Fraser, I've actually been talking to SNG Barratt about the tanks... just need to go ahead and order them and grumble to myself about how the fuel system is going to cost more than I paid for the vehicle itself

Speaking of SNG Barratt, I had a gift for the Jaguar show up at the door today. This should keep me busy for a little bit as my taming of the wild cat continues!

It may be too early to bring this up, but I've been really debating the direction of this build. My primary goal is still to revive the car as it sits, so right now any discussion of the future is mostly a thought exercise, but what I've been debating is:
1. Modify the XK6 motor
2. Find and build up a v12
3. Lump it (I've been sitting on a 429 Big Block Ford for a few years which is initially why I bought the vehicle, but I am starting to lean away from this option...)
4. I've been looking into maybe an XKR supercharged engine or something along those lines.

As you can see, I am debating many different options
Regardless, the project will be fun, full of headaches, and the end result will be something unique (well relatively unique I'm sure).

 

If I get it right, you don't have the engine running at this point, right?

What I would do is look for a tank which will fit in the boot, connect it and get the engine running. The find out how good that is. If it's fine, consider new tanks and drive it with the xk engine.

If it's crap, well you saved yourself the money for the SI/SII tanks, because if you would go, for example the xkr way, you will need new tanks again because you need a fuel return.

I would keep the nmoney in my pocket for now, and find out what you got. Then think of where you wanna go, and what you need for that. Maybe you can look for scrapper SIII tanks? Cheaper and fuel return included. So prepared for the future you are!

 

That is brilliant advice. Buy used late series III and worst case have a shop do a little re and re on them. I guarantee it won't be anywhere near 800 bones.

My opinion is don't lump it. There are enough of those frankenstein cars out there. My route will be 'original with noted improvements' i.e. cams, porting and perhaps a power adder.I guess what I'm sayin' is give the ol' girl a chance! I too had dreams of dropping in a modern drive train but building the car straight up will be enough challenge for me!

 

Honestly, I don't really intend on lumping it at this point, but it is an option. I'd rather go with a v12 or a built up XK6 motor because both are a work of art (I'll want to squeeze every pony out of them as possible though).

What is needed to fit a SIII tank in a SI?

 

An SIII tank and a series 1. :-)

They bolt straight in, but the connections are a little different. also, the breathing hoses are different, but this is all just a matter of some hoses.

Below you can see how connections should be on a SIII.

 

Well before I got too ahead of myself (I had devised a totally shade tree fuel system to see if I could awaken the cat) I decided to do a compression test to see what I was working with. Unfortunately the numbers were far from terrific.
Results were as follows:
1- 90
2- 90
3- 30
4- 105
5- 120
6- 70

I added some marvel mystery oil down each spark plug hole after the test with the intent on retesting, but the results of the first 3 cylinders were disappointing (40, 60, and 35) so I decided against continuing the test at this point. On the plus side I gained the turn signals (although only from pressing the flasher switch, not actually from the turn signal lever).

So... I guess a tear down is needed sooner rather than later.

 

Also, not too jump the gun but more of a curiosity question, is something like this worth it or am I just asking for more trouble??

V12 Jaguar 5.3 1976

V12 Jaguar 5.3 1976

"1976 Jaguar V12 5.3 liter engine and Borg Warner transmission for sale Has less than 49,000 miles on both. Engine turns over easily, has good compression and a fresh oil / filter change. Needs a Lucas ballast resister to have spark.

Engine and trans combo includes original fuel injection with air cleaners, starter,exhaust manifolds,the brain box for the injection,the radiator and electronics for the engine. Engine is still in the car for viewing. I will pull it when you buy it. You can't hear it run because the car needs a fuel pump, clean fuel and the ballast resister I mentioned."

 

Since I am finishing up a restoration of two S1's, I have a great set of seats (front and rear ones) the same color as yours for sale... they were replaced with S3 seats that will need new leather covers... front seats have new diaphragms.

The tanks from the S3 that we bought for parts had good tanks that were removed along with all the plumbing.... decided not to use them in the fuel
injection conversion on the other 383 V8 - will use a sump tank instead. The tanks in that car have already been replaced and all is working perfectly already.

Pictures are available but the loading process is not working at the moment. All is located in So Cal...

You should decide on your engine path ---- sounds like the current motor is junk and the other could be great or??? I would need to hear it run before
going to all that expense and trouble with another unknown engine.

 

Roger, PM Sent.

I do agree that buying another unkown engine is a bit off putting, plus I don't know if that is a reasonable price for that motor (I could care less about that tranny). On the plus side there is enough for me to do on this vehicle in the meantime that I can keep busy with rebuilding brakes, chasing electrical issues, interior, minor body work, etc.

 

If it was me, and I was fit and active, and had a nice large, and warm in winter, garage, and is an experienced DIYer and not too stuck for cash, I'd stick with what I've got and pull out the engine/gearbox and do a rebuild. You'll need a heavy duty engine stand though, as the XK lump is really heavy

The V12 is likely to need a lot of work and then you've got to fit it into your car. You will also have to change the front springs to take the extra weight.

I rebuilt an XK engine out of my 1980 Series 3 and doing it was probably the next most satisfying auto work I did in my life after my Mark 2 rebuild. The XK is a classic engine and served Jaguar from 1948 to 1986.

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a high performance 4.2 build? I'm not sure how budget friendly (as in working man's budget) a high performance build could be, but I would I'll admit that cleaning up the 4.2, doing some port work on the head, and a set of webers had me drooling.

 

Another quick update: I almost got the motor to fire up (an exercise in futility), but it basically required me to tear down half of the carbs in order to do it. I did get the motor to catch temporarily by constantly spraying starting fluid into the intake. The end result was a lot of smoke and a good 20 years of seeds, hair (or at least what looks like it), and even a peanut shell shooting out the tailpipes. I'm considering changing the oil, tossing in a can of restore, and rebuilding the carbs to see what happens.

 

You've got that most wonderful beast, a car without complex electronics. This alone has to be worth $1000 of anybody's money when you consider the very low cost of fuel in the USA. Over here, we sweat over 2 mpg so EFI came as a godsend !!

OK, here's my advice - remove engine, strip and see how good/bad it is. If good, rebuild and replace. If bad consider the V12 or a lump.

 

I've been asking around about the same thing for my SII 4.2 build.

This is what I learned so far. The head can take a fair amount of exhaust side porting which opens things up. I was also told that an e-type header will fit but I think a new down pipe will need to be made or a tweak of the factory one is in order. The other big things are cams and valves. I have a friend who is chasing up cam specs for me and when I find out I'll let you know. I believe SIII heads have bigger valves on the exhaust side but I'm not completely sure if an SIII head will bolt straight up to a 7L block like you and I have. The other thing that comes to mind is an aluminium flywheel to reduce rotating mass.
Then of course there is the power adder option - I was thinking centrifugal supercharger for myself. You'd see an nice increase in power but a bigger increase in torque since the XK engines have such a long stroke. A lot of $$$ will need to be spent though. $2500 for the unit plus the need for custom made brackets and pulleys. But - daammnnn - how good would that look at the local british car show?
Weber carbs do look reaaallll niiiice... either way, chuck those strombergs in the dumpster and at least upgrade to SU's. You may need to modify the intake a little. I think there is an extra hole above the inlet.

If you find out anything tasty let me know...

 

Thanks Fraser. I usually prefer carb equipped vehicles, but efi certainly has its place. Fuel economy is a non issue for me since I have one responsible car ( a VW jetta tdi). I started tearing into the intake and have attached some pics of what I have found. The butterflies were completely stuck and after a lot of cleaning and pushing, they are working smoothly. I noticed a lot of thick sticky oil like substance as well as gritty particles in the intake as well as the bowl of the carbs. My wife surprised me with plane tickets to New Orleans, so I have a bit of a vacation interrupting further work on the car starting tomorrow, but next up is draining the oil, popping off the valve covers, and seeing what awaits me next.

 

Napoleon, I've been pouring over this website lately: Rob Beere Racing: Performance Jaguar Parts
I'm a bit torn on my opinion of power adders. On the one hand, they make certain HP goals a bit easier to attain, but there is a certain something about a high compression, NA motor that makes me grin from ear to ear. I've seen some stroker kits available, or at least mentioned, but the cost is well... prohibitive. I'm certainly on a bit of a mission now to see what this motor can do.

 

Well back at it! A week off and a new job, but nothing major to report other than a bit more tear down. Valve covers are off and no hidden surprises. Carbs have been dismantled and are awaiting rebuild kits. Old oil has been drained in what may have been the messiest oil change I have done (my fault, not the jags). I'm still debating if I should remove the intake for further inspection/cleaning or removing the cylinder head for clean up...

Would it be worth my time to tear into the top end more or should I fill up oil and go back into trying awaken the motor?

 

That's a good question. In all likelihood you will end up pulling off more top end goodies anyway, but maybe see if you can get it fired up as is.

 

Caveat:

Welding fuel tanks is fraught with peril. But, it can and has been done safely. These tanks seem to have had plenty of time for any flammables to have evaporated, leaving only rust.But, flushing profusely should eliminate any lingering fumes. A lengthy session with a strong vacumn can get them out as well. And, an exhaust hose
into the tank before and during the welding can prevent combustion. Cut back to sound metal. Remember cutting can produce the spark needed to ignite a flammable environment. Using steel of a similar guage, cut out a patch. That patch just might be a flat plate across the bottom. it might reduce capacity a tad, but be easier to fit and secure as opposed to making a multicurve unit. Fit a bung for a drain and secure the patches in place. Best if you have the skills as a welder might be reluctant to do it. A risk benefit thing. My choice would be 1st, Oxy acetylene. I can do that decently, even if not pretty. Second would be MIG. I am fussing around with that a bit now. Got a decent weld the other day. Again, not pretty, but sound.

But, why? David Boger at everyday XJ can provide a decent pair at a good price and safely. Cause, I like to fix things!!!

Carl

 

Once again, I'm likely getting ahead of myself, but I've pretty much settled on keeping the xk6 motor so I'm now looking at the best bang for your buck mods. I've thought about going higher compression, but I am not positive it is necessary or worth the cost and stroker cranks are well... costly.

That being said, I've been looking into cams, intake, and working the cylinder head as my best approach / bang for the buck. Any recommendations on cam choices and does anyone have any experience porting and polishing their cylinder head?