I’m 6’2" with size 44 feet… and it is comfortable for me…
I’ve owned a TD and drive the TC Special and the MGA… I wear driving shoes in the TC. I’m 6’1".
Yea, I’d like to find a 140 but this is as close as I can get to a car that I can make nearly perfect without paying for someone else’s fiberglass/Bondo experiment. If a good restorable XK isn’t in the cards, I’ll buy a finished car and just drive it, but I still need a project - I don’t watch much TV.
I’ve been offered a solid '77 MGB body for a V8 build.
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I gotcher 215 Rover V8 for that…
Thanks… on my list.
I’ll second the recommendations for Viart’s book - expect to fork out several hundred dollars for it, but worth the outlay - as well as the new JCNA judging guide, though there are minor ambiguities in both.
Parts catalogues from the usuals are good but beware of errors. The factory parts manual is invaluable but lacks diagrams featuring some of the later changes, the wing vent boxes for example. They were removed when I started the restoration many years ago and I’d forgotten how they were oriented so I consulted my two SNG catalogues before reassembly. Both are wrong. The abridged hard copy (p. 42) depicts the RHS vent box assembly going ass-backwards into the LHS wing and the extensive online copy (p. 190) depicts the vent box assembly going in upside down.
Unless it’s a uniquely straight car you’ll find the biggest challenge to the restoration is the bodywork. By comparison an E-type is a cakewalk. There are many near-straight lines that are difficult to pull off - from viewing period factory film footage it appears at least some cars fresh off the line were wavy. In particular the presentation of the sides across the wings and doors takes a lot of fiddling to get right. And then there are the panel gaps. I think it was here in J-L I read that workers chose the best fitting aluminum doors from a collection on the shop floor to accommodate variations in construction. My car is a low mileage original that last saw the road in the mid-60s and it’s factory panel fits were abysmal.
There’s more, like the lightweight construction of the doors yielding to damage from their primitive hinges seizing up or from people bearing down on them during ingress/egress, but that’s enough for now.
If you’re into getting the aesthetic as close to design as possible prepare to have your coachbuilding skills challenged. But also enjoy the ride. It’s a beautiful shape.
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Just some of the work I had to perform to get the MGA doors and hood to gap properly. I’ve yet to restore an A where I didn’t split the body and rework the rockers to get a better fit at the doors. The body on the red A had been ‘nosed’ poorly by a PO. No other way to get the hood to fit, gotta pull it apart. The wire at the edge was nearly gone at the top of the door when finished.
Oh yes. I see you’re well acquainted with what kind of surgery it takes to get a hand built car looking right, Mitchell. Enjoy.
I spent $$$ to buy both the 140 and 120 “Explorer” books.
Fabulous stuff and unimaginable level of effort made to produce these great books. Unfortunately, I bought the first edition of the 120 book, which owners of 120’s know contained a series of errors. I’m not one for Facebook. Are us early buyer out of luck or is there an errata available?
“XK120 explored” by Viart a new revised edition will be available late November and whilst no book will ever be perfect due to the manufacturing process off these cars at the time, it is a major step up from anything ever previously available. The factory Spare Parts Catalog latest edition is also extremely useful along with service and Spare parts bulletins are also most useful. A copy of Urs Scmidt books Vol 1 and 2 are also very good along with the latest version of Philip Porters “Original jaguar XK”
There is dedicated face book page for the XK Explored book series that will add additional info and answer queries etc. If you find what you believe is an error we will endeavor to provide the correct answer.
I’m researching the forum for some “how to” help on issues with our 140 I found the references to “XK140 Explored”. When I went to find a copy I went in to shock. Cheapest ebay price was 1500 US. I’m gonna guess that it is that good and essential that used copies are bringing that much money?
It is an exceedingly good and useful book, essential for anyone restoring a 140. I see Abe Books have just one copy at GBP437. There may be other vendors who have the odd copy that you can search out.
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When I bought my 120, the 120 book was about that when you could find someone willing to part with it. I’ll die with mine. A few months later the next edition came out at a less hair raising price.
Wait for the next 140 book. It’s worth waiting for, but not worth over $1K.
In the meantime most of the parts suppliers have pretty good exploded views as does the workshop manual (WSM).
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Paul is the publisher (I think). I got my 120 book from him for about $150US. You might drop him a line and ask about the next 140 edition.
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Thanks. I’ve sent an email and asked. Will post response.
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Nick Mentioned (back in Oct 2019):
." ESSENTIAL to have is a set of the factory Technical Service Bulletins that update the Service Manual info, very important as the SB for example may inform of say, a new valve, that requires a new valve guide, spring, keeper…etc, Many important updates to the Factory Service Manual that you would otherwise not know about."
Some years ago, I obtained ALL 277 issues of the US versions of the "Technical Service Bulletins" (issued from 1948 to 1960, give or take) and created over 125 copies for the XK Folks (the TSB sets were loaded onto two 4'x4' pallets and taken to the US Post Office!!). Back then, they were cheap to recreate/photocopy AND ship!! About $25 per set. The last set I "made" for an individual XKer COST over $150USD to photocopy and mail.. (had it "copied" at Office Depot).
Point being, “someone” might still have their “TSB Set”, yet sold their XK, thus you might obtain a TSB Set fairly cheap… Lottsa good stuff in those pages… mine take-up space in THREE 3" Binders!!
Charles Ch#677556.
I have “almost” the full set…there is one first issue, later revised, where I have only the revised…Double sided copied, it is in one 3.5 inch wide binder. Cost to copy last time I did it was around $100…having it done for me, as all electrical powered things stop working when I touch them…especially copy machines. My next step will to have them all scanned and thus on a USB stick. Xlnt bedtime reading…with sticky tabs handy to flag the ones of most interest or importance…color the tabs to match topics…as in the front index. So far…the vendor commercial sets I have seen are far from complete. Rumors are that Jaguar still considers them proprietary. They really should be on a website someplace for easy reference. JCNA? Club?
A note: I have an extensive collection of XK 120 140 150 maintenance documents, collected from here and there: …a lot of the “here” is from here…this forum, collected over many years. Also other articles, and many photos of parts etc. They are in documents by component topic. These I can put on a stick , a large capacity one, or maybe two such. The info needs to survive me…so I will do this soon… We are all on our path…and there is another path of death angling toward us…at what angle and when they meet…is up to when the Spinner of Years says…“Now”. so, my data at some point will need a “home”.(the XK as well !!)
Nick
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