Interesting… I too was considering a Lexus V8 for my xjs - the
1UZFE - 4 litre quad cam.
A mate of mine imported a Toyota Soarer from Japan, and after driving that
I was pretty keen to have my car powered by that engine.
I did some crude measurements and I think that the intake setup was a
little bit too high to fit under the hood…
Not sure, but it would have been close. I was a bit scared by the whole
computer/wiring thing aswell - never done anything like that before.
Now I’ve got a 350 waiting for a supra 5-speed and an implant…
I could have got hold of the 1UZFE for about A$2500 from various importers
in Australia - pretty cheap really.
I have seen one conversion in the flesh (non jaguar) and was quite impressed
with the result. Silky smooth and refined. The 4.5l is the later one from
the Lexus landcruisers I think - or is that the 4.7… I cant remember now.
Anyways - I was offered a 4.5 for around $1700 including trans and
computers. The biggest hassle as I understand it is if you want to use the
Lexus auto. This is a fully electronic box and thus must have all the
original Lexus electronics to operate it. Most people discard this box for
something more common and then convert the engine to Motec / Autronic
managment (the original goes into limp mode when it realises that the Lexus
tranny isnt there).
There is a group in Sydney who are playing around with this engine quite a
bit. It is supposed to be one of the strongest V8’s around in stock trim and
thus is a good candidate for forced induction. I think Castlemaine Rod Shop
have some bellhousings out to mate it with other transmissions.
As you suggest, the biggest problem will be clearance. I havn’t completed
the mesurements as you have so it was interesting to hear that it could be a
problem. I guess I was basing it on the fact that the XK engine is fairly
tall. Still - with modified sump and engine mounts I think the problem could
probably be overcome.
My search at the moment is for a reasonable SIII that perhaps needs lumping.
Regards - Pat.