My XK140 FHC has at some point been fitted with a much later radio, but I’ve managed to find a Radiomobile 4260 which I think was one of the options around at the time. The car has various evidence of having been fitted with a radio originally, including the cranked gear lever and no sign of any drawer runners. However, I don’t have a bracket for the radio.
Is anyone able to provide any details, or even possibly a drawing or better still a photo of what the correct Radiomobile bracket should look like for an XK140 FHC ?
The Radiomobile 4260 is a MW & LW radio for Europe and the standard set for the UK. It was available around 1954/1955 and also mentioned as Optional Extra in the Salesman’s Handbook for the XK 140, so fully correct for your car. I assume you also have the (large) Amplifier unit that is mounted in the boot and a loudspeaker (see total set pic 2).
Like Rob R. already indicated, the radio is mounted using the (still existing?) drawer brackets. The drawer itself is discarded. See example below (although with a later Radiomobile 202X radio).
My Radiomobile Installation Manual only covers XK120 but the brackets that Rob pictured are the same as the ones on my 140 DHC so I am fairly sure that the installation will be the same.
The 4260 is a development of, and is very similar to the 4200. I think Smiths thought the styling on the 4200 was a bit boring and blinged it up a bit. Electrically, they are almost the same. I have checked the cases of one of my 4200s and one of my 4260s and the three 2BA mounting points are in the same place.
Unfortunately, there is no picture of the 4260 bracket but it is likely to be shaped to pick up the three mountings in the same way as the alternative control unit mounting for the 4200. It will have holes that align with the drawer slide mounting holes.
Although not quite the complete information you were seeking, there is probably enough here that can be interpreted to make up the bracket you need.
I have large box of mounting brackets that came with radios I bought. When I have a few moments I will have a look and see if there is anything that looks like it might work but I don’t recall seeing one for this model.
BTW, did your radio come with the very long nine way cable? You were lucky if it did. I have lots of short ones but have never seen one of the correct length for a 140.
See you have proposed another mounting solution. I’ve also seen that one and there is even one with a smaller amplifier unit just behind the receiver under the dash. See pic below.
Ah, yes, Bob but the amplifier in your pictures is a Type XB which is normally found with the 200X series as in one of your earlier photos. The 4200 series of control units were usually supplied with either a 46028A or 46028B amplifier often referred to as just Type A or Type B amplifiers. (the output stage is better with the B version).
The XA/XB amplifiers contain purely an audio output stage and the vibrator power supply and rectifier whereas the Type A/B amplifiers also include the final radio IF stage and the detector. That is why they need the nine way cable when the XA/B only has a five way.
They are definitely not interchangeable and I can’t see a practical way that an X amplifier could be used with a 4200/4260.
I’m not sure about the FHC which the OP asked about but in the DHC the amplifier is mounted in the boot, I think under the parcel shelf on the left hand side.
That’s really helpful, many thanks for your replies. I’ve been trying for some time to piece together what I need, led mainly by the information at www.bobline.nl (Bob is this yours ?), and to be honest, only just discovered this forum.
I’ve managed to get hold of a couple of 4260s and both a 46028A and a 46028B, but I’m not sure whether they work yet. My first objective is to put the radio in place to fill the hole in the dash, and then to move on to getting it working at a later date, hence I’ve not worried too much about the amplifier and its mounting yet… I do also have a 9-way cable, but it is a short one…
Looking at your image in the manual Eric, I can’t see what it would screw to above the radio - perhaps the XK120 has different structure above this space ?. My 140 FHC has the two triangular brackets as in Rob’s photos, but they’re the other way up, so perhaps it would have been more like the second photo in Bob’s post although it’s difficult to see the details of the bracket:
I’m guessing the frame will sit round the radio and fix in three points with spacers between the radio and the frame at the sides. The frame will then bolt to the holes left after you removed the drawer runners.
PM me if you need any advice on the radio or you need it fixing.
I think I may actually already have a bracket, but I discounted it because it didn’t look right. I’m now thinking that it’s just been mounted upside down !
My rougher 4260 came with this bracket fitted to it, but I assumed it was wrong because it would mount the radio far too low for a 140 FHC, and it also appears to be far too long to support the third mounting at the back.
There’s a parallel thread on this forum with this photo posted by xk120dude which appears to show a similar shaped bracket but mounted the other way up (which would make sense as it could then mount to the bottom of the drawer brackets).
And then… I found this photo of a 4262 unit that shows the same bracket as mine, but mounted the other way up and with a long spacer to the third mounting point.
You certainly have the kind of bracket I was expecting except that for the FHC I would have expected it to have sides parallel to the drawer mounting brackets rather than something that fixes underneath.
I think you are right that the bracket on your 4260 is upside down to the way it was intended and it looks like someone has bent over the rear fixing which should align with the thread in the back of the case.
BTW, the correct knobs are very hard to find and are usually pitted. I tried making them by casting from a mould but I haven’t yet found a way to get the metallic finish to look right.
Dear Mr Reilly
I am searching a original hand glove drawer including the sliding rails for my XK 140 DHC.
Do you still have the item showed in these pictures.
Kind regards
Maarten Malefijt
I’ll send you a Private Mail on the subject. I have these parts as “spares” (see pic). I do have the steel brackets but not the sliding rails for the drawer.
My understanding is that (on the XK120, anyway) the cranked gearlever was the standard fitment and the straight one was used if a radio was fitted. You see most cars with the cranked lever. The knob on the straight lever doesn’t go as far forward so you don’t hit your knuckles on the radio. Of course, the original radio on the early cars was the Radiomobile R100 which was a bit bulkier than the 4200, I think?
Maarten,
It probably doesn’t help much but here are pictures of the correct sections. I have never found them anywhere. I have the parts that fix to the drawer and in my more enthusiastic days I was going to mill a run of the other section but it never happened.
I am only posting this so that you know what you’re looking for.
