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Major difference between xj40 and x300 suspension?
Hello I'm looking to buy a airride kit to my xj40 I have found two kits one of the fit xj40, x300 and x308 and the other fit x300 and x308. The one that is for x300/x308 is the cheeper one but it doesn't say anything about if it fit my xj40 so I think because the other kit does I suppose this one should to? Or is there any major difference between the suspension in these cars? Or should they fit right in the body?
If it fits theXJ8 x308 / XJ6 x300 the kit won't fit and early car like your 89, possibly only a late car like a 94MY
Larry
Hmm Okey, because the other kit fits all xj40 and all x300. What's the big difference in the suspension? Thinking so maybe I can get it to fit with some smal modifications?
Except for cars originally equipped with Self-Leveling Suspension (SLS), all of the XJ40 suspensions are essentially identical until VIN 696460, when the rear lower control arm or wishbone was changed from stamped steel to cast iron, which was the same design continued throughout the X300 production. At that point, the shock absorber/damper part numbers also changed.
Bob, do you recall whether the length of the shocks or the way they mounted to the control arms changed?
Size of rear lower bush/bolt shock mount changed when cast control arm was introduced and of course spring length was vastly different.
Larry
That's what I could find also, the different lengths should not matter because the one in the kit is adjustable.
Is the top mounting the same then? The bottom one shouldn't be so hard to modify if it's just the bolt am I right? But that's for the rear, how about the front?
The rear dampers on the early cars are COIL-OVER and the later XJ40 and all X300 have longer springs. (lower control arm to upper spring mount)
I never tried to interchange the rear dampers.
The top spring mount is the same IF the SLS has been deleted and the upper mounts have been changed/replaced.
Years ago there was a 'kit' to 'adapt' the SLS top mounts with regular coil-over dampers. The top bushings were made to fit the different size hole.
The spring mount upper isolator is the same for all the suspension types, even the X308/X100.
The rear dampers on the early cars are COIL-OVER and the later XJ40 and all X300 are have longer springs. (lower control arm to upper spring mount)
I never tried to interchange the rear dampers.
The top spring mount is the same IF the SLS has been deleted and the upper mounts have been changed/replaced.
Years ago there was a 'kit' to 'adapt' the SLS top mounts with regular coil-over dampers. The top bushings were made to fit the different size hole.
The spring mount upper isolator is the same for all the suspension types, even the X308/X100.
Hmm Okey, but is there a big difference in the total length and so of the rear shocks? Or what dot you guys think, shouldn't I be able to get this kit to go on my xj40? Can't be too much of a hassle can't it? The lower part must be just to drill up the whole if it's to smal or if it's to big just fix a pipe to make it fit mor better? Then the top just get that "kit" or another mount for no SLS? Can't be so hard?
And what I could see on prints of the front suspension they look exactly the same or am I wrong?
I'm gonna try to get this to fit. the front should be no problem. But now for the rear I found out that the shock absorber fully compressed has only a different of about one inch and that should be no problem because the one in the kit is adjustable, but the for the lower bushing, there is where I need to make some modifications, couldn't I just press in a bushing that is for the early xj40 so that the hole for the bolt is correct? Can't be much harder than that?
And then because I have SLS shocks I'm aware that I will need to get some different bushing for the top and so on to get it to fit, but now to that, what bushings do I need, know it's a few but don't know wish? And the top mount of the rear shock it's hard for me to get my hand of some that's for non SLS shock and the difference is just the hole, shouldn't I just be able to bring out the MIG and weld something there to fix that, can't be much harder? Or where can I get an adapter for that?
I guess the x300 (1994-1997) is more identical to the xj40 than the x308 that looks completely different?
I did order the x300 air ride shocks and bags for my -89 xj40 yesterday, hopefully I will get it to fit without any mayor modifications. Going to buy the x300 top shock isolators instead of the older ones for xj40 and then have a fitting made to make the shocks fit my SLS top mounts in the rear because that's what I have in the rear at the moment(still working actually!!).
Today I dissembled the rear SLS suspension and took a look, i have bought complete kid of x300 bushings for the rear so I compared it to the bushings from the xj40 SLS suspension and they are identical? Only difference is the thickness of the damper. Then I shouldn't need the custom made plastic guide thing that you need to use the original SLS top mount with none SLS dampers?
here is some pictures so that you can see what I mean :-)
Here is with the centrum guiding thing. But shouldn't even need it because it will be the exact space to make around as original?
No response but gonna write anyway because it may help someone one day. Did not need the custom made plastic thingy. The topmount for sls was the same as for x300 because the bushings was the same as I wrote. I only needed to modify the lower mounting as I new I would need, and the front fit without any problems. So I now have an XJ40 with air suspension.
Adding a load of pictures if someone finds this interesting. Many may see this as destroying an original old jaguar but I really think this makes a more modern lift and look on the car and are very pleased with the result :-)
No response but gonna write anyway because it may help someone one day. Did not need the custom made plastic thingy. The topmount for sls was the same as for x300 because the bushings was the same as I wrote. I only needed to modify the lower mounting as I new I would need, and the front fit without any problems. So I now have an XJ40 with air suspension.
Adding a load of pictures if someone finds this interesting. Many may see this as destroying an original old jaguar but I really think this makes a more modern lift and look on the car and are very pleased with the result :-)
Nicely done! Where did you purchase your kit and did it come complete with the compressor and controls?
No response but gonna write anyway because it may help someone one day. Did not need the custom made plastic thingy. The topmount for sls was the same as for x300 because the bushings was the same as I wrote. I only needed to modify the lower mounting as I new I would need, and the front fit without any problems. So I now have an XJ40 with air suspension.
Adding a load of pictures if someone finds this interesting. Many may see this as destroying an original old jaguar but I really think this makes a more modern lift and look on the car and are very pleased with the result :-)
Did your kit fit on the standard 89 rear arm lower mounts? I thought that airridepl kit only fitted the later cars with cast lower arms..
Did your kit fit on the standard 89 rear arm lower mounts? I thought that airridepl kit only fitted the later cars with cast lower arms..
Hello! Yeah i did, i heated the metal cylinder inside the lower bushing on the shocker until I could push it out leaving only the rubber, then just put it on the car, the bolt on the older as mine are the same size as the metal cylinder or what it's called so it's sitting there solid and has done for soon two years now with no problem! Easier to understand when you see it but i did not need to change anything on the car
Hello! Yeah i did, i heated the metal cylinder inside the lower bushing on the shocker until I could push it out leaving only the rubber, then just put it on the car, the bolt on the older as mine are the same size as the metal cylinder or what it's called so it's sitting there solid and has done for soon two years now with no problem! Easier to understand when you see it but i did not need to change anything on the car
That's interesting, I thought their fitted the cast arms because the lower bag sat directly on the arm not on the shock body. Did your kit include the shocks? The picture on the website seems different
I like the look of the lowering, and the wheels work well with the lines. Too bad about the already limited Boot space...
Thanks, yeah i think it looks great, get a lot of compliments about it and it really is something different from what people drive otherwise. Yeah exactly but i got it to fit pretty good i think, but yeah can't have much more back there now
Originally Posted by Robinoliverb
That's interesting, I thought their fitted the cast arms because the lower bag sat directly on the arm not on the shock body. Did your kit include the shocks? The picture on the website seems different
Hmm the only difference is the lower fitting for the shocker, the newer is fitted different yes it's bolter between two holes with a bolt through inside the arm but on mine it's bolter on the outer side of the arm with one huge bolt as you can see on my picture. Haven't really looked more in to it, the only thing I had to do was remove the metal cylinder in the lower bushing on the shocker så that the bolt went straight through the rubber then made a special washer for the outside so it was a little more solid then mounted. And as said haven't hade any problem, one shocker started leaking air though the threads but thats an easy fix. Got large bags for the front then a bag over an shock as seen in the picture for the back, then i bought some harder shocks for the front also and stiffer bushings.
Major difference between xj40 and x300 suspension?
