And 99.9% definite (nothing is ever 100%) NOT cast up spares.
These came from a hoard of spares, from a guy who used to race XK120s extensively in the days when spare XK engine parts were readily available, and extremely cheap, indeed with this pair came three more pair of undamaged/good condition C2217/C2218 studless cam covers - so hardly a time when anyone would go to effort/expense of making their own… Even in my time you could buy a running/rust-free complete Mark VII for $50-$100, including of course complete engine…albeit I dont think I ever saw an XK120 for under $500. So not a time when you made your own XK engine parts…
Strange Roger ! the oil filler hole shown on this photo appears to have the chamfer introduced on much later covers, the cap itself used with a rubber sealing ring, is this an optical?
@53ctype I would certainly be interested in the part numbers.
Being the cam covers from E1001-8 I surmise the covers in your photos have studs at the front? with higher bosses and the exhaust part number (cast on the underside) is C.6723 and the inlet C.5889?
In looking again at the part number of the exhaust cam cover in my post in this thread yesterday I realise it is NOT C.8728 but C.6723. So, the same cam cover fitted briefly to XK120s in 1952 (engine #s W.4691 - W.5652) and machined to fit a Monza cap adaptor i.e. C-Type. Identical, I believe, to yours / E1001-8?
Another factor to be considered, is the overweight cover has the machine cut slot at the rear for the rope half seal, so we can conclude it was made for the first run of XK heads C.2242, of which there were 2345 such engines made according to the XK120 SPC, and not the C.2242/1 head which had the more common circular seal at the rear.
Assuming around 2345 cars got these engines, Porter’s production timeline suggests that this cover was on a car built no later than about June or July 1951.
The Mark VII SPC does not list the C.2242 head nor C.2217/2218 covers, only those with the later seal, so we can probably rule out a Mark VII as the source.
The next question is how did it get to Australia? Probably not on a 1951 C-Type.
We seem to have lost Phil W’s original question. Phil, we’d still like to see pictures of your covers.
Yes Peter, an optical. I went and had a closer look as I hadn’t noticed anything unusual before, and best I can say it is a light CHAMFER as you typical find to varying degrees on all the cam covers that use a C.1022 Filler Cap and C.419 flat Washer and not a deliberately machined TAPER as provided for the later (mid 1960s on) C.25480 “O” Ring
I had a look at about a dozen 1950s cam-covers and note the degree of the CHAMFER does vary a little, from minimal to distinctly apparent - but still much less than the deliberate TAPER.
Its impossible to know exactly when Cam Cover itself came to Australia, but no, we did not get any 1951 Works C-types. But this one came from a very well connected XK120 racer from the 1960s/70s when as before, XK engine parts were plentiful and cheap, indeed as I said earlier the estate placed little value on all these XK120/Mark VII engine and chassis parts that they had already invited the local scrap metal merchant to take all the aluminium castings away - cam covers, carburetters, heads - after a low key invitation for anyone wanting parts to be quick - I was!
But as promising a possibility of this being an oil-breather casting cam-cover, I still cannot reconcile also being studless (horrible word, but we all know what it means), so maybe I go back to my original Plan A …
Australia DID get the majority of the earliest RHD aluminium XK120s including the first sold 660002 with Engine W1009-7 as built AND Dispatched to Australia in July 1949 … this car sat as a basket case for many years in a nearby area with its disassembled engine, and indeed although the car is now concours restored and back in the UK, its original Cylinder head remains also nearby - also now perfect… Cant comment about its now fitted cam-covers - should have looked more closely - and although I am not saying my ‘strange’/heavy cam-covers are ex W1009-7, given the many other early aluminium XK120 engines that came to Australia, maybe my cam-covers are pre-production/prototype castings, that to all intents and purposes fit/work the same as a pair of production C2217/C2218 cam covers…
But just another speculation - no evidence it seems forthcoming, the only thing I know for sure is I have never seen another example the same, and I am 99.9% confident that they are Jaguar factory original “studless” cam-covers in excellent/undamaged condition…
Just to clarify the C-type cam covers in my photos above are not off E 1001-8. That engine had the early William Mills A-head along with the typical studless smooth cam covers. When I was referencing the front breather I meant the domed breather at the front of the head. E 1001-8 and a few of the early works C-type engines used that configuration along with a breather off the oil filler neck exactly as Jerry Booen’s exceptional reproduction C-type pictured above. That early head, cam cover, and breather configuration are only found on cars 001,002,003, and 011 before the middle of June of 1952.
For example, this photo below (taken May 10, 1952 at Silverstone) we can see XKC 011 with engine E 1005-8 and the early head, smooth valve covers, and the front head breather sticking straight up with no hose attached!
I suspect these cam covers are the typical smooth studless C2217 and C2218.
From around early June of 1952 we see the introduction of the three front studs added to the cam cover. XKC 005 in Monaco June 2, 1952 and the three works cars 002, 011, and 012 at Le Mans on June 15, 1952 are our first look at the new cam cover. The only open bonnet shot I have found at Le Mans is of 002. (If anyone has seen any others please let me know) This is also our first look at the new H8 sand cast carbs as well. The head scratcher in this photo is the lack of studs and nuts at the front of the cam cover!
Maybe they were running an early William Mills studless head with block E1002-8? The photo was taken on the grid, not in the garage or workshop. Thoughts?
The C-type build sheets list the cam covers as C5889 (Intake) and C6723 (Exhaust) The C5889 is a sand cast part with the boss for the breather on the outside but no unique characteristics other than everything is a little thicker on the underside. It is heaver as well. I’ll weigh it when i find my scales.
Roger, I think you have a prototype part. It looks sand cast, not die cast just like the C-type intake cam cover. It’s also heaver. How it ended up down there with you, I have no idea!
I think there were a lot of variations in the modification of the cam covers.
Not to cause more issues but I have two sets of high boss cam covers, exactly the same. On the intake side one is part number C6722 and the other is C2217. The C2217 should be an early smooth cam cover… Not sure how that happened?
Great photos - certainly the XKC002 pic at 1952 LeMans clearly shows cam covers with provision for three front studs, but lack of studs suggests head will be one of the extensively worked A-type heads, that retrospectively are presumably what can be referred to as the first generation C-type head. June 1951 to June 1952 was a busy time…
Maybe my cam-covers were superseded before being required for 1952 LeMans, so rather than scrap them they simply got fitted to an XK120 or Mark VII destined to Australia new… Cant see any other explanation as cam-covers were readily available in Australia, so would not have been purchased in from UK - unless on a hot engine complete, but then nothing done in UK that couldn’t be done here…
Its possible the cam covers were retrieved from that depositry of Jaguar scrap namely Stickleys near Coventry and shipped to Australia. As late as 89 / 90 I visited with Dave, who ran a Jaguar spares business, and pulled out 6 SS1 dual carb manifolds ,and pointed out to Dave some C type sump castings that he shipped to Australia I recall. These from a building housing numerous odd castings.
Peter,
I seriously doubt it - my source of these cam cover and more, was from the estate of a guy very active in XK120 racing in NSW in the 1970s who had ready access to all the engine parts he needed locally and then extremely cheaply - simply would be no motivation to buy more cam covers after the Stickleys raiding/discovery directly or indirectly… And he had advanced to C-type heads (which I purchased also) and Straight-Port Heads, so cant imagine any interest in more ‘studless’ cam covers…
Not me Nigel, apprenticship at Jaguar probably on a parr with apprenticship at NASA, if there is such a thing, for me and most of my peers I`m thinking.
For me a very much " hands on" old school
5 year Joinery apprenticship, that has proved invaluable for knocking up SS1, 90, 100 and MG P type bodies and for working most other materials,
save nuclear and flesh.
your time at the Jaguar in specific or general departments, and what time period ?
I see, it was just a longshot based on your name. Peter Ball was quite famous amongst us. He wrapped Lofty England’s E type around a bus shelter in Meridian on road test from experimental. It’s was the only EFI
Series 3 Etype in existence at the time!
Surprisingly he didn’t get sacked!
I was there from 1971 until 1981. We worked in various departments across both the Radford works ( formerly Daimler car plant)
And Browns Lane. I ended my apprenticeship in Jaguar works engine recon and worked in there for 7 years further.
Doing all XK range and then for 4 years all V12 range. Also built 3 of the last six Daimler V8s that were works reconditioned.
Thread drift, guilty as charged, but how about this for a coincidence !!
1974 was working on LVC345 ( 679282 ) at a workshop west of Norwich UK. Thoughts wandered to the fitting of a V12 , so I mentioned this to Dave , who ran a spares business on the site and, lo and behold, said type engine arrived. Well used, E type sump and whats this ! Fuel Injection ? Remarked on this to Dave and we both opined, “must be a development engine”. Hung it in the engine bay to get a general idea but proceded no further, so dismantled it, bits laid about, sold the crank to a friend , owner of a series 3, and scrapped the rest ! Oh dear !
Might it have been the engine fitted to the E type Re
Mr England?
Suppose it’s possible. I don’t think I ever saw the car internally but think it was a dark metallic blue colour. Think it was electronic injection. Not like the XJ13 which was mechanically metered. From what I remember it was a development Lucas injection system. There were plots of things going on in experimental when I was in there for 4 months. Most of it over my head as a raw 17 year old.
Yes the electric connection to the injectors was the first point of interest. Jogging the memory I recall that a chunk, rear of the block, was broken away left side.
Did you come across Mike Kimberley - a past work colleague of mine in Australia, who was a Development Engineer in the Jaguar Emissions Laboratory as part of the team who was involved in getting the first V12 E-type motors, compliant for the American market. He has some great stories!
