Jag Suspension

[auscobra]

If anyone has had experience with the Jag suspension.
I am about to pick up some Jag front and rear suspension in a couple of days time. I have found the appropriate set for my kit at a fair price.
Just need to know if there is anything I need to look out for when inspecting it before I purchase.
Keep in mind the drive shafts and rear lower wishbones are going to be replaced.

Cheers,
Auscobra

[Rebel1]

Yep....can get caught really easily..

Here goes, the others may well add to the list.

The front:

Make sure you know the difference between series 1 and 11 front ends. ( which series you need depends on your kit )

Make sure the front top and bottom arms are from the same series.

Make sure none of it is bent.

Check stub axle for seized bearings and wear.

The rear:

Check if the ratio is what you need. A tag attached to the diff will have a number like 43/13. thats a 3.31:1, there are quite a few different ratios.

Check diff seals for leaks. You may want to replace all seals anyways but really stuffed seals may indicate badly work internals. Oftenwise Jags are driven by non-enthusiasts who leave the hand brake on which cooks the diff seal. Then the diff runs dry and wares prematurely.

Mike the rotors. If they havn't been turned too thin you should be able to use them again.

When you pull the assembly apart keep note of where all the shims belong.

Rotate one axle .... if the other axle turns you have a Powr-Lok.

Check aluminium uprights for cracks.

Check aluminium uprights to ensure the wheel bearing hasn't siezed and rotated in the housing. The housing will be stuffed if it has.

If I think of more I'll add em.

[auscobra]

Thanks for the advise Rebel.

I picked it all up today. Boy those Jags are heavy beasts, I had to help the guy at the wreckers push one out the way to get to the parts I was after. I should have asked for a discount.

I've got both front and back from a XJ6 Series 3, diff ratio is 3.085
Had to get the whole front bits including cross member and steering rack etc.
All looks ok, but still have to clean it up a bit.

This might sound like a dumb question, but here goes...
What is the proper way of cleaning parts like these? Are there any chemicals/methods that should not be used, or is it just a matter of whatever gets the thing clean is the go?

[Rebel1]

Dunno if there is any right or wrong way to clean them, but here is what I did.

I took the whole lot to a mate who had a steam cleaner...he cleaned them up and he then sprayed a very light anti corrosion stuff on them. That last stuff was very much like wd40 or similiar.

Once he was finished it all looked brand new. Even the shocks had their original stickers on them.

I then set about pulling the bits I wanted. I cleaned all those bits again and then wire brushed them mainly to get the original paint off them.

I then gave them a coat of POR15.

They now look like they have been powder coated.

Cheers

[Rob. Smith]

Wow, I'm in the process of cleaning and plating all of the suspension parts of my Mk2 jag rearend. Jeese are these heavy ! I am seriously considering rebuilding these bits with something lighter. I am cautious as I've seen Robnel front suspension bits fail on a new car...back in 2004. I've modified my front suspension to allow a shock absorber to stand more vertical so that required the upper wishbones to be modified which inturn reduced a fair bit of weight. The next step is to get rid of the 4-pot calipers on the front (its cast into the caliper 20 Lb ) and replace them with something much lighter.
Any suggestions ?

[Rebel1]

Rob, I don't know if it is worth all the mucking around with changing geometry etc to get a lighter front end.

However, I do agree with you re the jag calipers. I have heard of some folks using the Nissen Alloy calipers for two reasons. One to reduce weight and the other for brake balance. They have a slightly smaller piston.

Some folks feel the big Jag 4 pot front calipers overpower the back. By that I'm saying they feel they don't have enough back brake. I have driven an RMC with exactly this problem and it is quite a weird feeling.

This is certainly on my wish list at some later stage.

Cheers

[400TT]

Got to agree with Les, 4 piston Skyline calipers would be the best bet. Fantastic value for money.

Just keep in mind their are lots of varieties of these calipers, but basically 2 main sizes - 280mm & 300mm rotors. With a little work the calipers can clear 300mm & 330mm rotors respectively.

These can be found on front Skyline(R32,R33) & 300ZX. The lower & older models(like R32 GTST) had 280mm versions, higher & newer models had 300mm versions.

Just wish the larger Skyline Brembo's didn't demand the premium they do.

We actually run genuine Skyline R32 GTR calipers on front & rear of the black Harrison with DBA 4000 Skyline 300mm rotors. We also run aluminium Skyline front uprghts and of course Skyline rear. Just can't beat jap stuff, if looking for light weight/high performance.

Skyline 2 piston rear calipers would also go well on the rear.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

As for the Jag rear, I got stuck BIG time...I bought a complete unit (it wasn't cheap) that was supposed to have a 3.36:1 ratio...it turned out to be a 2.88 (although it was posi). It also had both outer hub carriers cracked underneath, but were hidden by dirt & grease. I've since learned about the different rears/ratios and the difference between an open unit and a power-trac (posi) unit. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you spend.