PROJECT XK140-R FHC

I am teaming with my friend Randy (another old engineer) and we are just starting a new project you all may find interesting. (You purists may cringe, but here goes...)

OVERVIEW
Both Randy and I love the look of the classics, but, as engineers, we much prefer the superior performance, handling and safety inherent in modern vehicles.
But styling? Got to be the old. Hence, we have but one choice...
We are resto-mod building a 1956 XK140R FHC.

We began by purchasing a non-driving 140FHC (original motor and tranny are in car, but no driveshaft, front glass, barren interior bones). We are determined to insert awesome performance and technology, all the while keeping it 100% Jaguar. As such, we decided on a donor low miles S-Type R, from which we are stealing drivetrain, brakes, electricals and systems, including ECU, ABS and everything else that we deem desirable and cool about new performance models.


The plan is to restore to an extremely high level, keeping the look and feel of the vintage car in all respects, including proper interior style (albeit with our own flair for interior colors), except the dash, while vintage in shape and style, will reflect the Type R technology for controls and indicators and the shift will be modern R 6 speed befitting the tranny.

The 140 will be here next week to begin strip, body removal, chassis, body and rearend blast, followed by body repair. I will be providing details and pics of the process in significant stages.

Hopefully, it will be entertaining and we welcome helpful suggestions. For the irate purists, please keep "travesty" comments to yourselves, and remember we are bringing back a non-functional auto that was all but dead. After all, we're the engineers. We may be nuts, but we know what we want to do, and we think we know what we're doing (what could go wrong???). At the end of the tunnel, we promise a beautiful, very cool and unique monster of a JAG. (May not have any money left tho, ROFL.)

Dave A

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sounds yummy

 

Good Luck! The concept sounds perfect. I have a 69 Alfa spider that I am restoring. If the stock engine wasn't already done I would be tempted to find a wrecked Maserati Spider GT to swap in the engine and transaxle.

 

Subscribed!

This is a great project and kudos for sticking with the Jag running gear.

 

don't think you will get far with the s type suspension/subframes,

 

Not sure what you mean. I understand we are inserting S type wheel assemblies (63" ttraqck onto the XK frame. We are not using the S subframe; we are fabricating mounts for wheel assemblies/springs onto the XK frame. Can you explain the feedback?

 

so will you be making front uprights that you can bolt the s type hubs to,and new hubs for the rear,with wish bones and mount the diff in a frame,

 

We're using the legacy rear end and differential. Just replacing wheels and brakes.

 

can you put some pics up pls,
thanks,

 

I will be posting pics of all significant progress. Still waiting for the donor to get here; then I'll be posting right along.
I agree with you; front end is going to be a bear, but we are still noodling that one. We may cut and merge the S type wheel mount points into the XK frame. Second issue we foresee is merging steering and linkage, but we will work it as we go. My fabricator and I are meeting on the overall plan and this point later today.
BTW, Thanks for pointing out the front end gotchas; In reality it is one of numerous issues we will have to overcome to make this work properly.

 

Also, back end we will have some as yet undetermined additional framing, but again, will figure it out as we go.

 

It sounds like an interesting project; something only really found in the USA, as here in the UK the car would be completely restored to as-new condition, because the finished value means the money spent is more than recovered.

However, I'm not saying don't go ahead, just that I'm a bit disappointed you're throwing away that beautiful twin wishbone front suspension as designed by William Munger Heynes, the very first Jaguar Chief Engineer from the mid-1930s. This is a really elegant design with torsion bar springs and an early use of ball-joints to replace previously separate kingpins and wishbone swivels.

As for the rear suspension, yes, it's totally conventional pre-war stuff, and eventually overtaken by Jaguar's own IRS system that was used on all the cars from 1961 except the Mark 2, starting with the E-type. So inserting an IRS should give benefits. Needless to say, a modern Jaguar V8 and auto transmission will be infinitely superior to the XK and manual Moss gearbox as originally installed.

XKs are raced to this day, so there is lots of stuff available to improve the suspension performance.

 

Fraser, thanks for the feedback and cool info re. the front suspension and its legendary designer. We realize the racing history and chops on the XK140.
The intent is not so much to replace the front suspension outright as to upgrade the braking system and wheels, first and foremost. (face it, the old braking system and wheels are inferior in every regard). Once we began looking into the how of that, it seemed at first glance a logical choice to simply upgrade the entire front end. We are flexible in this build. We will revisit the possibility of a restoration of the legacy front end as it is, as long as the modern braking system (with ABS) can be incorporated. I think you would agree that, since the drivetrain when completed will be in the 480HP range, this is an absolute must!
If we can figure a way to do that while retaining the legacy front suspension cost effectively, then by all means, we will do so. Any ideas, I would be grateful.
Regards.

 

why do you need the ABS,
the rear diff you will need will be one with 2.88 as of the s type,jag do one in the old xjs v12 irs,
you could make some front uprights and bolt the s type hubs to it,
and make some wishbones top and bottom.

 

I appreciate this feedback. Clearly, we want to make the best performing car we can. That is an interesting concept you have suggested for the front end. We will be discussing this approach with our fabricator and assessing feasibility. As for the rear end, per your commentary, we are looking into several possibilities for approach, including shortening the S type rear axle by 12" OR rebuilding the XK differential using the same gear ratio as the S OR transferring the S type differential/gearing into the XK axle.
First, we are still waiting for the donor car so we can clarify and determine one approach. Budgetarily, we will get one shot and we have to make it the right one or we will blow both our budget and build schedule away. (We would very much like to have the car done for the Barrett Jackson event in ealy August in Reno NV. It will be very tight, but schdule is deinitely secondary; the car must be right.)
Again, thanks for insight and knowledge. Invaluable input.
D

 

I have a axel from a mk2,
and I am going to rebuild it with a 2.88 diff from a jaguar v12 IRS,
you will find that the gearbox is very high as it drives off the top with it being a 6 speed,
you will not cut the s type rear subframe down,well not 12" anyway,

 

any update on this,