I'm half serious.
I'm half serious.
IIRC the rear suspension is weird in some way, they are all automatics, that one is too expensive, but..........Poor mans Aston Martin=we like them!
Plastic cam chain tensioners among other things on the early ones. A GF had one she bought new, she got rid of it after the rear view mirror exploded and the fluid wrecked switches in front section of the console.
Guess would be the tensioner wasn't replaced in that one and disaster struck. Happened to quite a few when they got 60,000-100,000 miles on them.
Classic Motorsports did a buyer's guide on them
The XK that followed is definitely a poor man's Aston. It was designed by Ian Callum after he did the DB9 (with Henrik Fisker) and probably thought originality was overrated.
The transmission (5HP24) has a systemic issue. The A drum fails. It's a common enough problem that there are aftermarket solutions.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj8-xjr-x308-27/dreaded-drum-174373/
The XKR has a much more robust transmission but the supercharger adds something else to go wrong. Pick your poison, I guess.
mfennell said:The transmission (5HP24) has a systemic issue. The A drum fails. It's a common enough problem that there are aftermarket solutions.
Interestingly, I hear that problem mentioned in Jags plenty, but much more rarely in BMWs with the same trans. I wonder why?
Yeah I've had my eye on these quite a while.
The xkrs still demand a premium price, I never saw a dip like the xjr. However, I'd probably look to buy a busted engine xk and LS swap, especially because you can just keep the 4l80e.
And the stock wheels are awful.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Why not replace the automatic with a manual?
I know someone who has the one: British Racing Green coupe with a stick. It was hit and totaled (while he owned it, IIRC), but he bought it back from the insurance company to have it rebuilt because it's the unicorn.
I was surprised that the X150 generation wasn't mentioned as an alternative in the recent F-type thread. More akin to a Mercedes SL or something along that line than a Corvette and comparable to a similar model year Aston, if you can live without a stick-shift.
frenchyd said:In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Why not replace the automatic with a manual?
Because that's a whole lot of extra fab work building pedals and shifter and if you want to keep the interior nice you also will have to build custom interior parts. And LS manual transmissions are expensive (the ones you would want anyway).
And sometimes a low budget GT might be better with an auto anyway! If you're really saucy get the 6L80e, with 6 gears instead of 4, and use paddle shift. You could program it and increase the line pressure to make the shifts as crisp as you want.
rslifkin said:mfennell said:The transmission (5HP24) has a systemic issue. The A drum fails. It's a common enough problem that there are aftermarket solutions.
Interestingly, I hear that problem mentioned in Jags plenty, but much more rarely in BMWs with the same trans. I wonder why?
I've heard it with the BMWs. When researching the 3 series wagon for a friend of mine we came across a lot of complaints about that transmission failing - which is what that particular wagon had and it was apparently on its way out. (Metal flakes in transmission fluid, blegh!)
I think there is at least one company that makes a manual conversion but IIRC it was $$$$. Not a lot of good manual options for the AJ V8.
Maybe find one with a blown motor or trans and drop in a Coyote + TR3650? I know everyone will say LS but Chevy motor in a Jag seems so overdone.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:frenchyd said:In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Why not replace the automatic with a manual?
Because that's a whole lot of extra fab work building pedals and shifter and if you want to keep the interior nice you also will have to build custom interior parts. And LS manual transmissions are expensive (the ones you would want anyway).
And sometimes a low budget GT might be better with an auto anyway! If you're really saucy get the 6L80e, with 6 gears instead of 4, and use paddle shift. You could program it and increase the line pressure to make the shifts as crisp as you want.
Is it expensive because there is a great deal of expensive labor involved or because so few people want them that there are too many unknowns?
Early V12's had a different bolt pattern and alignment pins location. After 1977 it became a very simple task. As for pedals. Again if they used a clutch pedal in V6 manuals you can buy those or in all probability the basic pedal assembly will take a clutch pedal with a little fabricating.
YES HE BROUGHT UP THE V12! I knew clicking on this thread would deliver. Frenchy, you done it again!
mblommel said:I think there is at least one company that makes a manual conversion but IIRC it was $$$$. Not a lot of good manual options for the AJ V8.
Maybe find one with a blown motor or trans and drop in a Coyote + TR3650? I know everyone will say LS but Chevy motor in a Jag seems so overdone.
The Ford 5 liter V8 is heavier and bigger than the Jag. If it fits( I don't know) it would still need a lot of work to adapt the wiring, HVAC, plus exhaust and coolant issues to tackle.
Looking at Jag replacement motors it looks like there are a fair number in Junkyards at a decent price.
The XK (x150 type) that followed the XK8 is, to my eyes, so much prettier. I think the interior is nicer as well. The XK8 seemed overly retro in the wrong ways, like a Chevy SSR, instead of an S197 Mustang's way of being "retro".
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:YES HE BROUGHT UP THE V12! I knew clicking on this thread would deliver. Frenchy, you done it again!
I've read all the threads about the XK8 but without the hands on experience I didn't feel qualified. That's why I asked.
Knowing the low volume Jaguar works with ( about 60,000 cars a year) there is likely to be a lot of commonality rather than different parts.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:The XK (x150 type) that followed the XK8 is, to my eyes, so much prettier. I think the interior is nicer as well. The XK8 seemed overly retro in the wrong ways, like a Chevy SSR, instead of an S197 Mustang's way of being "retro".
You may have something there. The First XK8 is taller, Wider, and seriously heavier than the XKE it's trying to re-create. ( which was considered the most beautiful car ever made by Enzo Ferrari ) The newest style to my eyes is like putting tail fins on a Hudson with a front end that has all the latest Japanese front end styling gimmicks.
mblommel said:I think there is at least one company that makes a manual conversion but IIRC it was $$$$. Not a lot of good manual options for the AJ V8.
Bolt on wise, the only option for the AJv8 is the 2.7 diesel 6 speed. The s6-53 with a custom flywheel from Lenthall or someone. Shifter assembly isn't that hard but I imagine a pedal box might be interesting. Maybe it's the swappable from an x200 or x300?
In reply to frenchyd :
Casual internet searches returned the coyote is 27.5 inches wide, and AJ 27.
I have a hard time believing the all-aluminum coyote weighs much more than the all aluminum AJ...
Edit:
More casual internet...
"The Coyote without accessories weighs 444 pounds as listed in the Ford Racing Parts catalog."
"The Jaguar AJ-V8 engine was designed to give excellent performance, refinement, economy and low vibration levels. After the legendary Jaguar V12 and XK I6 engines it had a hard act to follow. For a quad cam 32V V8 it was very compact, weighing in at only 200 kilograms (441 lb)."
I'd wager they are pretty similar. I've seen other weights as low as 430 lbs for the coyote, but I'd guess that doesnt include accessories.
See my eyeballs deceive me . I've got a 5.0 Ford and looked under the hood of a few Jags and the Ford just looks seriously bigger.
Since the Ford started out as a 5.0 and the Jaguar started out as a 4.6 I was ready to believe my eyes.
Thanks for looking things up.
iansane said:mblommel said:I think there is at least one company that makes a manual conversion but IIRC it was $$$$. Not a lot of good manual options for the AJ V8.
Bolt on wise, the only option for the AJv8 is the 2.7 diesel 6 speed. The s6-53 with a custom flywheel from Lenthall or someone. Shifter assembly isn't that hard but I imagine a pedal box might be interesting. Maybe it's the swappable from an x200 or x300?
Remember Jaguar is a low volume manufacturer. Often the brake pedal assembly will be the same as the clutch and brake pedal assembly without the clutch holes drilled out. That's how it is on the XJS. You just have to weld in a piece of aluminum that's cut off and drill out the holes.
http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/XK8-LS1-6Speed.asp
For those interested.
I've never seen a master cylinder mounted vertically.
Also; "Kits will be available soon!" ...posted in 2014...
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