When I was a new XK150FHC Jag owner (in 1973) I really didn’t know a thing about these cars but after three MGA’s I really did like the extra power LOL. Total “no clue” about the idiosyncrasies of the parts swapping on the 150.
I was contacted in 1974 by a fellow Jag owner about another fellow wanting to buy a running Mark 2 because he had destroyed the front of his in a rear ender. Others wanting brakes, rear axle and interior parts but the motor and OD transmission were still unclaimed, did I want to buy in. As I had a non OD trans and didn’t think having a cheap spare motor was all that bad of an idea I did buy in.
Unfortunately I was not able to actually see the car being broken down and picked the motor and trans up a couple of weeks later. It was supposed to be “complete” but the starter and generator (two parts I really did think were good to have) had been purloined by someone else.
This was supposed to be a Mark 2 3.4 liter motor and transmission but I’m not sure about anything as like I said, I never saw the car and wonder if perhaps the units I got were someone else’s trade for the Mark 2’s.
This has been stored inside since 1974 but it was cylinder oiled before I built a rolling stand for the engine/trans unit. I was up at my Mini storage a couple of weeks ago to get some other items and decided I should check to see if the motor still turned freely (it did) and see if I could find a serial number on either unit (I didn’t but did not know where to look and did not think about the motor before I went.
I’ll see if I can post some pictures and if anyone can tell me if this looks correct for a Mark 2 engine and trans.
Also, since I have found out that the trans isn’t going to work in my XK 150 and the existing numbers matching motor in the car is in great shape I’ll be selling these to anyone who has an interest.
Hi Jim and welcome to the forum, to post pics (if you don’t know) use the up pointing arrow 7th icon from the left, I think you can only post one at present.
Thanks for the info, tried to post several ;-)! didn’t work.
The motor has 3 1/2 liter cast in the block. SU carbs are 1 1/2"
I’ll see if I can post a separate photo of the intake side.
Since this a heavy, expensive - to - ship item and this is a global forum, it would help a great deal to know what corner of globe it is located in?
I found the information on where on the motor and transmission to look for serial numbers and first prefix info on what it was originally installed in. Unfortunately my mini storage is 135 miles from my home as it was where I kept my power boat up in our sierra lakes region and I’m in the SF Bay Area.
As noted above, I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area and the motor/trans are in a Mini storage at Lake McClure in the lower sierra.
If this looks like something anyone is really interested in I can probably get up to the storage in the fairly near future and find the ID numbers on both units.
Welcome Jim. The number of pictures allowed goes up after you achieve a certain trust level, i.e. after a certain number of posts.
The engine serial number will be found in front of the front spark plug,
and on the block where the oil filter is attached.
That will identify what car it came from.
Based on the oil filter, sump, carb intake plenum, intake manifold, fan and exhaust manifolds, my first guess is a 3.4 Litre Mark 1 or early Mark 2.
I remember that one of the buy ins was from a fellow who wanted the upgrade of better brakes and “wider rear axle?” on the car being parted out.
That would indicate a MK11 as they had a wider track on the rear than the MK1
Hmm mismatched front tyres.
I did basic restorations on two of my three MGA’s, body, paint, interior and mechanical.
I took the Jag down to bare metal with all glass and chrome off and painted it the very dated two tone it has resided in for the last nearly five decades.
I’m in the latter stages of a rotisserie build of a 1967 RS/SS Camaro Restomod at the moment but the Jag is going to be up on a frame off rotisserie restoration as my next project (if I live long enough, the Camaro is trying to kill me!)
One of the old Michelins would no longer hold air so when I had to put the car in my trailer I just got a “roller” since it wasn’t seeing the street.
The serial number of the trans is located here on a rectangular boss in the white circle.
It appears to be from a Mark 1 or 2, so the number will probably begin with the letters GBN.
If SF is a bit far and anyone on the East Coast wants one of these GBN overdrive transmissions, I have two cluttering up my workshop - including one a manual tunnel cover and one manual console.
For Jim who is new and might not know this, and Peter, when you get the serial numbers, it is more likely for these to find a new home with people who read the Saloons Forum.
Jim, the trans will work if you change the top cover to put the change lever in the right place. They are both “Moss” boxes.
No, Jim has a JL trans, and you can’t just swap over the JL top cover onto this trans. You would need the top extension piece and the longer forks of a JLE top cover in order to use this trans. And shorten the drive shaft.
Or use it as is and cut the hole in the trans tunnel larger and make a long curved shift lever for it. But that doesn’t seem like a nice idea to me.