What is the common wisdom for protecting the structure on either side of the dash cowl immediately in front of the A-Posts on a 140? I believe it is made from C-Channel with the open side of the C facing up at the bottom. I say “I believe” because mine was completely rusted away. While there is a vertical mudguard at the back of the front fender well, the upturned C-Channel obviously catches and retains mud and moisture with unfortunate results for the lower door hinges and the lower rear edge of the front fenders which are immediately adjacent. My two best thoughts (subject to wiser minds disagreeing) are to put ample drain holes in the bottom of the structure, or to seal it as well as possible, perhaps with a shield which will still drain if any moisture gets inside. Others must have dealt with this. What were your solutions and do they work?
This topic from about a year ago might be helpful.
Both my XK’s bottom of A-Post was rotted away, used replacements from SNG.
During assembly I drilled drain holes in the bottom.
There is really no way to prevent dirt and water to get in there.
Regards,
Peter Jan
Thanks Mike. This is just an exceedingly bad design. I suspect the only way to protect this area is to seal it completely (probably impossible) or to leave it open with generous drain holes. The problem is water drains, but mud does not. This is the only area of exterior rust on my formerly California car. I wondered how the fenders rusted through in California, but as I contemplate this design, the question is how could they not? I know the common wisdom is to never expose the car to rain, but I live in Seattle so that is the equivalent to condemning the car to the garage for life. Not really, but during nine months of the year rain would be a risk on any road trip.
Bob, we ended up fabricating panels from aluminum sheet metal to fit the XK140 OTS I was helping with last year. That car probably won’t be driven much in the rain.
My own XK120 has spent most of its days in Arizona so it has had very little exposure to moisture. Both the horizontal panels under the air vents on the front wings and the vertical panels enclosing the B-post structure inside the rear wings are original and still in good shape.
I agree if the car is to be driven in rain, these original panels may exacerbate rust issues. It may be better not to install them so that moisture will dry-out quickly. Alternatively, construct panels with drain holes that can be easily removed for cleaning/drying purposes.
The MGA is similar in design. Having restored 2 of them and replaced all of the posts…I can say the design is lacking. I specifically found a 120 that didn’t need such drastic measures.
I am interested in exactly what these closing panels look like etc and posted this on my “Jaguar XK120 140 150 Explored” facebook page
These 2 panels are I believe to keep the dirt out from under the bulkhead where it abuts the wing but not sure if the are XK140 FHC or DHC/roadster or XK150?
The problem with the “leave it as open as possible” approach is that moisture and mud then have direct access to the lower door hinges, the cold air box and the backside of the footwell panels, none of which were designed for such an assault. It would seem that for those of us in damper climates, some type of shield that diverts the worst of what the tires kick up while allowing for ample drainage would be the best result.
Hi Bob,
In the restoration of my 1952 FHC I replaced the entire channel support structure and hinge support area with new. 3/8" holes were drilled into the 4 corners of the box at the bottom of the channel to allow for water drainage. The new metal was first painted with epoxy primer, then installed and subsequently coated with urethane truck bed liner, as were all potential rust prone areas of the underbody of the car. The urethane truck bed liner was tinted with the body color and looks and feels like undercoating. It is virtually impervious to stone chips and rust and is easily cleaned. My car was restored to be driven as a regular car, not just displayed or trailered around. Here in New England the weather can be quite severe and most events are held rain or shine. Driving in the rain is just another part of the experience of owning these cars. The second picture shows what the truck bed liner looks like in the rear inner fender area. The rust prone B post behind the splash shield is also coated.
