so i made the upgrade to a 700R4 when i did the swap.
shifting at 5500 with a 2200 stall that was stalling at 3k with my mods.
after a week of spirited driving the factory 1-2 accumulator spring broke in half and reduced the FWD clutch pack to ashes.

so i rebuilt it with Alto HEG green clutch packs, Alto red eagle band, Sonnax accumulator springs and auxiliary valvebody springs, and all new seals and such.

so i reinstalled the trans and put about 3-5 miles on it before the MTV upshift valve froze in place, bled off the pressure to the FWD clutch and reduced the friction unit to ashes.

just a word of warning to any would be retrofitters wanting an O.D. gear.
screw that trans. time for a T5 and a floor mounted Wilwood clutch pedal.

 

Why not try to mount the wilwood dual pedals and run a wilwood master cylinder aswell for the brakes

 

I looked at the 700r4 swap a while back, the gearbox is common here in Oz but its just the lesser of two evils, still just an auto with all the negitives that come with it.
I Agree T5, get rid of the rubbish that's associated with the autos, you cant go wrong!
I said before Dellow's in Sydney do a kit for the XJS V12 to T5, can't wait to get mine together!

 

to each his own!
just maybe its technician fault.

mine has been 20 yrs no problems, and there are many on this site who have changed to 700s, if you think 700 no good go to a 4L80, much stronger trans.

 

Do you think a T5 is strong enough? I might look for something stronger than that, like a T56. You may exchange your automatic tranny woes for manual tranny woes.

 

T56's are too hard to find complete, cost too much money, are just as prone to breaking as their 5 speed counterpart, and i really really REALLY do not need another overdrive with my 2.88's

 

Personally I couldn't agree more, unless your going to put your car on a track or make it produce some insane amount of HP, a T5 will do anything you want it to.
I thoroughly believe if Jag made the XJS as standard in a manual with say a 4 speed auto option, the car would be held in higher standings today. Don't get me me wrong! There is nothing wrong with the car, BUT, put a 5 speed behind it and its so much righter than what it is.
Just to go back to the T56, the Tremec box's are a better option and will fit better, but also if you want to go that bit more the T5 can be built to withstand the same amount of punishment.
I still beleive the T5 is the best option for the car, lighter, the stick actualy comes to the correct position, its smaller and does not need the change of diff ratios, nor does it require oil cooling. Only thing you will definitely want to do with it is use a internal hydraulic thruster for the clutch.
My Opinion Only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

like a hydraulic throw out bearing?

also i should mention my XJS is weighing in at right around 3300lbs so thats a considerable amount of stress off the driveline.

 

pix of the interior?

does it have a steel roof?

 

Yep, Spot on. The main reason you dont really have the room in the tunnel for an arm, and another big plus with the internal one its easy as to change the fluid.

sorry I have to covert to metric, that's 1500kg, lighter than a standard XJS?
I wouldn't worry about the T5 being able to handle it, the Ford Falcon's they put them in over here weigh 1800kg, they still work ok.
I have spoken to Dellows in the past, they recommended you use a T5 from the XR6Turbo, has a 186mm (If my memory is correct) input shaft that positions the stick exactly where it should be, also the ratio's are slightly higher than the V8 version that help with 2.88 diffs.
Its a shame I have not installed mine yet, I have everything here ready to go but time is not on my side, plus I have a second motor to build that I will put the box on out of the car and do the transplant that way, probably another year off at least.

 

well my trans sits considerably farther forward than the V12 trans. so clearance isnt really an issue.

ronbros, what are you getting at?

 

just wondering how you weigh 3300lbs, when stock is 4100lbs?

checking the weight of the V12 vs. the V6 engine seems only around 250-300lbs difference!

OK do you have a REAL weight certificate, printed by a calibrated scale?

 

Been looking at the TCI 4L80E 6 speed, should do the trick nicely.

 

i have about 325lb difference in the drivetrain weight stock for stock, plus a fully gutted interior save for a modified and stripped out dashboard and center console, lightweight aluminum radiator, lightweight racing seats, removed spare tire, tool kit, removed front bumper, modified rear bumper, grill is gone, the insulation is totally gone, modified hood.
and the two tons of lucas wiring and relays are all gone. plus aluminum wheels, AC delete, modified alternator brackets, power steering delete, wiper motor and wiper arms delete, washer bottle delete, horn delete, blower fan and box delete, custom aluminum gauge cluster, throttle pedal counter lever delete, modified brake pedal, tubular powerlogs as opposed to cast iron, vacuum ECU lines deleted, secondary fuel tank delete, engine bay firewall panels deleted, electric fan assembly, IRS insulation panels deleted, dual exhaust removed and a single pipe and muffler in its place, cut front springs and dampers/shims deleted, Nardi 2 spoke steering wheel with beauty plate and horn bell removed, clock spring and steering wheel stalks deleted, fiber optics deleted, shifter linkages and brackets deleted, coolant overflow and steel pipes deleted, heater pipes deleted, steel one piece driveshaft, lighter 70 series battery swap, modified battery pedestal, fog lights removed, door ding panels removed, chrome rear glass trim removed, pinstripes and vinyl wrap on rear corners removed (it all adds up).
i could keep going but im struggling to remember what else ive done in the name of weight reduction

 

side markers and signals deleted

 

I can now see where the drop in weight comes from.
Sorry I was under the impression you were putting the T5 bhined a V12, I was talking oranges when you were talking apples.

 

Are you making a quarter mile car or track car?

 

im making a badass daily driver. lol

i forgot to mention i removed the electric mirror controls and wires, along with replacing the factory cast iron buick coil pack bracket and supercharger tensioner with a lightweight aluminum Bonneville setup i salvaged from a junkyard. my supercharger pulley is aluminum as well as opposed to the factory steel press on pulley. also my throttle body has been ported a considerable amount.


at this point i would just like to add that when i finished the swap my XJS sat bolt upright at the top of the spring stops. i had to cut 2.5 coils off of the front springs just to get it to sit where it does.

 

so all you need is a certified weight sheet , printed out and posted here!

actually i have asked some of the guys here,if they ever made an accurate weight of there cars, not the 4 wheel scale type.

not much response.

i have a certificate made back around 1996, i'll look for it among my old papers.

3360lbs,1/2 tank fuel, no driver!

i went to local recycle/junk yard,cost 5 bucks,with the print out!

 

you deleted your power steering????

sorry not for me , i'll keep my P/S and my automatic 700, and 12 cylinders

i cant imagine what your car must be to drive, , noisy, rough riding, cold in winter, hot in summer, and 205 tires, handling would be marginal.

most XJS guys like 12 cylinders, as i remember you wanted an XJS becuase it had 12 cylinders!