XK 120 Rear Number Plate Piping

XK
21

Thanks Rob and Chris.
I’ve been to order BD4875 and when I went into Coventry Autos website the suggestion below came up, this is because their instruction with BD4875 was that it should be fitted to the boot lid. I can’t see how as the section would not suit the boot lid in any way.
Have a read of the paste below from Coventry Auto. Their description of reduced channel size due to excessive paint etc from bodywork re-spray definitely applies to my vehicle. The seal that they recommend would seem to suit my channel round the boot.
Let me know what you think.
Regards
Dave

BD2159 x 1 metre lengths. A great solution to many shut fitting problems! This seal is the same external size and shape as the traditional BD2159, D-Shape extrusion section, but this version has a void in the centre allowing it to be far greater compressed, in fact to just a few mm thickness.

Many panel beaters or rebuilders choose to narrow door and boot gaps beyond original specs, forgetting that and after filler, lead and paint is applied the gaps can be far to narrow. This can mean boots, doors and door cappings etc. can require further rework, even if original AFTER PAINT. This seal comes with a self adhesive backing too, for an easy fit ( if careful) into ANY gap you require a seal, not just for interchange with BD2159 but a solution to many other ‘over-restored’ problems.

NOTE : Our experience shows that this is the reality of one-off custom rebuilding a steel flexible body set onto a rigid chassis. Adjusted gaps to what coach-builders feel are finer / reduced tollerance ‘modern door and boot gaps’. Many coach-builders never get to see the problems caused by this after heavy filling / painting, when the restorer then trys to then fit correct seals and external fittings, so this seal is very popular by those who know about it. A real ‘Get Out Of Jail Card’ solution!

22

Hi David:

I have a lot of faith in Coventry Auto Components and have ordered a lot of stuff from them. What they argue makes sense and if they are suggesting BD2159 for the boot seal I would go for it, if I had been aware of it I probably would have got it if only for the self-adhesive feature. The 3M weatherstrip adhesive I used is great stuff, but can be a tad messy to work with and you also need to tape some sections until it sets (or spend a fair bit of time sitting holding it in place!).

Chris.

23

Chris,
Sound advice, I’ll order BD2159 and let you know how I get on when I fit it. I also have a lot of time for CovAuto, they are a bit short staffed at the moment though.
Hopefully this will put the post to bed!
Dave

1 Like
24

David,
I used the BD.9345 in the “gutter” of my April 1954 OTS. It’s a perfect fit and even if a section of the gutter is a bit narrower, you can squeeze it in easily.
I have no experience with the earlier Seal BD4875 that Jaguar used in the gutter until February 1954, but I assume that the width of those two Seals are identical and the gutter width didn’t change.
The only consequence I could imagine is that you’ll have a bit more “resistance” from the later Seal BD.9345 when closing the Boot Lid, as this Seal is a bit higher. I had no problems at all closing the Boot Lid and it just stops at the point where the side pins of the Boot Lock just slide into the holes at the sides.
I understand that the concept of the new Seal BD.9345 was that the inner vertical edge of the gutter would “penetrate” the softer center section of the Seal and thus obtain a perfect watertight seal. This is the same concept as used on the XK 140. But the upward higher “lip” of Seal BD.9345 will also seal against the flat surround of the Boot Lid and water will run down via the lower middle section of this seal.

To be honest: I haven’t yet driven my car, let alone in the rain. So time will tell.whether I’m correct.

Bob K.

25

I ordered BD 2159 and fitted it last night.
What a dream! It is an excellent product, fits perfectly and the self adhesive is of very good quality and very ‘adhesive’, far preferable to sticky fingers and hands when using Evostic contact glue… I think I will review all the similar seals that have to be fitted around the door area as there is a lot of extra paint in the channels after the bodywork spraying. I’m not that worried about originality, more interested in having a vehicle that works and seals that fit and function well.
Thanks for the help everyone.

1 Like
26

Hi David:

Great! That is good information to know and, for those not overly concerned about originality, an easier fit.

Chris.