Been looking for a starting handle for few years now, none found in the usual places. Don’t suppose anyone knows of one available- my car is definitely not concours so working is more important than pristine condition or does everyone make their own?
Also recently saw a jack on eBay minus the handle but at over £500 bit out of reach…apparently also fits an XK120 unfortunately
Things getting scarce and very expensive
It is never easy to find specific Jaguar MK IV tools, but similar era UK classic cars had similar looking tools - so these options might help (whilst still looking for the originals). Here are some photos of when I first started my tool box restoration, with “substitutes” lined up so they could be at least fitted in the car boot.
The side crank handle jack I used was a Stevenson “Bevelift”, which cleaned up nicely, but I think was probably from an MG, and fitted the MV IV lifting points and rasied the car OK.
I initially made myself a crank handle - a length of steel bar bent to shape, a section of wooden broom handle cut and drilled to slot over the bar (I tapped and threaded the bar end and fitted washers and a locking nut), and an old imperial size wrench socket which I welded to the bar end and cut out a couple of triangular side lugs to fit over the engine cracking nut on the car. I just painted it all black. It worked well for me and did the job, but I never managed to actually find an original Jaguar cracking handle !!! Watch out for the kick back on the handle if you ever do fancy starting the engine this way, and make sure the locating “triangles” you cut do effectively slide off the crank nut and allow the handle to pull free instantly.
Yep make sure your thumb is on the same side of the handle as your fingers!
Thanks- reassuring! Have a similar side lift without the fancy label just allow it onto the road.
Was thinking of starting handle more for valve settings as the last time the radiator was out and could get access to the crank
Yes, and only pull up, and from about the 7.30/8 o’clock position so that you are rolling over the peak compression point at about 9/10 o’clock. Kickbacks can be savage. It’s worth practising this because you never know when you might be stuck somewhere with a dying battery. It will add to your daily exercise regimen, if nothing else.
That’s being innovative, David, great result. From memory, a colleague had one of those crank type jacks and when he removed the top gearbox, he found there was a conventional hexagon that the bevel drive engaged with.