Test fit — Engine and gearbox

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …