XK-120 checklist for barn find inspection ?

[beaulieu]

Hi

OK....well you have me excited to go look at the XK-120 , 30 years in a barn....well really a garage,

Anyway is there anywhere a checklist on what to look for ?

To me the most important thing is the body rust / corrosion ,
mechanical stuff will just need to be gone thru...

I will probably not get much help from the seller as far as history , So I will really have no information on why it was parked back then...

also are there any cheap 16 inch tires I can get at Walmart. Pepboys etc if I need to put something on it to get it rolling again ?

I am sorry for so many questions , but you guys know more than I can ever learn....

Thanks for your help

Beaulieu

PS....mostly I am trying to figure out what I am getting into , I know its old , its just things I would not think of when inspecting any old car,

 

[Exotexs]

tires will not be cheap in the size you need,

try https://cokertire.com

if the car is a California car, rust might not be such a problem - the California climate preserves cars.
I got my '65 S type in San Francisco where it was originally sold and where it remained all its life until I bought it and drove it 2,900 miles to Tennessee. (yes it brought me home in 4½ days, total exilaration and acceleration thru New Mexico's endless straights). it has zero rust. So you might find a diamond in the rough.

 

[jessebogan]

Look for cheap modern 16 tires for some of the small import SUVs. Not elegant, but they should do. Check all of the alloy panels for corrosion/damage. open the doors and check the sills underneath for rust.(In the cosmic scheme of things, even if its rusty, a parts car can bring well over 10K these days.) Look for the serial number plate under the hood, and try to see if any/all of the numbers match.Check the door hinge area. The hinges can be a real pain to repair. Check for having all of the bits, lights, grille, and so on. Also, look for things like 2inch sandcast carbs, bluemels steering wheel, borrani wires, all desireable options. Send photos!!

 

[beaulieu]

Thanks ,

any idea what the tire size is on those small SUVs ?

Beaulieu

 

[Steve]

I should imagine that those for a modern SUV would be too wide.......

 

[beaulieu]

Do these use Withworth wrenches ?

Beaulieu

 

[jessebogan]

I think they are 185/70 or 75 /16.I don't think anything wider will fit the wheels. I missed the fact that is a FHC. My personal favourite 120. Real art deco looking. Check that all the wood in the interior is present. Even if it is rough, you can use it for patterns.I would bet that the rear glass could be tricky to find. Otherwise, rust is still the biggest factor, but with a separate frame, even a rusty car can be useable. I hope you get it, they are a sharp looking part of history. And yes, there is some whitworth hardware used.

 

[GregJ]

If the car is original it will have nothing but British Standard and Whitworth hardware on it. If it has been in the USA for a while and been fettled by the local garage much you will find a lot of SAE hardware mixed in, Usually with poor threads left .

GregJ

 

[beaulieu]

Hi all...

thanks for your advise....

I looked at it today , its one of those unbelievable barnfind stories ,

So now I am broke because I bought it /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

But too tired after driving all day , will put together a story soon

Couple questions ,
how many 1954 XK120 FHC were built that year ?

did they originally have whitewalls ?

thanks

Beaulieu

 

[Steve]

Congratulations! Pictures will be expected, as soon as you are able..... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

This was the last year of production, and there were only 175 LHD coupes built that year. There were only 2,477 made during the entire production run. The very last coupe was built in July of 1954, production of all variants ending in August.

If it is RHD, then there were even fewer!

Dunlop whitewalls were an option for the 140 and 150, but not for the XK120. It's possible that it may have been fitted with them being a late production model, but there are no records of them being fitted at the factory.

 

[beaulieu]

Hi.....

any idea what first and last chassis numbers were in 1954 fot FHCs ?

its a powder blue car with red interior

and did it come with fenderskirts ? - there are none now /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

Its super straight , no rust , no crashes

Beaulieu

get ready for too many XK120 questions,,,,,

 

[beaulieu]

anyone use Rav4 16 inch tires on an XK

they are 16 inch

here is something about them , but from 1998
https://www.jag-lovers.org/xk-lovers/library/radial_tyres.html

 

[Steve]

I need to check my books at home with regard to the chassis numbers, but as for the fender skirts, or "spats" as they are termed in the UK, yes, it should have them.

 

[Steve]

We can narrow the build date down to which month it was in!

Jan.......681309 to 681353

Feb.......681354 to 681398

Mar.......681399 to 681446

Apr.......681447 to 681465

May.......681466 to 681473

Jun.......681474 to 681482

Jul.......681483 to 681485

There are a few cars that were built earler (in October 1953) but in general that should narrow it down some. No LHD Coupes were built in August of 1954.

 

[Steve]

Looking further, it appears that cars in Pastel Blue should have had a light blue interior......could it have been painted? Old English White, black, maroon or one of the shades of grey would have had a red interior.

 

[beaulieu]

Thanks Steve , I sent you a PM

It sure looks like light blue to me ,
unless they has a grey blue , heavy on the blue /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Beaulieu

 

[Steve]

I think that a grey-blue was likely. I'll see if I can find pictures of the different shades, or at least some of them........

 

[omnipeta]

Hi Beaulieu, there are only 2 places where you can check the authenticity, numbers, colours etc of your vehicle.
One is Jaguar Heritage, the other is an independent called https://www.classic-car-heritage.com
Good luck, sincerely omnipeta.

 

[beaulieu]

Hi all

I am going down tomarrow and finish paying for the XK 120

While I was there I wanted to "oil it up"

well really just spray the wire wheel splines with PB blaster ,
the plug area has been soaking with Marvel oil for a week, so pull the plugs and fill the cylanders with more marvel,

Anything else to help it ?

I am going on vacation for 2 weeks so would like to let it
soak up and maybe free up the splines etc

thanks for your advise

Beaulieu

 

[rotoflex]

Remember PB Blaster is a penetrant, not a lubricant. After breaking the rust on the wheel splines, clean them off (hubs & wheels) & slop them with grease before driving.

Listen for deadly clunk-clunk when shifting into reverse or 1st, indicating splines are worn.