These original Sandcast SU H8s from my 1957 XK140 MC were recently rebuild by Joe Curto. I thought photos of an original set might be of interest.
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Those carbs are gorgeous! Automotive art! Joe does a wonderful job of bringing things back to new.
I told my wife they were jewelry. She had her doubts.
Really nice pair of H8s Bob, and looks superb restoration standard as well.
Can you advise the date-code stamping on second H8. Is it the same as P2 shown in one picture or something else.
And do you have a picture of the interconnecting link between the choke levers on both H8s.
thanks,
Roger
Eye candy!
(any pics of the pair mounted? with the original coil bracket?)
Beautiful job by Curto who ha been at it for probably 50 years.
Both carbs are stamped P2. I don’t have a photo of the interconnecting links between the carbs as some parts were missing. Joe Curto supplied me with some replacment parts but I have not put it all together and he advised they have a different appearance than the originals.
This is the only photo I have of the carbs mounted on the engine taken about 1975. Unfortunately, my father took this car completely apart and then lost interest, deciding to restore his E-Type instead. Now that he is gone, the car is like a huge puzzle left behind for me to solve. And to show my ignorance, I am not sure what the coil bracket is.
Looking at the photo, I just figured out what the coil bracket is.
Very nice problem to have. 
The H8 coil bracket is unique and hard to find.
I understand it bolts onto the front carb.
I was going to try make one and Roger & others did kindly sent me pics.
(there is also a drawing in Roger’s book).
If anyone is manufacturing, please add me to the list.
Nice pics Bob - keep them coming.
Bob,
Its hard to see in your photo what BRACKET is provided for your Coil.
Clearly visible is your Coil (and its clamp) assembly, Lucas Part No 45067 (Jaguar Part No C.8749), but its not apparent what Coil Bracket is used onto which the Coil (and clamp) is mounted.
All XK140 with H6 fitted had a C.5259 Bracket, but all XK140 with original factory fitted H8 had a totally different C9129 Bracket, as per attached illustration:-
I fully detail all the various XK140 Coils, clamps and Coil Brackets in Plate 4-f2 of JAGUAR XK140 EXPLORED.
Have a look amongst all of your bits and pieces for one of these C9129 Coil Brackets.
If H8s were fitted ‘after-market’, there was several items required to match a factory H8 installation, and indeed many cars retained the H6 C5259 Coil Bracket, and indeed a handful of cars were supplied with two Coils and two C5259 Coil Brackets (one was a spare, not connected, but allowed quick changeover if a coil failed during a racing event that didn’t allow spare parts to be used unless carried on car) - see attached example of aftermarket H8 fitment with twin Coils fitted - needs just a bit of paint and air in tyres to make Concourse 
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Both being stamped same date-code (in this case P2) is expected/usual, but there are many cases of twin-H6 and twin-H8 SUs having one, sometimes two months discrepancy in date-code. Any more than two months invariably suggests one/both carburetters has been replaced/substituted. Thanks for confirming for my records of H8s.
Damn, I wish I’d known that when I stamped the numbers on mine.
Roger, Can you explain to me what the date code “P2” stands for? When I examined the carbs it seemed the least significant of the numbers as it was not part of the casting. It makes sense that the date code would be stamped and not cast.
I will look through my collection of parts for the coil bracket. When I transferred the car from my father’s commodious shop to my cramped garage I repeatedly looked through Viart’s book to identify and label what I had, but I don’t recall this one offhand. The diagram will be very helpful. Thanks for posting it.
By the way, after I received the Heritage Certificate I wrote back and asked if they could confirm that the Sandcast SUs were installed by the factory, but I never heard back from them. To my knowledge, this OTS had all the bells and whistles with the C-Type head, 9:1cr, Sandcast SU H8s, close ratio transmission, overdrive, wire wheels, driving lights and windshield washer. Is there anything else I should check for?
LOL - I’m crying here!
At last Ed, I now have an explanation to a mystery I thought I had unravelled.
Always wondered why this very early H6 carburetter had two date-code stampings on it. Seems like owner didn’t like first date so he added the second date more to his liking 
Bob, I first revealed this SU Date-Code in a paper on SU Petrol Pumps I had published in the XK GAZETTE of May 2011. This stamped in date-code was introduced from 1945 onwards for all SU Petrol Pumps and also for both H6 and H8 carburetters, and later HD6 and HD8 carburetters, through 1950s, 1960s up until the last ones made by the original SU Carburetter Co. The modern reproduction carburetters don’t continue this original date code stamping, albeit I am sure Ed can accommodate if desired.
Re the H8 carburetter itself, the date-code is only one of its identifying features, as you say the cast-in codes/numbers also tell you a lot, and far to complex to go into here. Again however I wrote a very detailed paper on H8 carburetters published over three issues of the XK GAZETTE of Nov, Dec 2103 and Jan 2014.
If you don’t get XK GAZETTE - a UK based, but International XK Specialist magazine produced by Philip Porter - I highly recommend it, but if you advise your email address, I can send you scanned copies of my H8 paper. This H8 paper covers the H8 carburetter itself, so is relevant to all applications of H8 carburetters - original equipment fitment on C-type and optional original equipment on XK140MC; but also aftermarket Spare Parts H8 carburetters readily available to modify existing XK120 and XK140 originally fitted with H6 carburetters.
I am well progressed on another very detailed paper on factory original equipment XK140MC with H8 carburetters. There is a lot more involved in an original factory H8 installation than just bolting on two H8 carburetters where the H6 carburetters were usually fitted, so any aftermarket modification of an XK140 of adding H8s can be of very variable accuracy/quality of modification - thus my question about your linkages.
Saw a pair of H8 stamped X5 today on famous jaguar special
Any pictures?
H8s were actually still made into 1960s (thus X5 date code) for special order/application, being apparently preferred for racing/specials than HD8 (introduced in 1958) (a much better all-round carburetter) as they overfueled (as desired) at high revs.