I sell a lot of parts and thus meet a lot of people. Yesterday a chap turned up with a nice XJS convertible. He's has it for a long time and wore out the AJ16 at about 155k. In place he installed a 2015 5.3 SILVERADO engine and 6 speed automatic transmission. It was the most refined convert I ever experienced. He used home made Lexus LS engine mounts. The car was so smooth at idle I had to blip the throttle to tell if it was running. The engine was quiet and far smoother than any V12 (90's jag or bmw) I driven and I presently have both as a direct comparison. It sounded like a V8 though. I was impressed by the smoothness and crispness of shifts offered up by the modern 6 speed auto.


What a great car. The owner did all the work himself and I was super impressed by the quality of it and how it drove. As with any project there were a few loose ends that need to be resolved.

He does have some Horse Power related issues with wheel hop cage twist even though the Silverado engine manages just 355 HP. If felt much faster. The owner also recognized the steering needs to be sharpened up but wants to retain the smooth ride. . These are all problems I've solved long ago and I'm thrilled to be helping him with these issues.

I took him for a ride in My Red XJ6C now with a T56, bigger tires, bigger cam a few more chassis and suspension mods. He was blown away with the performance and was laughing as I banged off a few no drama 7000 RPM shifts.

We had some fun driving... It was a real back slapping bacchanal with a couple of great cars on Spring evening in NYC. Good times.

 

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Nice one.

 

Great to hear you had a great day in the XJS'. I am sure he is thankful to find someone like you that can help him take care of a few of his bugs.

 

Pass along a "well done".

no tighter in there than with the original v12

 

Looks like a nice fit.