I am assembling the brakes a 140 DHC belonging to the late Andy Leavitt. I am helping Karen with the assembly. The vehicle has all rebuilt Apple Hydraulics cylinders, but as received, the wheels were disassembled and that’s where I am now.
This morning, we connected the new flex lines, installed the wheel cylinders and the bridge pipe. We were also able to assemble the shoes and self adjusters, but not the shoe return springs.
From the parts manual, it looks as though the return springs mount under the adjuster bar and connect on the underside of the shoes. I am about to buy new springs because I think some of these have the ends broken as they have very short hooks.How in the world do they get installed through?
The hooks are not the same angular clocking differing by 60 or so degrees which would require a person to twist and stretch them simultaneously.
What is the best reference manual for this?
XKS sold us a beautiful f\coffee table book but it does little to explain this any help, especially pictures would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Mike Moore
Morgan Hill, California
The best manual I am aware of is the Jaguar Workshop manual for the XK.120 and Mark VII. It includes addenda for the XK-140, though in the case of the front brake drums the section you need to read is section L - specifically the subsection for the XK120-Later Type. These brakes are identical to those in the XK140, with self adjusters. The manual is available in a soft-back form with a maroon cover from the usuals, amongst others. There is a JDHT CD too, with the same content. It’s been so long since I did the front brake shoes I can’t recall whether the return springs were as you describe. It does sound odd. Maybe the ones you have were abused, which also resulted in the hooks at the end being broken?
As David suggested, the best guide would be the official factory workshop manual, specifically Section L page L.48. The illustration will show you which holes to hook the springs into which is critical. The trick is to hook up the springs and then slot the lower shoe into position, place the RH side of the top shoe into place and them use a long screwdriver or some other lever pry against the end of the shoe using the wheel cylinder as a pivot point and pop the LH side of the top shoe into place on the cylinder. You can then fit the self-adjuster bars. As I recall the hooks are not particularly deep, but obviously you do need some curvature in order to pull against the shoe. By doing it in the sequence suggested you avoid potentially damaging the rubber boots on the wheel cylinders.
Thanks Chris! I am not clear yet what holes exactly the clips go in, and I will not see the vehicle again for a few days but I’m sure with the manual and your hints I’ll figure it out.
Thanks so much!
Mike Moore
If you can enlarge the image from Plate L. 30 that Rob provided, it will show what holes in the brake shoes to attach the brake springs.
If not, the springs go on the inside of the brake shoes, and the curved ends hook through the larger diameter holes in the brake shoes.
The smaller diameter holes adjacent to the “spring” holes, are for the adjuster bar bolts. You must insert the adjuster bar bolts from the rear, including a nut on the front, before tackling the springs and levering the shoes into place. When done, there should be two unused holes on each brake shoe - don’t worry about them.
The front springs are very powerful compared to rear brake shoe springs. The rear shoes can be set into place using finger strength only. As Rob notes, the front shoes must be levered into place. Plan accordingly to avoid damage to your fingers or car parts.
Thanks Mike, the image is too fuzzy to discern the springs seated in the correct holes. If we have the actual manual in the garage, I can get that plate enlarged and see from it.I do not understand what “anchor” means.Mike for a 1956 model, I am unclear as to which set of springs I need JA-30628 or JA-24071.
Mike Moore
Morgan Hill, Ca
I’ve PM’d you a higher resolution pdf of the illustration. I believe you need the JA-30628 springs. Where did you get the 24071 number from? I searched and couldn’t find it. It’s interesting to note that the photo of this spring on the XKs web site shows the 60 degree offset of the hooks on either end that you described. Maybe when the spring stretches the ends rotate and come into line?
Enlarging my copy from the CD of Plate L30 made it fuzzy, but in an original printing manual the spring ends can be clearly seen, so here are the spring hook locations.
JA-30628 appears to be XKs Unlimited’s part number for the correct front retractor springs. XKs lists part number JA-24701 for the early XK120 retractor springs for cars not supplied with self adjusting brakes.
Jaguar’s original part number for the retractor springs you need should be C.4173.
Only one end of each spring on the late XK120/140 front brake assembly is attached to the shoe, the other is attached to a post bolted to the backing plate. Shoes can be mounted by hand with no tools.
I have pictures but cannot figure out how to upload them.
The “JA-” part may originate from XKs Unlimited, but the 30628 comes from the Jaguar Parts List. In the XK-140 Parts List the spring is given the Part Number 30628. I notice that in the corresponding Parts List for the Later XK-120 (which uses the same front brake setup) the Spring has part number 4173 (no preceding “C.”) and the description includes 30628 in parentheses at the end. I imagine that the 30628 is actually the Lockheed Part Number, which Jaguar referred to in parentheses for the XK120, and then effectively adopted when it came to the XK140 Parts List.
That makes a lot of sense. If you look closely at the illustration on page L.48 only one end of the spring appears to come through a hole in the shoe. At the other end, there is what appears to be a corresponding hole in the other shoe, but no sign of the end of the spring emerging through it. This may also account for why the hooks at the two ends of the spring are not aligned, They are probably meant to be around 90 degrees out from each other. By the way, posting pictures on the new forum is a lot easier than on the old one. Instructions can be found here:
Mike is right; the text in the manual says, “Hook a pull-off spring to the shoe and attach the other larger hooked end of the spring to one of the anchor pins.”
Make sure you hook the spring to the shoe towards the heel end of shoe(closed end of opposing cylinder), then you can, by hand, pull against spring pressure to fit the toe end into the wheel cylinder piston’s slot. IF you put all that spring pressure on the toe end of the shoe, the brakes will be hard to apply, the residual valve will be over-whelmed, and the adjuster mechanism will not work. Also, the spring hooks should be at 90 degrees to each other, though I suppose as little as a 70 degree offset MIGHT work. You stated that yours are at about a 60 degree offset…sounds problematic to me.
These pictures are from a 1954 XK120 and are the same for a XK140.
Early XK120 with single master cylinder are different with lighter springs between the shoes.
