I have a non-running 1983 XJ6 VP which was garaged for 25 years (1992-2017) with 89k miles. "Good" exterior and interior is very nice, but I will need to replace the headliner and door furflex's. I purchased car for the princely sum of $75, which came with a brand new battery. This is going to be a "daily" driver, as it is a third personal vehicle and I only drive to work 1-2 days a week, sometimes driving my truck, sometimes the XKR and sometimes will be the XJ6. Building this for looks, reliability and comfort, not performance - That's the XKR's job. I'm really looking for "Well you know, you really should have done XXX to the XXX, as that's a known issue/weakness" kinda stuff.

I decided to do an LS1 swap as the engine was a goner and the reason the car was parked so long ago. My car, My choice. I ditched the engine and trans (no Craigslist takers) and ordered a 2001 Camaro dropout with 4L60e, 83k miles, which should arrive Friday. I ordered the full swap kit from Andrew at Jaguar Specialties. Also got the new front suspension pads and front mounts. The fuel system refurbishment is completed. Both tanks where rusty, I had them both fully cleaned, etched and lined and replaced all the rotted fuel lines.

So here's my questions:

1) I'm thinking of removing the "dual tank" functionality and just putting a "Tee" where the selector valve is, so you can fill the car from either side tank (free flow between tanks) unless someone convinces me this is a bad idea for some reason. Anyone done this or something similar with the fuel tanks?

2) For anyone who's done the LS or chevy swaps, any pointers, suggestions or "good idea to do while you're in there" tips? I'll be removing all the unneeded Jaguar wiring, cleaning up the engine bay then repainting before the new engine goes in. I'm trying to use as many OEM parts as possible, be them Jaguar, GM, German or Japanese.

3) Front suspension and brakes: I'll be replacing all rubber bushings. Prefer urethane if available in a softer compound if anyone knows of a supplier. In another thread someone mentioned using XJ40 tie rod ends? Pros/Cons? Any recommendations on mild front brake upgrades?

4) IRS rebuild: I'm going to do a full rebuild on the IRS and differential. I could really use suggestions here - are the stock brakes adequate or are there "known issues" that have a fix or upgrade I should do "while in there"? Any supplier's offer a fairly comprehensive rebuild kit? I plan on installing the speed bleeders also, but any other suggestions welcome.

My budget from HERE (or, "what I told my wife") is about $7,000 left in the cookie jar, but that includes painting this pig if there is any funds left after mechanical refurbishment is completed, and I know I will still be getting "Nickeled & Dimed" the whole way I am sure. Not my first Rodeo, just the first "ride" on a Jaguar.

-David

 

I've briged the tanks on 3 cars. I use a 1/2 inch nylon T fitting to bridge the tanks and feed the pump. The pump input side feed is 12mm so very close to 1/2 inch. Some OEtinker clamps last and they provide a clean and professional appearance.

Fuel is returned to only one tank. It's balances out just fine when driving. When I fill up just 1 tank it takes about 11 gallon and 10 minutes to balance out. The fuel gauge goes from full to 1/2 as the fuel migrates from one take to the other accross the supply line. When I fill up for long trips I simply fill one side and then quickly fill the other.

I used to install Pollack valves to retain the dual tank function but I found no advantage and it would just add cost and complexity.

I've done many swaps including LS, LT1, SBC, AJ16 and T56. My biggest suggestion is to follow Andrews instructions. They are great. My next suggestion is to choose your parts carefully. For example motor mount vary in quality greatly. Dont be shy about ordering 3 or 4 different sets and return the junk.

One of the few places I differ with Andrew is on the drive shaft. It's actually easier and costs less to retain the 2 piece shaft and it is much smoother at highway speeds especially if you have a higher ratio diff.

That brings on my next suggestions. Get your self a 3:31 diff. It's the perfect ratio for the 4L60e. It will offer brisk acceleration and a very sedate cruise even at highly illegal speeds.

The only non-standard bushings I would use on the front are Nolothane Upper control arm bushes and Urathane rack bushes. The Urethane lowers will squeak and click-clack over bumps, ask me how I know.

There are no bolt on brake upgrades other than ECB pads and slotted Rotors. I'd do both with some fresh calipers and new rubber hoses. The OE brakes are heavy but very good. I did my own big brake kit which is bigger and much lighter than the OE setup.
See it here.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-works-84536/

Upgrade to XJ40 outboard brakes and 1/2 shafts. Cheaper than upgrading the inboard setup. The inboard setup is novel but it also has some serious short comings. It's easy to T the rear circuit and branch the 2 sides while the IRS is out. Some of the early rear hubs can crack under Chevy power.

The only place to use Urethane on the rear is the small end of the trailing arm. If you do the big end the car will rear steer dangerously.

7000... Funniest thing I heard all week. More like 10 to 12

General thoughts.... You will need to come up with a way to lower the front suspension. The LS engine is significantly lighter than the XK engine. So much so the nose will be way up. New springs or lowered spring perches can be used. Search, its been well covered here. For shocks KYB are a great low cost option. The front Bilstein yellows are pricey and very jarring up front with a light weight engine. For a quiet exhaust on an LS1 you can retain the 4 OE mufflers if you add an X pipe or a merge box right after the engine. This will balance the pulses for a very European sound. The smoother and less staccato exhaust stream provided by the X pipe or 2 in 2 out merge will work through the OE mufflers with no loss in power up to 350HP.

With a light weight LS, the racing heritage of the well engineered suspension gets unleashed and you may find yourself smiling from ear to ear and wondering what you can upgrade next.

 

More than a few have done exactly that.

The worry is that if the car is parked on a slant, the tank on the low side will overflow. In actuality I don't recall this being reported...but it's plausible that it could happen



There are several experienced lumpers here will will chime in


I've not heard of that.

However, virtually everyone the XJ40 one-piece lower ball joints. Direct swap; you only have to drive the existing ball joint seata out of the control arms to accommodate the one-piece ball joints. No big deal.

You can buy slotted/vented rotors and braided brake hoses. Opinions vary on effectiveness.

Lots of pads to choose from.


I've found the stock brakes with quality pads to be more than adequate for moderately aggressive driving. If you are gonna really be hard on the brakes...repeated hard stops from high speeds or high speed mountain driving, for example.... you might look at the vented rotors conversion or even converting to outboard brakes. Not that hard of a swap, you can use all factory parts from a later XJS.

You can spend $7000 on a paint job in the blink of an eye.

I'm nearing the end of converting an XJ6 into an XJ12 with an $8000 budget....which I was just edging into before my transmission failed. That includes $1500 for the recipient car. Still have a few hundred more to spend. It adds up in a hurry...even though I was making a point to specially avoid replacing parts needlessly or going overboard in any way.

I think you're a bit low on your budget if you wanna start getting into performance-type upgrades

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks guys! Yes, I know I may be kidding myself on the budget but that's primarily just to get it into running under it's own power, and I'll be trying to use Craigslist and eBay when possible but keeping an eye on parts quality with those sources. Thanks for the comment on the driveshaft, as I wondered about that - I figured the stock shaft should work fine modified to fit the new transmission.

 

It took a while after reading your "budget" for me to answer.. you will use all that and more. As said it is hard to get a car prepared properly for paint and then painted for $5-7K... I remove all the stuff myself
and put it back on after the painting and my local shop charges $3-4K for sanding down completely, prep and to stage paint. This is without bodywork being done.. plus the glass should be removed front and rear
and new seals put in.. another $700 or more (most glass shops hate the chrome trim) and that is using the current glass.. if you need a windshield.. add more $$$.

I too have done several Lumps, do not understand the need to upgrade the brakes, but I do not know how you will abuse your car? Two piece driveshaft is not needed but they work.

Do follow Andrew, he has done lots of these conversions... I would not join the tanks together.. I use the Pollak valve to do the tank switching.. have zero problems. I like the fuel returning to the tank being used... not having to wait for "leveling", plus the fuel gauge reads correctly all the time.

 

Thanks Roger, I guess I should have been more clear in my post. I'll be painting the car myself as I have all the equipment and I've done four or five over the years, so that's not really a big "expense" area for me. I actually enjoy that part of the hobby also. I have all the materials (sanding tools, buffers, HVLP guns, etc) and will just need to purchase paint and thinners. The Jag really doesn't need it right away as it is a "five footer" right now. When you get close, you can see the cracking in the original paint but it isn't too terrible and I can live with it while I work out the inevitable "bugs" in the conversion for a year or two. I know I'd never make that budget even taking it to Maaco (never gonna happen).

I'll check out the Pollak valve, I don't think I heard of that prior to this thread. Also I should have made clear that I was a certified aircraft mechanic and welder/Machinist in the USAF and will do almost everything myself, even machining if needed (I have a very complete shop and an awesome wife who lets me buy lots of toys/tools). For example she bought me a nice TIG welder for Christmas two years ago that will come in very handy for modifying the oil pan, and no guys before you ask, she has no sisters. ;^)

 

That's because she will Always know where you are! LOL
(';')

 

Keeping the dual tanks separate and working is easy if you reduce the number of parts (get rid of Jag stuff) and replace with on valve/witch that does it all.

I will attach the installation .pdf and some photos.. have used this several times now. I need to take updated photos and better ones. The photos of the installed stuff is no longer current since painting has been done and I changed the tanks to S3 tanks but it shows the lines, relays and the needed room. Fitting the lines so they route and you can fit a spare is fun, the feed line out my left side is a new one with a 90 degree fitting then the line continued forward. That line needs extra slack to fit the tire in the well easily. Only three wires are used from the valve to the relays and they are common available relays.

Mine is a six port valve for FI with return lines.. they make a three port for carbs and that was in the car before changing to FI. All the lines in my car now have heat insulation wrapped around them after the tanks and all the lines are high pressure teflon inside.

If you use a LS engine, Andrew has a different GM filter, pump arrangement that works with this valve as they do not need the return lines routed the same way. It is the photo with the green floor. Since lots of people look at these posts, it is better to show and explain all applications at one time.

Do put low pressure filters between the tank and the valve.. due to the S3 feed line size, I could not find clear filters for the larger size but used cans. With my new tanks, they do not need replacement often! I have high pressure filter upstream after the valve and before the engine.

I am a single engine pilot and did "all" the authorized stuff I/we could on the planes I owned. You will have no trouble with the engine conversion and the little wiring for the new valve.

 

Lumping these cars is a real adventure. Little did I know, back in 2001, when I decided to go that route. The most complex hurdle was the wires.


I got it to work, with a lot of help. Many sources of that help Most of the wires that "departed" were those along the right side of the console from the engine bay to the boot. The Jaguar ECU is there.


My Johnscars sourced "kit" included a Jaguar to GM harness. Limited to dash to engine. Ignition switch, gauges, etc.


There are two wires way up in the console tunnel that defied my efforts to snag them. Had I known, I should have done that when the tunnel had no transmission. I've forgotten the function


So, I wired in my own.


But, the crank circuit is a bit tricky !! Diodes needed for two legs of the starter relay.


I kept the tank switch. Don't fix what works.


Tank to pump filters are a great idea. I don't like the visible ones. Just don't seem to be secure enough. I'm very sensitive to fire!!!!


I did keep the two Jaguar mufflers and the two resonators. The latter replaced by a PO with small glass packs. My "pipes" include an "H" just aft of the transmission. Along with the cats. It sounds very nice. Nice burble and no raspy notes. but, clearly, a V8.


It is "side lined" now. CA SMOG test issues. ???


Carl

 

Considering the two suggestions above, would I be better off swapping the whole IRS for a different one, like from a XJS or XKR, or is that too pricey? If not, what's a good donor for the 1:3.31 ratio?

Quick search indicates the outboard brakes are a pretty straightforward swap using old cut down rotors as a spacer between the differential and shafts, the XK40 shafts and hubs, and machining a new bush for the lower hub bolt. I assume you used the XK40 hand-brake setup. Did you use a XK40 stock e-brake cable or need to make up a one-off?

I'm sure I'll have provided many more laughs by the time this is done.

Going to lower the spring perches to keep the factory spring rate.

Still figuring this out if I go with two Camaro catalytic convertors if I need all four mufflers, as I need to pass Maryland’s visual inspection and tailpipe emissions check.

 

Carl,

I know that pain. Pic is of one of my projects, a 1997 Jeep that I dropped a 5.2L V8 into back in 2002 when the 2.5L 4-banger grenaded behind 37" tires. I finally got everything to work using the stock gauges, but needed to do almost 100 different splices and lots of troubleshooting. Lots of after work evenings of beer.. cut.. splice.. solder... beer.. cut.. splice.. solder..forgot the heat shrink tubing...de-solder, repeat. Tedious work but not too difficult if you can read a schematic.