Jaguar Super V8 Project
Discussion
0a said:
I love this car. I will have a Super/XJR next! I don't have your skills with regards to the upgrades though.
There seem to be plenty around with healthy mileages so I assume they are generally strong?
Go for it!There seem to be plenty around with healthy mileages so I assume they are generally strong?
Mine is has only done relatively baby miles (98k), but quite a few I know of with 180k plus. My old 3.0 had 160,000 on it with no real issues. The main wear items are suspension bushings and change the gearbox oil about every 40,000 (not a service item).
alec.e said:
0a said:
I love this car. I will have a Super/XJR next! I don't have your skills with regards to the upgrades though.
There seem to be plenty around with healthy mileages so I assume they are generally strong?
Go for it!There seem to be plenty around with healthy mileages so I assume they are generally strong?
Mine is has only done relatively baby miles (98k), but quite a few I know of with 180k plus. My old 3.0 had 160,000 on it with no real issues. The main wear items are suspension bushings and change the gearbox oil about every 40,000 (not a service item).
monthefish said:
Ballpark, how much did you pay for yours?
I paid about £9k for mine, excluding wheels and new interior, etc. Fortunatly, been able to sell off surplus parts on ebay to offset some of the upgrades. To buy a basic spec Facelift XJR would be well over £10k (and increasing in value), let alone find a X358 Super V8 with the extras.Edited by alec.e on Friday 19th August 21:30
Well the exhaust has been done, serious kudos to the guys for working from 10am to 11pm on it! I believe the 200 cell cats have made the biggest difference, it feels stronger than before, evidenced by the traction control light flashing more.
Now it sounds like a ferocious wild cat! Sounds epic on wide open throttle, sadly, the (existing aftermarket) back boxes are way too small to work with the new setup, meaning the exhaust booms and drones about 1.5 to 2k RPM. So it will have to go back again to have them replaced with some quieter ones, hopefully then will be just right!
A video:
https://youtu.be/1kxQ5OvSP0o
Now it sounds like a ferocious wild cat! Sounds epic on wide open throttle, sadly, the (existing aftermarket) back boxes are way too small to work with the new setup, meaning the exhaust booms and drones about 1.5 to 2k RPM. So it will have to go back again to have them replaced with some quieter ones, hopefully then will be just right!
A video:
https://youtu.be/1kxQ5OvSP0o
New chambered backboxes installed on Friday. Had a very nice car themed weekend in the XJ, covered about 530 miles and used just over one tank of fuel, averaged 34.4mpg on the way down. Saturday was my bi-yearly visit to Santa Pod with my friends off the Jaguarforum and Sunday was the barge meet organised by 0a.
On the whole a very enjoyable weekend, only issues were a check engine light (due to new cats) which seems to only appear randomly... and some rain at SP, resulting in traction issues for everyone.
On the whole a very enjoyable weekend, only issues were a check engine light (due to new cats) which seems to only appear randomly... and some rain at SP, resulting in traction issues for everyone.
alec.e said:
Well the exhaust has been done, serious kudos to the guys for working from 10am to 11pm on it! I believe the 200 cell cats have made the biggest difference, it feels stronger than before, evidenced by the traction control light flashing more.
Now it sounds like a ferocious wild cat! Sounds epic on wide open throttle, sadly, the (existing aftermarket) back boxes are way too small to work with the new setup, meaning the exhaust booms and drones about 1.5 to 2k RPM. So it will have to go back again to have them replaced with some quieter ones, hopefully then will be just right!
A video:
https://youtu.be/1kxQ5OvSP0o
Shame it's got to go back again. That sounds awesome at 34 seconds in!Now it sounds like a ferocious wild cat! Sounds epic on wide open throttle, sadly, the (existing aftermarket) back boxes are way too small to work with the new setup, meaning the exhaust booms and drones about 1.5 to 2k RPM. So it will have to go back again to have them replaced with some quieter ones, hopefully then will be just right!
A video:
https://youtu.be/1kxQ5OvSP0o
Just returned from the US, the land of V8s! visiting family in Indiana & Michigan.
A random Dodge Viper meet:
My Cousin's 1966 Buick Riviera, 7.0l! I briefly drove it and is like a boat on wheels
Very cool car!
Gilmore Car Museum Michigan(recommended)
Not much done lately, just the occasional blast locally. Took some new photos today:
A random Dodge Viper meet:
My Cousin's 1966 Buick Riviera, 7.0l! I briefly drove it and is like a boat on wheels
Very cool car!Gilmore Car Museum Michigan(recommended)
Not much done lately, just the occasional blast locally. Took some new photos today:
Edited by alec.e on Wednesday 2nd November 21:40
I found with both my old XJ6 and new SV8 that their economy was particularly impressive on really long runs, i.e. 3-4 hours minimum. When driving my old XJ6 down to the south of france sticking to 80/85 I managed 36MPG, and doing the same journey at 85/90 on my SV8 got me exactly 30. Very impressive for such a car I reckon.
Tempted to take this off the road for winter to do some preventative maintenance, thinking off leasing some workspace.
Jobs to do:
-Strip down engine bay and remove supercharger
-Send supercharger off to Powerhouse for refurbishment, including new bearings and oil. Possibly look into porting and polishing.
-Replace 'valley pipe', a coolant pipe which runs inside the V of the block, under the supercharger, very prone to bursting...
-Finish painting engine bay in hard to reach areas, so no primer is visible.
-Respray oil coolers gloss red
-Respray engine strut brace, either gloss red or black.
-Replace coolant header tank
-Replace various gaskets, seals and hoses as needed.
Now the big one, do I de-LPG the car? I absolutely HATE the extra wires and plumbing in the engine bay and I never use it anyway. Thoughts please!
Jobs to do:
-Strip down engine bay and remove supercharger
-Send supercharger off to Powerhouse for refurbishment, including new bearings and oil. Possibly look into porting and polishing.
-Replace 'valley pipe', a coolant pipe which runs inside the V of the block, under the supercharger, very prone to bursting...
-Finish painting engine bay in hard to reach areas, so no primer is visible.
-Respray oil coolers gloss red
-Respray engine strut brace, either gloss red or black.
-Replace coolant header tank
-Replace various gaskets, seals and hoses as needed.
Now the big one, do I de-LPG the car? I absolutely HATE the extra wires and plumbing in the engine bay and I never use it anyway. Thoughts please!
If you are anywhere near as tight as me running lpg is a no brainer. Some places sell it for around 50p a litre which makes it less than half price to fill up.
Throughout the year you might not notice it but if someone were to offer you the cash in your hand for the amount of money you'd saved had you not used it then you would be surprised...
Throughout the year you might not notice it but if someone were to offer you the cash in your hand for the amount of money you'd saved had you not used it then you would be surprised...
Thanks for the replies guys. Parking is no great difficultly with front and rear PDC, I also have the rear view camera too.
Regards to LPG, I don't ever use it (and neither did the previous owner who fitted it) due to soft valve seats, there is flashlube and valve saver, but still cautious... Does seem a shame to rip out a very expensive system.
Regards to LPG, I don't ever use it (and neither did the previous owner who fitted it) due to soft valve seats, there is flashlube and valve saver, but still cautious... Does seem a shame to rip out a very expensive system.
Not that it probably matters to you, but what difference (if any) do you think it would make to the saleability? I'd personally avoid an LPG car.
As an aside, my Sovereign just threw the first largish bills my way. Local Jag indy - service, replace iffy parking sensors (two rear, one front), new rear pads, replace J gate with second hand unit (old one was occasionally sticking in Park), £955. Two days later, I noticed the whiff of warm brakes which turned out to be the left rear caliper sticking. Another £369. Hopefully it'll behave for a bit now.
In a very bored moment, I decided to go through the Jaguar Voice training (reading 25 phrases from the handbook to the car) - I mean, who doesn't talk to their car?
- and only three and a half years since I bought it. Now I can do such amazing things as press a button on the steering wheel and tell it what temperature to set the climate control to, instead of having to reach over to the dash and pressing a button there. Useful eh? 
As an aside, my Sovereign just threw the first largish bills my way. Local Jag indy - service, replace iffy parking sensors (two rear, one front), new rear pads, replace J gate with second hand unit (old one was occasionally sticking in Park), £955. Two days later, I noticed the whiff of warm brakes which turned out to be the left rear caliper sticking. Another £369. Hopefully it'll behave for a bit now.
In a very bored moment, I decided to go through the Jaguar Voice training (reading 25 phrases from the handbook to the car) - I mean, who doesn't talk to their car?
- and only three and a half years since I bought it. Now I can do such amazing things as press a button on the steering wheel and tell it what temperature to set the climate control to, instead of having to reach over to the dash and pressing a button there. Useful eh? LeighW said:
Not that it probably matters to you, but what difference (if any) do you think it would make to the saleability? I'd personally avoid an LPG car.
As an aside, my Sovereign just threw the first largish bills my way. Local Jag indy - service, replace iffy parking sensors (two rear, one front), new rear pads, replace J gate with second hand unit (old one was occasionally sticking in Park), £955. Two days later, I noticed the whiff of warm brakes which turned out to be the left rear caliper sticking. Another £369. Hopefully it'll behave for a bit now.
In a very bored moment, I decided to go through the Jaguar Voice training (reading 25 phrases from the handbook to the car) - I mean, who doesn't talk to their car? - and only three and a half years since I bought it. Now I can do such amazing things as press a button on the steering wheel and tell it what temperature to set the climate control to, instead of having to reach over to the dash and pressing a button there. Useful eh?
Interesting regarding resale value, you are not the first to say they would avoid a LPG car, mind you this car would never be bought by a Jaguar purist who cared about originality As an aside, my Sovereign just threw the first largish bills my way. Local Jag indy - service, replace iffy parking sensors (two rear, one front), new rear pads, replace J gate with second hand unit (old one was occasionally sticking in Park), £955. Two days later, I noticed the whiff of warm brakes which turned out to be the left rear caliper sticking. Another £369. Hopefully it'll behave for a bit now.
In a very bored moment, I decided to go through the Jaguar Voice training (reading 25 phrases from the handbook to the car) - I mean, who doesn't talk to their car?
- and only three and a half years since I bought it. Now I can do such amazing things as press a button on the steering wheel and tell it what temperature to set the climate control to, instead of having to reach over to the dash and pressing a button there. Useful eh? .Glad the car is on the mend, they can try your patience at times, but worth it in the long run!
I am ashamed to admit I too have never used the voice control either, just seems like too much of a hassle compared to the excellent Ford Sync and Siri. Maybe a job for tomorrow?
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