Yeah, but as I understand people swapping these old Jaguar engines for GM power units because of serviceability, price or availability of parts, I still don't like it.

The stock engines where not bad, if maintained well.
But I guess that everyone has his own definition of "restoration". Mine is getting everything back to working order and as factory original as possible.
That's what's eating my money and time in the restoration of my V12 Series 3 at the moment....stock is expensive and not always easy .....

 

As I said before, "to each his own". I've no issue with either camp.


But, progress is progress. A post 2000 GM LS is so much more advanced than the latest Jaguar V12.


Do I admire your dedication to the best your V12 can be in looks an performance. Oh, yes .


I describe my older "lump" as follows. English elegance with an Italian flair and dependable American power.


Had not my DOHC 6 failed, I would've continued to enjoy it and learn how it worked.


Carl

 

has anyone noticed that Europeans have a completly different view and concept about cars !

most have NO idea of what makes up a Genuine USA Hot Rodder!

example; we have big V8 engines that make over 6000 hp(SIX thousands horse power),
nobody else in the world can improve on Top Fuel engines.

i have heard now 8000 HP.

 

Back to the original post and linked pics . . . especially that unfortunate 2nd pic from rear. Lowered suspension? OK, but I agree with ICS and others that "mix and match" parts make confusing styling. Unfortunately, irrespective of what and how pushes this along, I got no further than the under-axle sagging exhaust pipes which, IMHO, look quite amateurish and ready to snag at first opportunity.

I have no problem with the power thing, but prefer the big Jag V8s and especially the V12s. As others have said, these big Jag engines are brilliant but expense, parts, and even skills make fully sorted examples fewer and far between. Makes the advice of our experienced members here, so important.

I agree and echo the thoughts of others "To each, his own".

Cheers,

Ken

 

Or from a ROW (not just European) perspective, it could be that our American friends have "a completely different view and concept about cars"

Believe it or not, to some enthusiasts there's more to appreciate in the finesse of motoring than V8 hotrods and crude hp...

To each his own (oops, do I hear an echo??)

 

I've never had any problems with Jag engines and find them interesting. So, for me, personally, the best reason to do a V8 conversion is more power.

I agree. I like them. That's not saying I think they're prefect. But I like them.

I love V8 engines. I'm a muscle car nut and spend the vast majority of my time working on them. Jags and Jag engines are a nice change.


too true


I hear ya !

And, honestly, not always best.

Cheers
DD

 

Some surely do! Not all Americans a cut from the same bolt of cloth, though. We're a mixed bag



I think you'd find the V8 used in the subject car to sufficiently refined and not "hot rod"-esque


And may it ever be thus

Cheers
DD

 

Nth America is a unique market for lumped Jags, especially XJ6s. Lumping a Jag outside Nth America will substantially lower it's value. Even here in Oz, where V8s are plentiful & the conversion was very popular back in the 90s. They still don't make anywhere near what a stock car can make, unless it's a special Lump that's been exceptionaly well engineered, & even then it'd struggle to find a Buyer

 

Did you see post #17 and #15...the most well done custom and highest dollar coups known to exist...one was not done in North America and the other is leaving North America, both lumps. Did I misunderstand your point?

 

By their very nature, custom jobs are bespoke and thus unique wherever they're done. There is a difference between choosing to either lump or not to lump an everyday XJ, vs. fully customising the entire car. The subject cars here are so heavily customized they are far departed from the factory beast. It doesn't matter what propels them, almost everything else has been modified anyway according to a set of personal specs.

On the other hand, putting bespoke customs aside, it seems pretty evident the general trend to either retain stock or lump everyday XJ's varies according to region. Regardless of which way the trend falls, ALL markets obviously have examples of both practices.

A trend exists when there is a definable leaning toward a particular practice. By my understanding, and unless I'm factually corrected, that the U.S. has a trend for lumping everyday XJ's contrary to most other markets, is largely correct.

 

Yup! We Do love our V8s!
If my brother could have figured out how, and found one with sufficient power, he would have put a V8 in Daddy's tractor!
(';')

 

Elinor:


Depends on Daddy's tractor's specie. The folks that mess with old Ford 8n's and 9n's
have bolted in Ford flat head v8's in lieu of the "little: fours.


And, somewhere I saw a Jaguar V12 nicely fit into an older Case. In the UK, as I recall.


He, he. my son has an old Case that still does a task or two. Considering his "Hot rod" bent and talent. I'm surprised it has not acquired a "hot" V8.
He was by the other day and whacked my "jungle" down to a more manageable level.
His Weed Whacker, unlike mine, kept whacking. About a two hour effort. Thanks, Tom.


Ron:


Tons of HP in the fuel dragsters. One few seconds run. back to the pit for a refurb, before the next one. Amazing how fast the crew can strip those big V8's down.




Did I coin "to each his own" ? Not sure, but I'll continue to pitch it. It just might carry over to daily life.
Carl

 

FORD was a 4-letter word to my dad!
(';')

 

Why oh why would I want a road car with 6000 or 8000 HP? There are race cars with power, but hardly useful for anything other that racing. I do not need an upmarket, even sporty saloon car with huge power, thirst, noise etcetera. I want, as the man sad "Space, Pace and GRACE

 

Elinor:


Oh, well, as I said, "to each his own".


Green = John Deere. A classic. Wonder which diesel powered that big "four wheeler".


Carl

 

I hear ya!


I also love V8 muscle cars, like e.g. '69 Charger RT, Plymouth Barracuda, Mercury Cougar or a nice old Stingray or Trans-Am.
But I find them the most beautiful when they are as the designer imagined them...


Right you are. There is no comparing a British 1960's designed V12 power plant to a 2000's high performance V8. But it's the total package of the Series 3 V12 that i fell in love with. I see a car that was designed in the 1960's, slightly modified in the 70's, going strong in the 80's and was still in production in the 90's.

There are not very much of them left in decent shape. That is why I want it to look and feel like it came out of the factory yesterday when I'm done with the restoration. I want it to be as original as possible, or even better. It will be very difficult to find a genuine, complete and driving XJ series V12 in a few years time. That is when prices will go through the roof in my opinion.

I have stripped the car down almost completely and was awed by the craftsmanship, love and engineering ingenuity of the builders. Almost everything on these cars is hand-made, with a love for the job that nowadays cannot be found anymore in any production car. Every curve is hand crafted, every weld is tinned, building instructions are written on the inside of the panels (like in the boot, where I found the writing "No Hole" in yellow wax crayon just above the spot where the fuel line from the right tank goes through). Apparently a quality inspector saw that there was no hole for the fuel line and wrote this onto the panel to be corrected. That is absolutely amazing to me...it's like looking at a time machine.

When I drove the car for the first time, I compared it to my modern day Audi A6 Avant....


Guess what?
The Audi is for sale....

 

Not every car was meant to be hot-rodded imho.
With some cars you just don't do it....there are cars better suitable to be hot-rodded than a Jaguar XJ. Besides the engine, there is not much to be improved technically on those...
Would you hot-rod a Gremlin Pacer for instance? That would improve it by ages....

Although it would be fun to hot-rod a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow for example

Never have been a fan of those....way overrated if you ask me, but it would be neat to slam an Allison V12 in there....lol

 

I can't argue with you on that although I am no fan of converted cars. Really what irks me is when I hear conversions 'are the thing to do' . They're not. I know and truly believe it's about preferences and to each their own but when I read tag lines that extol 'driven with great panache befitting her racing heritage' sorry - none of that happened with a pickup truck engine...
Those LS swaps are really tempting even to me - my 4.2 has to be sleeved and rebuilt. Maybe if my car wasn't somewhat rare I just might.

 

a bit sweeping perhaps, there is quite a hot rodding community in the the Scandinavian countries especially Sweden. Other side of the coin is that its your culture, not theirs, so why should they care about hot rodding?

and of course lets not forget they had to put an RR Merlin in the P51 to really get the sucker to sing, so at least the poms have some idea about hot rodding

 

You should ride with me and my 'pickup truck engine' before you make such a statement.
(';')