Engine and Transmission Tech

Hi all,

Thought I'd introduce myself here and ask for a bit of advice at the same time... I've got a '75 Triumph Stag with a fairly knackered Triumph V8 engine which I am in the process of taking apart. It is of course fighting me all the way, i.e. cylinder head studs refusing to budge and all that sort of stuff.

Anyhow, I am seriously considering swapping the TV8 for something more modern and infinitely more reliable, not to mention a bit more powerful. I've been thinking about a BMW M52B28 (the 2.8 litre straight six out of a E46 328i) but the electronics for this engine might prove a little overwhelming for me... I'm not too worried about the mechanical side of things but the ECU and suchlike I understand are tricky and requiring some serious electrical wizardry to actually get to work in a different car. Or is this just scaremongering...?

Another thought I've had is fit an AJ-V8 (probably the 3.2 litre version) from a Jaguar XJ8 (X308) as the size of shouldn't cause much problem. Again the ECU is obvioulsy my biggest concern.

Especially the Jag can be found very cheaply over here in good condition, so that makes it a rather tempting proposition.

The BMW diff and rear axle setup would be relatively easy to modify for use in the Stag to take the additional torque and get rid of the "Triumph twitch" and I guess the Jag rear axle assembly might likewise be relatively easy to modify and use on it.

Would anyone on here have first hand experience of fitting either of these engines into a Triumph (or other Brit car) of any kind? Any comments, suggestions and advice most welcome!

Cheers,
Joakim





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2014 12:49PM by Moderator.

I've seen one or two that had the Rover V8 swapped in, that worked out rather well.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Yeah, the Rover 3500 versions would be fairly common, main reason I'd be keen on an AJ-V8 is that they're cheap and relatively common over here. Something reliable yet cool enough is what I'd strive for. All this with a constrained budget... :)

Cheers,
Joakim

Yep, the Rover V8 should have been in them to start with!

Welcome to BritishV8, Joakim!

I know nothing about that BMW six, but I've got a hunch its height might be a problem. And anyhow, I'm much more curious to learn about those Jag V8s. What do they weigh? Will there be any difficulties installing them with a manual gearbox? I think I recall that Jag only offered automatics with them. Why not use the bigger displacement version? But those are topics better discussed in our "Drivetrain" section. Moving this discussion there might get more people engaged. So... I'll do that now.

Hi Curtis,

Thanks for moving this to the correct section.

As for the weight of the Jag V8s I'm not sure, I've only been able to find out that it is "compact and light" so would assume it is a good bit lighter than the Stag lump at least... The AJ-V8 is also closely related to Ford's Duratech engines so I would imagine size and weight is fairly similar to them.

I would most likely stick with the original automatic gearbox, that should keep things a little simpler I believe, not to mention much cheaper! However, the ECU and suchlike is something I am worried about and it seems going with an aftermarket ECU is more realistic than trying to get the standard working, unless you can call on a Jaguar technician...

Another option is of course to go with the Lexus 4.0 vvti V8 instead as I have understood the ECU for that engine and autobox combo would be possible to get to work with its own standard ECU without needing to use magic to get it to work. This is also an option where there is a quite a few conversions already from which I could learn some do's and don'ts from.

So many options and so little money! :) Thankfully I don't need to decide just yet, will need to get cracking on the body a bit first to see if it needs any welding and suchlike. I would of course like to have it on the road next summer, but that's probably pure wishful thinking!

I have also considered putting in a Chevy 350, I could get a crate engine at a reasonable price even here, but then I still could do with a gearbox as well. I will take a closer look at what has been done on this site, no doubt something will inspire me! :)

By the way, would anyone have any experience of or suggestions for strengthening the chassis and suchlike in case I'd go with a fairly powerful engine option at some point?

Thanks,
Joakim