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Questions re. LS1 motor & transmission...

Gosling1

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Hi - normally I cruise the VN-VP forums, but tonight I have some questions about the LS1 motor and transmission - hoping that someone here may have some answers....

In a nutshell - I want to fit one of these motors into a Series 3 XJ6 Jaguar....:whistling (please don't hate me....;)) - as a tow-car for some historic racing bikes I race. The VN is just not comfortable enough on long hauls to Phillip Island or Eastern Creek. A V8 Jag, with a good-quality LS1 motor fitted, would be heaps nicer.....

A local engineer who can sign off a certificate for rego, has advised that this conversion is reasonably straightforward. I can't use the bigger 6 litre motor, as its over the 10% limit for upgrading engine capacity (from a 5.3l V12 Jag motor, a 5.7 *just* squeaks in).

What I need to know are some simple things, having never owned a vehicle with an LS1 fitted, these might sound stupid, but bear with me......

* Is there any type of electrical issue with fitting a different gearbox (say the 6-speed), instead of just using the 4L60-E 4 speed ? Is this even possible with an LS1 engine in the first place ?

* What sort of costs would I be looking at, for a decent (<100,000) LS1 motor and gearbox ? Is $5k too much ??

* Are there any known issues with these motors that I should be aware of, when checking out potential donor motors ??

* How economical are these motors in the real world ?

* Does anyone know how much one of these V8's actually weighs ??

thanks in advance for any tips or advice about the above questions. All suggestions welcomed ( including the obligatory "Get a VY SS" answers :yeah:)

cheers
Dave
 

dijm8

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most ls1 conversions can cost upto 10k these days m8 just depends where u go etc...best would buy a wrecked car n pull everything out n put in yours rather then buy everything seperate...

they can be very economical if they are tuned right :)
 

Gosling1

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Fantastic !! thanks for the tip - it was a pretty safe bet that someone else had already done this conversion .....(but I had no idea there was an entire forum dedicated to these LS1 motors.....) - that story should help heaps.....


and thanks djm8 - The donor motor/box combo's I am looking at are basically all complete running units, including ECU and full harness. This *in theory* should make the actual conversion itself fairly straightrforward........I have done some engine transplants in the past with 308's, and also slotted a 250 2V motor into an XB panelvan many years ago, I am hoping that if engine and gearbox mounts are available from somewhere like Castlemaine Rod Shop, then I will do most of ther hard yards myself.........

:thumbsup:
 

HSV99

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Yeah Castlemaine would deffinately be the place to start. Depending on the popularity of the conversion they might even look into doing a full coversion kit. People have been dropping 350 chevs into XJ6's for a long time now so I guess the LS1's just a natural progression.

I think this is a pretty cool conversion your doing here mate, good luck with it and make sure you post some progress picks as you go.
 

VZ SS :D

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mine uses 15-16 in city and around 9.5-10.5 on highway. But ye im gonna say it ya can pick up a pretty gd vy ss for like 18 grand and there great cars!! cheaper, easier and better end result IMO! just my opinion tho
 

Gosling1

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Yeah Castlemaine would deffinately be the place to start. Depending on the popularity of the conversion they might even look into doing a full coversion kit. People have been dropping 350 chevs into XJ6's for a long time now so I guess the LS1's just a natural progression.

I think this is a pretty cool conversion your doing here mate, good luck with it and make sure you post some progress picks as you go.

cheers :thumbsup: I will post up some pics as I go......here are a couple of the donor car - I won it on ebay the other night for $900, its an electric-everything 1982 Series III Sovereign. The owner has a history of building hotrods, and reckons I have landed a very good example .......will be heading up to Sydney next weekend to pick it up.....:dance:

jag002.jpg


jag001.jpg


I rang Castlemaine Rod Shop - old mate there said he had done a lot of conversion kits back in the 80's and 90's for Chev and 'other' V8's :whistling - but I was the first person to ring up and ask about the LS1 conversion for a Jag ! Its all good though, there is a mob in the US who do a full conversion kit, have contacted the owner of the business, and he has replied with a heap of info, so thats looking very promising....

I have heard that the early LS1's should be avoided, and the best of the bunch is the LS1 fitted to the VZ ???? Any ideas about that ?? I am a *total* novice when it comes to these motors, but want to fit the best one out there....

cheers
:)
 

R0d

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i thinks its due to the piston slap some ls1s may have but id say most of the problem motors have been fixed. I think it was due to the oil pump used in series 1 vx ss but was changed in series2. Mines a serious 1 but a mate told me if you wait for the oil light to go off before cranking the car there shouldnt be a problem with series 1. dont quote me tho haha
 

HSV99

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Yeah like ROd said the early LS1s were prone to piston slap on start up and can be a bit noisey and rattley but having said that there is still plenty of them still going strong. I'd definately go for a VX series 2, VY or VZ LS1. Bonus is you'll get the LS6 intake manifold as standard on those motors too (better flowing, more power:thumbsup:). Either way just look for the lowest km motor you can find.
 

S2_VR_

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my ex's father Has an XJ6 with an LS1.. used to haul arse too.. dunno what box he had behind it.. but we took it to byron one day and **** me it was comfy on the highway
 
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