Great video on open and closed deck blocks!
The open block on our v12 won't be an issue. Plus, all this is pointing to me turning my dodge up before my Jag, it has an iron block and cheap parts. It would be great to learn on.

 

Have you checked the price of a Jaguar V12 at a junk yard? $3-400 for a non-running but otherwise good V12. ( a bad sensor, broken distributor cap, bad coil etc. type problem)

now check the price of a dodge in the same condition. Whole lot more isn’t it? When I was racing I’d buy up any cheap V12 I could get as long as it was under $300 then $200, 100, free. towards the end I turned down all the HE’s and only took 71-80. I wound up with 50. ( all I had room for)
I tried to sell them for $700 guaranteed. I’d let people talk me down to $500. I only sold 15 in 15 years of advertising.

For what it is, it’s insanely cheap.

 

Well, can't find any of my dodge or Jag stuff. So it's priceless. And buying a motor isn't all their is. My dodge has a third of the cylinders, and much easier to hot rod and a bit easier to work on. I will put energy into my Jag, but I must go fast right now so I'll put my dodge together before I go do anything crazy on the Jag. Before I put a 4 valve in my dodge I will have one of the xj12's up and running so it can be my daily.

 

I suppose you’d be shocked that I reused my rings? Yes chump car Racing is Racing $500 cars and that does not allow the luxury of new rings.

I also reused the bearings.

 

I'll definitely be reusing my rings and bearings. There's just going to be less ring is all.

 

the two insurance sites will have whole cars available for as little as scrap metal prices. They were likely running when wrecked. Any body can buy from them but if it’s certain cars you’ll have to go through a broker first. Like I said there is an early V12 in Kansas available for scrap metal prices. $2-300
Or you can go on the nation wide parts listing service and check prices all over the country. Pretty easy to work with most of those guys.

 

Just not the case here. In Portland there is zero market for anything that I'm into. And I've never gotten anything shipped for less than $1500.

 

I guess driving up to Washington or down to California isn’t something you do? The insurance auctions are there but you can buy on line. You can spend a few dollars and have them inspected before you bid. Plus they have a place where you can ask ahead what shipping will be. I’ve always been able to go get them myself a lot cheaper.

Then there is Craigslist and face book that sometimes have shockingly good deals. But yeh you need to shop where Jaguars are more common.

 

Auctions are an option. Cars usually come through and cost a minimum of a grand and usually absolutely blown out. Had an 88 xjs like that. Sad.

 

You don’t buy it for the car, you buy it for the parts. Take a smashed up newer XJS. If the damage is to the front you pull the rear end and sell the rest for scrap
As a result you have a 3.54 with a limited slip positraction and outboard brakes. Worth $500-$700 at junkyards for a couple of hundred.
buy a early1971- 1981 V12 that’s had a fire for less than scrap metal prices. The motor ( at least the parts you need) will still be good. Pull the motor, take what you need, Toss the rest back in the burned out hulk and sell everything for scrap. You’ll probably break even or close to it. That’s a set of Flatheads ( pre HE ) and a set of 7.8-1 pistons the distributor
Maybe even a set of carb manifolds. Don’t poo-poo they are the easy way to more power. Real power.

 

Well there are currently zero smashed up xjs' out there. Looked on Nationwide copart too. Unless you can somehow find one.

 

Keep checking. They show up all the time.
When they do watch the auction to see what they sell for. Now there will be fees and delivery expenses on top. But you can figure that in before you bid. Watch for a while so you get a good sense off what stuff actually goes for. Some places are extremely aggressive for scrap some for reparable some as ownership cars. Few at the price I’m willing to pay though. But shopping is educating me too.


I’ve looked at several in Fresno and Washington. Worth loading it on a trailer and towing home.
That’s how I got my last one. $500 rust free Southern California 1984 XJS. But I brought out a load of hardwood and also picked up a lot of MG TD parts Plus I spent a week with my buddy. It’s a little over a day away. 1513 miles to be exact.

 

So all 3 of those xj12's sold this week before I could buy them. But I really don't need them. Plus, Coventry west will sell me a rebuilt posi unit for $1000. My cast crank will probably be fine. This means I'll have to pull apart my engine and rebuild it. Any rebuild manuals out there? This will be a boost prep build, and finally decided my turbo, going to top mount a vs 7875 gen 2. Not worried about cutting the hood, honestly a big turbo out the center not only would look cool but also vent unhealthy underhood heat.

 

Keep checking. Don’t forget IAAI plus the old Craigslist as well as Facebook ( although I’ve never found any on Facebook)
Maybe I’m more patient then most or just too cheap. But I’ll spend a few hours searching a couple times a week rather than watching the tube.

 

HE means high efficency? Really. Hmm, both the pre HE and the HE have the same horsepower? Yes there is slightly better fuel mileage at light cruising throttle positions.*. But against that at full throttle for extended periods the hot spots generated will tend to blow head gaskets.

* Don’t give the HE more credit than it deserves for better fuel mileage. There were many improvements that deserve credit. The final drive went from either 3:31 or 3:07 to 2:88 thus slowing the engine down for a given.speed. They went from the 1940’s designed Borg Warner model 12 To the much newer designed GM turbo 400 transmission. The fuel injection was upgraded several times and with each upgrade the fuel injectors got smaller and more precise. Upgrades to the HVAC helped mileage along with a few minor body mods.

The real reason Jaguar bought the May head was to keep selling Jaguars in California. The new emission laws would have cost Jaguar more than 50% of its global market and the old heads couldn’t meet those requirements.

So while High Efficiency has marketing clout it’s just not the true. Yes advertisers lie.

 

MG lots of people lie!

 

Really good and concise advice.

 

I thought AJ 6, not AJ16 heads were used?

 

all this talk about heat and dropped valve seats problems can be reduced by having the Flathead engines upper chamber Thermal coated along with the seats in place!
also coated long exhaust port and valves, reduce heat into the coolant area!
i had mine done in 1994, never a problem with overheating since then,!
sometimes gotta think outta the box!
ron

 

No vintage engine is advanced as any modern engine so therefore isn’t perfect. However working with a V12 is a cheap way to have fun. Yes cheap!
First don’t worry about the open deck. The head has a deck and there is a whole bunch of studs (54) clamping it firmly on the block. Second press the Iron sleeve out. Notice that great big step on it? How are you going to move that around? In all of the V12’s I bought none showed any sign of movement. Ever!!
So the Jaguar engineers used a belt and suspenders approach to ensure it wouldn’t be a problem. Why did they do it? Die casting. Stronger faster and cheaper than sand casting Sir Lyons planned that engine to go out way over 7 liters. He was looking at Cadillac’s of 500 cubic inches.
The fuel shortage killed that off but the First V12’s made 508 horsepower back in the mid 60’s. ( at only 5 liters)

Next the early Flathead ( preHE, heron head etc) has a shorter bigger radius on the exhaust port and flows 93% as much as in the intake. ( when 80% is considered the proper ratio)

In my humble opinion the HE is a lousy engine to turbo charge. 11.5-1 compression ratio leaves little room for real gains from boost and even less with the European version at 12.5-1 compression. If you are determined you can clean up the combustion chamber to improve flow but that will lower compression and then some boost will have a benefit.

I would used the early Flathead with the dished pistons. America is at 7.8-1 compression with Europe at 9.0-1 ( better) any boost will require opening up ring gaps. That’s double edged sword. Opened gaps prevent rings from butting together and popping off the ring lands under heat from boost . But they cause leak down issues including oil burning. Perfect Circle rings would seem to solve those issues but there are valid reasons they are not used in production engines in spite of the promises they offer.