There are quite a few different models over many years. In terms of what you will commonly find in the US, look for any Series I, II or III XJ6 or XJ12, and XJ-S's from introduction in the late 70s all the way up into the 90s.
A disc brake conversion kit for my car is $1495, and Im still stuck with stock suspension. On the rear, the Ford 9 is great, but again, stock suspension. Im really starting to like that E***Y auction site. I was able to get a 91 Jag XKS V-12 front and rear suspension. The rear is 3.54:1 posi. There is actually a very good gear selection, as Chevy gears interchange. Cost for both was $295. <O Both cars weigh about 3800lbs, so this should be the perfect ride/handling setup. <O Now, I just have to figure out how to mount the damn things! <O<OAny volunteers?<O <!-- / message --><!-- attachments -->
To start, keep that rear in the cage. Use the four stock rubber mounts. Weld square tubing into the right shape to wrap around the sides of the cage by the wheels to pick up the two mounts on each side. If you mount the cage in rubber, you need the stock trailing arms, also mounted in rubber. You can also weld the cage in solid. If you do that you do not need the trailing arms, in fact it is mandatory that you leave them out since the Jag control arms use tapered roller bearings with no provision for interference motion. That's why the stock rubber mounted cage uses rubber mounted trailing arms. You can also take the center section out and solid mount it to a custom crear crossmember/bracket. It needs to be very very strong. Again, with this setup you delete the trailing arms. Up front, you can either bolt/weld the front crossmember to the frame. Or you can rubber mount it, the way Jag did. You will need to fabricate upper shock mounts. Jags use regular GM power steering pumps so connecting to the Jag rack and pinion is simple. </o>
Thanks. Where the hell did all them pink smiley faces come from? I think this will all make more sense when I have these in my possesion. I am a little confused though. I thought the rubber mounts were inside the cage? There are also rubber mounts between the cage and frame? Where can I buy these? What do you mean by mounting the stock trailing arms 'in rubber'?
You won't regret doing the swap. Here in New Zealand there are many hundreds of rods/customs/trucks using both front & rear XJ6 jag stuff. Mine included. ('49 Lincoln Coupe)
I posted some info on another thread - dimensions, etc. Search my screen name if interested. The jag suspensions were essentially the same from the early 70's thru mid 80's. We put in Jag IRS and IFS in our '51 Ford...we used the cage in rear, and built a 2x4 front stub and mounted the IFS using the original rubber mounts. Results: Absolutely no road vibration! In the Ford application, we used the rams horns with nothing a couple Borgeson joints didn't fix. I also put a Jag IFS in my '34 Chevy (avatar)...I narrowed it 4" and I'm using a modified Mustang rack. It's a little drastic with the 4" narrowing, but allows me to set the front way down and still be able to turn the wheels without hitting the fenders to achieve the look I was shooting for. I've mounted it solid in this application. The jag axles are wide! If you use a "tread width" dimension, be aware it's achieved with deeply offset wheels - it will limit you to wheel choice. Also, the center hub hole is slightly larger than a standard GM (although the bolt hole circle is the same). You'll need to be aware of the difference when wheel shopping. We used a '72 Jag for the donor on the '51 - we paid $400 for a complete car. The donor for my '34 was a 74,000 mile '74...I paid $200 for it. Hit the yards...they are plentiful, and the yards rarely sell any parts off of them. Jags also have a plethora of other neat "hotrod" stuff...the fender mounted gas caps, the remote cable wiper motors (like currently being sold by various rod shops), dual small "saddle style" gas tanks, etc. There's no appreciable difference from the XJ6 to the performance models. I can't recall at the moment, but I believe the differences are only in rear end ratios and bigger brakes - I've not found the 3:54's or stock brakes lacking. Jagsthatrun.com carries the drive shaft adapter needed to go from a standard GM or Ford to the Jag rear. As mentioned previously...you cannot beat the handling without dropping huge dollars. I dogged a late model Camaro through the curves. Good luck!
On the smiley faces, beats the crap out of me. Yes, everything will make more sense when you see it. The rear axle stuff mounts solidly to the inside of the cage. The cage itself is steel. The cage mounts to the frame (actually, unibody) of the Jag on four rubber mounts. The cage basically hangs down from these four rubber mounts. In one of your photos you can see where the rubber mount mounts to the cage (two left, two right) with four little fine thread bolts. The mounts bolt to the frame/unibody with two studs moulded into the mount IIRC. By mounting the trailing arms in rubber I mean at their forward ends, where they mount to the floor pan. Jag uses very soft (resilient) rubber bushings there. The reason is to provide provision for interference motion (when trailing arms are used) and it actually provides a modicum of four wheel steering because as a Jag corners and the car leans, it twists the cage ever so slightly, steering the rear wheels the correct way around the corner. Some guys solid mount the rear to their frame and they keep the trailing arms. This is WRONG WRONG WRONG and is NOT best practice. The only way to run trailing arms with a solid Jag rear is to fabricate new arms (the longer the better) that pivot exactly in line with the axis of the inner fulcrum shaft bearings. The stock trailing arms are already mounted in rubber at the swing arm. Again, when I said mount them in rubber I mean at the forward end. You can web search for discount Jag parts. Or check the Jag-Lovers forum. Also, download the Kirby Palm book 'Experience with an XJ-S' or something to that effect. It will tell you everything about maintaining a stock Jag suspension or modifying it. Some Jags run big big motors (a friend of mine had a twin supercharged V12) and you can rip out the stock rubber cage mounts. There are several ways to get past this if you have a very high HP street rod and it is all in there in the book. Probably the best riding, strongest and tidiest package anyone could have in their shoebox or whatever rod is a Jag IFS and IRS. You get awesome brakes and these things provide the most amazing combination of handdling and comfort you can ever imagine. As I said before, Jaguar got their suspensions right. Electrical systems, not so much.
In your last pic of the rear, the brake line is laying on 1/2 of the rubber mount - the U shaped bracket.
Your information is spot-on. One thing I will add is that most XJ6 cars had open differentials. A few had limited slip (Power Lock). All 12 cylinder cars had limited slip rears. Various ratios are available and since it is a standard center section you can easily get aftermarket gears if you need a special ratio.
Thanks Guys. I downloaded Palm's book last night. I'm sure I'll have questions as I start to install these, so I'll probably be bugging the hell out of you! I appreciate all the info here- it's great stuff!
any one ever put one in a 41 ford car... are they too wide or will they work with right offset wheels.
wow lots of great info! Im looking at doing jag ifs and irs on my 49 pontiac coupe and this helps alot!
Any threads on installing the rear in the cage, rubber mounted? I mounted the front in my 46' Harvester, I'm sure some of you already know that, now I'm thinking about going ahead and using the rear as well. only thing that was keeping me from wanting to was the series III gearing. 2.88's. But, my build is so far off in terms of actually drivng it, that I have plenty of time to hunt down a better set of gears. So I am actually thinking I may use it. But if I do, it will be rubber mounted like the front. I will just pretty it up with paint and such. Now if I can find some rear installs where they kept the cage!
Have a look through these threads. Everything you will need to know .. and more. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77729 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296583 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333423 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160436 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381637 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24785
My neighbor has a 1988 xj6, would this front crossmember be usable or is it something i should stay away from. I know a lot of people have used the '87 down xj6. Just need some verification that i'll be able to make this work on my '34 master.
I think it will work just about on any frame if you have a torch.Plasma cutter and welder. jags make a clean installation.
Seems to that the '88 onward (xj40) front ends are not really suitable or as easily mounted as the earlier front ends. They are different. Use the XJ6 or XJ12 series 1, 2 or 3.
Seems to be some great info here! I just picked up an 86 XJ6. If anybody is interested the front end will be up for sale.
Definitely. The '88 and later diff is a different set up altogether. Stick with the rear ends with Inboard discs.
I think they look best out of the cage going by some pic's I've seen. But at the end of the day you got to be happy with it in your own car.
That might be out of the cage but it is also hugely modified including moving discs outboard. Not like a jag diff at all ..
Throwing rear cage tests your fabrication skills, geometry has to be correct to make it worthwhile. Depending if you want to see the cage or not, personal preference, that's all. We use front & rear Jag suspensions all the time down under, both solid and insulation mounted. As stated ride is superb, 4WDB, P/S and can be fitted to almost anything. The availability of parts makes them ideal. Later series 2 & 3 are better from what I can gather, brake wise. Jag uni-joint is 3/4 48 if solid mounted. If you use rubber mounted use the OEM Jag uni-joint as it extends and collapses. You won't be disappointed. Make sure you get the tail shaft for the rear coupling joint.
Later model Jag brakes that these days are located outboard, but it is all still Jag. Pretty simple modification as it goes.
Great thread, I am just putting 86 Jag front and rear into a 53 GMC right now. I stripped the Jag shell to get all the parts, and am now taking the GMC down to the frame in prep to join them up. I plan to weld it solid, using the rear cage as built by Jag. The front is also planned for solid welding in. I need to spend some time looking at all the links in this thread.
Well I was referring to traditional type Jag rears as used in Rods since the '60's. This newer Jag stuff really doesn't fit in on this Trad site....
The Jalopy Journal
