XK120DHC 677923
This XK120 DHC came to us initially to have some mechanical repairs done and to overhaul the original engine and replace the XJ engine with it, but as we got into the job, it was obvious that it needed a lot more work to get the car back into shape. The LHD to RHD conversion was poor, the car had been in a substantial accident at some stage and the repairs to the chassis were poor and the front guards had been replaced with earlier roadster guards. It was decided to dismantle the entire vehicle, dip the body, repair the chassis and body correctly, fit the correct engine and retrim the car. The specification for the car is going to be a fast, period rally car. It will run a 5 speed gearbox, disc brakes, upgraded suspension, XK140 steering rack along with a pair of our replica bucket seats.
The car has had many modifications over the years and was a real mess in the engine bay and in the wiring department.
The chassis was bent and had been poorly repaired we remade a major portion of the chassis including a new o/s outer member and a complete new front.
The front guards required substantial work, we had to remake the majority of the guards and fit foot vents as the guards came from an earlier car.
The RHD conversion was poor, most of the holes were the correct positions so we took the opportunity to make the conversion correct. We also made new sills, floors and tunnels.
We made a new bootlid for the car and repaired rust in the rear quarters. When the repairs were all finally finished the car was lead loaded and file finished.
With the bodywork now completed, the body was removed from the chassis and mounted on our jig. All the panels were refitted to double check alignment. The chassis was then prepared and primed.
The chassis was painted in semi gloss two pack and the paint preparation is now under way.
The original engine was in poor condition and in keeping with the period rally car theme, certain modifications have been incorporated into the rebuild. We took the engine out to 3.8 and we are fitting 9.0:1 Hepolite powermax pistions. We modified the cylinder head by fitting late model unleaded XJ valves and ported the head to suit. We also fitted a lip seal conversion to the crank to stop rear oil seal leaks.
The finished bodyshell is cut back and buffed and then re-united with the chassis.
The fully overhauled engine was mated to a Supra 5 speed and reunited to the chassis.
The correct early 1950's Jaguar red was chosen and the insides and undersides are all coated first.