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Will the car be media blasted inside out? This is a fantastic build. ...I did notice the LSx motor in the background. That would be nice and torquey
Yeah, the LS (and that's a truck LS- likely 5.3 or 6.0 I'll bet) will make a ton of torque (but still be pretty smooth) and with these 3.31 rear gears (or maybe even the 3.54 you're thinking about from a late XJS) would be quite the car. Keep it pointed where you want to go.
The AJ engine? Ok, but not nearly as much fun.....
It is a 6.0 iron truck motor. Low compression and 600HP is a starting point with a small turbo and some new valve springs. This type of engine would need a much larger rear tire than would fit under a coupe.
This 2017 coupe is getting the AJ16 and will be a quiet luxury cruiser. The AJ will get a small bump in performance from a few degrees of ignition timing but thats it. I dont want to go down the high performance spiral with this car. 245 smooth I6 HP will be plenty.
Tonights progress. All the seems around the core were welded. The factory welding in this area is pretty shoddy. Tacks were 2 to 3 inches aparts. I welded up all the seams and the sound of the knucle knock test and hammer blows clearly indicate more solidity.
More welding and structural bracing. Got the coupe up on the rotiserie. I'm officially out of room in the garage. I've got stuff that came out and wont be used for sale on CL but no one is buying.
Special Thanks to David Bodger who cut out the metal I needed. Doubling up the center support will make a big difference becasue prior to doubling the area could be deflected with finger pressure.
Veritical support has been doubled up like Jag did on the later XJS. This made a noticabe differance, before doubling the uprights could be deflected with finger pressure. Corners were triangulated too so the horizontal plane is better tied into the A pillar.
I dont know what Jag was thinking here by not triangulating or boxing this area. It's badly needed. On the later XJS this area has three layers, fully boxed and flanged.
Rotisserie has been helpful but not necessary as there isn't any metal repair work needed on the under side.
Last edited by icsamerica; 08-04-2017 at 10:05 PM.
Slow progress, looks like the this coupe project will continue well into 2018. The XJS 6.0 6 speed conversion and some upgrades to the 2015 Red Coupe have pushed this less exciting more pedestrian project aside a few times.
I'm Still fitting parts, making brackets for accessories and hold downs for wiring and lines. Once done, it will all be taken apart and refinshed and painted for final assembly. Long Long way to go.
She runs! Fuel system and brakes lines are plumbed. The rear swaybar and driveshaft will be fitted this week, then she will move under her own power.
With some minor massaging, the AJ6 / AJ16 fits really nicely.
ABS pump and A/C lines in place.
Good fit. It's kind'a fun refitting and making brackets for all the XJS stuff that is dimensionally similiar.
XJS radiator and Condensor are a good fit. Yes, those are Euro hinges, dont ask where I got them... I'm not say'in. Oil cooler is just a loop right now. Have to wait until hood is in place to find a good location the cooler and tube routing.
2 piece driveshaft. Front half was shortend about 2 inches for the AJ16 / ZF (4hp24) drive train. Two peice was retained for smoothness. At 52 inches, it's just beyond the 48 inch threshhold most consider acceptible for a 1 piece. With the 3.54 gear and over drive that shaft is going to be doing some high speed spinning. The smoothness of a two peice is worth the 45$ extra cost over a new grumbly 1 piece.
Last edited by icsamerica; 12-26-2017 at 10:50 PM.
You sir, are an inspiration. I like how you said "slow progress..." (haha). You want to see slow progress, come to my place and I'll show you a shop too cold to work in (even with the heater full blast). Hoping it warms up a bit here soon.
Firstly, I am a huge fan of your work. Well done, sir.
Secondly, my interest stems from the fact that about 10 years ago (on a whim) I purchased a 1976 XJ12C from an EBAY seller in Maryland. The car's roof had been chopped, resulting in a convertible with no canvas top, but instead a one piece metal roof which could be bolted on if desired or due to weather (ala the XL Mercedes). It was powered by a 1980s era Oldsmobile engine and had some basic electronic ignition and coil upgrades
I drove it for a few years, then put it aside to work on several other classic car projects....everything from suicide door Lincolns to two Aston Martins. Oh, my wife and I also had twins....yeah, I was busy.
Anyway, the kids are a bit older now, and I have sold most of my other restorations, so I just pulled the coupe out of storage, and got her running again. For now, I plan to drive her on weekends while I contemplate a major restoration....will be watching your efforts with enthusiasm...
P.S. I converted her to European bumpers when I first bought her, and also had a custom metal shroud made to replace the lower portion of the front grill. I will post some photos shortly for reference....
More progress, many details, mounts and holes being sorted before it gets blown-a-part for paint.
Drivetrain is done. Its super smooth and I do like the even and rhythmic feel of the modern Aj16 In line 6. Starts right up, idles smooth and low even when very cold.
Recently I've converted the OE coupe seats to power adjust, memory, lumbar with heat using all the parts from the cosmetically spent XJS seats. This took quite some time cutting and welding. The XJS seat is 1 inch more narrow and 4 inches taller. The "movment-able" parts of the frame were cut out and grafted into the XJC seat. No fun.
Also converted the hood to struts. The OE spring arrangement puts upward tension on the hood in away that over time prevents proper fit and panel gaps.
A/C system is sorted, closed up and holding a vacuum.
XJS hood strut. Goodbye clunky spring twang I love hearing the precision sound of the modern hood struts.
Also can see A/C line and accumulator located.
strut peg installed into a welded in threaded nut just like on the XJS
strut pin on body side.
Modern car levels of seem sealer. Lots more wires going to the doors on an XJS. Notice the ground wire with the harness. This is one reason why the wiring on late XJS's was so good. XJS door wiring dust boot is much larger so new 1 7/8 inch holes have to be drilled. Also forward electrical harness now goes through the a-pillar and up to the engine compartment just like on the XJS. This eliminated the troublesome connection block on the firewall.
4 way power seats, with numatic lumbar pump and heat. Just like on the XJS.
XJS lower seat movement widened for the XJC frame.
Last edited by icsamerica; 01-31-2018 at 09:23 AM.
I've been following your progress closely and really value all your pictures and commentary. I'm in early stages of pulling my 76 car apart for reinforcement and stiffening. The 6 in it is ancient history and I'll be replacing it. A question - I have never worked on a v12 but am thinking either an xjs v12 donor car or an aj16 for the new power plant. A v12 stick shift car seems to be the hot setup right now for the coupe era and I have a jag 4 speed.
Can I solicit advice from those who have worked on these two engines on pluses and minuses in the coupe? It will have a bearing on how I brace and stiffen as I get more into the car, which is a rust free california car but with some collision damage I'm working through with old engine in so nothing gets distorted before I get it fully stripped, the sills strengthened, body braced up for rigidity and then on the spit.
I've been following your progress closely and really value all your pictures and commentary. I'm in early stages of pulling my 76 car apart for reinforcement and stiffening. The 6 in it is ancient history and I'll be replacing it. A question - I have never worked on a v12 but am thinking either an xjs v12 donor car or an aj16 for the new power plant. A v12 stick shift car seems to be the hot setup right now for the coupe era and I have a jag 4 speed.
Can I solicit advice from those who have worked on these two engines on pluses and minuses in the coupe? It will have a bearing on how I brace and stiffen as I get more into the car, which is a rust free California car but with some collision damage I'm working through with old engine in so nothing gets distorted before I get it fully stripped, the sills strengthened, body braced up for rigidity and then on the spit.
TIA
Oliver... my recipe for building a great XJ Coupe for a very low price.... I was planning this before I found the 48v DB7 v12 to use so I have all the parts at hand.
-V12 from a X305 Sedan (more HP)
-T56 conversion.
-Supporting parts from a late XJS
The best combo is to use a XJ12 6.0 V12 from a X305 sedan with the supporting accessories like radiator and engine mounts from any v12 XJS and then do a T56 conversion. These V12's are the best Jag made by far. The have distributor-less ignition and rev much cleaner than any V12 in an XJS. Good running X305 XJ12 sedans can usaully be found for about 1200$ and XJS's prices vary but remain low for donor class vehicles.
I've personally driven many late 6.0L XJS' and then my X305 6.0L sedan back to back over the exact same roads. The sedan feels much faster and revs much easier.
Published performance test data seems to confirm this. As the XJ12 sedan reached the 1/4 mile in 15.3 seconds and the XJS managed just 15.7 despite being a more svelt sports coupe weighing 500LBS less than the sedan.
The last V12's are ringers and I suspect the DIS ignition and late v12 heads / cam were just better. In an XJS with a 6 speed, it's probably a mid 14 second car which is still very respectable and fun.
If you want to do a v12 My advice is to get as late of an XJS as you can afford. Best would be a 94/95/96 with a V12. These are hard to find. You can transfer all the good stuff.
Personally I wouldn't go through all the trouble and expense of adapting a 40 year old crunchy 4 speed to a v12 when the cost of a T56 conversion is reasonable.
AJ16's with a manual are very hard to come by in the USA but if I was going through all the trouble I'd want a supercharged AJ16 with a manual. They infrequently turn up from a wreaked DB7 or European 94/95/96 XJR here and there.
Once in awhile an early 3.6L AJ6 powered XJS with a manual trans appears on Ebay or CL but you can spend years looking... they usually fetch good money despite being clapped out. This can make a transplant less attractive all things considered. .
Keep in touch. I've done all this stuff already and have all the parts at hand for a T56 manual conversion on a 5.3 or 6.0L V12 as well as a X305 v12.
As a practical matter since the XJS and XJC are so similiar using a donor XJS nets you lots of good parts like radiator, hoses, wiring harnesses that are all right or nearly the right size which makes the project go much quicker and at a much lower cost.
Last edited by icsamerica; 02-15-2018 at 01:46 PM.
More coupe progress...Tomorrow is a big day, the start of her extended sea trials. I've driven the her around the neighborhood and made sure she goes into all 4 gears but now she's headed for the bumpy roads and higher speeds for a full shake down and sorting. Then once perfect...partial disassembly and paint.
All the electrical is done with the exception of the ABS and bulb failure warning lamp. Not mentally ready to dive into the ABS yet and I want to see how the car's braking is balanced with out ABS for now.
Simple boot setup. Battery back here for better balance. Transmission control unit bolted to the left side seat back
Simple bridged fuel system with pre-pump filter. This has served me very well on the 2015 coupe and a prior coupe.
Here are all the left hand side XJS electronics, Including build failure unit. speed converter and anti slosh relay. All this will be hidden nicely behind a finishing panel.
Here are all the right hand side XJS electronics, including, stop lamp relay, security module, fuel pump relay, boot fuse panel(upper right). Same deal..all this will be hidden nicely behind a finishing panel.
Squeezing in all the XJS electronics takes lots of time. Lots of items here.... Engine ECU, fuse box, ABS relay, 2 buld failure units, warning chime box, wiper delay module, fuel pump inertia switch, climate control unit and fan box can all be seen. It's all setup to fit behind the standard XJ Lower dash panel with no modifications.
Cool mirror with automatic dimming and map lamps.
Mounting arm and socket was grafted in from the original XJC mirror into a Gentex 221.
Last edited by icsamerica; 03-11-2018 at 12:28 AM.
Oliver...
The main donor was a 1994 XJS convertible. I prefer to use convertibles as they have the mounts for the under chassis cross braces and have more resellable parts. Also the wiring on the late XJS is just perfect. The ABS system is from a late 1995 Xjs which has a beter vacuum booster based system.
Rusty...
The gauges are all series 3. They all just worked when wired into the xjs harness. The sender parametets are the same with the exception of the Speedo . The tach signal was right too. The series 3 Speedo uses a period typical DC signal. The xjs speed interface box outputs a AC signal. So a Dakota digital SGI converter box just before the Speedo allows the Speedo to read right and road speed signal to remain so the cruise control still functions.
Last edited by icsamerica; 03-11-2018 at 09:24 AM.
Oliver...
The main donor was a 1994 XJS convertible. I prefer to use convertibles as they have the mounts for the under chassis cross braces and have more resellable parts. Also the wiring on the late XJS is just perfect. The ABS system is from a late 1995 Xjs which has a beter vacuum booster based system.
Rusty...
The gauges are all series 3. They all just worked when wired into the xjs harness. The sender parametets are the same with the exception of the Speedo . The tach signal was right too. The series 3 Speedo uses a period typical DC signal. The xjs speed interface box outputs a AC signal. So a Dakota digital SGI converter box just before the Speedo allows the Speedo to read right and road speed signal to remain so the cruise control still functions.
I've found a 95/96 sideswiped xjs convertible with the aj16 in it, thinking I might swap everything over from that car for now. Unless I can find a 95/96 xj12 soon this seems like a workable solution for now. any gotchas with the xjs? Cheers
07-19-2017, 11:06 PM
