Terry,
Here you go with another photo.
I thought for a moment of playing cat an mouse just cutting the photo piece by piece, but here goes the full picture:
It’s OHP 503 car.
Tadek
OK great I know the photo thanks
I am sure this is from the series of 6 or so pics of this car
One interesting thing is the painted black thermostat casting on radiator i had noted this on early alloy cars in our xk120 book.
Terry
Hi Tadek.
Bolts instead of studs and nuts on the inlet manifold?
Is this one of the items you mean?
All the visible INLET MANIFOLD fasteners I can see are indeed Studs and Nuts.
You can see on plug that fills a blind threaded hole in the manifold boss as provided to attach a Mark VII air cleaner - when manifold is used for Mark VII application. For XK120s they simply plugged the threaded bosses (two off) with a standard BEES brand SETSCREW, albeit later on made a special chrome plated C.5159 PLUG to do same job. Early XK120 Inlet Manifolds did not have these added threaded bosses, which were only added from 1951 to suit the common part Mark VII application.
Roger, one more trivia to add to this is that these setscrews are one of very few coarse threads on the car.
Out of interest:
- the radiator cap is painted, too
- there is a tag on the regulator box, common on other British cars or the era.
Tadek
The photos come from John Bolster’s road test of a Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe, registration OHP 503, for Autosport:
Here are a few more:
Tadek
note body coloured bumper irons
They look chromed to me?
Could this be a '54 car?
He means the steel bracket that holds the chrome bumper. We have discussed the conflicting sightings of these in period photos as body color or black.
What about the spare tire hold down strap, disc wheel version, any comments there?
I need to get one for disc wheel, anybody have an extra or recommendations?
Hi Tadek:
I have a reprinted copy of the Autosport road test of the DHC which I received from the factory some years ago, it reads on the front: “Reprinted from Autosport May 14, 1954”. The test reprint contains the same photos that you posted of the boot, radiator and engine, although a different one of the car at speed, plus one of the car in side profile. Wide whitewalls and registration number are the same.
Chris.
I see the metal spare tire hold part on ebay all the time,disk, and wire,in the xkparts lists, about 50 USD.
OHP 503 is disc wheel but appears to me to have the higher boot floor of the wire wheel cars, anybody agree or disagree?
Did they standardize with the higher floor for both wheel types later in the production run?
Which clamp is for the disc wheel cars which have a lower boot floor?
As far as I know the higher boot floor was standardized later on the production run. This is what I have been told by James Lawarence in UK.
Tadek
This pic shows the raised floor
identifiable as you can see the disc wheel with large clearance above.
also the 2 press studs for carpet part way down and the higher spare wheel bracket plus the smaller nut to hold it in place the earlier version had a wheel nut with smaller threaded hole brace but given there was no wheel nuts on a W/W car their was no brace.
The first couple of XK120’s that were special equipment ie 660983 (the first) just had the front edge of boot floor forcibly raised to clear the W/W
At some point when W/W were fairly standard all XK’s had the raised boot floor.
Rob what does your early 120FHC have?
So everything in here is bog stock standard and as you would expect to see it hardura mat, red jack, grey painted boot prop - perfect resto pic
I have the lower floor, disc wheel only, so should I get the repro clamp 29, and not clamp 29A?
Ok, I think mine should be like this which is 670278.
That looks like the type 29 clamp on ebay, not the type 29A
I have ordered a type 29 clamp from Rogers Motors in Massachusetts.
I’m cautious because I have been burned recently with buying parts unseen that when they arrive turn out to be wrong.
I’m cautious because I have been burned recently with buying parts unseen that when they arrive turn out to be wrong. It will be interesting to see pics of it to see the quality - I just make my own