305 to LT1 swap in 79 Jag XJ6
08-13-2012, 02:05 PM
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305 to LT1 swap in 79 Jag XJ6 So I am starting the re-conversion of my 79 Jag XJ6L SerII. I bought the car about 4 months ago with a tired 305 and TH350 trans. My first thought was to slap a 700R4 in and enjoy the fuel economy and cool ride. But I am an HP junky and that wouldn't do. The next thought was a SBC 350, they are cheap and easy to find and make a lot more power than my 305. As I started looking at rebuilding one I found that it wouldn't be much more expensive to just turn it into a 383 stroker. Well if I did that I would need some vortec heads, new intake, yada yada yada. The cheap option was getting expensive fast. Next thought was LS power. I used to have an 04 GTO and loved my LS1 to death. It was a beast of a motor and a ton of fun. I started looking at 5.3L's and everything that was needed to swap them. At first glance it seemed cheaper than the 383 for good power but there were so many hidden costs that I had not even considered. A coworker finally mentioned an LT1 and the more and more I looked at it I decided it was the way to go.
Here is the recipient
and here is the current 305 setup
The conversion will still be involved but not as much as an LS swap. I have not been able to figure out who made my original swap mounts. They look like Suncoast pedestals but mine use the original clamshell mounts and I have not found another Jag mount that does this. They might be home made but they will work. Hp salvage has some great info on how I will have to alter my clamshell on the passenger side to work
http://www.hpsalvage.com/3rdGen.htm
With the help of Robofuzz, we picked up my new motor last weekend.
It is from a 95 Caprice, I got a couple of benefits from choosing this engine. First it has iron heads which are not D-Port style exhaust and my existing Ram horn setup will bolt right up and will only need the o2 bungs added. The second is it is an OBDI setup so I will be using Tunercat to do the initial tuning. I started tearing the engine this weekend and will be working to get it cleaned up and all the seals replaced, will then be moving on to the wiring harness.
Future upgrades include:
24x conversion with LS1 pcm
CC305 Cam Or LT4 hotcam
1.6 Non-aligning rockers with guide plates
LE Ported LT1 Aluminum Heads
Sanderson Jag 1 5/8 D-port headers
FTI 2800 locking stall
Here is the recipient
and here is the current 305 setup
The conversion will still be involved but not as much as an LS swap. I have not been able to figure out who made my original swap mounts. They look like Suncoast pedestals but mine use the original clamshell mounts and I have not found another Jag mount that does this. They might be home made but they will work. Hp salvage has some great info on how I will have to alter my clamshell on the passenger side to work
http://www.hpsalvage.com/3rdGen.htm
With the help of Robofuzz, we picked up my new motor last weekend.
It is from a 95 Caprice, I got a couple of benefits from choosing this engine. First it has iron heads which are not D-Port style exhaust and my existing Ram horn setup will bolt right up and will only need the o2 bungs added. The second is it is an OBDI setup so I will be using Tunercat to do the initial tuning. I started tearing the engine this weekend and will be working to get it cleaned up and all the seals replaced, will then be moving on to the wiring harness.
Future upgrades include:
24x conversion with LS1 pcm
CC305 Cam Or LT4 hotcam
1.6 Non-aligning rockers with guide plates
LE Ported LT1 Aluminum Heads
Sanderson Jag 1 5/8 D-port headers
FTI 2800 locking stall
