💁 Incredible Unknown Facts About The Jaguar XK Engine | Ultimate Guide 👀

We've been looking after these good-ol' Jaguar XK engines since the 1960s, when our small company was born in Nottingham, UK 🇬🇧 Our engines are built in 3 main specs, starting with a standard rebuild and moving up to fast-road, ultimately turning into a race spec engine delivering thrills for the circuit.

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The specialists in classic Jaguar & Alfa Romeo! We offer bespoke restomod exterior and interior design, concours winning restorations, coachwork, engine building, carburettors tuning, servicing and upgrading on the complete classic Jaguar range from XK120, XK140, XK150, E-Type, Mk 1, Mk 2, S-Type, E-Type 6 or 12 cylinders.

Our aim is to provide bespoke services that offer satisfaction to the eye, whilst still maintaining the original style and functionality associated with a both classic Jaguar & Alfa Romeo models of the 1950s to the 1970s.

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[garthlundquist]

Some context as to how the different displacement versions of the XK engine felt to the driver in operation would be helpful. As a lifetime owner of XK’s I can share that the smaller displacement versions would rev higher, and felt more sporting, despite making less power and torque. The 3.4 liter version was the Le Mans winner. The 3.8 revved up noticeably quicker than the 4.2, and was best matched with the manual transmission. The 4.2 produced more torque and thus was the best motor to have behind an automatic transmission. The Jaguar built 4 speed full syncro gearbox available beginning in 1965 was much better driving in traffic than the hoary old Moss box introduced in 1949. The Moss box began life designed for a lorry, and was the only gearbox commercially available that could handle the prodigious torque of the 3.4 XK engine in 1949. The later GM sourced auto boxes were far better than the earlier Borg Warner units. The clutch was also improved substantially for the 1965 model year. Not mentioned is that the XK engine owes much of its longevity to the robust 7 main bearing bottom end and race car like huge oil sump capacity. The long stroke design makes more torque at lower revolutions, thus promoting engine life in normal road driving. In the 1970’s the factory production boring machinery was wearing out. This coupled with labor problems meant that tolerances and quality fell considerably for customer cars. Ford ownership has been criticized, but Ford invested heavily in modernizing Jaguar and can be credited with saving the company at a huge cost.

[paulwells]

You must have needed a strong drink after your customer tried to bend the tach needle on the newly rebuilt engine... Subscribed

[videomaniac]

These engines are mechanical pieces of art.

[robharding]

Great workmanship, those engine rebuilds are very impressive, Love all things jaguar.

[richardlewis]

I had several XJS in the 1980 which also had the V12 engine! Beautifully smooth and powerful and did about 15MPG - but worth every gallon!!

[classehermansson]

They use the same construction of oil pan that the "new" 3.4 XJ6 engine Jaguar used from 1975 and forward, and of course the 4.2. Not slushing around oil, so the oilpump always got some oil to pic up.
I have got a 3.4 from 1975 to my special build and some of the things that the engine builder proposes to his customers is for me a little bit "overselling parts"....but thats just the new world.

[TSER]

That will be the XK Scorpion-Injection Model.

[vae]

Enjoyed the History here.. Have you fitted the new 123 Bluetooth distributors to any of the XK engines? JMD

[n-mi]

so you set the valve gaps with the head off... do you occasionnally find any change in the clearance after the head is torqued down onto the block ?

[gf]

Why does it not ever get mentioned that it is a true. HEMI engine.

[jasongarcia]

Hello. What solution would you suggest for a car that has all matching numbers except the head. Is there a 'M' version or something that I could substitute in absence of the original head which may have been removed because it was warped or failed. Any ideas would be amazing?

[hueyhoolihan]

too bad your shop is not over here in california, because i'm in desperate need of a rebuild (the block is cracked) on my 3.4l xk engine in my mkii. surprisingly, it managed to make it from here in california to ohio (3000 miles), including over a 12, 000 foot pass in colorado, with the cracked block and a leadking head gasket.

[iamthebroker]

Hi guys, love your work. I have a 12/84 built xj6 with 4.2 xk engine. I’ve been told because my motor is Jaguar Plc engine (as opposed to Leyland ownership) the engine is much better as things reverted back to Jaguars original specs/materials used for either the heads or the blocks. I’m vague on the details but wondering if you know? Would much appreciate any info about the difference. Cheers Andrew

[jharloe]

What oil would you use ? I know what the book says but oil sae has changed over time

[rogerpritchard]

My father Dennis Pritchard had a beautiful oplescent blue 1968 E-Type 1.5 series coupe 4.2cc. I can't remember the colour of the head. Would it have been gold? Thanks for the video, subscribed!

[glennpowell]

You pull these engines up to power and then come off the throttle and let the gearbox turn it.They snap and snarl through the three SU carbs.Glorious.Banger racers loved them sadly.

[adoreslaurel]

Lyons must have been off his meds when he came up with the 2.4 Litre, madness! reducing the capacity of this engine and turning it into a boat anchor. It could never have been a money maker and from a manufacturing costing point of view would have been his number one loser.

[bricology]

Nice video, but I didn't see anything that was an "incredible unknown fact". 🤷‍♂

[markmathews]

where are the incredible unknown facts ?