Will definitely try a call to confirm legitimacy.
I'm not a fan of electronics, other than the light globe.
If there's a mechanical version, that's me.
I've already sourced the box of cogs, so will run with cable version, first up. Hopefully it will go backwards, unlike my BW. Lol.
Maybe at a later date an upgrade could be possible.
Cheers.

 

Would Dellow not be a better option for you? I would think that for the cost of shipping parts from the USA to Australia you could have an adapter plate made locally.

There are some very creative car guys in Australia, I have to image it's been done before in Oz.

 

I looked into Dellow bell housing for a manual swap. That may happen in the future.
at this point I just want her to be driveable. I have the option of pulling BW and repairing it or going that little bit extra and run four gears.
JC kit looks to be sorted and pretty straight forward. I can't find an adaptor plate for T700 readily available in Australia.
I'm probably 15 years behind the curve but would like a nice driveability asap. JC kit seems to be the quickest, easiest option from what I can find.

 

It's been a few years but yes, you have to print out an order form and mail it with a check or money order. The fact that his website tells you not print out your order form with a dot-matrix printer gives you a sense of how long he has been around.

After having put one of these kits in a few years ago and hearing that the 700R4 burned up after I sold it, if I were to do this swap again I would go with the 4L60E instead of the T700 or 700R4.

I had heard he was going out of business so if need one of his kits and he's still selling them - I would do it sooner rather than later.

 

https://dellowconversions.com.au/pro...ine-adaptor-2/

The rest you should be able to have made or adapted locally, like the driveshaft/propshaft. Similarly, if you have the skills to do a transmission conversion, you can drill some holes on a circle of your existing flexplate for the torque converter mounting, you don't need that shipped across the world twice.

 

I already have the T700 box, so that is what I plan to run with. Capable of being built for some serious HP, they can't be all that fragile. I have read of them having issues when TV cable not correctly adjusted.
It does sound as though JC is in semi retirement, maybe just keeping himself going as it was his life's work.
Between us both being dinosaur's when it comes to the internet, communication is a little slow.

 

This is why I hate the internet.
I searched Dellow site, repeatedly. I could not find adaptor plates, only bell housing, and you come along with a link. 🤦‍♂️
Mine is a 4.2 and I can't locate a plate for it.
I wonder why Dellow site states that conversion requires a non lock up Torque converter and JC's requires lock up?
I'm certainly planning on flex plate and drive shaft mods being done here.

 

Ah, I assumed ( that nasty word!) since you posted to the XJS list you had a V12! I didn't realize we are talking about an XJ6 4.2 conversion ( we are aren't we?).

Might be easier to drop Dellow a note or call them and see what they have?

I have looked at a car that had the Johns kit, it was a 1975 XJC. I wasn't overly impressed, but I am a Mechanical Engineer. He made choices that I would not have made, and I thought it a bit "farmerish" for lack of a better description. It works, but I would have done some things differently.

Regarding the 700R4, yes they can be built to handle some decent power, but to do that seems to involve keeping the case and replacing just about everything internal. That requires knowledge and fair whack of cash for parts. It was designed in an era when 5.0 V8 Chevies were producing 105hp, it was a way to bring fuel economy up.

 

Farmerish is a very accurate term for most of John's stuff. It works, but isn't elegant.

 

I have heard back from John, or someone purporting to be John. Apparently still in business, but reticent to provide any kind of modern digital payment security. PayPal being my preference, as it covers my *** if it's a scam, is not acceptable to John. Cheque, money order or credit card numbers over the phone.
As a result I have done more research and decided to go with a Dellows bell housing. This involves cutting the bell housing from aT700 trans and bolting new housing to the pump. Sounds less than ideal, to my untrained transmission knowledge, but have been assured that it works fine by a transmission builder who has done countless "bellectomies" over the years and is as experienced as they come, being the son of a transmission builder and having thirty years experience.
It's bittersweet. I had looked at JC's kit and thought it simple and proven, but expensive to get to Australia (out Government Corporation rapes us on imports of more than $1000au). I was looking forward to the job, but unwilling to risk being scammed.
Buying from Australia suppliers is both cheaper and safer, but I will have to figure out elements of the kit myself, such as Speedo cable, TV linkage, shifter linkage. No big deal but bolt up would have been nicer.

 

Hey, I know John had posted in some magazine sort of a weird rebuke that XJS people weren't buying enough and he was going to have to close down. It seems like that was within the last year.

From the sound of your conversation, you were talking to John though.

I recently had to remove my 700R4 because of a main bushing leak (I'll write about that in a bit). As I was pulling it out, I wondered if there was just a standard 700R4 adapter for sale that could be redrilled with the XJS bolt pattern. From all that I can see, It should be possible and maybe easier.

Glad you found something that worked. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

Here are two good reviews and visual representation of installing a 4L60E (the electronic version of the 700r4) behind a Jag V12 using John's kit.
Part 1
Part 2