Is the X brace underneath the engine part of the suspension? Or, does it provide any type of support or rigidity against cowl/scuttle shake? I notice mine is bent on one side closest to the right front wheel. Almost like there was a small impact of sorts on the front right. Should I replace this X brace if I want to tighten up the car?

 

The 'X' brace is to stiffen the unibody frame on the convertible. Bent would contribute to potential alignment issues but probably not affect shake.

 

I see someone trying to sell what is called a very rare Jaguar XK8 cross brace Part # BJC 1166. It is bolted up underneath the car to add extra rigidity. I can’t see where it would be installed as the current one on my car is directly under the engine and it looks different than this one and has a different part number. The rear braces are single tubes. Any idea where this optional extra part would go on a convertible?

 

Whoa! Someone has their signals crossed. BJC1166 is a vertical "X" brace for the front body opening on an XJS, NOT an XK8. It goes in front of the radiator on the XJS.

Cheers,

 

Thanks for that. I was wondering if it was the x brace in front of the XK8 radiator but there is a different part # for that as well. Here is what the ad says.

This cross base was never fitted to XK8's as standard equipment - it was an optional extra. It was fitted to some XKR8's. This is brand new from Jaguar factory. Part no. BJC 1166. It is bolted up underneath the car to add extra rigidity.

 

boy, seller is not holding back on his sales pitch...geesh!

 

I have this brace fitted to my XKR Coupe,although its only usually ragtops that have it fitted

 

Can the x brace be removed and straightened or reinforced? If so, will it be just as rigid as new? Or, should I just go ahead and buy a used one? I think it is contributing to an alignment issue I have. New tires, front suspension renewed and alignment to spec but car still pulls to right. I have always suspected PO had a small front end collision based on the bent x brace. It is actualy bent on three sides and flat on the other.

 

Slightly off topic but I noticed my XK8 (coupé) doesn't have a strut brace in the engine bay like other sports cars I've had... Is this 'X brace' an alternative method or is it not required on this chassis?

Thanks.

 

As quoted by ADSTER
This brace is for the convertibles to help stiffen the chassis.

 

Adster, there was someone working on a crossbrace but he seems to have vanished from the forums......hope he's okay.....but maybe you should start another thread. Maybe some of the fabricators on the site have some ideas.

 

Are you having uneven tire wear? The caster adjustment, which is how far back the tire leans, can cause the car to pull to one side without significantly affecting tire wear. A tiny difference in caster can cause a significant pull. After I replaced my upper suspension bushings my car was pulling to the right. My new bushings were cheap, aftermarket bushings that I had to grind down to make them fit. I knew my caster was going to be screwed up afterwards. But I was able to adjust it myself just by feel. I drove the car and it pulled to the right. So I decreased the caster in the right wheel by moving a thick shim from the front to the back of the A-arm. That helped, but it still pulled a tiny bit to the right, so on the left side of the car I moved a thin shim from the back to the front of the A-arm. That made it perfect! I knew the toe and the camber were good because I hadn't fiddled with them.

Now, those adjustments just made the caster equal on each side. The caster still might be wrong on both sides. They might be leaning too far forward or too far back. But that doesn't affect tire wear, and the handling feels fine to me. If the caster is too positive it makes the steering feel heavy, if it isn't positive enough the steering feels twitchy.

 

I made an adjustable crost brace for my track car and have fitted OE ones to coupes, including the top ones going to the bulk head and the rear.

Not cheap from Jaguar a full set is something like £750, which is why I made my own

 

Don't see much tire wear no. The handling does not feel fine to me and the steering feels twitchy. Dealer took it for a test run on an unrelated issue and noticed the pulling to the right. I am going to haul that x brace(JTIS CD refers to it as a cruciform) off and have it straightned out. When I purchased the car it came with cheap Fuzion ZRi tires. I will be replacing those out for Michelin Pilot Sport AS to see if it is any better.