Greetings! I hope I'm at the right place I have the IFS from a 1988 XJS that I recently welded under my 1949 Ford F1. (a common mod for this truck) I'm wondering if someone can tell me the wheel bolt pattern (5 x 4 3/4"?) for the hubs? I've tried ordering wheels and as soon as I mention I have a Jag front end, the clerks get that deer in the headlights look. thanks in advance for any help! What years of American cars will fit this bolt pattern?

 

You can use almost any traditional Chevy wheel. The bolt pattern is 5 X 4.75. The Jag center hub is a bit wider but there is plenty of material to machine off if necessary. That may not be required because most Chevy wheels are not hub centric. Typically wheels from Gen 3 Camaros and C4 Corvettes have the right offset.


Get a jag wheel from a scrap yard...put it on and see how they look. Two tucked...get a wider wheel with less offset. The important thing is the center of the wheel. Use the Jag wheel to identify the center line of the wheel in your chassis. Try to maintain that center line as best as you can. I run traditional Torque thrust 2's spec'd out for a Gen 3 Camaro and they fit perfect and have the correct center line so the geometry and thus steering feel is correct.

That said...You are in the wrong place. Try the hamb or hotrodders.com - The purest here don't appreciate your type. See you there.

 

Thanks for the info! yes... I thought I might be treading on thin ice by posting here!

 

You are welcome here. Don't worry too much. Not all here are hyper sensitive.

Sometimes trouble arises when more liberal-minded members go thru great lengths to point out the weak areas of Jaguar engineering and design and often come off as taking a bit too much pleasure in doing so. This naturally brings about a....um...er..... response from loyalists

Of course, since this is a Jaguar-specific site it should come as no surprise that many here are quite loyal to the brand and defend it strongly. So long as you're not too critical of Jaguar you should be ok !

Icsamerica has professed washing his hands of this group but he comes back ...so it couldn't be all that bad

Cheers
DD

 

DougofMontna
Do you have the matching independent rear suspention?

 

No, sorry I didn't purchase the rear suspension for this car. It was sitting right there when I picked up the front end, but I didn't think I had the skills to mount it under my truck. It was $300, same price as the IFS.

 

So last weekend I spotted four Chevy rims on Craig's List that I thought would fit the IFS. They are 14 inch, with a 4" set back. They were a GREAT deal, including tires:



When I mounted the wheel and tried to spin it, I discovered a slight drag. Took the wheel off and this is what the inside of the wheel looked like:



The caliper is just BARELY dragging on the rim right where the casting seam is along the center of the casting:



Would I be playing with FIRE by grinding a 1/16" off the caliper to provide clearance? Would 1/16" be enough? The guy I brought eh wheels from said he'd take them back if they didn't fit. They were a screaming deal at $200 for the set, so I'm more than a little disappointed that they don't fit. Suggestions/opinions?

 

Opinions? Why would anyone want to run a 14" wheel on an XJS? $200 screaming deal? Doesn't seem to be such a good deal if one has to grind on the caliper to get it to " work". Sorry, not to sound harsh but I'd take those back and pocket your $200. Recently a tire store in Ormond listed a set of 94 16" XJS wheels in superb condition with a nice set of 245, 16s on them...no mods required for ....you guessed it, $200.

 

The OP is running a jag front end under a Ford, not XJS but in any case jags were at least 15 inch wheels so I doubt any 14's will work without some sort of clearance issues.

 

If it is literally a 1/16 off each of the top corners of the casting in the pic, I would not have thought it would matter. Up to you though...
Greg

 

1/16" ?

I agree with Greg


Cheers
DD

 

Sorry, would have helped if I'd read the opening thread, I just assumed ( I know, I know) it was an XJS. If running a modded undercarriage under a early ford I wouldn't consider altering the calipers a big deal. Big thing with these cobbled up rods is you have to make sure all the geometry is correct and any " mods" keep the car road worthy and safe. Good luck with the venture.

 

I agree. I would trim the calipers.

 

I would just get the motor tool out...


not being on a jag no one will care that you modded it as the whole car is your work...


Hopefully your work of automotive art that expresses what you want and makes you happy!


Jonathan-W