Wanting to know if anyone has templates for 1949 MKV Drophead. We require the 3 pieces of timber that surround the window.
Hi,
I didn’t know there were any 1949 MKV DHC’s, except many a prototype or two. Most of them were made in 1950 and 1951.
But at least the companies doing veneer and woodwork refurbishing in the UK should have the patterns.
I have the other pieces, but am also missing the three mahogany bits that are attached to the hood on both sides (so that’s six pieces of mahogany altogether). There’s on piece on the inside of the folding B-pillar, and two on the cantrail IIRC.
I will try to look up some photos…
Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194
Fin.
PS. What is the chassis number of your DHC?
Hi,
Sorry I’m correcting myself. I’m only missing two pieces per side, I do have the A-pillar mahogany pieces, they are a bit more bulky, with a rounded tip at the top that follows the A-pillar/NDV frame shape. The two other ones are quite simple thin pieces, as seen partly in this photo for instace:
Hi, Thanks for your response and I have attached a photo of our car and also one from Jag Day SA showing the 3 pieces of wood we are missing which is the top of the window and both sides. We believe the car is DH1191. We bought it around 3 years ago most restored with just a few pieces missing which we are still hunting for. Thanks for the leed re veneer and wood places we have similar here in Australia but they can’t make it without a pattern. Thanks so much for your help. Cheers Sally.
Hi,
You’re welcome. In that first photo you can see well the A-pillar wood, which I also have. Too bad my car is now in winter storage, otherwise I could have easily traced those pieces (original) and sent you images/files. I am also missing the other two pieces, but they are quite simple, evenly thick mahogany (perhaps only 1/4" thick) with rounded edge and corners and a slot for the chromed cantrail locking mechanism. You could cut out of cardboard something that fits when you compare it to the photos and then just make those pieces out of solid mahogany and have them lacquered. 
Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194
Fin.
PS. And your chassis number is??? Please post some photos on www.saloondata.com
Here are some I have collected from ebay and saloondata.
BTW Sally I would like to see pictures of your rear window inside and out.
Hi,
Good shots! The red sunvisors and red straps of course is wrong, the sun visors were always covered with the headliner.
Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194
Fin.
Hi Rob, Thanks for all your photos and we still need the internal hoodlining fitted so still a work in progress. Our trimmer wants the 3 missing pieces of wood before he starts so the car looks better with the hood down at present. We haven’t any specific photos of our interior but the hood is going up next weekend and i will take some photos of our rear window but the photos you have show it well. Cheers Sally.
Right, Pekka, some incorrect items in several of those.
I selected those shots for showing the wood pieces in question.
Sally, I ask about the window because in my attempt to write a Mark V judging guide for the JCNA, I made the surprising discovery that at least 3 different windows were used in Mark V DHC hoods by the factory.
There are no survivors with the original hood remaining in decent condition, so I collect and record for the guide anything I can find. It helps if I can tie window types to chassis numbers. Eventually perhaps some useful information may emerge.
Hi Rob, Thanks for letting me know completely understand. We purchased our car 3 years ago and we believe it’s DH1191. The only history we have is that the bodyshell was discovered in a rubbish tip and we believe the Queensland Jag Club restored it to a certain level and then just garaged it for some time. Having restored 4 MKV Sedans we thought it would be easy to finish but didn’t know how different it was like the MK1V handles etc. Not sure if you have heard of a book by John Clucas & Terry McGrath called The Forerunners Of Jaguar in Australasia & S.E Asia which has the history of Swallows, SS, Jaguar Mark 1V and V drop-head coupes as much as possible…
I too am restoring a Mark V saloon chassis 627933.
DH1191 is the DHC body number. The chassis number is six numeral digits beginning either 640xxx for Right Hand Drive or 647xxx for Left Hand Drive, and will be found stamped on the left hand chassis rail on a bracket provided for a LHD brake master cylinder, regardless whether the car was built as LHD or RHD.
It is also sometimes found on the left hand side of the chassis around the bolts for the front bumper, but usually very difficult to read here.
Hi,
DH1191 is quite an early 1950 DHC. They started the body numbering with DH1001 strangly enough with some of the MKIV DHC’s, although most of them had the C1XXX body numbers earlier in production. AFAIK all MKV Saloons had GXXXX or G1XXXX body numbers. My July 14th 1950 build date DHC 647194 has body number DH1356, so 356th of the DH prefix bodies. Ca. 100 of them were MKIV’s IIRC.
Cheers,
Pekka T.
Fin.
Ps. If DH1191 was on a RHD chassis it would start 540XXX if 2 1/2 Litre and 640XXX like Rob wrote if 3 1/2 Litre.
Ah, yes, I forgot about the 2-1/2 Litres.
There were only 29 of them, and a LHD would begin with 547xxx.
A 2.5 Litre rear axle would carry a tag reading 50/11, where a 3.5 Litre would have a rear axle tag reading 47/11 for the gear ratio.
The engine number can be helpful, and is stamped on a flat spot just above the starter motor.
Perhaps as Sally’s was recovered from a tip, it may have lost its registration and the Jaguar Cars Ltd identification plate on the scuttle.
In which case looking for the chassis number stamping is the only real hope of identifying it.
Hi guys
one of my Mark IV’s has number 32th of the DH prefix bodies and it’s the latest produced DHC Mark IV known to survive.
What is more interesting it was build by Van Den Plas, coachwork company, at that time, in Belgium.
Wish I knew the specs on my ‘rent’s ‘50 DHC: unless someone chimes in on one bought from Colorado—NOT Pekka’s!— Ill never know where it went.
Hi Mateusz,
Yes, in post- war Europe there was a lot of rationalising and a lot of trade limitations, customs etc.
The reason a lot of car bodies were built in Belgium (Saloons with PP prefix in the body number) was that in that way the Belgian importer could get import licenses and pay less import duties, as a big part of the work was being done in Belgium. Vanden Plas did also some special bodies and the Belgian importer had several MK VII’s specially bodied by Farina, Ghia and Pininfarina later. Like the “Jaguar Meteor” coupé, but that was more to make the cars more luxurious and exclusive.
Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194
Fin.
Well, Ill be!! The stuff I learn, here!!!