I didn't see a thread on this, but some guy over in Sweden made it work.
Pretty solid conversion, and with the original supercharged motor .

Looks like he put a boost gauge in the spot where the trip computer controls used to be. Anyone seen this car or another one like it up close?

 

The gentlemen who owns that car is a member of this forum...

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...earbox-124769/

 

I kinda thought so - thanks!

 

I am pretty sure that is one of Norman Durbin's kits that are sold thru TL Jaguar in the UK. He spent a lot of time & money getting that right.

 

I want to do that to my V8S F-type some day.

 

That would be quite a car.

 

Yes it would. Now that they have a pedal box for the v6 it seems almost feasible.

Unfortunately it is my understanding that the v6 manual transmission won't handle over 400 hp. My car is supposedly at 495 with more on tap with a tune so that trans is not a direct solution without at least upgrading some internal parts. Maybe the gears could be cryo-treated to get the extra hardness needed.

I have been assured that the software modifications are doable.

 

How are they going to bypass communication with the TCM?

 

No clue. I would seek the help of a programmer.

I did find a thread where someone was asking for unlock codes so he could do his own tune on the s/c 5.0.

I asked him if a gear ratio change was something he could program for and the response was in the affirmative in a PM.

Until I learn otherwise I am trusting that it can be done.

 

Hello out there

The guy in Sweden is probably me. Yes, the manual conversion was from Norman and it was installed by Tom at TL Jaguar. It worked fine last season (I take the car off the road in the winter). At the moment, I am trying to get another mod completed: this is the improved intake arrangement from Andre Vos. As it happens, I had to take the engine apart quite a lot to get it all to fit. Good fun but I hope it all still works!

By the way, the supercharger dial does indeed replace the trip switches which I put down where the lighter (never used) goes. I have tidied up the pedals now and am trying to get a gaiter for the stick. I will also add some microswitches to control the digital oil temp / gear selected indicator at the bottom of the fuel/temp dial.

/Mark

 

What's the manual kit cost and how many hours to install it (it's tempting)? The intake is that for the Twin Screw? Thanks!

 

Well, it was a few years ago since I paid for it. If I remember correctly, it was around 6000 GBP. Like I say, Tom+team installed the part which cost another 1000.

 

So Mark, this is probably a stupid question but would you do the Manual conversion again in hindsight? Did you end up with what you wanted or was this an experiment to see what could be done?

Reason I ask is we all know the XK8/R was not intended to be a sports car but rather a sporty Grand Touring car designed to eat up the miles in style and comfort.

Putting in a manual trans and some other upgrades in the "sporty" direction changes the charter of the car.

How well is this working out/with the other design features of the car? For the better or not so much?

Reason I ask is, while not in any hurry or near future consideration, should either my trans or engine take a dump i would like to go in a similar direction. Let's face it my 03 XK8 on a good day in great condition with no issues would be hard pressed to fetch $10 to 11K should I sell it, if it had a bad trans or engine more like 3K and I'm in Hawaii so the market to sell is even less.

I absolutely love my XK8 for all the same reasons as everyone else on this forum and as long as the body and cosmetics of the car stay in near new condition as they are now an engine and trans swap makes sense. Even if I dropped 15K in it I'd still have a one of a kind custom XK8 that would be better than anything new I could afford.

My XK8 is a hobby car so this conversion is very attractive to me.

So what say you, is it worth it in relation to the charter of the car?

 

Good that you ask. In a way, I´m the wrong person to ask - I have never been a fan of automatics and getting a manual box in the jag was a dream from the beginning. Getting there was no easy ride, mainly due to the Swedish regulations that forbid such a conversion on cars from 1992 and onwards. There is a way round this issue but it is long, complicated and not relevant for you. As for the result, well, the car works. The gearbox is a bit heavy making fast shifts a bit difficult. This may get better as the gearbox gets run in. The car is more efficient due to the manual box but I noticed that the low end acceleration was probably better with the auto box which I thing is due to the torque converter. Finally, the clutch needs a serious weightlifter to operate. Fortunately the sports I do involve an excess of legwork. In the future, I will add a servo. So, now for the good side: the car has been converted from a beautiful cruiser to a real driving machine. The sense of involvement is there in portions. In conclusion, I got what I wanted and have no regrets. If you can stand driving with the auto box (which I can´t), don´t change. In retrospect, it works quite well.
By the way, my car is also a hobby/project car so it´s not a question of money (within reason).

 

Great info. If ever/when I'm in a position to make the change then I'm leaning toward a Jaguar " hot rod". LS3, 450 normally aspirated HP and by all means the driving experance of a 6 spd Manual. Of course I have an 03 so there will be issues with an engine swap as far as I'm concerned as long as I can keep ABS and Traction Control the rest of the electronics can take a hike. Would be one hell of a project and a bad *** Jag when done. Anyway just a dream for now.

Good luck with your mods and my hat is off to you sir

 

.....My car is supposedly at 495 with more on tap with a tune...


I think you have a lot more than that Nookieman. After Motor Trend Online ripped off quite a few 3.4 second runs to 60 mph, they put it on a rear wheel dyno. They thought it had more than Jag was advertising, which their dyno runs comfirmed (to them). How much of an increase all depends on how you convert the r.w.d. hp figures (I forgot what it was) to crank h.p. but they seemed pretty convinced it was comfortably over 495 hp.