Silver tips on XK120 fan blades

Were the silver tips on the Xk120 fan blades painted on BOTH sides of the blades on or only on the front side? Viart’s book (pg 200) says only on the front side and faded gradually from from black, but other references (including the draft JNCA judging guide pg 122) indicate silver was painted on both sides, and with a sharp contrastive boarder rather than a gradient.

Painted black on both sides with sharp demarcation line, … just beyond rivets.
Silver color is the (clean) natural aluminum finish of the blades.

I have an extra XK140, eight blade fan, repainted as above, if anyone needs a spare.

Mike. I’m rebuilding a Mark IX which has the 3.8 engine and I need a fan blade for it. I wonder if your’s will fit. If it will I can certainly use it

Pat H

Thanks once again Dick!

Hi Pat:

I have a few bits and pieces from my '59 Mk IX including a fan. Contact me off list if you are interested in anything (cphillipsxk@outlook.com).

Chris.

Pat, the XK140 fan I have is 16 inches in diameter. It has eight aluminum blades riveted to a steel central spider. I don’t have the XK140 spare parts catalog, so I can’t advise whether the same fan was used on the Mark IX.

XK140 fan is C.7615 except for early FHC which is C.10128 with no explanation given.
Mark IX fan is C.7615 so the same as almost all 140s, all Mark VIII and late Mark VII with 8 blades.
The silver tips are unpainted aluminum. The steel center spider was painted black sometimes before attaching the blades thus showing no paint on them, sometimes painted afterward with short masking shields on the blades thus getting paint on the inner portion of the blades. Both varieties are pictured in the Mark V Service Manual.
XK150 has a different one piece fan C.12391 with 12 blades but the same C.5121 balancers as all the others.