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1957 XK140

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michaelj

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Hey Guys, I recently purchased a 1957 XK 140 and really know very little about Jaguars. I am interested where to find parts (interior & exterior), start up procedures (rebuilt engine, has not been started since 1985), and any restoration tips anybody can provide.

Any information will be greatly appreciated. Michael NJ, USA
 
Welcome. I don't own a Jag, but here's some suggestions.

Some NJ service shops (In my area of NJ, there's also Midnight Auto at 973-383-8859).

https://www.mgcars.org.uk/garages/New_Jersey.html

Here's a local Jag club in NJ:

https://www.jtc-nj.com

I would also strongly suggest that you go to the BritFest event that takes place near Moss Motors in Dover NJ in the Spring. There's always a few 140s and similar cars at that event. (nothing posted at this Britfest link so far, but it should be up soon):

https://www.mgccnj.org/

For parts vendors, Moss Motors and Victoria British are the biggest places for Brit-stuff. Even if you don't buy from them, their catalogs make good "wish-lists" to start with.

As a general rule, for starting a car sitting that long, change the oil and filter. Remove the spark plugs and squirt a bit of oil down in the cylinders. Then turn over the car in short bursts (plugs out) until the oil pressure comes up on the gauge. After that, install new plugs. You may have to drain the fuel tank, change fuel filters and clean the carb bowls if the fuel system looks dirty. Eventually, you should replace the coolant (maybe backflush too), belts, igniton wires and other "tune-up" parts. G'luck.
 
MIchael - XK 140 perhaps one of my favorite cars. Roadster, coupe or is it a drophead?

I sent you a private message also.

Bruce
 
Michael, you lucky dog!
Welcome to our little corner of the world, and I must say, you enter it owning one of my favorites.
One thing I might add to what Nial has mentioned, is to turn the engine over by hand prior to trying it with the starter, just to make sure things are free. You may find that it is "stuck", and some lubricant in the cylinders,followed by a waiting period of a few days, will free things up. By trying it by hand you can avoid the sudden shock that would be induced by the starter, which could break a piston ring that was siezed to the cylinder wall.
Or, the usual offer in these cases, is to let one of us have the car until it's running to our satisfaction, at which time we would gladly consider giving it back to you!
Yeah,right.
Jeff
 
The XK140 is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Whats the condition of the car? XK140s are simple to work on, but part prices and bodywork prices are not for the faint of heart! A memeber of the British car club i'm in has a 57 XK140 MC SE. The car is mechanicly sound, but needs at least $15,000 worth of body work (not including paint!) since the car is very rusty. When restored to "as new" condition a XK120-140 can fetch between $75,000-$100,000.
 
Hey Bruce, 1957 XK140,, 1 owner,, 55,000 original miles,, motor professionaly rebuilt. Any interest.

Happy Holidays,, Michael
 
Michael,
I am sending you a list of about 10 excellent vendors for Jaguar parts out of forum. Most of these guys are on the mechanical side. I have more for the soft ware side (interiors, etc)
A word of caution regarding your new Jag. You MUST take a moment from the excitement and take a LONG hard look at what it is that you want to do with this car. It is indeed true that a show room condition XK140 will bring upwards to $100,000, but if you are going for that kind of value -- be prepared to spend that kind of money to get there. If and when the car achieves that kind of condition, you must then find some one who thinks the value is equal to what you think it is. Take a moment some evening and just cruise through the Ebay ads and see how many people are selling cars with descriptions like " $25,000 invested -- must sell for $10,000!!" or some thing like that. You MUST take the time to decide exactly how much you want to spend and over what period of time you are willing to spend it. Most Jaguar restorations are a labor of love -- very, very few are actually investments. A Jaguar is a very poor investment. You would be smarter to figure out how much it will cost to restore the car and stick the money into a money market. You will get a better return.
Two years ago when I went to a seminar at the national Jag meeting, they had a restoration group give a lecture. They started off by citing a recent case where a guy brought in an XK150 for a restoration quote. The basic quote, with caveats for increases as they got into the car was for $150,000. The paint alone was over $20,000. This was to make the car a near Concourse quality vehicle -- Pebble Beach style.
I don't mean to throw cold water on your enthusiasm, but I have seen way too many people get into these cars only to run out of time, money, enthusiasm and money. There MUST be a reason the previous owner re-built the engine only to give up on the project. A friend of mine just re-built his engine back to factory specs for his Mark IX. Total cost $5,000.
In my own case, I have been sitting on my S-Type until I have the funds to restore it back to original. It has been two years sitting in the garage now and counting. I estimate that it will cost me in the range of $45,000USD and the car right now is a running daily driver. In the meantime, I have re-done my 420 as a kick-around car and daily driver for my self and my kids just to have fun it. The total cost to bring it up to speed with paint and interior: $6,000. But I won't even drive it to a Jag meet because it is just a fun car and not worthy of Jag owner's scrutiny.
Take a deep breath and start making some plans. Restoring the car will be like starting a new business -- it takes planning time and investment. If you are planning to farm out work -- triple the cost of you doing it yourself. As one of the other posts said -- this is NOT for the feint of heart!!

Cheers
Clark
 

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Michael, I think you have received very good and realistic advice about ownership and joys/liabilities of an XK140. To shrink this multisource advice into a nutshell, If your roadster is a rust basket and you have a limited budget, dont start the project towards building a show car or good looking daily driver. Sell it for high bidder as a parts car. In the absence of rust, mechanical/electrical restoration is not a huge project and may be streched out over time. In the end you will have an exciting and much admired vintage sportscar that is getting rarer every day. Hope this helps with your front end decision process.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Hey Bruce, 1957 XK140,, 1 owner,, 55,000 original miles,, motor professionaly rebuilt. Any interest.

Happy Holidays,, Michael

[/ QUOTE ]

Michael - where in NJ are you. I have my cars in Hunterdon County. Is the XK 140 a roadster, coupe or drophead? Are you selling already???

Bruce
 
Are you selling the car????If so please send me an email at rjzer@sprynet.com with pics and more info on the car. Otherwise good luck with the restoration. One thing to remember when trying to keep the cost down is; don't just go crazy replacing everything you can get your hands on take your time and examine each peice to decide whether or not it can be refinshed/rebuilt.
 
Hey Bruce, It's a Roadster and i am thinking about selling it.

We live down the shore, give me a call 732 8922-4226.

Michael
 
Michael,

Terry Lippincott in Sinking Spring, PA does fantastic work at reasonable prices. I took my Etype to him and am very satisfied. He works on Etype primarily but has done some XK cars. Email privately if you would like more information.

Where in NJ do you live? I'm in Blairstown.

Razz
 
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