Maikel,
I am unsure of the part number for the early 3.8
Inner Fulcrum Mounting
Brackets, but as you can see in the photo below, they are a more "delicate" casting with the addition of the extra lugs which bolt to the Lower Bracing Plate under the diff and are less "chunky" than the 4.2
Brackets. You believe you could use the later
brackets once they are shimmed to suit the mounting cage, provided the mounting cage holes for the shafts can be aligned, but these don't have those extra lugs which I suspect Jaguar deleted as unnecessary on the later cars as the Bracing Plate is located with numerous bolts. Incidentally, I cribbed that photo from Ebay listing for a empty E type Diff, (but offered with the all important - and perhaps now much more valuable - mounting
brackets), which finished this week - just type in "E Type Diff" and click on Sold Listings.
All the 3.8 and 4.2 E types used Salisbury Diffs and although I know about the internals on the later Dana diffs and their difference Pinion flange to the Propshaft, I'm uncertain on the external casing and would not expect a Dana to have the same external dimensions and mounting configuration to suit a 3.8 or 4.2 E type mounting cage.
As regards the Distance tubes, these do vary in length depending on what
Fulcrum bracket is fitted in what vehicle application, and the correct tube needs to be matched to the bracket being used to keep the dirt out of the shafts, seals and bearings. For example the XJS uses a different bracket to produce a different angle for the pinion nose relative to the horizontal, so the tubes match the gap between the two pivot surfaces on the respective bracket design.
regards,
Dave