V12 Jag / Daimler engine questions...

No help sorry, but I have a cool pic

 

Can someone post some measurements of these engines? I've tried all kinds of different search terms on Google and I can't find anything. Thanks.

 

Which measurements do you need? I've got one in a car, makes it kinad tough to measure

 

L = 35-7/8 inches from rear of flywheel to nose of crankshaft
H = 26-1/2 inches from sump to the tops of the induction system
H = 22-1/4 inches to the tops of the cam covers
W = approx 24 inches
Weight = 680 lbs

 

Where did you measure 24 inches of width?

 

A mate gave me the measurement so not sure.
That's why approx given.

 

I wouldn't mind having a street rod that looked and sounded like this!!

http://youtu.be/ofcaN8J2gbo

 

The ajayjay (AJ6) started out as half of the V12 and there indeed was/is a company that put those heads on the 12 block, with much machining and money.

The Jag 12 is a strong engine and reliable when run correctly but it is very spendy to build. I have had two "Lumps" (XJ saloons with SBCs) that were converted because it is far far cheaper to do so than rebuild the 12. Most of these are done with vanilla junkyard sbc's and don't perform that great but the car is kept on the road and makes a superb low buck highway cruiser for someone who can turn a wrench. If you use a stout built SBC or LS it will perform better than a factory Jag, get better mileage with an LS too.

The Ferrari V12 is a better engine than the Jag in every respect but the cost is several multiples. The Jag 12 is still a cool looking and sounding piece if you do not mind the money factor.

The XJ six is also a stout engine and cheaper than the 12 but is very heavy for its power. The AJ6 is a stout plant too but it looks pretty plebian.

With (almost) all Brit engines the core mechanicals are much better than the ancilliaries, Lucas anything and Stromberg carbs are dogshit on a stick. The SU carb is a good guy piece if you are willing to learn its ways and keep it maintained. The Borg Warner auto trans is balky but reliable and not too expensive to maintain. A THM is a better trans.

Almost all Jags sold in the US had the slushbox. A few E types had manuals, but that was the "Moss box", a balky piece of shit. Kits exist to put Tremecs or Toyota Supra 6 speeds or Richmond Gear trans behind the 12 and the XJ....all good, none cheap.

 

First time post on The H.A.M.B and I think I'm bumping this thread as it's a few years since anyone has added anything.

Frenchyd:

I'm really interested in your manual gearbox conversion. "The Driven Man" and others have kits but charge the earth for them. I'm comfortable and have access to decent fabrication equipment so what I really want to do is to pull a Borg 5spd off a 5-series BMW in the scrapyard and fit it to the V12. A number of people claimed to have done similar - junkyard manual conversions but I've found nothing online that shows what they did or how they did it.

What I'm ideally looking for is a set of plans, even adapter plate/bell-housing designs and a basic step by step guide as to how to do this and with what parts (doesn't have to be a Borg box...T5/56...).

Ultimately I want to enter the XJS in 24 Hours of Lemons series. I've had success with an old 3-series BMW but now I want to pursue it with the XJS....I love the V12 and want to release it from it's slush box and asthmatic lungs! However I'm allergic to spending money and shelling out $5-6k on a ratty old XJS bought for $600 makes no economical sense.

There'd be nothing more satisfying than competitively racing a big cat on road courses against the plethora of japanese/german/american FWDs, Mustangs, Camaros and Beemers.

....besides, everyone says it can't be done so that's reason enough for me! Thanks in advance....

 

First off, welcome to the Hamb. You may get beat on for not posting an intro as your first post......

Looks like you need to befriend a mechanical engineer who works for free.

Trans adapters are not the most difficult part to design but you have to have plenty of basic engineering/design knowledge to make a part that works.
The best way to start is to envision what the back of the donor engine/crank looks like and transfer that design vision to the back of the Jag...now you need to figure out what is needed in between to get the bell bolted up and what is needed for the flywheel....if the two parts will even/ever be compatible.
How about the starter? Does the bell put the starter someplace that crashes into the block?

We have made one-off adapters but the price is usually in the $2500 range for design and manufacture.

If you can post some photos of the four parts it might be entertaining to poke at it.

.

 

I thought those Jags used Turbo 350s. If I am right, maybe they made the back of the block to match GM spec. Thought about it. If that was true, everybody would know about it by now. To bad.

 

Any mistress worth her salt IS dangerous and expensive...
GOD, I LOVE the webers through the hood!!!!F*ckin AWESOME car you have built Sir!!

 

Dear god. I should never have opened this thread!!!

 

It is the Th 400 that Jag used behind the V12 and it has the Jag bolt pattern not Chevy.

 

Apologies!

Intro then: I'm Darren, from NW England but now live near Charleston, SC. Luckily i am a Mech Engineer by trade....just a lazy one constrained by both time and money...the 2 little girls and wife see to that!

Current project is a '74 Mini Clubman. I'm in the middle of rebuilding the A-Seies <1L engine...but eventually it will get Hayabusa bike power and a become a track toy.

The XJS sits for now, a back burner project. I read through this entire thread this morning and it has some immensely valuable info on the V12. I'll be applying a lot of it when it comes to starting the XJS project.

I've always believed the Jag V12 was a great engine, just misunderstood by most. Added to that I have a love for all things unique in the motoring world. So sensible and affordable small blocks are what I need but not what I want!

Anyway....onwards...

 

As a recovering XJS Jag owner, I wish anybody who wants to hop-up the V12 luck.... You'll need it. They are incredible motors, but that runs into pretty much everything; incredibly hard to do major work on, incredibly expensive parts. Keep in mind that most V12 owners are 'enthusiasts' (i.e. have an irrational love of these things) and none of the 'easy modifications' they'll talk about are really that easy or cheap. There's very good reasons why so many Jags got Chevy V8 power. I'll note that you can also drop in a BBC rather than a small-block with very little more work.... and it's still lighter than the V12.

Great donor cars for suspensions though....

 

Interesting thread.Think that I will tag along.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Even better, find a Jag donor with the V8 swap and then you have the suspension and drivetrain parts you can use!

 

I wish this thread was let die. It's out of spec for the HAMB.