you would add your custom engine mount component
With your engine out of the car........................you would somehow fix you shift lever up and out of any gate..................................
Last edited by Parker 7; Mar 13, 2023 at 12:58 AM.
That's an excellent point. I'll try to get some time to mount the transmission to the block and make sure it's pointing straight up.
I used a VIN lookup program to determine this engine came out of the car at 149,950 miles (also confirmed that my transmission came from a 1993 XJS).
I've ordered all the parts to do a gasket refresh on the whole engine, as well as timing chains, so I'll be tackling that soon.
If anyone wants any photos of anything inside the engine, or needs any other sort of info involved in a tear-down, let me know!
Checked, I have the old style. That part supplier lists it out of stock, though there's a few options on eBay for $180 or so. I've got it saved, and I'll decide later if I want to pick one up or not. Thank you!
I've finished up most of the chassis restoration and repair, enough that it's now time to start fitting the engine. I set the car body on blocks, then dangled the engine assembly in and set up a bunch of blocks and supports, adjusting slightly until everything was sitting in there as best as I could manage:
As you can see, I definitely have a bit of vertical clearance to overcome. I'm looking into the option of creating/purchasing a custom steering cross member, or leaving that alone and just doing a cowl hood. I'd prefer to leave the body looking as OEM as possible, but I may have to compromise there...
The intake side is a pretty tight fit, but I'm planning to remove the narrow, restrictive intake tubing/tract/beauty plate anyway, so that will free up a lot of room. The exhaust side has tons of room though, so I'm very happy about being able to make large, efficient, good looking headers.
Next on the list is trying to determine all the bolt sizes for the transmission adapter plate to the rear of the engine, as well as all the bolts for plate to transmission. If anyone has this info., I'd be much obliged to hear it! I'll get the transmission bolted on and do one more test fit of everything, then decide what to do about the front crossmember.
I played around with removing the front cross member just to see if I could fit it better.
It boiled down to two options: Cut in a cowl to the hood that's 2.5" taller and 4" wider than the OEM one, or cut up the front cross member to lower the middle of it by 2.5".
That's all the more I need to get this big ol' thing to fit, just 2.5" in the very front corner.
Do tell about the coil packs…….. Easy fit, wiring change etc etc………….?
New OEM coils are always a pain to get, so anything that might work is good to hear about!
Sorry about the delay, I havnt been able to work on my datsun project and been stuck working on a Subaru Type R instead.
From memory it did fit in but I dont believe the spark plug cover would go over. I need to double check.
As for wiring, I dont know, I have purchased a Maxxecu so Dwell times and wiring doesnt effect me.
I had a similar issue getting an AJ6 to fit in my Triumph 2000. Not enough height between the bonnet and subframe. I ended up clearancing the subframe, and tucking the engine way back in the bay, which helped as the bonnet rises the further back it is. You look like you have some room to spare at the back of the bay, so if it doesn't cause any issues with sump clearance elsewhere it might be worth pushing it back an inch or two. Might buy you 1/2" of height.
