Front vee mounts
 

Hi

My vee mounts (front crossmember to chasss rubber mounts) looks tired, so I consider changing them.
The car is a ‘77 PreHE with ‘88 HE engine and gearbox. I suppose my vee mounts still will be ‘77 spec.

How difficult are they to change ? I have done it on my XJ40 6-cylinder, when I replaced the subframe. I guess this is more or less the same, but I wouldn’t be surprised, if access is more cramped.
Any suggestions on the procedure? Suspend engine, loosen engine mounts, lower rear end of subframe, change mounts, assemble ?

Original mounts are quite expensive. Will aftermarket parts be ok ? Any recommendations, preferably in U.K./Europe (to avoid import tax and fees...) ?

Never changed them so no help in that regard.

But....

Some aftermarket brands are iffy in terms of quality/longevity. "URO" brand comes to mind here, for one. Paying the price for OEM might be money well spent considering the labor involved if you get unlucky with a lower cost alternative.

Cheers
DD

The V mounts can be changed without removing the subframe.

- Undo engine mounts and support engine from the top
- Remove front wheels.
- Drop exhaust downpipe RH for RHD LH for LHD
- Separate steering column from rack
- Put a jack under the back of the X member
- Undo the V mount nuts and the X member should drop just enough to undo the V mount bolts

Be careful of the brake lines if you drop the X member too far these will pull tight.

Easy to change if the bolts havent rusted to the frame.

To change just loosen the front 2 large subframe bolts by the radiator. Next.. loosen the 3 bolts on the rear subframe bushes. Then jack the car up at the jack point. The car will go up a bit and front subframe will hinge down and stay on the ground creating space for you to remove the mount. Slip in the new mount and move on to the other side. There is enough movment in the rack u joint to change with out un-doing.

I've done XJ40 mounts, they are much harder.

Leo
The mounts are under compression, and the original factory items are practically indestructible. Unless they are perished and split, leave well alone!
If you must change them, this is what I did (and I realise I am repeating what Warrjon has mentioned, but with a couple of differences):

• Beam across engine and chains down to the front lifting eyes, engine supported.
• Undo engine mount top nuts, loosen but do not remove the mount bottom nuts (9/16th ratchet spanner idea for this), removing the air boxes just gives enough space to do it, but not that easy. If you do not loosen both mounting nuts, getting the mount stud re-engaged with the slot in the engine bracket when you reassemble, will be damn near impossible.
• Car on lift, or if not it must be off the ground enough to give you good access under the subframe
• Remove front wheels and remove shock absorber bottom bolts
• Loosen front huge six shot subframe bolts
• Loosen and remove steering UJ pinch bolt, and remove the UJ from the rack tower (you cannot lower the subframe enough if this remains in place)
• Check enough slack in the engine/subframe/LHS chassis rail earth strap. If not, unbolt strap from rail
• Place trolley jack under front subframe use a wooden spreader to prevent point loading
• The V mounts are fixed to the chassis rail by two bolts, only ONE of which can be accessed with the subframe in place, so the subframe has to be lowered a considerable way to undo the inaccessible one. Therefore (ensuring the jack is in place and taking load) undo the nut each side that fixes the subframe to the V mount, 9/16th I think. Carefully ensure you keep the thick washer under the nut and reuse it.
• Relax the jack an inch or so and lever down the rear of the subframe, continue to relax and lever until you can get to the inaccessible forward mount to chassis rail nut. As Warrjon said, watch that the brake flexibles do not get stressed. If they are, you will have to disconnect them, or unbolt the calliper. I very respectfully think Warren may be mistaken, as I do not think you have to touch the exhaust or downpipes at all.
• take CAREFUL note of which way round the V mounts go, they are offset and can easily be fitted the wrong way round (guess how I know).
• Once all in place, jack up the subframe until the engine mount studs are just about touching the engine brackets. A helper is pretty important here; as the subframe is raised by the jack, the mount studs have to be encouraged into the bracket slot by you leaning over the wing and fiddling them with a screwdriver or somesuch. This is the real pain of the entire process!
• Once the mount stud are in the brackets, continue jacking and ensure the V mount studs go into their subframe holes.
• Attach the steering UJ and do up the pinch bolt, the steering UJ can only fit one way (within a spline or two anyway) as there is a slot in the splines for the pinch bolt.
• Do up the subframe bolts and thick washers, and then the shock absorbers bottom bolt, and the earth strap if removed.
• Tighten the front six shot bolts
• Reattach the wheels.
• Once on the ground, remove the beam and do up the engine mount nuts top and bottom

I think this is everything, and I hope this both encourages and warns you, it is fiddly, but take your time and it will go OK. But, as I said, be sure the bold ones really need changing.

I used URO front mounts a few months ago, ordered from Rockauto, you couldn't see the severe cracks in the originals until they were removed. This contributed to my front-end vibration quite abit.

New mounts + all Superflex poly bushings made for a very very nimble Jag.

Greg's write up is way more detailed than mine I left lots out.

I had the subframe out, it's just going back in now and I can not get at the steering pinch bolt with the down pipe in place, I had to remove it.

You can see the subframe V mounts just above the sump in this pic I took today.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4fc0cdb825.jpg

Hi all

I have decided to change my wishbone bushings and front subframe bushings as well, so I guess the easiest way forward is 'just' to suspend the engine from above, remove front road springs, detach/suspend (or remove) the steering rack and brakes and then drop the complete crossmember ?

I have decided to bite the bullet and use OEM vee mounts and 6-shot front mounts, but would you go for OEM wishbone bushings or polybush ?
I have heard several owners being very happy for the polybushes, but will I loose a lot of comfort by choosing them ?

I would put poly in the 6 shot and rack and OEM in the wishbone. You will not loose comfort with Poly in the 6 shot and rack,

I have poly in the upper wishbone and while it sharpens up the steering further it does increase feedback (read vibration). You can feel irregularities in the road through the wheel. If you want a sports car then Poly if you want a GT then OEM.

Thanks a lot. The XJ-S is a GT in my opinion, and I will keep mine that way. OEM it is.

The job is in progress, and progress has unfortunately stopped !

I have changed the front 6-shots following the instructions in the ROM. No problems.

I have ave then started to change the V-mounts, again as described in the ROM. It sounded pretty easy, but after supporting the front beam and removing V-Mount bolts, next step should be to lower the front beam to take out the mounts one side at a time. Pretty much as described by ICS-America and a lot simpler than described by Greg and Warren, so I couldn’t resist trying to do it according to the book...

Problem is that something prevents the front beam to lower enough, and I can not figure out what it is. I need maybe 5mm (1/5 inch) more, but it won’t move further down. I have so far only used gravity to make it move down,

Any suggestions what could be the cause of this ? I have closed down the garage for today, annoying to have to give up (for now) I have lifted the jacks to support the beam properly again, it would be bad if it decided to drop during the night...

Have you removed top nut on dampers?

Nope, and I agree it sounds like a very good idea to do it !
Thanks

Good news: slacking the damper nut gave enough room to get RH vee mount out and the new in.

Less good news: LH side is not easy. I was sure I had loosened the inaccessible (according to Greg) front bolt, but I had not. Worse, I was not able to. A 9/16 crawfoot, not too short, would probably have done the job, but I don’t have one.
Ok, let’s remove the LH down pipe, it would be a good idea to modify it a bit anyway as it actually touches the old vee mount.
Well, 3 out of 4 nuts loosened is not enough.
The steering column is obstructing access to front inner nut, at least with my selection of tools.
Steering column loosened, but cannot be retracted enough to lift of the steering rack splined tap. Ok, then I just lower the rack a bit, but it seems to be stuck in its mounts.

After a bit of thinking I have concluded that my subframe is so close to be detached from the car, so I will go that way. I had that plan on an earlier stage...

Edit: Just realized there are 3 and not 2 steering rack bushes. That explains why removing 1 of the bolts didnt give me any movement of the rack...

I have all bushes ready
i have a suspension beam for the engine
I have (borrowed) original Jaguar spring compressor
I have access to a press and lathe to make tools
i have good paint for the subframe in stock

Stub axles need changing, so I need to order wheel bearings and stub axles. What else am I going to want to have ready ?
Brakes are quite new incl. hoses
Ball joint feel and look good. Maybe I should at least change the lower ones as they will be hard to change later ?

Progress !

​​​​​​​
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...50818dda37.jpg
I will suggest you lift your car a little more before doing the same job. It only just went clear of the front spoiler. All bolts and nuts has been soaked in WD40, so tomorrow is dismantling and cleaning time.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...93a35b6155.jpg
Old and one new vee-mount. One corner has been grinded of H mount to make it (kind of) clear the downpipe
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...7c4a33c1e3.jpg
My engine support beam. It does not have to be sofisticated to do the job
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...05e349ecce.jpg
My engine is from an UK car. It looks like there has been used quite some time to make the downpipe clear the opposite-side-steering in my car. New Simply Performance downpipes are on their way to me.

Today was planned to be dismantling and cleaning time.

Dismantling took more time than planned, so I will have to use my Sunday for the cleaning and phosphating the rust I find before painting and then assembling.

Especially the front member is not exactlt constructed to make it easy to clean down completely to get a good base for painting, but luckily my goal is not to make a show car, just to make it live forever...

The front member is in surprisingly good nick. I suspect it might have been changed during the rebuild of the car in 1989 or when it recieved the HE driveline in 1996. Anyways, I'm pleased :)

Spring pans had quite some rust inside. Not the most intelligent design to have a set of steel pans without proper drain exposed to rain and dirt...

The steering arm is held by 2 bolts. One is common with the caliber, the other was rusted solid and broke on both sides. By use of flames, WD40 soak, hammer and a good wrench on the reamins of the bolt they both came out.

Rubber boots on both lower ball joints are both completely split. I'm not sure why I thought they were good. Previous owner was obsessed with pumping some grease in all grease points quite often (likke 500-1000 km), and there was a good lump of grease covering everything, so it will just need new boots.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...17c907ab7e.jpg

About time...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...671d83a544.jpg

Proper tools makes this easy

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...1b9639649f.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d8f67c3ee5.jpg

One of the the broken bolts

Great work Leo. Well worth doing. FWIW, I would renew all the BJs and the track rod ends. I mean, why not? By the by, the threads used to secure the steering arm and the brake callipers are Metric Fine Thread. Many people mistakenly think they are UNF, which if you try it will wreck the upright! As far as I know these are available from Manners etc, still.

Thanks Greg

Good info on the bolts, Thanks.
I expected the thread to be UNF and thereby not something I could find in my metric world, so I would have ordered them tomorrow from Barrett or Manners anyway.
Lower ball joints are integrated in the upright as I see it ? Or is the the upper seat replaceable? Anyway, they look and works fine and will be kept. Top ball joints are not old, and the track rod ends works fine and both are easily replaced later, so I will push the expense to another year.
I have just picked up a new washing machine, wifee told me we wanted one NOW ! I have therefore not done anything Jaguar-related yet today. Silver stone and TDF is also going to take up some time, but I will have to get everything wire-brushed and phosphated today, as my time schedule is a bit tight...