My 1961 Mark 2 arrived with no engine or transmission (and other missing parts)so I elected to put a Chevy V-6 and Chevy 5 speed due to limited funds.At the same time I bought XK Unlimited's heavier front springs kit. Now I have a problem. With the V-6 in place,the front end of the car is sitting up way too high.Conventional wisdom says the V-6 is a much lighter engine (estimated at 425 lbs.)than the 3.4 believed originally in the car (it could have been a 3.8)and that at a minimum, I should go back to my original coil springs (they may be too stiff as well). Hence my questions of what are the weights of 3.4 and 3.8 engines and what is/are the spring load(s) of the original coil springs (the one's on my car checked in at 325-330 lbs. while the new heavy duty springs were 380 to 390 lbs).

Is there anyone on the forum who has put a V-6 in their Mark 2?

Thanks,

Jim in Tucson

Submitted by jimradltd@aol.com on Fri, 07/16/2010 - 21:05

Thanks guys for the info. According to a reply I got from Jag Lovers, the 3.8 engine sans transmission, fan,etc weighs in at 590 lbs while the V-6 is 392 lbs (another source says the V-6 weighs 425 lbs). Quite a bit of difference in either case! My local spring expert tells me that cutting the coils is not the appropriate adjustment so for the moment I'll go back to the stock springs and see what happens.

Jim

Submitted by SE98-32482CJ on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 19:20

Jim I do not think many here can help you with the modification. The engine and trans have been reported to weigh about 600 lbs which should give you a start point. There is a forum list on Jaglovers that deals with these subjects--it is the "Lumps" forum and I bet someone there might know. Good luck.