Jaguar XJS V12 racing car

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sparky961:
Do you think the weight of metal that's rusted away will offset the additional weight of the welds and overlaps of the sheet metal? Or maybe with that monster of an engine you plan to drop in there it wouldn't matter if you welded two cars together....

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but I had the opportunity to drive a 1986 XJS (6L V12, if I recall) somewhere around 1997 when I was working in the automotive trade. Its the only test drive that sticks in my memory from that era. Smoother than any car I've ever driven since.

Nice to see that you're giving this one a new lease on life.

vtsteam:
I really look forward to additions to this thread. Up here with all the salt on the roads and long cold winters, autos die from rust, much more than mechanical wear. It's encouraging to see what can be done, and how it is done.

I have one bad spot on my Mazda pick up truck I have to attend to this month in a frame web behind the rear leaf attach point. Basically the extension that goes to the bumper. It's in a spot that is hidden by the spare tire, and so stayed wet and trapped moisture. The rest of the frame is fine. Nothing as bad as the Jag, but still, nothing I've done before. Good to see photos!

Divided he ad:
I thought you'd have had it on the track by now Ade!? :lol:

Looks like fun..... Fancy a similar repair to a Cosworth? (O/S/F floor :( )

:thumbup:

AdeV:
Thanks for the ongoing encouragement, sometimes it's much needed.

I'm not sure why it's not on the track yet. Apparently I must have been asleep for almost a year, as I seem to have made little progress, yet I'm not entirely sure where the time's gone. I have managed to completely disassemble the engine, clean most of the external parts, and some of the internal ones... I've also gathered 3 other spare engines, stripped one of them (to replace the damaged head from the original engine), I still need to make my "feet" and the cylinder liner puller so I can get a piston out of the seized engine. ARP are currently looking through their back catalogue to see if they do any studs which will fit the engine - if not, then it's going to be a custom order (=£lots). I think I only need bearings & piston rings to re-assemble the bottom end.

I'm really going to try to put my back into it now, I'd like to be on the track before the end of next year, which is going to be a tough call financially & in time terms. The good news on the shell is, I've got one wheel arch to rescue, a few more chassis patches, the driver's side floor & sill to do, and the new boot (trunk) floor, which will be moved to accommodate a rear diffuser. A few internal patches and a couple of repairs around the windscreen should see it ready for paint, roll cage and "glass" (Plexiglass apart from the windscreen).

Ralph - check your PMs.

Sparky - I'm not entirely sure about the weight thing. The floor was remarkably heavy, much heavier than the rusty crud which I cut out... I'm not sure if it's thicker metal than the original, or just that rust is so much lighter than steel (so why do rusty boats sink then, eh? ;)) My target weight (which I won't get anywhere near to begin with) is around 940-960kg (the class minimum), realistically I should get to about 1200-1300kg dry this time around, when I start replacing outer panels with carbon fibre I'll save a bunch of weight, especially that bonnet (hood). If the XJS was an '86, it would have been the 5.3 litre HE model; the 6 litre was fitted from about 1994. Jaguarsport (an offshoot of the TWR/Jaguar partnership of '82-'83) produced the 6 litre intially, because most of the parts were the same it could be produced on the same production line as the 5.3. Major changes were the crankshaft, pistons (& rings presumably) and head gaskets. Everything else was pretty much the same.

Steve - rust. Aaah, rust. You've got to love it, otherwise it'd be soul destroying.... It's a bitch to weld to though, sparks and lumps of white hot metal flying everywhere. I keep setting things on fire trying to weld to rust... If it helps: Get the area as clean as possible, a wire brush on a grinder is a great tool, as is a flap disk (not sure if the US has a different term for those). Bare metal makes life MUCH more pleasant when welding. Depending on how big your welder is, you may need to use the "thin metal technique", which consists of lots of brief welds (tack welds really), start 6" apart, then 1/2 way between each weld, then 1/2 way again, until they're virtually touching; then you can generally fill the gaps without blowing holes everywhere.

Kayzed - apologies, I didn't spot your post earlier; I'm going with a manual 'box (Tremec most likely as that fits my clutch), 5-speed. The clutch is a 4-plate Indycar item (should be interesting in the pits...) and is only 4.5" diameter. I'll have to have a custom flywheel ~5" diameter, it'll be a 2-part flywheel because the clutch pressure plate would be running on the bolt heads otherwise, which reduces the surface area by an unacceptable amount. I've got 4 engines & keep a regular eye out for more... ironically I've actually run out of places to put them now!

vtsteam:
Thanks Ade!

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