I have have 1990 Jaguar that needs some engine work. I have been think about puttin in a Chevy conversion kit. Does anybody know of any shops in Phoenix that install conversion kits?
You may want to get on Jaguar forums to ask about this. Which engine? 6 or V12? The most reliable part of most Jags is the engine, it’s all the other stuff that causes the problems. But if the engine’s shot, then I guess a switch might be worthwhile.
It’s a V6. Thank you. I’ll check out a jaguar forum
Inline 6, right? Which model?
I think this guy has been around this type of thing for a long time.
A friend of mine converted 2 XKEs. (Yes, sacrilege in these cases and not something I would have done…)
One got a Ford inline 6 cylinder and the other got a Chevy 327 transplant.
This used to be popular in the 80’s…a downgrade if you ask me. This vehicle sits on that rocky ledge where engine management was wonky and computer controls had not come into their own. Then factor in the Prince of Darkness for the rest of the electricals… and you have a vehicle that confuses most guys with a wrench and a Chevy 350 on the shelf… LOL
Blackbird
A colleague at Bilstein shocks in California wanted to rent an older Jag XJ6 to tune up an set of aftermarket shocks so they could offer them in their catalog. He could only find Chevy V8 conversions. He searched for 6 months, nothing but Chevy V8 conversions. He gave up and tuned the shocks for the V8 conversion.
The engines were gems WHEN they ran, but they leaked from every corner and needed to be tuned every weekend. They also had the reliability of every British car produced in the 60’s and 70’s… meaning horribly bad. Chevys fit, weighed pretty much the same, used the same automatic trannys and just worked.
What’s wrong with the engine? The AJ6 is pretty reliable, and by 1990 the electronics in the engine should be fairly reliable.
1990 was the year Ford bought Jaguar. They were legendary during that period for reliability issues. It took a few years for Ford to bring their quality up. But they were also gorgeous. I would never convert an XKE, but converting a '90 vintage could only improve it.
There’s one for sale near me, same vintage, a roadster. It’s gorgeous, but it’d be a weekend toy rather than a reliable daily driver.