V8 but which one?

[3 Litre Power]

the reason why so many 6s were swapped for 8s is because they were cheap and more powerful tan the Essex

[Will01]

I know i haven't even started to fit my Jaguar XJ8 4.0 V8 in my Mk3 yet, however if the opportunity arose i would be hugely tempted to either fit a 302 with alu heads or even go the route of Quadcamcapri with his Ford Racing 32V Cobra engine

[elliecharlie2008]

OOOOOOOOH NOOO

[whooligan]

Jags look good standing still for a reason.
All Jags are E-Types (the E stands for Expensive)
Notice how people say they OWN a jag rather than DRIVE a jag?
Shouldn't really make jokes about Jags as they are owned by Ford.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Shouldn't really make jokes about Jags as they are owned by Ford.

Hi,
Not since 2008. Jaguar are owned by the Indian company Tata Motors now, as are Land Rover.

All the best,
Andrew.

[347 V8]

After all the advice off here and capripower, it appears small block ford is the order of the day. Ive listened to youtube videos and the ford v8 engines sound much more beefier. Now i just need to find one...

Good choice! But then I'm biased. With either Chevy or Ford, parts are so much cheaper, 300 plus hp with total reliability. Depending on budget low end, I'd look at a 302 at a base level, but moving up, 347....but the new 363's look interesting, but they are relatively new and need an aftermarket block= more money. Top with alloy heads....you have a huge choice, I went for AFR's, a Holley carb and you are set. t5 box is small compared to others and mine has lived behind my 347 with no issues. I'd avoid the ex cosworth boxes.....they are all getting on and won't have lead an easy life. Try and get a U.S. Version....has the right splines for a U.S. Clutch....although you can change input shafts easily...I ran a tremec T5 behind my Essex by doing this, swapped the shaft back for the V8.

One interesting choice is if you ever see a cheap mot failed fox body mustang. You get engine, gearbox, axle ( useful for an upgrade, but not mandatory) so snap it up, break it and you'll make something on parts as well.....but you need space to do it...not always available.

On the weight thing, I took my Essex out, put my alloy headed V8 in....no change in ride height, running 190lb springs.

Chevys are just as good in my view, but I wanted to keep it ford.

Rovers are physically larger than the U.S. Contenders, expensive to tune and smaller capacity/ lower output out of the box. Most of the pain about doing a V8 engine swap is actually doing the swap, be it rover/ Chevy or Ford, so I think you have made the right choice you will be very happy. Took mine out yesterday and biiiig smile!

Also agree with the views on the Essex. Now getting very expensive to build. I have everything I need to build one for my mk1. Over 3k in machining and parts already!!!!

[A17 LTF]

After all the advice off here and capripower, it appears small block ford is the order of the day. Ive listened to youtube videos and the ford v8 engines sound much more beefier. Now i just need to find one...

Good choice! But then I'm biased. With either Chevy or Ford, parts are so much cheaper, 300 plus hp with total reliability. Depending on budget low end, I'd look at a 302 at a base level, but moving up, 347....but the new 363's look interesting, but they are relatively new and need an aftermarket block= more money. Top with alloy heads....you have a huge choice, I went for AFR's, a Holley carb and you are set. t5 box is small compared to others and mine has lived behind my 347 with no issues. I'd avoid the ex cosworth boxes.....they are all getting on and won't have lead an easy life. Try and get a U.S. Version....has the right splines for a U.S. Clutch....although you can change input shafts easily...I ran a tremec T5 behind my Essex by doing this, swapped the shaft back for the V8.

One interesting choice is if you ever see a cheap mot failed fox body mustang. You get engine, gearbox, axle ( useful for an upgrade, but not mandatory) so snap it up, break it and you'll make something on parts as well.....but you need space to do it...not always available.

On the weight thing, I took my Essex out, put my alloy headed V8 in....no change in ride height, running 190lb springs.

Chevys are just as good in my view, but I wanted to keep it ford.

Rovers are physically larger than the U.S. Contenders, expensive to tune and smaller capacity/ lower output out of the box. Most of the pain about doing a V8 engine swap is actually doing the swap, be it rover/ Chevy or Ford, so I think you have made the right choice you will be very happy. Took mine out yesterday and biiiig smile!

Also agree with the views on the Essex. Now getting very expensive to build. I have everything I need to build one for my mk1. Over 3k in machining and parts already!!!!

Hmmm...where have i seen that mk2 v8 somewhere before lol...where did you get yours from? Was it a crate motor by any chance? Your setup is bonkers mad and you are too much of an eccentric lol...your car should be in a museum!!!

[drtdgg]

just to further convince you on small block ford, i also have a 347 stoker with afr heads and all the bits. spent yesterday on the dyno and its putting out 340hp at the rear wheels (equates to 440 at the engine). Previously with 30hp less it ran 11.4 over the 1/4 mile. You wont regret it!!!

[347 V8]

After all the advice off here and capripower, it appears small block ford is the order of the day. Ive listened to youtube videos and the ford v8 engines sound much more beefier. Now i just need to find one...

Good choice! But then I'm biased. With either Chevy or Ford, parts are so much cheaper, 300 plus hp with total reliability. Depending on budget low end, I'd look at a 302 at a base level, but moving up, 347....but the new 363's look interesting, but they are relatively new and need an aftermarket block= more money. Top with alloy heads....you have a huge choice, I went for AFR's, a Holley carb and you are set. t5 box is small compared to others and mine has lived behind my 347 with no issues. I'd avoid the ex cosworth boxes.....they are all getting on and won't have lead an easy life. Try and get a U.S. Version....has the right splines for a U.S. Clutch....although you can change input shafts easily...I ran a tremec T5 behind my Essex by doing this, swapped the shaft back for the V8.

One interesting choice is if you ever see a cheap mot failed fox body mustang. You get engine, gearbox, axle ( useful for an upgrade, but not mandatory) so snap it up, break it and you'll make something on parts as well.....but you need space to do it...not always available.

On the weight thing, I took my Essex out, put my alloy headed V8 in....no change in ride height, running 190lb springs.

Chevys are just as good in my view, but I wanted to keep it ford.

Rovers are physically larger than the U.S. Contenders, expensive to tune and smaller capacity/ lower output out of the box. Most of the pain about doing a V8 engine swap is actually doing the swap, be it rover/ Chevy or Ford, so I think you have made the right choice you will be very happy. Took mine out yesterday and biiiig smile!

Also agree with the views on the Essex. Now getting very expensive to build. I have everything I need to build one for my mk1. Over 3k in machining and parts already!!!!

Hmmm...where have i seen that mk2 v8 somewhere before lol...where did you get yours from? Was it a crate motor by any chance? Your setup is bonkers mad and you are too much of an eccentric lol...your car should be in a museum!!!

mine was a long block from a company called coast high performance in the us, so assembled block and heads, but that's was it. Everything else was down to me. I was not averse to building the whole thing, but when they said, given my shopping list of parts, it would be only another $100 or so for the assembled long block, made sense. This was 8 or so years ago. Options here would say there are other ways, as there are a number of ways to do this now, so I'd be looking at real steel for example, but still would not rule out sourcing from the U.S. All the complications of mine have been the induction, and there were times when I thought 'why don't I just put a big Holley and dizzy on it and be done with it' and that is still a very valid option. Having spent 10 days riding shotgun in a Perana in Germany travelling to Speyer, I can confirm it was a great and we had zero running issues and fuel consumption was only slightly bettered by a 280' but we did better than all the 3,0's on the trip......which also dispels the V8 consumption nightmares people think us V8 owners have.

[A17 LTF]

Well, if anyone knows any motors for sale please do let me know.

Kind regards and thanks to everyone for their input.

Altaf

[Will01]

Jags look good standing still for a reason.
All Jags are E-Types (the E stands for Expensive)
Notice how people say they OWN a jag rather than DRIVE a jag?
Shouldn't really make jokes about Jags as they are owned by Ford.

Jags look great standing still but awesome when being driven hard
I agree all jags are E-Type's in the way you explain haha.
Luckily we have a couple of actual E-Types for fun and obviously drive much differently to other Jags. We also have X300 3.2 and the X308 4.0 for comparison, we like to own and drive them.

I always fancied having a Jaguar powered Capri, the first idea was to use XJS V12, thankfully this XJ8 came along cheap

Ford don't own Jaguar anymore, that change happened years ago

[canzus]

just to further convince you on small block ford, i also have a 347 stoker with afr heads and all the bits. spent yesterday on the dyno and its putting out 340hp at the rear wheels (equates to 440 at the engine). Previously with 30hp less it ran 11.4 over the 1/4 mile. You wont regret it!!!

You lose 100HP through the drivetrain??

Naw mate, my 345FWHP/300RWHP runs 11.6 1/4s...

This...



Just as an asides, the build of this Capri happened in the early 90s, 302 with alloy heads(AR J302s) 9.6:1 compression,
custom roller cam, T5 transmission, 9" rear end with a 3.91:1 geared Detroit locker. It's docile enough for SWMBO to drive,
then again, SWMBOs daily driver is an XR4Ti...

[drtdgg]

the motor has been on both engine and chassis dynos, it depends on how the dyno reads the power output, this one reads on the low side. mine also has a c4 in it which eats a lot more power than a manual box. the 11.4 was leaving softly at idle with minimal traction. should see high 10s this season

[bertwav]

Flowmasters sound jaw-droppingly good ( if that's a Word )

I've got flowmasters on my Mustang, some would consider them too loud but I think a Ford v8 with them is as good as it gets!
Also, the engine is the heart of the car so it has to be a Ford, surely!

[A17 LTF]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 10&alt=web

This guy has a few blocks knocking around that need refurbishing from the looks of it. Could anyone please let me know what other ancillaries i would need to complete engine. I gather bits like water pump, sump, etc will be required but are there any other small things i should look out for?

[347 V8]

Going by the picture of the 302, it could be quite a lot. Here's a starter list.

Flywheel and front harmonic balancer
I group these as there are a few versions and they need to be matched. There are 50 Oz and 28oz inch versions. You need to know if it's an early or late engine...early had 28' late, 50. Given it has the cam follower spider, I'd say it was a later hydraulic roller cam block, therefore, would be 50 Oz inch you would need.

Oil pump
Dizzy
Dizzy hold down clamp
Inlet manifold plus thermostat housing
Carb
Sump
Rocker covers
Block plate (goes between block and bell housing)
Front cover
Water pump
Alternator
Front pulleys

Always a bit of a risk, buying these engines, as you are never sure of what you are getting until you strip it down. But the chances are it's rebuildable. I'd also replace the iron heads with alloy versions though!

[A17 LTF]

Going by the picture of the 302, it could be quite a lot. Here's a starter list.

Flywheel and front harmonic balancer
I group these as there are a few versions and they need to be matched. There are 50 Oz and 28oz inch versions. You need to know if it's an early or late engine...early had 28' late, 50. Given it has the cam follower spider, I'd say it was a later hydraulic roller cam block, therefore, would be 50 Oz inch you would need.

Oil pump
Dizzy
Dizzy hold down clamp
Inlet manifold plus thermostat housing
Carb
Sump
Rocker covers
Block plate (goes between block and bell housing)
Front cover
Water pump
Alternator
Front pulleys

Always a bit of a risk, buying these engines, as you are never sure of what you are getting until you strip it down. But the chances are it's rebuildable. I'd also replace the iron heads with alloy versions though!

Absolutely godsend information! The hunt begins for all the parts then. The block would most definitely be getting reconditioned so will have to see what my local engine refurb company says to recondition it and whether it is viable or not as well. Thanks again for this 347 V8

[Will01]

Jags look good standing still for a reason.
All Jags are E-Types (the E stands for Expensive)
Notice how people say they OWN a jag rather than DRIVE a jag?
Shouldn't really make jokes about Jags as they are owned by Ford.

Jags look great standing still but awesome when being driven hard
I agree all jags are E-Type's in the way you explain haha.
Luckily we have a couple of actual E-Types for fun and obviously drive much differently to other Jags. We also have X300 3.2 and the X308 4.0 for comparison, we like to own and drive them.

I always fancied having a Jaguar powered Capri, the first idea was to use XJS V12, thankfully this XJ8 came along cheap

Ford don't own Jaguar anymore, that change happened years ago

Now changed plans, i have been convinced that the Cobra 32V V8 is a great option. Therefore in time i will be fitting one
So my vote now goes for Cobra V8

[chris_v888]

persanaly? If I was doing this to my car id go rover as it weigh as much as your pinto engine LOL but if you go a good few quid id go 4 pot cossie as you can chip them to go but if you want more you will have to do things to it as any engine? Hope this helps a bit and good luck

[A17 LTF]

I have found a company down south that has sourced a 302 block and is currently undergoing a rebuild. Should hopefully be pushing between 330-350bhp once it is all done but most likely wont be finished until the end of the year as its a slow project. I havnt even found a car for it to go in yet!