EARLY XK 120 SIDELITES � tinted yellow on no tint?
THESE SINGLE FILAMENT LIGHTS (No turn signals) WERE IN A
REMOVABLE CHROME HOUSING. LUCAS TYPE 490 C.2751
The �original� interior sidelight assemblies that came with
670499 (July 1950) have a yellow tinted lens marked �LUCAS 490
ENGLAND� around the outer ring of the lens. Replacement
(reproductions) purchased from two different sources have the
same markings but on a �clear� (ie no tint) lens. There is a
possibility that they were clear originally and discolored to
yellow over the years, but I have two sets of original and the
yellow tint is uniform over the lens.
Parts Manual: p. 85: C.2751 Sidelamp � interior assembly
Lucas 52150/A-490 (to 672928)
Schmid reference in Volume 1 p. 174: �Lucas type 490 sidelight
assemblies with opaque lenses,…� Picture 4 on p. 174 has a
side view of the light assy, but the lens color is not clearly
shown. The front view on p. 19 appears to show yellow tinted
lenses in the side marker, but I cannot find and discussion on
the lens color except the reference to �opaque�.
Viart shows a drawing on p.298, the lens appears to be clear.
Porter has a good picture of the sidelight on p21, but I�m
suspicious it�s a reproduction based on the fender gasket with
a bead and the �extra� markings on the clear lens. The early
120 on page 11 appears to have sidelights with a yellow tint.
My assumption is that the early XK120�s did come with a slight
yellow tinted lens, but the reproductions available today are
not tinted. The original lens is plastic and did not hold up
very well over the last 60+years and not many are in decent
condition.
(Tried to post a comparison picture but could not do it)–
kayaker
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from kayaker sent Tue 7 Apr 2015:
I would be surprised that XK120 parlamp lenses were plastic
originally.
This would be an exception to what was used before, then on
other models and laters cars for along while after
The lenses for the built in sidelamp were glass with a chrome
rim pressed / spun onto the glass. Reproduction cheap
replacements [ not by Jaguar] for these are often just plastic.
‘’ Opaque lenses’ I think refers to glass that was frosted, or
milky to diffuse the light.
Glass lenses are easily coloured with stained glass paint,
Jaguar/ Lucas did this withe the single lens on the rear of a
MK IV that was one half clear, one half red.–
Ed Nantes SS
Melbourne, Australia
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