Ok- this is a placeholder for my engine swap thread. I am taking parts from an AJ27 long block (overheated) with 140K miles and moving them to an AJ26 SB with 70K miles. I will be taking pictures of the process as I build it along with oddities that I notice along the way. My hopes is that this thread will be useful to folks down the road when questions of what works between the motors and any hurdles along the way (ala Adam's 4.0>4.2 conversion)

Please see my other thread https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...peaking-90318/ for my work so far. The short block was $200, so this route *seemed* cost effective. We shall see.

Up to this point I have:
1. Removed and stripped to the short block the AJ27 from the vehicle.
2. Moved the structural sump and oil pan/sump (direct fit, no issues)
3. Moved oil pump (direct fit, no issues)
4. Purchased head bolts ($90) Lincoln bolts
5. Purchased head gasket set with valve seals ($300)

So far that makes it $590 for a long block, cost effective. I still have more to go....tensioners etc. so stay tuned.

I will add pictures to each post as I move through the process, there have been enough posts on R&R so I will skip that as well.

Wish me luck!

 

Good luck!

 

Ok- the primary chain gears on the crankshaft- they have dots on the face- the gear closest to the engine should have the dot facing outwards (away from the engine) and the second gear(furthest from the engine) should have the dot facing inward (towards the other gear) This will make the gears offset and NOT lined up with each other.

 

The flex plate of the AJ27 is Different than the flex plate of the AJ26. (the gaps for the CPS are different sizes, the bolt holes and dowel hole all line up though.)

The dowel on the AJ26 and the hole/dowel pin on the AJ26 flex plate/crankshaft are a *tiny* bit larger. I ever so carefully enlarged the dowel hole in the AJ27 flex plate to accommodate the larger dowel and it's a good fit.

 

Waiting on the heads before I start again in earnest- whoever worked on this Jag was a FIRM believer in silicone sealant... It is EVERYWHERE. Lots of cleaning to do.

Ordered the rear hose behind the engine with the large connector so that should be here in time for dropping the engine in (I refuse to put the old one back and have to replace it in a few months to save $140).

If the heads are not done by Friday I may just drop the engine and trans in without them... and complete the job in situ. I prefer to drop the engine in as complete, but I don't know if my patience will hold out. A large part of my cost will NOT be the rebuilding, but replacing the stuff that would be VERY difficult to get to after the engine was in- hoses etc. A few of the electrical connectors have broken, so I will have to silcone dab them into place. Not my preferred method, but finding new clips would be daunting.

 

youre a brave fella.. best of luck , keep up posted

 

SOOOO... I took my head to another shop (the other guy still didn't have the tools :rolls eyes and they told me it was a bad idea to replace only a few seats- the elasticity of the aluminum apparently reduces when under intense heat and the risk of the seats falling out outweighs the cost savings of buying a used head. SO- I sourced a head from a local guy and I will have it and the other side (from a previous engine)at my house tomorrow. I will then begin to lap in the valves and begin the rebuild. If all goes well, I should be ready to drop the engine and trans in Sunday morning- running by Sunday afternoon. I'll update with pics this weekend as I progress. Anything in particular yall would like to see during the build?

 

I'd like to see it finished and a smile on you're face...LOL

 

Thanks- hopefully soon!

...and I just realized I typed Z26 into the title....

 

JUST finished reassembling the heads after dis-assembly and lapping all the valves. I had to replace a few valves which required me to do some shim swapping. That was ALOT of work.
ALOT. Tomorrow I will start the day early, assemble the long block and (fingers crossed) drop it in.

 

Fixed.. changed SB to Shortblock to have something different to save.

 

Thanks!

 

Long day today- heads were on withing the first couple of hours. I tried to save time by not loosening all four of the camshaft bolts. which just created more work for me when I realized after manually turning the engine that they were not perfectly lined up. lesson learned- try not to reinvent the wheel- if there is a procedure there probably is a reason.
Here is a picture of the engine with all the chains and tensioners done-

\and a picture of the engine with the timing cover on:


I referred to jagrepair.com and jaguar.blackonyx.net quite a bit for guidance and torque settings- thanks!

 

Sorry for the double post- Admins pls delete.

 

I have to tip my hat to my son, who at 15 is wrenching and an invaluable asset on these projects. Hopefully I will be passing on a set of skills he will be able to use in the future.

I forgot to put the dabs of sealant on the seams of the case before I put on the timing chain cover, so had to remove and do it again- I would say 30% of my time unfortunately has been spent re-doing things that I missed and had to go back for.. lesson learned.

Here is a picture of the engine and trans on the hoist and in the car- I am done for the day, but hopefully will be on the road tomorrow...

 

No doubt he will be yards ahead of most guys in coming years.

Especially if you impress upon him that the dabs of sealant go on before buttoning up

 

Well- All buttoned up now, running like a champ.
A couple items I ran into:
1. banjo fitting coolant pipe to block- it leaked, so I had to replace the rubber centered washers which involved unbolting and moving the starter and a TON of contorting.
2. DO NOT start the engine before installing the radiator- transmission fluid abounds

An AJ26 shortblock WILL work with the AJ27 parts swapped over.

Cheers!

 

Well done D, now list the parts used from the 27 to sign this one off.

Never done it myself because people are scared of Nikasil they 'think' steel liner is an upgrade...
Guys on here know my opinion of the Nik units, they're better by design, just the failures from years ago on sulphur fuels let it down. If I could choose a new Nik or a Steelie, Nik for me all day.

Good Job

 

1. Oil sump
2. Oil pump
3. Flexplate
4. Front cover and harmonic balancer
5. Cylinder heads
6. Intake manifold
7. Exhaust manifolds
8. All sensors, TB and so on.
9. Camshafts
Done that last summer, still runs w/o problems

 

Thanks Sean!

and thanks Moscow for the list!

One small correction:

Only need the Driver's side head.