What jack do I have?

After only 40 plus years of ownership, I discovered that I do not have the correct jack for an XK 140. I never planned to use it, but it was nice to have. Now the question is, what do I have? There are no stamped markings on it, but there may be the remnants of a yellow decal at the top. It is too tall for an XK, so my guess is that it came from a Saloon.

I don’t know jack(s)…:wink:

3 Likes

I have two just like it, and I don’t know what the origin was for mine either. I will say, they look very close to what you see in the later models of the Sunbeam Alpine and Sunbeam Tiger.

Bob,

Its not any model Jaguar Jack, and certainly not XK140, but it is a Jack made by PRIMA - which is shown originally on the remnants of your yellow decal. The origins of this style of telescopic/screw Jack was patented in the 1930s by STEVENSON who produced a range of Jacks to their patented design, but offered a choice of overall length of the main tubular body/internal screw thus a maximum/minimum lift range, and offered a choice of design and position of the bolted on, or in this case welded on lifting arm, thus were able to provide specific Jack solutions to the individual requirements of several different British Car manufcaturers.
Post war, STEVENSON was taken over by SMITHS and slightly evolved the overall Jack design to what you see in early, then late XK120, then into XK140 and then just into XK150. But seems the SMITHS/STEVENSON was taken over by BTC, and the identical Jack was now branded as such, but only stamped into the top of the main tube having now adopted the pressed/dimple foot design, in lieu of the cast and SMITHS branded foot design used for XK120/140. Shortly after, it appears that the original PATENTS had run out, and you now had PRIMA Industries Ltd supply Jacks for the XK150, that in lieu of the stamped in BTC branding, now had a yellow PRIMA decal, but also a quite different (Patent avoiding?) design of the top end of the main tube. But for XK150 purposes, Jaguar still specified a Jack length (and thus lift range) and lifting arm design/position the same as an XK140 SMOTHS Jack. So your PRIMA Jack dates about 1958-61, but is overlength for any XK (totally different Jack used for Jaguar saloons, and next model E-type), and also a different design/position of Arm. But no idea what brand/model of car this particular PRIMA Jack variant suits - something from the late 1950s and British, and indeed a more common model in Australia than XKs are, as over the yeras at local swap meets I rarely see an XK Jack, but regularly see these Jacks with a very characteristic overlength tube, and long/upward angled lifting arm. Sad thing is that although cutting off the arm, and making up and welding on an XK140/150 design arm is not that hard, shortening the main tube/internal mechanism is beyond my skills/intertest.

It took me a long time to find an original XK150 jack with sufficient surviving yellow decal to properly identify - the decal is fragile and extremely temporary branding, but once found identified PRIMA, and a little bit of research found the manufacturing companies identity and location - see attached, this is an original 1958 XK150 Jack, with again some further evolution through to 1961, including being painted black instead of usual XK red………….

I have written a very comprehensive paper on XK120/140/150 Jacks that was published in the XK GAZETTE…

2 Likes

I don’t know jack… and on the polar opposite end is this!

Cool stuff, Roger!

Thanks Roger. I somehow knew the answer would come from you. I personally have never used the factory jack with any British car going back to the early 1960s. My father’s philosophy was to immediately put the factory jack on the shelf and replace it with a decent scissors jack.

For reference to the op, this is the jack - repainted, of course - that belongs to my ‘54 120.

image

“SMITHS” is cast into the foot in larger font than is “STEVENSON JACKING SYSTEM”.

image

Fwiw.

I also know Jack about jacks,

Another thing Rover really thought out: their jacks were actually usable.

Ill try to take a video of how well they work.

Hopefully a lot better that the 1961-62 E-type three-stage SHELLEY screw Jack, especially at full extension on the side of the road, bearing mid-point on the underside of the sill, trying to lift the entire side of the car clearing both wheels, rather than just the required corner………, a particularly stable arrangement, with obvious consequences, might explain why these jacks are so hard to find, and thus very expensive, in unbroken condition…

The XK STEVENSON/SMITH Jack is eminently stable and useable, relatively speaking…

In my teenage days when my Mark V was my only car and daily driver, this jack that came with it was the only jack I owned, so I used it frequently.
tools 040

Interesting - the three-stage Shelley jack that came with the AC Cobra is still the best device for roadside jacking. It’s a bit squatter than the E-type one in your picture, and has a curved saddle to sit under the 4" dia. chassis tubes of the AC. Very strong and very sturdy, just not very quick. You tend not to find jacking points on sports cars with aluminium bodies…

1 Like

XK120 jack works perfectly fine back in 1978 halfway between Norseman and Baldonia on the Eyre highway the fuel pump was playing so we jacked the car up using original jacking point ie the whole side of the car laid underneath and removed the cap of fuel pump and cleaned points with wife’s nail file and continued the 12,000 km journey!

Hi all

Does eventually someone have any informations about this type of jack?

Thank you very much :+1:

Lukas

Lukas,

It looks very similar to a C10659 Jack made by KING DICK and as supplied to 2.4 & 3.4 litre (Mark 1) and Mark 2 saloons… but cant be 100% based on just your photo…
See below - this is definately a C.10659…

See how base seems wider on my C.10659, angled legs and lead screw look smaller diameter…
But nothing else Jaguar is similar, so possibly supplied to another marque.
Does yours have any branding on it - if so what ???

Hello Roger
Thank you very much for sharing your expertise :+1:
I will have a closer look later today or tomorrow…

Best Regards
Lukas



Hi Roger
I had a closer look at the jack. Unfortunately there are absolute no markings or labels on it.
The spindle is exactly 5/8"…
Best Regards
Lukas

Lukas,

My main concern is lack of any branding, and indeed the foot…
All C.10659 Jacks as supplied to all Mark 1 and Mark 2 (1955 to 1967) have a foot with KING DICK / MADE IN ENGLAND / PAT No. 625500 branding in the middle of one side only of the foot, as shown below…

The Foot is also 8in wide and is curved on the underside, your Jack looks to have a narrower foot and although of a similar pressing, appears to have a welded reinforcing plate on the underside of the curve…

My lead-screw is an ACME thread and measures 0.614 and 12 tpi with a 1/2in x 1/2in square drive at the top-end, which is probably same as yours, and indeed my hollow/square lifting arm looks the same…
My side bars/rods are 7/16in diameter and overall height of Jack is 20-1/2in…

So overall looks very similar - but I dont believe yours to be original to a Mark 1 or Mark 2 Jaguar, nor indeed any other model Jaguar, so can only guess…
Best guess is of course some other marque, and the reinforced foot suggests something heavier/commercial ? (thats just a guess). Lack of KING DICK branding is a mystery - but if not a Jaguar Jack it may be one made earlier than 1955 by another manufacturer, that KING DICK bought out/took over as often happened with the major British tool manufacturing companies, taking over small companies that had a product that fitted their range/market… Exactly as what happened with the XK Jacks - similar style/design but made by four different manufacturers over full XK period…

Thats the best I can do - maybe someone else can offer some enlightment… :grinning:

Here’s a website of a guy that has made a study of all British made jacks. Maybe you can find it on there.

http://www.classic-british-car-jacks.uk/BTC_Jacks.htm

Thank you Gentleman!
I will investigate further in this and let you know if I would find out something.

Best Regards
Lukas