Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Donor car: Jaguar XJ6
Lawnmower

posted on 4/9/04 at 12:45 AM Reply With Quote
Donor car: Jaguar XJ6

Hi, bought 'The Book' a few weeks ago and got me thinking. Have noticed Jaguar xj6's are quite cheap, around £100-150 on ebay, but am not certain whether these would make a good donor.

I think the chassis would have to be leghthend and widedned, but are any other problems likley to crop up, ie weight distibution all wrong, too much power to weight, handling etc.

Any advice for a complete novice???

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Arthur Dent

posted on 4/9/04 at 03:00 AM Reply With Quote
way too much weight! That inline six - although nice weighs more than more V8s





'The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.' Douglas Adams

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Smooth Torquer

posted on 4/9/04 at 06:44 AM Reply With Quote
It has been done already

I think it has been done before using a Luego Viento chassis, which is basically a scaled up version of a book chassis.

See here : Jag Viento (its the top one)

Cheers
Sam

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
JoelP

posted on 4/9/04 at 07:21 AM Reply With Quote
in my opinion, using it as a donor isnt completely foolish, but there are many better donors. As already said, everything will weigh loads more than smaller donor car parts. The size of the engine will make the build a little harder. Plus, the major killer IMHO is the fact that it will almost certainly be an auto. Crap for a 7 replica!






View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Viper

posted on 4/9/04 at 07:21 AM Reply With Quote
I have to ask....WHY??






View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
stephen_gusterson

posted on 4/9/04 at 01:14 PM Reply With Quote
I had an xj-s that used the same runninf gear.

think.

do you want parts from a 1.8 ton car to make a 500kg sports car.

nope.

take a look at one - everythign is big and tank like to suit purpose. The back axle alone must weigh 2/3 the weight of a locost.

If you do it, its possible, but you wont end up with a seven - more like a giant version of one.

atb

steve






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
andyps

posted on 4/9/04 at 01:48 PM Reply With Quote
Use it to build a Kougar, rather than a seven replica. There are some great features in the jag running gear, but it is too big for a locost in my view.





Andy

An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 5/9/04 at 06:48 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks all!
My main reasons for thinking about using an old jag is that they are cheap to buy 2nd hand, have got a good engine (please correct me if I am wrong), have always wanted a Jg, think they look good, could posssably use some of the more asthetic parts, dont like fords (oh the irony).

Other than a bigger chassis, which would surely make it more comfortable? Is the weight/size of it likely to screw around with the handling? all the weight at te front? The heavier axles would surely offset this?

Its either a Locost varient or a series landy, as I currently have a 1986 nissan micra spare (btw its for sale: 11month mot, <34k miles) and an astra estate diesal car for work.

Thing is if i lose the heavy drivetrain axles etc, then I have to find replacements that will cope with the torque etc of the engine. and am planning (spose you all are too, otherwise you would just buy a ferrari) to build at a small budget.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 5/9/04 at 06:50 PM Reply With Quote
Had a look at the kougars website, seem they try and build it all outof Jags if possable.

Is there anything wrong in just having a big Locost?

8 grand for a kit is way outta budget!
http://www.kougar-cars.com/showroom.htm

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 5/9/04 at 09:03 PM Reply With Quote
Would I need to use stronger steel for the chassis, or would the books eneral patteren be suffficient?
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
stephen_gusterson

posted on 5/9/04 at 11:10 PM Reply With Quote
take a good look at the jag bits before you do this......

a seven is based on power to weight. a minimalist car with moderate power = big performance cos of power to weight advantage.

jag bits are heavy , and you wont end up with a locost.

if you can, take a look at a cater ham or westie, they are small, and it looks right. Once you start to scale up the size (mine is 6 ins wider, and not excatly std all round) they start to look lard assed and huge.

Another thing to take into account is engine height - a jag is likely to give a really high bonnet and look like a bathtub on wheels like that big luego thing.

atb

steve






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
James

posted on 6/9/04 at 11:11 AM Reply With Quote
Lawnmower,

Sierra's are pretty damn cheap too!

Bear in mind that changing the chassis dimensions will mess up the bodywork. You'll then have to patch something together- believe me, I'm at this stage and it's a pain!

At the end of the day you can fit anything. It's all a question of time and money. Think about it carefully as three years from now when your car still isn't finished you may regret not building a standard chassis with standard running gear and a normal sized engine!

Cheers,
James

P.S. Does the Jag engine use carbs or EFI?

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
stephen_gusterson

posted on 6/9/04 at 01:07 PM Reply With Quote
you mean there are people that deviate so far from the book design it takes three years to finish!!!!!

Wish it was that short

atb

marathon man






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
locost_bryan

posted on 7/9/04 at 04:23 AM Reply With Quote
XJ6 would make a good donor for an E-type replica - after all, the E-type was the donor for the original XJ6

Bound to be manual gearbox conversions around for the Jag 6 - the XK engine was a manual, not sure if Jag did a manual AJ6 (or later 6).





Bryan Miller
Auckland NZ

Bruce McLaren - "Where's my F1 car?"
John Cooper - "In that rack of tubes, son"

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
stephen_gusterson

posted on 8/9/04 at 09:14 AM Reply With Quote
They did

I was used in the XJ-s as a manual.


atb

steve


quote:
Originally posted by locost_bryan
XJ6 would make a good donor for an E-type replica - after all, the E-type was the donor for the original XJ6

Bound to be manual gearbox conversions around for the Jag 6 - the XK engine was a manual, not sure if Jag did a manual AJ6 (or later 6).







View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
mackie

posted on 8/9/04 at 09:23 AM Reply With Quote
I believe it used basically the same manual box as the SD1, the LT77.
View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
pbura

posted on 8/9/04 at 05:24 PM Reply With Quote
Something along the lines of a C-type would be very cool. Simple body with aeroscreens.





Pete

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 9/9/04 at 08:19 PM Reply With Quote
Hi just bought a 1963 land rover 2a diesel off of ebay-top speed of 55mph! So locost project will just be 'designing' for a while.
thanks all!

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
stephen_gusterson

posted on 9/9/04 at 08:49 PM Reply With Quote
thats pretty opposite of a locost, mr undecided

atb

steve






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
James

posted on 10/9/04 at 09:40 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lawnmower
Hi just bought a 1963 land rover 2a diesel off of ebay-top speed of 55mph! So locost project will just be 'designing' for a while.
thanks all!


What are you intending to do with it, restore it?
Put up some pictures!

James

[Edited on 10/9/04 by James]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
mackie

posted on 10/9/04 at 09:46 AM Reply With Quote
Put a Jag straight six in it
View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 10/9/04 at 09:16 PM Reply With Quote
I am intending to learn car mechanics and welding with it, as well as go offroading with it. My father in law, an ex used car dealer, is lending me his gas welding kit next wednesday!
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Tblue

posted on 10/9/04 at 09:25 PM Reply With Quote
Have fun learning with gas, it's a hard technique to master and whatever you do remove all combustibles and keep some form of extinguisher handy. I use an old washing up bottle filled with water, puts out the fire without soaking everything. Try to remove all the rust too as it will fly off under the heat and shower you in red hot cinders.
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Lawnmower

posted on 10/9/04 at 09:39 PM Reply With Quote
Got a feeling i will be learning the hard way. As regards the jag/locost I was thinking about somehow sing the grill off the jag in the nose cone, the older xj6's grills aren;t quite as elongated as the newer ones...
Its all just ideas at the moment, but then so was the landy 6 months back, and i get that tomorrow!

Was perhps thinking of raping one of these for parts:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2487812626&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.