Are their numbers or date codes i need to check on or will all series 1 E type gear boxes bolt right up. Thanks for any advice! I have an early flat floor s1 ots. i just acquired a 1967 2 plus 2 drive train and would like to know if I wanted to, will the early 1967 4.2 gear box bolt right into my early 1961 drive train?
I think there is a thread on this site about matching a 4.2 gearbox to your 3.8 motor…… it involves using the bell housing and ring gear and starter from the 4.2 being fitted to the 3.8
BUT you CANNOT fit the 2+2 transmission( it’s too long) without making massive changes to your floor plan…… the easiest is to buy a short wheel base gearbox out of a FHC or ots …… or a late model mk 2 or S type …without overdrive…… gear stick is in the right place.
I didn’t know the manual 'box in a 2+2 was different than the ones in short wheel base cars.
The car is 9” longer so it has a tail on it that makes it too long
Robert, I assume you already know this but an early flat floor OTS is a pretty valuable car, especially in good original condition or with a high quality restoration. Almost anything non-standard you do to the car will ultimately reduce it’s value.
I own two 2+2’s and as Danny has noted, the gearbox is significantly longer. Is there a problem with your existing gearbox?
Thanks Harvey, I of course realize our 49000 unrestored miles- one family owned new gem is valuable, but I had run across the entire drive train of this 2 + 2 and thought it might be a nice upgrade as I was impressed with how positive the unit shifted. We drive the car weekly, and will never sell it, and of the few things I changed for driver comfort or joy we have packaged away for the grandkids to save also. No, the gearbox is a perfect example of a 60 year old gearbox, my wife has always been irritated with the whine of the non synchro moss box!! Her dad got this off the turntable at the SF sports car show from BMC in oct. 1961, hid it and gave it to his wife for Christmas 1961. We appreciate your thoughts, Harvey, I will put the package out for acquisition
Now I know where they stretched the 2 pluses!!
Thanks Bob
e 7 JagMag2021AprCvr.pdf (325 KB)
6 Likes
Cool story! Her dad must have been a real “somebody” because as I understand it, the really early cars only went to prominent folks who would help further establish the positive image of the cars.
If you are just interested in doing a transmission upgrade, saving all the original parts, then no harm there. There have been a number of threads here on J-L about options, including using a later tranny or going with an aftermarket 5 speed. I have a 63 3.8 engine with Dick Maury at Coventry West as we speak and we are putting a 4.2 full syncromesh tranny on it. Although if it is just the whine that is a problem, maybe you just need a louder radio 
Seriously, on my Porsche 928 I wear some discrete active noise cancelling ear buds on longer trips. As I get older, what sounds great for a short trip can get on my nerves on a longer trip.
1 Like
my non synchro moss box got irritated by the whine of my wife, but we’ve learned to get along over the years… 
5 Likes
Those 2+2 boxes are hard to find should be snapped up quickly
I take it your wife doesn’t frequent Jag-Lovers? 
Beautiful Jag! But not early enough for the external hood latches? When I bought my '61 as a ‘kid,’ I purchased an early Moss gearbox with a Laycock OD unit for my car, knowing I would at least have to shorten/balance the driveshaft. I wanted a higher top speed? I didn’t know what I had back then (1976), and the early E’s weren’t special until lately. Anyway, I’m glad I never did it, now I’m looking to sell the trans/OD.
Yeah Id leave your car alone and go buy another car to drive…
The actual floors would have to be cut an widened to make the bell housing fit.
Leave it alone…
gtjoey1314
Say what? All six cylinder bellhousings from that era can be swapped without the need to cut any E-type floor.
I’m talking about swapping an automatic 2plus 2
But it’s still a big mess
Just to be clear
I think the issue was about putting a 2+2 box into a swb car with an overdrive …… my understanding you can only do this if it is a lwb car without substantial changes….better to go with aftermarket 5 speed
I am about to mount a 2+2 with a 4 speed synchro and compact “a” out of a xj6 with original top off the current box……. Fits like glove ….nothing changes all except a bit of extra wiring…… will be modifying original gear O/D from the xke to correct length …that’s it !
Yup. Been advocating it and selling the Comact A MODs for almost twenty years. One of the benefits of an LWB. Dunno where Joey came up with fitting autos.
Funny its my fault once I hear 2+2 I just think autobox.
My bad, point here is LEAVE your original and buy another car!
Joking but, using a used later set up, Id leave the original unless it blew up.
But thats IMHO
GTJOEY
Sorry for the confusion
ps I did have a friend PUT an auto in a series 1 for his 80 year old dad…it worked and looked trick with an xj6 series 3 shift.
But they had to cut the floor and tunnel…ALOT
No Joey didnt mention it but gearbox’s always need a recondition when doing a resto ….I only like to do things ONCE so what is actually happening is that my close ratio gears are being retained and built into the “new” box by using just the od and shaft out of XJ box .
I read the article in the August 2021 Jaguar World one the Motor Legends 6 speed automatic. It’s based on the ZF 6HP automatic (which is used in the X200 S-type/S-type R and X305 XJ’s.)
The accompanying Motor Legends ad says it will fit “all XK 6 cylinder and V12 Jaguars.” The tested installation though was on a Series 3 V-12 FHC.
Dave