Just figured id thro a few pics on here, ive been reading up lately about the jag front suspension swap, and have been curious about it, i ended up picking up a 49-f1 truck for brakes steering pedals crossmember and shock mounts for a hot rod project, the cab and chassis were in very nice shape so i figured id do something with it, i made a call to my freind Skip at French lake Auto parts and he pulled a 86 jag xj6 front end out and i went and picked it up, i got the front friday and was done staring at it and decided i should just dig in. I like my vehicles low, so i knew i was gonna solid mount it, ive read both ways and read both pros and cons of both ways too, i solid mounted mine, just couldnt get it low enough for my liking if i didnt. so basically i pulled the front suspension from the F1, pulled the shock mounts steering box and original mount mount channels out too, took it down to a bare clean frame. I then cleand all the original mounting crap off of the jag front end. then i drug it over the the frame and slid it unerneith and jacked it up into the area where i thought it would go. once i layed out the center line of the suspension and the center line of the frame i marked the sides of the rails where the cradle hit. from there i used a tri square and ran the lines up, and also measured down 2" from the tops of the rails and drew a stait line, that would be my notch. So i cut the notches out, and jacked the front end up and it went right into the notches, i remesured my axle centerline and tached the suspension unit it. I still have to mount the sway bar but that will just entale drilling 4 holes in the frame and bolting it on and i will also have to make the shock mounts, i will wait till the motor is in so i get the travel on the shocks correct. Here just some shots of the process, i will also be boxin the frame around the cradle. I will post some more pics as i get the motor in so you can all see ride height etc etc. TITUS
I will be doing the same to my 46' Dodge pickup, IFS and IRS from a Jaguar. Post lost of pictures, i like how you cut out the frame. should give you a decent ride hight. are you leaving the stock springs? I think im going with an air ride set up.
Subscribed. How low do you think it will set, ground clearance wise with the notch? What drivetrain are you putting in it?
subscribed. would love to see the ride height like this and I also am interested to hear about the turn radius being diff?, not sure but lets hear it
As i get further along ill post more pics. I cant tell you much about the turning radius at the moment, when i went to go get the front end the rack was missing, one is being shipped to me so once i put that in ill check, ill also have to get some front fenders on it so i can see if they clear, the funny part, i dont have any front fenders yet! but i have a line on a set. JEFF
The rack? its from a 86 xj6, its a used junkyard part that was pulled from a working car so well find out. jeff
heres as close as i can get you for ride height at the moment, the rear axle was just flipped to the top of the spring, ill have to c-notch it but i think thats all i should have to do, well find out when i get more wieght on it. the nose is up a little but i have no motor or trans or front clip so im hoping that should bring it down to where i want it to be. im hoping to use the stock springs, well find out again when i get further along. JEFF
Been looking at doing this same deal and figured doing it the same way. I too like things low, and could never deal with how "squishy" things would feel with a soft mount suspension. I can't wait to see what your ride height will be. What engine are you planning to run in this?
Cool, my thinking as well. Just always wondered about rack cleearance with the crossmember puched up in the frame. I'll be watching closely.
I have put a jag front clip on my 51 F3 truck, it runs a 351m and fmx at the moment. I used the original jag rubber mounts and fabricated the hangers so that they bolted into the original spring hanger holes at the front. My truck still sits pretty low and drives superbly and has done for the last couple of years or so that it's been done. It will sit at 80 all day and is still very stable at just over a 100. The steering is spot on, no problems with the turning circle, the brakes are awesome and it carries a full load no worries. I think your truck is going to be very low with the clip notched into your frame . It's going to come down a way yet when the motor ,box rad, and panels are back. These front ends fit these old fords as if they were made for them. I have also fitted one to a 38 chevy truck, needed a bit more fabricating to get it to fit but again it drives really well. I have a 51 f1 to do for a friend soon as well. Paul.
Same here... Been researching this swap for a while now. I read in another thread that the jag motor/trans weighs the same as or more than a BBC(?), so you may not get as low as you think after the weight is on the front and settled. Different springs may be needed to adjust to your liking. I like the notch idea though I'm concerned about my 283 TH400 fitting correctly afterwards. I'm going to see if I can check my centerline. I like the stance my 50 has now, just cant stand the volare installation that was in the truck when I bought it. Drives like shit. Scott
I really dont think there will be any clearance issues with the motor, there huge amounts of room around everthing. My rack showed up today but it was the wrong one, junkyard must have marked it wrong when they pulled it, i should have another here in a few days, i made my boxing plates today. so well see what i come up for clearance on everything. jeff
nice, looks like it belongs there. Other than ride height what are the pros and cons of solid mount vs. factory rubber? Plenty of guys do them both ways down here but never really had a good explanation why they went one way instead of the other.
And here is me thinking turning radius was related to wheelbase. ps. My daily driver is a S3 XJ6 and no probs with turning.
Ive heard a few people saying they can crack from the added stress of being solid mounted, but ive never seen pics, it make total sense, but other guys say they have theirs solid mounted and no problems, also people say you have some less road noise, which totally also makes sense, the thing is im building a f1 ford truck, itll be 100 times better than it was so im not to worried about road noise! JEFF
What would someone have to pay for the Jag front? What years and models? I just flipped the front stock axle, haven't drove it yet but I'm sure ill hate it.... Good luck with your build
I got the whole car 1986 Jag for 200.00. Did have to rebuild the front end. Sold the rear end for 200.00. Crushed the rest..
There seems to be 10-15 of these in our local U-pullit deals at any givin time with a fullprice day of about 250.00, or 1/2 price day of about 125.00.
Apparently, 1987 is a change-over year for suspension design so look for 1986 or earlier until you are familiar with the difference. Check craigslist and the local nickel ads. If you have storage space then buying a complete car makes sense...lots of little bobbles a doo-dads that could be handy. I have seen complete non-runners sell for $300-$400. I bought a good running early '87 for $700, drove it almost 8 months until the tags expired then sold the tires for $200. Lots of options out there. .
I know of several that are welded in with no issues that I know of. I bolted mine with the original jag mounts as it looks more production and could be put back to stock if ever needed. Like Jeff said, it's in a truck so the noise reduction isn't noticed as everything else squeaks or rattles anyway . They do stop some vibration coming up the column if they are rubber mounted but again I couldn't really say how much.of a benefit it is. Paul.
In one of the other threads, one tip was to make sure and retrieve the jag steering column knuckle joint coupler as it is rubber insulated.
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