My new project XK140 SE

Hello to All
I have taken the plunge and just paid for a 140 from USA . I have only seen photos of the car and I have fairly low expectations of the condition . It is a non runner but the engine is not seized . I want it for something to do , so I think it will fit the bill . It should be here in about a month. I an pretty good at body work for a DIYer , less confident mechanic , so expect plenty of questions .
It will be good to get the car back to 30 miles from where it was built , I live in Wolverhampton .If any one want to come over and point and laugh I will put the kettle on .

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Excellent! Looking forward to your questions. There are some excellent bodywork guys close to where you are should you need help. Happy to provide references if you need them.

Oh, you’ll have something to do, alright Jim. I bought my XK120 SE for puttering about in my spare time. That was June, 1991. I put the project into high gear in November past and now I’m almost finished the bodywork. Maybe back on the road next year. Maybe.

Bodywork is the biggie with these cars, so you’re better off with that competency. Mechanicals are straightforward but a shop manual and parts manual are essential - I have the manuals in book form but I prefer using the electronic versions because you can print off the relevant pages and then get them covered in oil and grease (and occasionally blood, sweat and tears) without concern.

You’re going to find a lot of things that need attention. One bite at a time. Good doors, bootlid and bonnet are key benchmarks, so get them into top condition first - you will be restoring the rest of the body around them in order to achieve the best gaps and elevations. I believe the coupe doors are steel rather than aluminum, so they’re easier to repair, though because they’re heavier their hinges are bound to be worn out. I think the greatest challenge in XK120/140 bodywork is achieving that near-flat profile on the sides.

Be careful and have fun.

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The car looks like a great project. I especially like that its a FHC. While it may be a lot of work, it will be worth it.

Thanks for the encouragement .
This was my last project , which has some similarities on a smaller scale ?

ive just spent two years on a bare chassis rebuild on a sister car ch S814191DN E/no G3294-8S.(put the windscreen chrome surrounds in today) Have heaps of pics etc on everthing ive done .Jaguar xk140 explored by VIART is a must.Can contact me direct ROKBLOK@bigpond.com.if i can offer any snippets JOHN

Hello BigJim,
Great project. I will be glad to share experience, do not hesitate.
S815023DN has been with us since 1988, nut&bolt home restoration, plus some discreet upgrades.
Glad to help.
Francis Thibaud (Parmain, France)


Got the books including XK140 Explored ,which I had to order from USA .
Thanks to all for the offers of advice.

Thank you for your replies .
Morning All
Still no car yet , but trying to make a plan . Opinions please.
What I would like to do is get it roadworthy , sort out the brakes , tyres , fluids, electrics etc . I can then, after driving it for a while , see what will need looking at and what I can live with before I restore it . I am a slimish 6’4" so may have to do something with the seats or steering wheel and then PAS of some sort . I would like to keep everything standard and will probably stick with drum brakes and LHD , not sure about the Moss box .
My main question is …would you try to start the engine ? Apparently it is free . Squirt some stuff down the bores and turn over by hand to check the feel and noise …then start ?
Thanks Jim

Hi Jim,
Looks like you have a great project there. Like you, I bought my XK 140 from the USA on the basis of photos and although I have had to do a lot more bodywork than I expected the car was surprisingly complete. Mine was also a non-runner but when I got the head off I found that it had dropped an inlet valve so there was quite a mess in one cylinder.
Before you try to start the engine or even spin it over it is advisable to make sure all the valves are free. I got a bit enthusiastic with an E Type engine that had been standing a long time and which I thought would start and all I achieved was to bend two valves that had stuck.
As Phil has mentioned, there are some good body people not far from you and indeed you have an excellent trimmer right on your doorstep.
I’m in Shropshire, also not far from you and happy to swap notes at any stage. You will find this forum has many contributors who very willingly share their wealth of knowledge.
Keep us posted.

Eric
Church Stretton, Shropshire, UK

I believe the coupe doors are steel rather than aluminum
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Hi Nick
Jaguar didn’t make it easy for themselves with so many variations . I spotted in "Explored " that the FHC had 3 different doors ally , steel and a mix . Judging from my chassis number I am expecting them to be ally on ash .Not sure if I am pleased or disappointed !
I think this photo is of a door bottom which looks like ally .

The door skins on my drophead were steel on an ash frame.

Eric

The 140 FHC started production with alloy-skinned doors, then switched to steel at some (documented) point…both materials being affixed to wooden support pieces… though my car “should” have come with alloy door skins, but does have steel skins.

The bootlid in the XK120 - all 120s I had thought - are aluminum skins over a hardwood frame and weigh considerably more than the larger, all-aluminium bonnets - that I believe all 120s had. I imagine XK doors framed in hardwood and skinned in aluminum, and especially steel, must be particularly wearing on their rudimentary hinges. There must be a practical way to grease those hinge pins.

Not knowing presicely the construction, what about using a “remote” greaser?

Machine up proper outer bearing surfaces, to be used with a hollow hinge pin, that is somehow —a grease hose off a grease gun?— connected to it, and in an inconspicuous location?

Perhaps some sort of galvanic corrosion? I removed a fair bit of lead from both my E and 120 and found only a small spot of minor corrosion in the latter. It must have to do with the flux not being cleaned off after the tinning operation. The bond between the Sn/Pb alloy and the panel steel is very intimate, but if solder is piled on with trapped acid contamination it can eat into the steel.

Hello Big Jim:
I am just finishing my rebuild of a 1956 Jaguar XK140, fhc, left hand drive, automatic, which I imported from USA in 2013. I will be happy to compare notes as you go along.

Thanks Robert , I am sure to take you up on that. It should arrive UK next week.
Jim


It arrived this evening . I was expecting the worst but hoping for the best . I got one right , the former ! There are lots of holes and where there isn’t a hole there is a pop riveted patch .It obviously has’t been on the road for many years . there is a fist sized hole in the fuel tank . My first impression is electrical fault that killed it , a lot of connections are burnt together . It has some sort of heater under the rear parcel shelf(Picture upside down) , is this common ?[/url]

I will try to add video of what I have been up to and welcome all sorts of comments.
Jim

From as much as you can see in the pictures it looks pretty much the way mine was when it arrived. I’ve never seen anything like the heater under the parcel shelf. It looks to be largely complete and a good project.

Once you have had a chance to have a look round it you can make an assessment of the major components and the condition of the chassis. I took the body off mine and we built it up on a jig. I wouldn’t do that again. I would do all the body restoration on the chassis and then if the chassis needs work only once the body was finished would I remove it and do the chassis work. That way you know the body is going to fit back properly.

Let us know what you find once you’ve had a good look.

Eric