[pre-xk] MK V Drophead Coup� interior Light

Pre-XK
1

In reply to a message from Dick sent Wed 9 Jan 2008:

Dick ,
the light I mentioned that is fitted to this MK V DHC and mounted
on a wooden block is so wrong that it also has a switch
incorporated.To me it is obviously from some other make of car and
was convenient for the previous ‘‘restorer’’ to fit. There is no
mounting block,as such,listed for the lamps fitted to DHC XK’s and
FHC E-Types.
Would you know where I could get an original one for the MK V ?–
d r
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2

In reply to a message from d r sent Wed 9 Jan 2008:

I for one, would also really, really love to know how to get
one. I will be at Stoneleigh later this year and I’m also
thinking of going to the Beaulieu autojumble, but just to
make it sure, I have decided to anyway buy one of the E-type
coup�/2+2/XK120 DHC/ XK140 DHC lamps, as the lense and thus
the overall appearance of the lamp is pretty close anyway.

Thanks to Rob’s tip regarding original interior colours I
re-checked Porter’s ‘‘Jaguar’’ book and found a picture of the
‘‘Twilight Blue / Pale Blue’’ MKVII and finally also a good
factory picture of a MKV DHC on the assembly line, where you
can see the interior light. As well as some happy chaps
putting the car together and many nice details that will
help in restoration:

http://idisk.mac.com/ptelivuo/Public/MK5-DHC-Foleshill-016.jpg

(But no rear screen on the hood yet??? Maybe that’s how they
made them…)

Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194–
The original message included these comments:

Dick ,
the light I mentioned that is fitted to this MK V DHC and mounted
on a wooden block is so wrong that it also has a switch
incorporated.To me it is obviously from some other make of car and
was convenient for the previous ‘‘restorer’’ to fit. There is no
mounting block,as such,listed for the lamps fitted to DHC XK’s and
FHC E-Types.
Would you know where I could get an original one for the MK V ?

d r

–
MK 5 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1, XJ6C Manual, XJ8 Executive
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3

In reply to a message from ptelivuo sent Fri 8 Feb 2008:

Hey, I just came across this from the XK-list:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1225767379

Surely not the same as on a MKV DHC, but it looks as if
they had just started to cast the same part in some kind of
pot metal and chromed it, or what?

The original one for a MKV DHC (and MKIV DHC?) should be
something bakelite like brown stuff. I am thinking of making
this base from weatherproof plywood and painting it dark
brown and use the lense and internals of an E-type coupe
interior light.

But if I could get a repro XK120 DHC interior light would it
be closer to the original one? Just paint the metal part
dark brown and no-one will ever notice the difference?

Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194–
The original message included these comments:

Dick ,
the light I mentioned that is fitted to this MK V DHC and mounted
on a wooden block is so wrong that it also has a switch
incorporated.To me it is obviously from some other make of car and
was convenient for the previous ‘‘restorer’’ to fit. There is no
mounting block,as such,listed for the lamps fitted to DHC XK’s and
FHC E-Types.
Would you know where I could get an original one for the MK V ?

–
MKV 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1 MOD, XJ6C MOD, XJ8 Executive
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4

In reply to a message from ptelivuo sent Tue 4 Nov 2008:

Pekka said
‘‘Surely not the same as on a MKV DHC, but it looks as if
they had just started to cast the same part in some kind of
pot metal and chromed it, or what?’’

Pekka, the orginal MKV DHC light base is brown bakelite and plane
flat sided. This casting has a ribbed base. Also, the lamp should
be a festoon style i.e the same as the white dash light. But I am
sure the white perspex cover shown in these photos is the same as
the original MKV DHC. If you could get this cover, it would not be
hard to make a base. Unfortunatley, unless they afe being re-made,
the XK120 light is probably as rare as the MKV.

IMHO, the MKV DHC interior light is the most cheap and nasty item
on the whole car. It just looks like an after thought from the
Lucas parts bin and it is not surprising the Jaguar went looking
for a less tatty chromed casting for the XK 120.

Assuming you can find a light, some comments on installing it.
Firstly, it is almost impossible to attempt any fabrication of the
outer hood or head lining without having this light in place. The
mounting screws pass around the main hood bow into the wood
moulding.

Secondly, the wiring to the light needs to be fixed to the wood
bow moulding so it cannot flap around when the hood is lowered. In
order to minimise the number of wires floating about, I used some
twin figure eight wire and super glued this to the wooden moulding.
It is impossible to get at any of this wiring once the hood and
headlining are in place.

Finally, this light wiring connects into the harness connector
which passes over the RH rear wheel arch. I found it very difficult
to keep the light wiring away from the metal hood bars as they
collapse when the hood is lowered with the possiblilty of a major
short circuit. To prevent this, I covered the wiring from where it
leaves the end of the hood bow wood moulding to the connecting
harness in a piece of rubber heater hose to give it some protection.

So far so good. I have no idea how they dealt with these issues in
maufacture as there was not enough of my hood left to tell.

Terry Crossley
Port Macquarie
Australia
1950 MKV DHC–
@Cros
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5

In reply to a message from Cros sent Wed 5 Nov 2008:

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the detailed info. Yes, I am aware of the many
problems with the wiring, as I found the wires cut by the RH
hood mechanism and a PO had completely forgotten about it so
my current headliner has no hole for the lamp. But I suspect
I should find the wires or even just one wire in there and
my plan was to pull a lead wire with the help of the remains
of the old wires.

I have a lamp (E-type FHC or 2+2) that uses the same lense
and has a festoon style bulb and bulb holder, so like I
wrote I was planning on fabricating of brown weatherproof
plywood a base that would have the correct (roughly) shape
with the ribbing on the sides and painting it brown.

I have seen in the old factory shots of a MKV DHC on the
assembly line that they had the lamp mounted already before
the hood was finished, the back light (rear window) was
still totally missing at that stage!

Here’s a picture I took of the black MKV DHC at JDHT last
month: http://tinyurl.com/6otrnm

BTW is the zipper in the hood a customised one or something
they did in those days? My car has an identical (stuck!)
zipper in the hood, although I know this hood was made in
Colorado in the late 1970’s and is not very original in
other details.

The idea about putting these two wires inside some sort of
rubber tube inside the hood where the mechanism might rub
them is very good, but I think finding a route where the
wires would not get caught between the bars is yet more
important, although it may be impossible like you say… :frowning:

Anyhow, thanks for the help, I’ll report back if I get my
light working and for how long.

I am not sure I have the wood molding and how the screws
should ‘‘pass around the main hood bow’’ but I will cut the
headliner where I think the lamp should go in and see what I
can find inside.

Cheers,
Pekka T. - 647194–
The original message included these comments:

Firstly, it is almost impossible to attempt any fabrication of the
outer hood or head lining without having this light in place. The
mounting screws pass around the main hood bow into the wood
moulding.
Secondly, the wiring to the light needs to be fixed to the wood
bow moulding so it cannot flap around when the hood is lowered. In
order to minimise the number of wires floating about, I used some
twin figure eight wire and super glued this to the wooden moulding.
It is impossible to get at any of this wiring once the hood and
headlining are in place.
Finally, this light wiring connects into the harness connector

–
MKV 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1 MOD, XJ6C MOD, XJ8 Executive
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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6

In reply to a message from ptelivuo sent Wed 5 Nov 2008:

Pekka

As far as I am aware, the zippered rear window in this photo is not
correct. In fact, I am not sure why anyone would want to install
such a zipper. From my experience down under, it is often diffcult
to find examples of the original roof design on the MKV DHC as they
have often been replace many times in the life of the car and
nearly every one has differences from the original. For example,
the actual rear window shown in this photo looks the correct size
but should be chromed metal and not plastic. But I have often seen
plastic window frames. I have also seen the smaller oval frames
which look as if they are re-made XK120 window frames.

With regard to my reference to the wood moulding, the first roof
bar from the back of the car is a flat steel bar. The next three
roof bars are tubular, and the first bar from the front is again
vertical flat steel which is welded to the centre column structure.

As I said, the first bar from the back is flat steel and is covered
with a formed wooden moulding which is about three inches wide and
is designed to give the roof some form or shape as it rises from
the rear metal work of the car. This wood moulding is a complicated
affair which is tapered north/south and also east/west. It is made
of laminations or layers of thin timber, like ply wood, glued
together to a thicnkness of about an inch. It is then bent,
probably using steam, to follow the shape of the flat steel roof
bar to which it is screwed through the many countersunk holes along
the length of this bar. As the roof deteriorates over time, much of
the roof woodwork gets wet, rots and may or may not be replaced
looking like the original. The original wood moulding on the back
bar of my car was able to be salvaged using modern glues so I know
what it is supposed to look like. This could not be said for the
wooden fixing rails around the top of the metal body work to which
the roof is fixed. I remade these using polyethylene square plastic
bar and heating it. These are now impervious to leaking water.

Terry Crossley
Port Macquarie NSW
Australia
1950 MKV DHC–
The original message included these comments:

I am not sure I have the wood molding and how the screws
should ‘‘pass around the main hood bow’’ but I will cut the
headliner where I think the lamp should go in and see what I
can find inside.

–
@Cros
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –