IMO the only time lumping is acceptable is when the other option is crushing the car. So much information is available now a days on how to keep and maintain and bring back to live these old cars that to me it just doesn't make sense to lump. Totally takes away from the character of the car IMO

 

Still sitting on the fence waiting for the cartoons to finish.....

Drifting off topic a bit now.


Of course all those discarded XK engines could be put in bikes(wonder if a V12 would fit?

 

Take your pick!
https://www.google.co.uk/#q=v12+motorbike

 

whoops...i did stir the pot!

Ok i got it. Its a polar opposite kinda thing.lol!

 

V8 boring.?..doesnt have to be. Are Ferrari V8's boring? Are Formula 1 V8's boring? Are the V8s in BMW's M3 and M5 boring? Is the F type V8 boring too? Probably not.

No-one who to takes a ride or has driven drive my coupe with its 450HP small block 408 with 4 speed transmission and 3.54 gears would consider it boring. It has gobs of torque off idle and pulls strong to 6000 RPM. With at least 450 LBS less over the front wheels the driving dynamics and agility of the car very are very rewarding. It's quite exciting when pushed and sedate when cruising locked up in over drive.

The V12 is exotic but 288 HP, tall gears, 3 speeds and the additional weight of a small elephant offers a boring drive by comparison. Which is OK if thats what you want and like.

I suppose the Jag V12 with a manual trans, custom EFI and high flow exhaust could be very exhilarating but it'll still be overweight and never have the V8 snarl.

 

I always felt that fellas who wanted to put a Chevy SB into an XJS were closet Corvette owners...

 

That's absolutely fine, in fact probably a very sensible idea if you live in snowy climes; probably should have been marketed.
Just as long as it doesn't have a Chevy lump in it!

 

wow i cant believe i have now seen a Jag ute! lol

 

V8 reliable
V12 looks good in driveway

 

I hope this is a tongue in cheek remark, as it's been well established that the 12 itself is quite robust. It's the OEM ancillaries that are weak. And with this forum and Kirby Palm's book, there's no reason a 20 year old V12 can't be a daily driver.

I've had mine to the point where I don't hesitate to toss the keys to my parents, a girlfriend, or whoever for a weekend or special occasion.

The weak points are all known, and once addressed, DRIVE IT

[edit] and hold on Bc xj, aren't you relatively new to XJS ownership and had a bad experience? My first XJS ate me alive - was in no way prepared for the astronomical bills of having a non XJS specialist learn on it. Left a bitter taste in my mouth for a long time. I spent years with other marques, but all the while reading up on the XJS so I would be better prepared for round 2 of ownership. COMPLETELY different experience the 2nd time around.

Popping the hood used to make my wallet tremble in fear - and the thought of even touching anything in there made me quake in my boots. But I've managed (with the support of this forum) to do many basic tasks myself, saving thousands of dollars.

Yeah Yeah, small sample size, anecdotal evidence, and what have you. That's my 2 cents.

Pass the popcorn - LOL

 

Most Chevy 350’s make 160 net ( About 148 DIN horsepower), A lot of what appear to be 350’s are in fact 305’s which make 110 net horsepower.
The old Chevy 350 Hp 350 was very simply the old gross rating. Not the current net rating. And certainly not the DIN rating our Jaguars are at.( Jaguar is rated at 242 for the old carburetors, 262 for American Fuel injection, 299 for the rest of the world )

Chevy engines are simple and reliable. I’ve owned them most of my life. There are a lot of hot rod parts that promise an increase in performance, some of them actually do.
If you prefer the simplicity of a Chevy few will disagree but you will find that other than the number of cylinders the principles they both run under are the same. Intake compression power and exhaust.

Carburetors are rather basic but you will find the Stromberg far simpler than those on a Chevy. Ignition on both work the same with the exception of 12 v 8 cylinders.
Fuel injection on the early cars is based on the same principles of the Volkswagen Rabbit x 3. While later systems became more sophisticated so in fact did Chevy’s.

Chevy has a far more complex valve actuation. A camshaft lifts up on a lifter which pushes up on a pushrod which goes to a rocker arm which rotates over a stud which pushes down on the valve.
On a Jaguar the cam pushes down on a lifter which pushes down on the valve.

When it comes to the Pretty, with Chevy you have to buy it later and add it yourself. Otherwise it’s one color and stamped metal or cast Iron. Speaking of Cast Iron Chevy’s heads are, block is even the 27 pound crankshaft is.

Jaguar on the other hand has 78 pounds of forged EN 23 steel, that’s then hardened. Oh , by the way, that’s also what Cosworth uses in their F 1 and Indycar crankshafts.
Like most NHRA top fuel engines Jaguar uses steel studs to hold the heads on , except Jaguar uses 54 studs.

Jaguar if you want pretty just clean all the aluminum

 

Most Chevy 350’s make 160 horsepower, a lot of what appear to be 350’s are in fact 305’s which make 110 horsepower.
The 350 Hp 350 was very simply the old gross rating. Not the current net rating. And not the DIN rating our Jaguars are at.

Chevy engines are simple and reliable. I’ve owned them most of my life. There are a lot of hot rod parts that promise an increase in performance, some of them actually do.
If you prefer the simplicity of a Chevy few will disagree but you will find that other than the number of cylinders the principles they both run under are the same. Intake compression power and exhaust.

Carburetors are rather basic but you will find the Stromberg far simpler than those on a Chevy. Ignition on both work the same with the exception of 12 v 8 cylinders.
Fuel injection on the early cars is based on the same principles of the Volkswagen Rabbit x 3. While later systems became more sophisticated so in fact did Chevy’s.

Chevy has a far more complex valve actuation. A camshaft lifts up on a lifter which pushes up on a pushrod which goes to a rocker arm which rotates over a stud which pushes down on the valve

Jaguar is much simpler. The camshaft pushes down on a lifter which opens the valve.

 

God love the SB Chevy. NOT!!!! It's true they have been installed in damn near every conceivable vehicle produced at one time or another. The biggest reason I always heard was it was cheaper to build, then the other brands. If that's true, What gets me is, you spent $30,000.00+ building your damn Hot Rod. Then You Cheaped out, and put a SB Chevy in it. Because it didn't take any imagination! Or because everybody else was doing it. Damn the Sheeple mentality! Stuff a Hemi in it, Stuff an Offy in it, Stuff an Allison, in it. Or as a Man named "SHELBY" did to another British sports car, and Shove Ford in it! Whatever! Make it yours, and drive it like you stole it, and enjoy!!!

Just my thought's (I'm following the guy named Shelby's lead)

Jack

 

Why are we reviving a 5 year old thread from the dead?

 

MG has been hittin a bunch of OLD threads,, i dont know what the hell he is up to?
he must have been away someplace for a long time??
ron

 

My two cents... I love lots of horsepower.

I tried looking into getting 450-500hp to my V12. The parts to achieve this are rarer than rocking horse **** and are not massed produced.

I am dropping a 2015 6.2L LSA into another Jag project (561HP - 560TQ) as spending £56,000 ($110,00NZD) for a 500HP V12 engine upgrade was simply rediculous and out of the question.

300HP is not quite enough for me and the LSA was the only option

Craig

 

He's a vintage racer so he must have just got around to opening one of those AOL discs from the mail and found his way on to the interwebs.

 

Doing plumbing this AM. Drats, the part I bought at ACE cost a lot more than I thought. Time on the bench grinder and it almost fits. Close enough to work!!

Needed to fire up the :Lt1 to move the jaguar out and make room to get tot he grinder. Quick and running. The V8 sure sounds nice.

Not a lot of HP, 260, but a lot of torque and it comes in early. Makes for spirted runs, Yet pulls OD and the 2.88 with alacrity The engine is "loafing" at 70 !!


The DOHC was OK, but not like this...
Carl

 

OK but why? The XJS is a heavy car. Over 4600 pounds your swap won’t make the car vastly faster not with the most common 2.88 final drive ratio. If you want faster use a car designed to hold the Chevy pushrod engine. Look at Corvette. Sell you Jaguar. And buy a Corvette
The prime issues aren’t engine because that is a extremely robust piece.
Wiring is a serious issue and you’re going to add to that by mixing the GM computer in?
Have you thought about instruments? The 12 cylinder tach won’t work. Adapting the Jaguar HVAC system to the cChevy engine is going to be complicated. Or will you try to get the Chevy Accessories to work with the Jaguar stuff?

Again I repeat the wiring will really prove to be a complicated issue to deal with, not that just getting everything into the engine compartment isn’t going to be a challenge.
A Chevy is wider than a Jaguar. 90 degree vs 60 degrees. Plus the spark plugs are on the side of a Chevy. Instead of on top like the Jaguar. Make sure to leave yourself enough room to get the plugs out without pulling the engine. Figure the end of the spark plug wires plus a socket and ratchet to pull the plugs.
Yes the Chevy is shorter by several inches. But the accessories add dramatically to the length and width.
The chevy is most commonly found in pickup trucks which should give you some idea of how wide the engine compartment needs to be.
The Corvette gets by because the whole front end tilts.
Not so the XJS.
Try reaching down into the compartment sometime. Now make the engine wider.

 

The project is a series ii XJ coupe and it will eat the V12 for breakfast.

electrical is sorted diffs are sorted trans is sorted

will post as we go if people are interested otherwise will show it finished in a few months