Handbrake lever mechanism

Hi all,

It appears that the handbrake lever mechanism that was installed in my car is not factory. It doesn’t look anything like as shown in all the pictures I’ve found.

Anybody have any idea if this is a DIY attempt or an assembly from another model?

Thanks.

Simon:

What you have is a lever as fitted to Xk140s. Is your car a late 120? I seem to recall that on some of the late cars there was a change in the handbrake.

Chris.

Ah, thanks Chris - thought it was more than a DIY attempt.

No, my OTS is a 52 so definitely not a late car. Don’t really mind having a 140 handbrake assembly, but I am converting to RHD so if it can be converted easier than sourcing all the correct RHD parts I’ll keep it.

Cheers.

My 140 came with a LHD handbrake lever. I converted it to RHD. There’s a bit of cutting and welding but it’s not difficult.

That’s good to know Eric, thanks. So were you able to re-use all the main components and just make up the new attachment to the tunnel?

It was a long time ago but I seem to remember that because it has to go on the left hand side of the transmission tunnel the housing that the pawl sits in with its pivot pin is on the wrong side. I think I just cut it off with an angle grinder and welded it back on the other side of the handle. I don’t recall having to find any new parts.

There is a bit on the end of this video .

Why don’t leave it on the right side of the tunnel? On my LHD XK150 from 1961, i have the handbrake on the left side. Fine to have handbrake next to the drivers seat.
Regards, Peter Jan

Three thoughts:

Chris is right, that very late 120s had a different handle, but it was curved.

The 120 handbrake was the fly-off type, in that you hit it with the back of your hand to disengage it, while simultaneously engaging first gear for a quicker jump off the starting line or LeMans start. Probably used a lot on hillclimb events, in that it is slightly faster than taking your right foot off the brake and then hitting the joy pedal. I suspect that was why it was on the opposite side from the driver.

Agreeing with Peter Jan, since yours is not the fly-off type, most cars now have it on the driver’s side and you may find that more convenient.

Won’t there be clearance issues if the handbrake is left on the driver’s side ? I think it will get very crowded with the brake lever , knee and steering wheel . Probably not an issue on the 150 due to it being wider .

Hadn’t considered keeping it on the drivers side…will have to have a sit in one to see what the space is like. Would definitely like to keep it as a new 120 lever is pricey.

If I do keep it, will the centre trim for a 120 still fit over the square-topped profile?

Simon:

I don’t think that a 120 armrest trim would accommodate the 140 mechanism. If you look at Porter’s “Original Jaguar XK” pp.51-52 (2003 edition) the 140 armrest is slightly shorter and has a more rounded front than the squared off 120 item.

Chris.

Thanks for the info - worth keeping in mind :+1:

Good point, I hadn’t thought about that.
Here is mine with handbrake off and on.
You can judge location by the gear shift in neutral.


Simon,
Your handbrake mechanism, including the push button on the handle, looks much like the one in my 1956 left hand drive DHC.

Hi Gary_Grant,

Yes, exactly the same, but yours looks like it is more inclined forwards which looks better as the lever is more ‘out of the way’ when off. If I can fabricate the mount to be a similar angle as yours, I think it would work well in a RHD.

Sooooo…why did the mechanism change for the 140? If anything, it seems more flimsy as it is mounted to the tunnel, where the 120 is mounted to the chassis.