Jaguar Engine & Box For Kitcar - Donors ?

[KTMsm]

I have a Jag XJ6 based kitcar that looks like an S100 - if you squint

It needs an engine and box

I don't have the time (nor talent) to rebuild one nor make everything up from a pile of bits

I'd rather buy a rotten / crashed car

I'm thinking carbs would be most suitable but I presume early injection systems should swap over pretty easily

On that basis what cars should I be searching for ?

Personally I'd prefer manual which I realise makes things a lot harder

Early XJ6 (years ?) etc

Thanks

[Turbobanana]

Rusted-out 3.6 XJ-S with the Getrag manual?

[ingenieur]

My experience of doing major swaps is if you take parts from a working car in theory you can swap anything into anything so long as you have the whole running donor car to harvest parts from.

I think a sensible dividing line between what is easy and what is going to be a pain would be the switch to CAN bus electronics. A pre-canbus car is far less likely to have interconnected modules (although not entirely). As you get into the canbus era you have nonsense like the instrument cluster being linked to the fuel injection ECU for security reasons and sort of thing can be a real pain.

[thegreenhell]

Turbobanana said:

Rusted-out 3.6 XJ-S with the Getrag manual?

Or an XJ40 with the same AJ6 engine was also available with a manual. The later X300 XJs had the revised AJ16 engine, and may still be suitable but were getting more electronically complex.

[ingenieur]

Another possible thing worth avoiding would be any sort of variable valve timing unless there is some concrete way of keeping it working in a different car. An engine without VVT is going to be easier to control if not using the original ECU.

[KTMsm]

We're getting way too complicated

At the worst I'd consider a late eighties injection but I'd rather have carbs mostly because they are more in keeping with the concept

I was hoping for a few unloved models to search for - ie the opposite of E types

[ingenieur]

KTMsm said:

We're getting way too complicated

At the worst I'd consider a late eighties injection but I'd rather have carbs mostly because they are more in keeping with the concept

I was hoping for a few unloved models to search for - ie the opposite of E types

The advantage of 'more complicated' than a XJ6 manual with carbs is that you might actually be able to find something with a looser spec. Mid-90s to early naughties jags are so cheap and so plentiful it makes a lot of sense to be looking at that kind of a car and assuming it'll be fuel injected rather than holding out for carbs. You can always shove a set of carbs on a fuel injected car a little further down the line if it seems necessary.

Edited by ingenieur on Friday 1st March 18:12

[GoodOlBoy]

Can you clarify exactly what you want ? Is it just an engine and gearbox or do you need more from a donor car, and if so, what ?

I wouldn't think it's too difficult to find an engine and gearbox from a series XJ6, in fact there are several engines for sale on EBay at the moment.

For a gearbox I'd go for a 5 speed from a Toyota Supra. These are a common upgrade and the kits to fit them are available.

[thegreenhell]

You'd be very lucky to find a series XJ6 or equivalent in donor condition these days. Anything like that will have barn-find tax applied. Even XJ40s have gone up, and it's the X300s that are now in that window between second-hand and classic where you can easily find them for a few hundred quid and not feel guilty about stripping a rare classic.

If you're determined to have an XK engine then your best bet is to buy just an engine. As said above, they are available, but anything bought cheaply will likely need a full rebuild. The price of a scrap XK engine off ebay would get you a complete running X300 with an AJ16 straight six.

[KTMsm]

Just engine and box really - the car is already on the road

I wouldn't buy an engine I couldn't see running hence preferring a donor - I've done similar many times before with different donors (Astra 16v, Lexus V8 etc)

[B'stard Child]

Surely the answer is an xjr - cos supercharged

[TarquinMX5]

I've no idea which kit you have but if you do consider an AJ6 engine, you might be better sourcing from an XJS as the XJS was XJ6 based and I think I'm right in saying that the engine from an XJS should fit around the crossmember without needing to make changes (ie sump), which might not be the case if sourced elsewhere.

[B'stard Child]

I know it's an auto but gearbox wise if you only wanted a 4 speed manual I've got a good Getrag 264 knocking about (same dimensions as a Getrag 265 used on older Jag sixes) you'd need to find a bell housing as all mine are Opel fitment

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/225989/1992-j...

[I-am-the-reverend]

Lexus IS 200, rusty/knackered 528i or if there's room for a V engine, an S Type 3.0 manual, Mercedes 240 (2.6) M112 from a rusty E240 or CLK. All are pretty worthless and very good engines. Well, the BMW is sort of alright if it's not pissing oil out.

Old XK engines are likely to be a shagged out liability now and the gearboxes are £££. Manual XJ's of any description are highly prized. A Getrag 265 from an 3.6 is a £1500 gearbox now. You can do much better for much less - see above.

[B'stard Child]

I-am-the-reverend said:

A Getrag 265 from an 3.6 is a £1500 gearbox now. You can do much better for much less - see above.

It's why a lot of Opel Monza GSE manuals have disappeared - the value of a manual car used to be set by the getrag 265 gearbox - ie £500 are they really £1500 boxes now???

I've always kept a spare 265 box for mine even though they are pretty bullet proof - there are so few specialists now that can rebuild them - the 264 was a spare spare as it came in a much older manual Monza before they got 5 speed boxes but they have quite nice ratios for a torquey engine that doesn't need 5 speeds to make progress......

[Turn7]

Mid 80s drag racers did very well with the straight 6 and three SU on a manifold.....

Easier and cheaper than injection....

[I-am-the-reverend]

B'stard Child said:

I-am-the-reverend said:

are they really £1500 boxes now???

Maybe more now. They are very sought after due to the detachable bellhousing and speedo cable drive. Classic Jags, sixties Mercs etc but the seventies BMW's that had the four speed box like the CSL.

Getrag aren't making any more!

[B'stard Child]

I-am-the-reverend said:

B'stard Child said:

are they really £1500 boxes now???

Maybe more now. They are very sought after due to the detachable bellhousing and speedo cable drive. Classic Jags, sixties Mercs etc but the seventies BMW's that had the four speed box like the CSL.

Getrag aren't making any more!

Wow......... Like I said I still have in my head £500 car £500 box

I know they used to be in favour with the kit car boys as the detatchable bell housing meant that you could easily adapt it to fit many engines and as I said it's pretty damn hard to break one (the only bad points is they tend to chuff a little in neutral when they get older and the sychro on 3rd can get a little weak

[KTMsm]

I-am-the-reverend said:

Lexus IS 200, rusty/knackered 528i or if there's room for a V engine, an S Type 3.0 manual, Mercedes 240 (2.6) M112 from a rusty E240 or CLK. All are pretty worthless and very good engines. Well, the BMW is sort of alright if it's not pissing oil out.

Old XK engines are likely to be a shagged out liability now and the gearboxes are £££. Manual XJ's of any description are highly prized. A Getrag 265 from an 3.6 is a £1500 gearbox now. You can do much better for much less - see above.

A jaguar special, without a jaguar engine, is the issue I have now. I think it's affecting the price by approx 10k

[Cold]

If "Jaguar" is the main criteria then would a relatively modern S Type donor be an option?