Trying to work out if 8L64405 and 8L101968-H might be big valve engines.
Pictures OF 64405 followed by 101968 below.
I have spent hours on this subject anyone got any ideas please?
I am trying to buy a fuel injection 4.2 Jaguar engine for a project. The later engine with the larger inlet valves and slightly higher lift camshafts.
Unfortunately for me, although I am in the UK where there is an abundance of £200 engines, I am doing it by engine number on the internet.
I am assuming the heads on the engines are the ones that were fitted in the factory.
What I have discovered so far is that the fuel injected engines have an 8L engine number. They also have a number greater than 50,476.
Looking at XJ6 data, the S3 UK cars have an H suffix.
Is this for a high compression engine? 9 to 1?
I have been offered a pair of engines with the remains of twin carb manifolds. So I am suspicious.
I am not aware any twin carb engines came with big valve heads. The manifolds could have been changed I suppose years ago.
The numbers are
8L101968-H with E982 on the front of the head and
8L64405 with DS212 on the head.
Anyone know what they might be from? The numbers suggest they may be fuel injection engines, but maybe not as Jaguar might have produced the carb engines after 8L50476.
I recently pulled a S3 engine from a rotten S3 in a field, Engine number is 8L-133919-H, I can get you the head number later on this week if you want? (Engines 4 miles away in storage) Ive had a quick look around the web trying to find out what the -H is for but no luck.
Just saw this. The intake side photo looks like a Series 1. The secondary manifold is present with its long studs for attachment of the missing primary manifold. The integral header tank is visible with part of the filler cap. The OP sender is atop the oil filter block as expected, but where the S3 cam feed would be fitted. None of these pertains to S3 engines and it would have been odd to retrofit one of them to these particular S2 “features.”
The exhaust side photo (a different engine?) seems to lack a cam feed banjo bolt tapped hole opposite the number one main. The hex plug visible at the rear seems to be for draining coolant. So this might be consistent with late S3 engines in which the exhaust side cam feed was not provided. Not sure but somebody else can surely verify.
, you are prudent to be suspicious…that is a S1 block
There are no engine numbers on cyl head from 1969 to at least sometime for S2 XJ engines
Did they start imprinting them again sometime after '75?
I bought a “rebuilt big valve” head of a fellow once…turns out it WASNT a big valve head, and had apparently been “rebuilt” by a chimp in his backyard with an angle grinder!
It would be easier imo to purchase a known S3 head from a wrecker/parts trader. or locate a whole S3 car, and extract what you want
Ok, My engine has been exposed to the elements for years as the bonnet had rotted through! My head number looks like E8886. So your engine with the 8L block and E on the head number would seem to be a genuine S3 engine. The other consideration is the Daimler DS420 limo, I think these were in production untill 1992? I don’t think these were injected and if on carbs may have the smaller inlet valves?
The issue of big valve heads having different cams has been of interest to me for some time. Is this true? Do these cams have different part numbers than the ones used just prior? I know that lift increased from 5/16 to 3/8 back in the fifties–not talking about that.
There’s not a lot of info about the S3 engines, I read somewhere years ago that the cranks were ‘Tuftrided’ but now cannot find that link. I’m also interested in the -H after the engine number, Would be handy to know if exported S3’s had this prefix.
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The valve lift is listed as identical for all xk engines, Bob - but whether that is valid for cam profiles or indeed valve timing seems more elusive…
Sorry mate its not for sale, Ive got to pull the 3.8 out of my mk2 as i think its broken or dropped a valve, The S3 lump is being fitted while i sort the problem out, Also i want to compare how an S3 EFI on carbs performs against the 3.8.
Lord! A little tidying up? Seriously?! I think the seller need to go to the eye doctor or put his glasses on. I think that’s a bit beyond “tidying up” the head casting might be salvageable if a person could get the valve train out, which is questionable. with that much oxidation, there might not be much left after machining the mating surfaces; the valve train is all junk. The intake looks salvageable, the exhaust looks a bit questionable. The mating surfaces look pretty far gone, I think it would be a prayer to get a good seal.
Ebay - fleebay; I truly don’t know how a person trying to sell that as a core could sleep at night; Especially at £200.00 WOW!
Hence the ‘Reconditioning!’ on my post The days when you could get sensibly priced old Jag parts is fading fast in the UK, Classic Jag tax! XK 4.2’s (7L, 8L seem to start around the £750 mark on ebay for a seized one requiring a total rebuild, 4.2 Short studs even more, 3.8’s (MK2/S) about 3K (E-type/MK10 even more), I was dead lucky recently getting my S3 engine for £250 although i had to remove it in a field where it had sunk in for 20 years! Amazingly it turns over and antifreeze came out of it. Got some corrosion in the head valley though due to the bonnet rotting off, I’ll put some pics up later in the week to see what you guys think is the best plan of action.
Yes boys, that head may yield some parts, but it looks scrap to me.
On a positive note, I purchased a big valve head for a few hundred quid last week. It has issues around three inlet valves and is off to be sorted somewhere. Looks like the seats will have to come out etc £££.
I haven’t measured the cams yet but on the face of it they look unworn injection cams (unworn like most XK engines I have inspected).
The plan is to get it sorted and on the rolling road so I can compare with my standard 67 head. I feel optimistic.
As far as the value of s/hand engines is concerned, I think prices are rising.
In the 90’s we used to refer to the XK as the boat anchor. The engines were worth virtually nothing and in some countries they were routinely replaced with powerful reliable American V8s.
You can still get lucky though, I purchased a (seized through standing) 4.2 short stud motor last year for £100 which proved an excellent basis for a £5k rebuild.
Compared to other European marques of the period, we are lucky in that we still have some supply of second hand engines. Try and obtain a Ferrari 330 GTC engine for rebuilding.
The other slightly unusual thing about the Jags is that owners use the cars to the engines are still getting worn out-so there is demand for rebuilt engines. The Jaguar racing scene also wears a few out too.
However, the supply is finite and I now believe it is starting to dry up, many engines have been melted down, so prices will move upwards.
The days when you could get sensibly priced old Jag parts is fading fast in the UK, Classic Jag tax! XK 4.2’s (7L, 8L seem to start around the £750 mark on ebay for a seized one requiring a total rebuild, 4.2 Short studs even more, 3.8’s (MK2/S) about 3K (E-type/MK10 even more), I was dead lucky recently getting my S3 engine for £250 although i had to remove it in a field where it had sunk in for 20 years! Amazingly it turns over and antifreeze came out of it. Got some corrosion in the head valley though due to the bonnet rotting off, I’ll put some pics up later in the week to see what you guys think is the best plan of action.
