Would someone be able to help me with the size of the screw in fastener, please? Diameter and length is all I’m after. Having had new carpet fitted, the standard set below is too short to hold the cover down. There are others on eBay of various sizes which might be suitable.
Thanks,
Tim
When putting new carpeting in my Mark V, the carpet plus pad thickness was greater than the original Mutocell, felt, and carpet thickness. I found the two fasteners on the dipstick access panel did not reach sufficiently. At that time, though I could find manufacture and supply for the same type of fastener, I was unable to find one of the length needed.
My solution was to take two spare fasteners, cut them in half, and weld in the needed extra shaft length. A benefit of this approach was that the part of the fastener visible from car interior retained its old look unchanged. I used two spares since I was not entirely confident it would work well and wished to retain the originals to the car unchanged. However, it worked well.
The quarter turn fasteners here, sometimes called bi-fix, are different from Dzus fasteners I have used on racing applications.
An original fastener for the Mark V gearbox dipstick tunnel cover plate, shown in photo below, has following dimensions:
Diameter
slotted head - 0.435"
shank - 0.185
bi-fix end - 0.247
Length
total - 1.025"
under-head to tip - 0.910
shank - 0.392
bi-fix end - 0.532
That is my problem precisely.
Do you happen to know what length with which you ended up after the cut and weld?
Thank you very much for you help, Roger.
Have you tried them with new carpet fitted as yet, Rob? You might have the same issue?
It might be possible to ‘trim’ the carpet a little?
Ps. I’ve not seen an inspection plate with a hole in it before?
Hello Rob,
I looked at their website catalogue for these fasteners but am struggling to comprehend what size might be correct and slightly longer so as to be suitable. As so many of you are Engineers, I’m sure that you can read the catalogue and understand how to calculate the specifications! I can help you with Philosophy and Theology to repay the favour, should the need arise. 
Tim
Hi,
Most of them seem to have a hole (at least in MKV’s, perhaps not earlier), but not all. IIRC there was a slightly longer dipstick which could foul the cover. And as all covers are covered with thin padding and Rexine to match the interior I think they must have thought at Jaguar that this was the way to go, there would not be a ”clonk” and no dent either. 
I had a similar issue when I restored my gearbox tunnel, I had no plate at all and I was going to make one, but Roger had an extra and was very kind to send it to me. I ended up just flattening the carpet until I could just get the fasteners to stay put.
Cheers!
Thanks for the reply, Pekka. Your suggestion is no doubt what most people do though if I could source a suitably long fastener then I’d be happy to share them.
I have to say that when it popped off while I was driving it was like the heater had been switched on! The only problem was that it was 28C! 
My 1951 cover plate was original, as far as I know, and had no hole? Yet another anomaly.
Cheers,
Tim
Tim, could it be that your spring clips in the tunnel are not tight enough?
Pekka is correct that the earlier dipstick had a taller handle.
Mine has the short handle but for some reason has the hole in the cover.
This Mark V is a couple of weeks later than mine but has the tall handle.
Hi,
Yes, my LHD DHC, made on July 14th 1950 has it’s original gearbox and a tall handle, so I was lucky the cover plate Roger sent me years ago had a hole in it.
So it could be they left the hole off for later production.
Cheers!
Hi Rob,
The clips and fasteners were both new from Barretts as what was there before the carpet was replaced was zip-lock plastic ties! No doubt the Barretts version is correct but as Pekka has suggested, the new carpet is more thick (let’s say, luxurious 
). No doubt a little trimming of the carpet will right the issue if longer screws can’t be sourced.
Interestingly, the Inspection Cover on the XK120 is 90 deg different to that on the MKV.
Tim
Even more interesting is that XK120 cover in my previous picture is for the first 240 alloy cars, and was in fact the actual Mark V cover turned 90 deg and bent in the middle to fit across a discontinuity in the alloy 120 gearbox tunnel. That subject came up once many years ago on the XK forum.
For the steel body XK120 it was a different cover without hole, and a different tunnel.
Now reading the Paneloc catalogue pages 8 & 19, my studs are D1111SZS, and I think the studs you want from Paneloc are:
D-11-H-SZS where H is the total thickness of your carpet and padding in millimeters.
My 1938 SS has the original tunnel carpet and has no cover, just a steel grommeted hole over the tall handle dipstick.
Thank you very much, Rob.
I wonder if they sell to the public?
Best wishes,
Tim
Hi Tim, here is a photo of a standard length next to one I lengthened for holding through my current pad and carpet. The length was picked specifically for fitting my arrangement, presumably this will vary with each application. Also, the bi-flex springs used on mine remain the originals.
Thank you very much, Rob. That photo’s really helpful.
Tim
Just waiting to hear back from Paneloc. Hopefully they will be helpful?
By the way, Iv’e just noticed that the spell-check changed the spelling from Dzus to Deus in the Heading of the Thread! Deus naturally means God in Latin. 
1/4 turn God Fasteners, what a hoot!
Tim
Wouldn’t be the first time; the American inventor Volodymyr Dzhus changed the spelling of his name to William Dzus.
The stuff I learn here, every day!!
