My question is, are there any clues to dating the body of an XK120 OTS aft of the doors? I know that my Dec 1950 OTS received another body in 1952. The original body number was F2500, but was replaced by a later body F4576. As a previous owner has attached an F2500 ID tag to the rear part of the body, I’m wondering if perhaps only the front half was replaced… There are several identifying features showing a later-type body on the front half, but is there any way of telling if the rear half of the body is early or later?
chris
back half of bodies did differ certainly by 660999 they had the 2 additional body mounting brackets in the rear corner of boot area that had bolts to top of chassis. At about this same point but a little later the boot floor was raised about 1 inch to clear wire wheel spare certainly 660983 the first special equipment car boot floor is still the early type but had been physically forced upwards to clear spare
Thanks, Terry & Mitchell. Mine appears to have the brackets, but I can’t see any mounting bolts in the pictures. In fact, the one on the right side appears to have wiring conduit cming through the hole. Might that mean that the body is later than the chassis and the chassis has no mounting points at that location?
Chris
Naa. Should have a bolt through that hole. The wire goes through a hole with a grommet. Look for the clamp screw holes, 2 of them.
I have the wire harness, grommet, P-clips and carpet buttons, but no knee brackets and no bolt holes to the chassis there.
Chris this does suggest it is a later body component but given you have an early chassis there will be no plinth welded to chassis with threaded hole to accept bolt
Thanks for all this useful insight, guys! I can see mine seems to have that hole for the wiring that Mitchell showed, but I guess someone just found it easier to shove the wire up through the mounting hole. It’s interesting to see Rob’s car which is obviously pre-brackets. It would be interesting to know when this change took place, but that would involve making records of which chassis nos. had the brackets and which didn’t, and then I suppose some form of pattern would emerge. Also, those P-clips holding the loom are held by bolts coming through the inner wing from the outside, so no chance of anything sharp contacting a tyre!
Mike’s theory was a longer bolt and put in the other way, but we will probably never really fully know what happened. In any case we know to be careful about it.
What chassis number is yours, Rob? Oh, I see from a different post it is FHC 679187 Nov 51.
This subject has come up before now, and I think somebody did start to keep a record. The date seems to have been after Nov '51 anyway.
Rob,
it seems like the change ocurred some time between Nov 51 and June 52. It would be fun if people whose 120s built between those dates could have a look at their cars and say if the have the brackets or not. Maybe we’ll be able to pin it down a bit more exactly…
My FHC (679314 from Feb 52) has no brackets on the body or mounting points in the chassis.
Thanks, David - that’s already narrowed it down to between Feb & June 1952!
660999 has them built 25 june 1952 doesn’t help survey
I will look at 660983 next week its a 6 may 1952 car
Good on yer, Terry!
Chris