Reference previous posts: Prep for test fit — Engine and gearbox, Part 1 and Part 2
With the engine and gearbox now at the Surgery, it’s time to test the accuracy of all the research by undertaking the long-awaited test fit. This will also provide clues as to what else might need to be taken into account when I get to the point of fitting other accessories such as power steering.

Initially, the front suspension cross member was fitted as I wanted to ensure there is sufficient clearance between it and the XJ engine sump. I had read that this may be an issue.

Front cross member fitted, it was simpler to do this first and then deal with the heavy stuff
Image of the suspension assembly from the manual showing the mounting points. I purchased new rubber mounts.

Getting the Jaguar engine/gearbox combination in and out of the Mk2 engine bay can be a tricky proposition due to its weight and length, and things are made more complex when the bare body shell is supported on a frame low to the ground. The lack of ground clearance meant there was insufficient height to allow the engine/gearbox combo to be manoeuvred into position.

Hmmm, this isn’t going to work …
In this image you can see the engine mount fitted to the chassis rail just above the cross member

The lack of clearance isn’t a problem with the front suspension installed as sufficient height is provided as the engine weight comes off the suspension. Only just though!

Luckily, with nothing else in the engine bay, it proved possible to install the gearbox and then the engine.

Gearbox in place
Engine about to be reunited with the gearbox once more …
There we go … XJ6 engine in Mk2!

As an aside, When the time comes to install the engine into the painted body shell I’ll investigate alternative methods such as; lowering the body onto the engine/gearbox and following that, fit the front suspension separately. Anyway, that’s in the future!

Ok, so let’s see how everything lines up:

Well firstly, the good news is that the front engine mounts and the rear engine stabiliser all lined up as expected!

I was (and still am) concerned about the spacing between the front guard and the carburettors. As you can see from the image below, there’s not a lot of room. 30mm to be precise between the guard and the front carburettor, but there’s an additional 40mm taken up by the spacers mounted on the carb intake. Do they need to be there, and/or do they need be of that size?

As expected not much room between the front carb and the inside guard
Oil filter … fits nicely, as does the RH engine mount
Exhaust manifolds and LH engine mount
Engine stabiliser — lines up perfectly, but the oil feed is close to the firewall

As noted in the Test fit – 1 post, the XJ water pump and pulleys are too long. Even without the radiator installed, this is clearly the case.

Water pump and pulley

Now to the gearbox, my trial measurements between the current and replacement gearbox indicated that the gear lever position was about 40mm further back than the original. While I don’t know if it’s exactly 40 mm (because I wasn’t able to get very accurate measurements of the original gearbox) it’s clear from the image below that the shifter eye is very close to the rear of the cut-out in the transmission tunnel. I’m glad I scrambled around in my lock-up getting those measurements as at least I was prepared for this outcome.

Gear level position is (approx. 40mm) further back in the transmission tunnel than the original
With the transmission tunnel cover in place (I admit it looks as though a strange rodent has taken up residence), it’s clear that the position of the gear lever is further back than the original

For a comparison with an original Mk2 check out the images in this post from Lin Rose’s Blog.

I wanted to see how this would all look with the gear lever in place, so I spent a little time swapping gear change mechanism (known as the pivot jaw housing) from the XJ to the Mk2 gear lever. The selector levers on the ends of both gear levers look pretty much identical, so a simple swap should be OK for now.

XJ6 gear lever and cover. The overdrive switch is incorporated into the gear knob
The underside of the XJ cover, the pivot jaw housing is bolted to the bottom of the gear lever
The XJ gear lever is on the right, the angle and size of the selector lever looks identical between the two
Everything swapped over
Gear lever fitted and transmission tunnel cover cut and roughly positioned

What about the rear engine mount (under the gearbox)? I estimated that the mount would be approx. 220 mm further forward compared with the MK2 position (Ref Test fit – 1). While I haven’t had a chance to measure the difference exactly, it’s clear from the image below that the mount position is well forward of the original. A new mounting arrangement will need to be fabricated.

Rear engine mount has moved forward pretty much exactly the width of the mounting bracket

You may have noticed that the previously smooth surfacer coat (Ref Bodywork – getting ready for painting) has acquired a blotchy appearance, this is where imperfections in the surfacer coat have been filled.

Imperfections in the surfacer coat filled
Always good to see another Mk2

This is where I’ve got to, there’s still a lot to do, I’ll update this post as things progress.

To be continued …