assuming your car is not a completely unmolested original (as it is undergoing resto), and you are too tall to drive it comfortably, imo, any mods that are reversable should not be critical.
Even if original sheetmetal needs to be cut, so long as that is done thoughtfully, photographed and documented, and ALL pieces kept , a quality tradesman can gas weld it back together like factory.
If the work is done as above, I see no reason the car would be devalued monetarily, as most potential modern buyers would probably enjoy the extra room
that is one reason I enjoy the big Saloons… guy I know was 6ft 4" and 280lb used to ask me why I drove such big cars, fell down laughing one day seeing him crammed into his tiny Jap family car
Agreed. Nothing in effect is irreversible, it’s a matter of degree and time and money.
Gas welding thin sheet, especially hammer welding, is becoming a lost art, however, though there are still some really talented gas welders out there. They can gas weld thin aluminum, even, and produce a result superior to any other method. Beyond my skills. I still have the OA setup I bought in the 80s but rarely use it at all any more. TIG is in my estimation the better choice for body steel. Instant on/off allowing quick hammer/dolly work and superior heat control that minimises distortion. I will never go back to gas.
I am 187cm which is roughly 6’2" and I fit as well.
I actually fit better when I pull the steering wheel towards me while driving.
I have the trick pedals, otherwise a standard xk120 with soft top in, etc.
I did however ask the upholstery shop to curve the seat back as much as possible so that I could sit further back.
Before I bought the xk120 someone told me the cockpit space is in an xk120 is tighter than Austin-Healey 100. I did not believe it, until I finally sat in the xk120. Healey is roomy!!
As yourself (and others) have been partly my inspiration to aspire to continual upgrade of metal skills, dont know whether you ever seen David Gardiner?
I bought the DVD, he swears by Gas as being the choice for highest quality, and explains why, but his skill & experience is outstanding
its a great DVD, you learn something each time you watch it (he fabs a XK150 piece)
the 2nd next Youtube along is Wray Schellin, making a XK120 fender, that guy was a poster on here years ago, dont know whether he still is
sorry if slightly off-topic, been meaning to make a thread about auto metal fab
Gardiner is light years ahead of me for sure, Tony, a real artist. I’m in awe of what guys like him can do, and with such speed. I’ve watched several of Wray Schelien’s Youtube videos and regularly use his shrinking discs.
I had an opportunity to sit behind the wheel of an XK140 roadster last week. A lot more room behind the wheel and easier to get in and out of but the 120 is the one I have so I’ll work to make the best of it ! Thanks for the insight everybody.
I think Cadillac and Lincoln make cars with plenty of leg/hip/height room for large drivers. Modify the body work for human body size?? maybe modify the suspension for comfort, engine for power, brakes for stopping, grille for cooling, LED lights for brighter, air conditioning, power steering, cd player with surround sound, ugh.
I would seriously unload the whole thing but I’m too far in. I’m still thrown off at the POS design of the door hinges and the fact that you have to cut the car apart to get to them.
feel your pain…older cars have plenty of frustrations…even good designs do…and new cars…well you can’t do much yourself…recently did valve clearance adjust on my xk…try that one for frustration…remove cams…do it all, put back together…check clearances…then do it all again…routine. We are the guardians of these somewhat scarce cars…Internet web makes em seem like they are everywhere…but they are quite limited in number.
No car has ever been designed with the idea that it would still be on the road 70 years later, even Jaguar built the XK with the hope that when worn, that the owner would buy whatever new Jaguar model was available.
What I seriously wonder is how will any modern car with all the included electronics technology ever get restored in the future?
I have a friend who had a Toyota Soarer. Two door sports with the Toyota v8 engine. Special door hinges that allowed the long doors to open without hitting the next car etc etc. I think the cooling fan ran was driven by the engine oil flow …but…all the interior aircon and other functions were driven by a fancy touch screen…which no longer functioned.
THIS would be hard to sort out in the absence of a new or second hand screen…it is this sort of “leading edge” technology that quickly gets superseded that will create the challenges…
I have to agree with the assessment of the hinge design - essentially a 5/16" pin through two flats of 1/8" steel and no provision for lubrication. The cars with heavier steel doors suffered particularly from hinge wear. However, I have been able to extract the hinge boxes from my OTS without surgery, though the exercise is definitely a pain in the ass.
Incidentally, you can replace the stepped hinge bolts with stainless M8s which are several mils greater in diameter than the originals, allowing the hinge boxes and arms to be bored out to provide fresh contact surfaces. Lubricate well. Nylocks will hold the bolts in place at the right tension.
they cannot be, as the electronics and wiring harness is what kills them.
If most modern cars have an accident that damages the harness, they are a write-off, as it is not possible to replace them economically, if at all, as they have gold-plated connectors etc and they cannot be compromised in any way.
In addition to this, in most cases the computers that control the vehicle are NLA after a certain number of years, and you still get back to the harness issue
Yes, a grease fitting or occasional oiling might have helped. The shoulder bolts were not supposed to rotate in the hinge box holes, but they rusted onto the hinge arms and thus rotated together and wore the holes oval. Fortunately there are a number of methods of fixing these, all described in the archives of this forum, and it only has to be done once. I welded bushings onto my hinge boxes 30 years ago and the hinges have been fine ever since.
One time a guy with a 120 FHC came to visit me. He had bought his car as a basket case, and had never actually sat in it. He was shall we say portly. He got into mine and his eyes went wide open and his jaw dropped. Like Winnie-the-Pooh stuck in Rabbit’s house. He eventually sold his car.
So if you are really fed up with it and think you can’t fit in it, maybe you should trade it for a 140 or 150.
