That damn best sounding car thread has me thinking about jaguar XJS AGAIN! Thanks guys. Anyway. I want to know of reasons to avoid the XJS. I know that their electronics suck. I would preferable find one that is in decent shape but not quite running and start the Megasquirt process. I have read parts of "The Book" and know some of the issues with the distributors and how they can have one bank fail and clog up a Cat and roast the car (Therefore no cats right
, I kid, I kid).
Anything else?
It would most certainly receive a row your own gear box.
single slammer wrote:
That damn best sounding car .. .. . . (Therefore no cats right, I kid, I kid).
Anything else?
I removed the cats in several of my 80's cars and they read better with better emissions. I know you can not do this with more modern cars as they tend to run really lean but removing cats in older cars is not always an immediate environmental hit.
Now all that being said. There are inexpensive high flow cats out there now that result in little performance hit so if I was to do it I would remake the exhaust and put in some of those. They work well and don't break the budget. They would also mellow the sound just enough so you would probably only need resonators (no mufflers). Having worked on jag strait 6 motors in the past they have to be one of the loudest motors when uncorked. They have that sound I associate with an airplane motor from the 40's
Matt B
Dork
12/14/12 9:38 a.m.
The aftermarket high-flow cats are pretty inexpensive. We got a Magnaflow high-flow for the Integra for $150. This is compared to a $800 stock cat. Of course, because OBD-II it started setting off a CEL in about a year. Passes emissions anyway with a battery cable reset. 
Man, I'd love a sorted relatively worry-free XJS.
I know a guy who DDs on so how bad could it be?
One big problem is the amount of tubing under the hood. It looks like a maze under the hood. Also changing the rear spark plugs equals a major pain.So a lot of them are running on 10 cylinders.
Spark plugs could be a reoccuring issue. Thanks
The tubing would all be thrown away and taken to the minimum possible. I think that with MS running things that it could work well.
I was thinking of high flow cats, apparently opening up the intake and exhaust on these cars is worth like 10% power increase. Add in the a decent tune on the MS and I bet 320 WHP isn't out of the question.
93EXCivic wrote:
I know a guy who DDs on so how bad could it be?
Maybe it has a 350 chevy motor under the hood?
Matt B
Dork
12/14/12 11:03 a.m.
I haven't seen that dude around lately. Did he get ban-hammered or something?
Buddy of mine's business partner has one. It's in beautiful condition cosmetically and until very recently was impeccably maintined for years and years. Lately he's just given up - the car finally broke his will. Sadly, his nice example isn't worth much more than one that's down-at-the-heels and has needs. YMMV of course.
In reply to wlkelley3:
I thought he pulled it off the road because it was dumping oil all over the front brakes and it was only running on 10 cylinders.
Cons:
Wonky electrics, unreliable, expensive parts.
Pros:
BRG, V12, Tan Top, V12, Connolley Hides, V12, burled walnut, V12 and just look at it.
I don't know - what do you like better, this:
Or this?
In reply to pinchvalve:
Honestly parts prices didn't seem that crazy to me.
pres589
SuperDork
12/14/12 11:58 a.m.
I'm expecting this to be an unpopular statement but I cannot figure out why you'd go with an XJ-S when you could get a Lexus SC300 or -400 instead. The XJ-S does come in convertible format so if that's a requirement...
I want to like these cars, really, but they seem like a big costly hassle. Maybe a last of series with an inline-six wouldn't be so bad though.
In reply to pres589:
Cause the Lexus is ugly and stupid.
Realistically I would never live with an XJS as a DD (except maybe the late inline six models) but I would rather have the XJS then the SC any day.
93EXCivic wrote:
In reply to pres589:
Cause the Lexus is ugly and stupid.
Realistically I would never live with an XJS as a DD (except maybe the late inline six models) but I would rather have the XJS then the SC any day.
I can't really say I disagree. It has great engines but I just haven't been able to trump up the same sort of lust for the SC as I have for the XJS. They are moderately similar, I will give you that Pres, but only so much as like a XJS is similar to an El Dorado or a Mustang. Two doors, big motor. I just WANT a XJS soo much. Or an XJ12 would be cool too. I would leave the auto in the XJ12 though and that is no good.
In reply to singleslammer:
XJS are auto only cars behind the V12.
In reply to jstein77:
Oddly enough I would rather have the XJS. But that is because I know I can work on it at home, with spanners. Now if you though in a V12 Vantage with the T56 then I would re-evaluate. But that is a massive chunk of change that I don't have.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:
Matt B wrote:
I haven't seen that dude around lately. Did he get ban-hammered or something?
Yep.
Damn, didn't realize that! What happened? 
SlickDizzy wrote:
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:
Matt B wrote:
I haven't seen that dude around lately. Did he get ban-hammered or something?
Yep.
Damn, didn't realize that! What happened?
Flounders. A whole herd of them.
Anyway, I am one to think that engine swaps are a great thing but this car should NOT have a 350 put in it. It already has a great motor that with a little work is better than your average 350 and it is already in the car.
