I have found this forum really helpful over the last couple of years so I thought I’d best say hello. The first year of the XK140 was spent refurbishing the suspension, polybushes all round and new dampers, refitting interior fabric, making and veneering a new dash, fixing the carbs, adding a brake servo and trying to find someone who could fix some misaligned body panels and respray the car. I finally found a local body shop who tend to have a classic car in the corner awaiting a quiet moment. A year in the corner later and the XK has come home in time for winter and I could not be happier with the work done, proper old fashioned metalwork and a superb baremetal paint job. The engine and gearbox seem pretty robust so there are only a few small jobs for the winter, like fitting the dashboard and mending broken gauges. I’m very grateful for the expertise of many members of this forum for the help I have had so far.
Beautiful car Nick.
Thank you Lluis. It hasn’t always had the care it deserves, but I think we’re getting there slowly.
Hi Nick - I have also got an XK140 (OTS) in Devon. I will need to take it to a good body shop in that area in due course as it needs a full resto of body and paint. If you have a moment to share the address of them I would be grateful. Geoffrey
HI Geoffrey, that is great news perhaps we can meet up sometime in the spring / summer, assuming I ever manage to get the dashboard back in one piece. The chaps who did mine are T&T Coachworks just outside Honiton. Their metal fabricator was Roger Churchill, he is old school and the quality of his work was really top notch. They were neither quick nor cheap mind. I made the fatal error of saying there was no rush in the middle of autumn and the car was finally finished the following September having needed some fairly major surgery. If I did it again I would ask to them to invoice me on a monthly basis, that way I could keep a better handle on things and avoid the final shock to some extent. The invoice is now history and I am so pleased that I had it done properly. One day I may tell my wife how much it cost, now how likely is that…
Hi Nick - Thanks for the history and a familiar tale was repeated it seems with the programme and expenditure but if it is a once only investment then it goes with the territory of rising car values. Would love to see the car at any stage next year - I will be in touch before we are next down that way. We usually mooch about in Tavistock or Exeter (where the car is). Yes I am also concealing the mountain of costs that the “hobby” incurs from the other half. Speak again - thanks Geoff
No worries, we are near Upottery, a couple of miles from the A303.