POST 41 - NOVEMBER 2012 - BUMPER CHALLENGE

With the body correctly fitted to the chassis and an initial measurement of the door gaps also looking good, confidence is high.  Contemplating what to do next, I start thinking about the complexity of the front bumper mountings.  I have a vague recollection of the assembly being made up of quite a number of parts and have a dig around until I discover the the box of relevant bits and a few notes I'd made when dismantling.  The front bumpers are fastened through the body with extended screws to a heavy steel bar running inside the full width of the body and in front of the chassis.  I've had this bar powder coated satin black and decide to temporarily pop it into place to get a better idea of what's involved.  I was always pretty good at Chinese Puzzles, but there is no way that I can wheedle the damned thing into place.  Before giving up I post a question on Jag Lovers Forum asking if anyone can help.  Back comes the answer - yes its extremely difficult but possible. Only problem is, no one can remember how they did it.

Bumper support bar, henceforth known as 'That Bastard Bar'

Over the next few days, this develops into a 'Visitors Challenge' and many happy hours are spent with various restoration aficionados spending hours prostrate, skinning knuckles and cussing.  In the meantime I busy myself sorting out the various other bits and pieces for both front and back bumper installation.

Over 30 parts per side.  Body sits between rubber washers.
Note - Bumper Iron is body colour and support bars behind are black.

By the Weekend I've concluded that the only way to resolve this is to lift the body back off, which looks like a depressingly large amount of work.  In common with most restorers I absolutely detest retrograde steps, so clearly the best approach is a couple of days R&R in preparation for the task.

Months ago I committed to write a review of Bernard Viart's new XK120 Explored book for JDC Magazine, as soon as it became available.  I received an advanced copy on the 25th October so this undertaking served as a welcome distraction. By Sunday afternoon I'm thoroughly bored with my computer screen and ready for some retrograde action.  Including rigging up a couple of hoists, the entire operation took just two and a half hours and by 4.00pm I have the body suspended 18 inches above the chassis and the bar loosely fitted in place.

Body now swathed in protective flannelet and suspended on two hoists

'That Bastard Bar' finally in position

The only items I'm not entirely happy with are the four screwed extensions which hold the bumper brackets to the support bar.  Although only the hex-nut part is seen they do look a bit rough.  Rob at Romax Powder Coaters takes them in to see what he can do, and a couple of days later produces a brand new stainless set, knocked out on his lathe at home - amazing!

Thanks Rob at Romax Powder Coaters - Lovely surprise.

Fitting up the extension screws with the various spacers and sandwiching the body between the rubber washers whilst ensuring that all the angled bits are correctly orientated is fiddly and takes a bit of practice, but by the time I'd done the fourth one I had the job down to a few minutes.  I'll leave the bumper Irons in place to hopefully afford some protection to the body during the fit up.

Hard to believe that this



became this.



and then this

Water Pump Conversion
Still not got my bits back from the machine shop, but am advised that the new housing / inlet is being made up in stainless rather than aluminium.



 

Miscellany

MXK 120 - Another 120 OTS
Jill Thompson bought her 120 OTS project a few years back for her handy man Andy to restore, but it was delayed because a house restoration took precedence.  With both house and garage now completed, the time had come to awake the car from it's slumbers in a local farm shed and introduce it to its new home just a few miles from mine.  And so it was that last Sunday morning I gave Andy a hand to move it.  Fortunately for Jill, Andy's quite an conscientious sort of lad with a good work rate, so as long as he's kept focused and not distracted with his wood chopping and burning obsession, it shouldn't take him too long.

Deja Vu   Reg MXK120   XK120 OTS    660386
Photo - October 2012

My car Reg KRU600   XK120 OTS    660295
Photo - December 2010
 

Chassis Number 660386 was registered in December 1950, the same month as my car (660295).  It's remarkable that it lived the dormant part of its life in Teesside.  I actually saw this car as a stalled restoration at a local paint shop back in 1976 and often wondered what became of it.  As a project, it's fairly similar to my car but is complete with bonnet, boot lid and windscreen.  It has a light coating of surface rust but is generally quite solid.  It will probably need the same bits replacing, sills, B posts etc. but needs a bit more work around the headlamp pods.  Engine and gearbox are removed but came with the car.  Andy still has a few more jobs on his 'to do' list and tells me that consequently the most likely start date proper will be June 16th  next year.  Something familiar about that date.


Jill says it all looks pretty straight forward and Andy can crack
on just as soon as he's got rid of the rabbits and put the clock right.
    Note Registration Number.

This brings the total of XK120's that I know of, within say a 20 mile radius to seven, five of which are Roadsters (OTS), one Fixed Head and one OTS Replica but with mostly XK running gear and trim, also a C Type rep with a LHD 120 OTS Chassis plate. 


Next Post Mid November

POST 40 - OCTOBER 2012 - BODY BACK

If there is one thing I've come to rely on in the world of Classic Car restoration, it's that things rarely happen when they're supposed to.  Consequently it was something of a pleasant surprise when Alex phoned to tell me my body would be ready for collection in a couple of days. 

Last time I saw the body it was clearly getting close to being
painted but it still came as a pleasant surprise to get the call.

Scheduled for the end of October it's effectively over two weeks early and I had to put in some extra time to finish the chassis prep.  Fortunately wife Angie is on holiday (again) so the only limitation was staying awake.
I was then finally faced with having to take the decision as to whether or not the engine should be taken back out.  Fitting out the engine compartment will be so much easier without it and the potential for paint damage a good deal less.  It will also make the work a great deal more pleasant.  On the other hand, I need to add a couple of days for the extra work and will then need to take great care not to cause damage re-installing it.  I've had some practise with the 140, so this doesn't particularly worry me.   On balance and against some sage advice I hoist it back out of the chassis.
Friend Geoff obliges at short notice with his covered trailer and on Friday 12th October we load the chassis and head of to the body shop.

Ready to lift the body and roll the chassis under it 

If you remember, the body was initially built up using the chassis as a jig. The various shims were fitted and panels tweaked until everything was correctly aligned.  It then had braces fitted and was transferred to a specially made frame which allowed me to build up the chassis whilst Alex finished and painted the body.

The aluminium shim sets are put back in place on the outriggers and after a brief discussion on the best way to proceed, four of us lift the body whilst one other pulls out the support frame and rolls the chassis under the body and into place. After a bit of a shuffle everything lines up beautifully and the four sets of three bolts are dropped into the outriggers. The 6Nr 1/8" reference holes I drilled in body and chassis before removing the body over a year ago are checked and are all spot on. 

How easy was that !!  Torsion bars were wound up after engine
installation so body now sits high with weight reduction.
Note bracing bars still in place.

Within an hour of arriving, we are loaded up and on our way back to my workshop.  It's odd to think that this was one of the few aspects of the project that really worried me, but turned out to be very straightforward.

Saturday morning I get to have a quiet hour or so looking at the detail and overall finish and am blown away by the general quality of the work.  White cars often look a bit flat, but this has a real depth and shine to it.  I'm also very happy with the satin black finish to the inside parts (as original) and appreciate the additional time spent to mask up the car to achieve this.  There is no question that Alex and his crew have gone the extra mile but will no doubt reap the benefit when the local Classic Car community see what has been achieved.

New home for the next eight months so precise location within
the workshop on axle stands is essential

After lining the car up exactly where I want it, I put it up on axle stands and remove the wheels giving me maximum access to all areas.  First job will be to slacken the bolts holding the bracing bars setting the door top distance.  If the body is correctly shimmed and 'relaxed' the bolts should be free to pull out.  A trial fit of the doors will follow before they are again stored on the top shelf out of harms way.

Just before I leave on Saturday, I need to do one last thing.  I gingerly fit the first piece of chrome to the body but quickly remove it after remembering Alex's strict instructions about allowing a couple of weeks for the paint and lacquer to fully harden.  The photograph below represents the start of the next and hopefully most enjoyable part of the project.

Essential temporary fit of first piece of chrome.  Strange how
the colour varies in this set of pictures, but on my computer
screen I think this shot most closely matches.

Workshop fluorescents - apparently the reflections are a measure
of the quality of the job and I am told by a man who knows a thing
or two about body work that these are "tip-top"

Electric Water Pump
The design of the new water inlet and idler pulley assembly is now complete and in a CAD format for the CNC boys. I am awaiting a quote for the initial sample. 


Miscellany

Tees Cottage Pumping Station
This Victorian water pumping station houses a magnificent beam engine, restored and put back into working order some years ago. The group of enthusiasts who maintain it occasionally steam it up for a day at a cost of around £400 for a ton of coal.  The annual October event includes a gathering of Classic Cars and a very pleasant and sociable Sunday Lunch at the local Pub.

1904 Beam Engine built by Teesdale Brothers with massive 30 foot beam. 
Originally commissioned to provide drinking water from the River Tees

Running at I would estimate about eight cycles a minute, the
motion is so smooth that coins can be balanced on edge on
vertically moving parts of the mechanism (next to the big nut)

The site also houses a 1914 two cylinder Gas Internal Combustion Engine, again in full working order and running from mains gas.  The oil in a drip tray under a bearing had clearly been emulsified with water, but as the engine has no cooling as such we were left wondering how it got there.  A number of fanciful and highly technical hypothesis were put forward by the gathered experts and enthusiasts when the engine operator appeared and looking up explained "roof leaks"

1914 Gas Engine believed to be the largest of its type in Europe

Dropped Valve
Went for a mid week run out to Nidderdale in the 140 and called in to see fellow XK enthusiast Dennis Wheatly.  Dennis is mid way through a Mark Ten restoration but is being frustrated by the lack of progress of his chosen paint shop.  He also has a Mark Ten spares car which had a bit of an engine problem.

Now that's what you call a 'dropped valve'

JDC and Triumph Track Day at Croft  Sunday 14th October
JDC Area 11 Hired Croft for the day and shared out the cost mainly between forty Jaguar and Triumph club members plus a few other makes.  Divided into four groups according to experience we each had around one and a half hours track time.  With no more than twelve cars on track at any time it made for a brilliant and relaxed day. The 140 performed faultlessly and the Michelin Pilot tyres continue to impress with their excellent grip then very gradual move to over-steer.  I typically made up three of four places in my group on each session,(intermediate) but was never passed.

No oncoming traffic and no speed limits, just fun!

 At 64, it's interesting to note that an extended adrenalin rush now produces a slight but not unpleasant tremble.

Next post beginning of November

POST 39 - OCTOBER 2012 - NOTHING SPECIFIC

When I occupied my workshop and completed the 140 restoration, the empty shelves were too much of a temptation for me not to take the opportunity to 'de-clutter' my garage at home.  I promptly filled half the space with various bits left over from previous restorations, mostly parts just a bit too good to bin, with the promise of a trip to the Beaulieu Autojumble one day to get rid.

With the addition of lots of 120 parts now stacked up and ready to fit, all the shelves are pretty well full.  I agreed with Alex at Auto Bodycraft some while back that I would take delivery of, and store the boot lid, bonnet, doors and rear wings once finished, and it looks as if that time is imminent.  I'm just pondering where it's all going to go and I take a phone call.
 
A lady in a nearby village whose recently deceased husband ran a string of XK's in the seventies and eighties has a few Jaguar bits and pieces she wants rid of.  Would I be interested?  My response ought to be - no thank you, absolutely nothing I need, but amazingly, I hear myself saying - Oh yes, most definitely, with mental images of C type heads, and sand cast carbs.  A couple of days later I find myself in a double garage full of a lifetimes collection of bits, all just a bit too good to bin!  (sounds familiar) Under the bench sits a complete XK engine, two blocks and a head, a shelf above has a mixture of not very exiting SU's.  The bench is piled high with old tools.  The complete engine LA4426 is from a 3.8 MK11 and turns over OK.  One block V7453-8 is from a 150 and the other N9961 is from a MK7 or 8.  The head, complete with cams and covers NE1364-8 is from a MK9 and looks almost new.
Again I hear this other person who is actually me, making a ridiculously generous offer, only to have it rejected!  Phew, that was close.
A week later I get a call asking if I've changed my mind and I explain to this very sweet and quite elderly lady that to pay more would simply mean that she would have all my money and I would have all her storage problems.  Oh she says," I never really thought of it that way, but seeing as you seem to be such a nice young man, I'll accept your original offer after all, as long as its cash".  Properly ambushed, I foolishly agree and collect the bits a few days later.
Now I really do have a major storage problem looming and determine that it will have to be resolved.  Mate Andy has his 120 OTS project stored in one half of a quite large, dry and secure farm building, ten minutes from my home and I enquire if the other half is available for rent.  Yes it is, its around 300 square feet and the rent is £5.00 a week.  Problem solved.  Everything non XK120 including the accidentally purchased engines etc.are transported over and I'm left with plenty of space for the 120 body work bits.

Engines and other bits occupying just a corner of my new fiver a
week storage facility. 

A momentary flash twenty or so years into the future sees some 'nice young man' in my cluttered garage having a conversation with my aged wife Angie, about the best way to dispose of a lifetimes collection of car parts, all just a bit too good to bin!

This diversion and the Digital Switch-Over has meant that I have actually achieved very little in the last couple of weeks, but Alex the body work man has made up for it.  The threat to fix a very large Count Down Clock to the wall next to my bodywork seems to have had the desired effect. I do however, suspect that Alex is in fact a consummate 'brinkman' thinking nothing of starting at 4.00am to catch up, and progress would have been the same regardless of my threatened interventions.

All seams have now been carefully sealed to prevent any
possibility of future moisture ingress

Door ready for paint.
Stone guard on bottom edge blended into face.

Inner rear wing, more stone guard, ready for paint

Very fine stone guard on underside of bonnet, will be painted
satin black as per original.  Note fixings down centre to
accommodate aluminium water deflection plates.

Photo Shoot
Another interesting development stemmed from a chance meeting at the Croft Revival event and a discussion about the problems of photographing cars.  It transpired that the man with the camera was at the end of his final year of a three year commercial photography course, and was looking for a candidate for his final piece of degree work - nine pictures on the theme of Best of British.  What better than  Jaguar XK's.  The clincher was the discovery that in addition to a nice 140 fixed head, I also had a mint rolling chassis in my workshop.   The technical aspects of this project are mind boggling, with very special (and expensive) cameras that can maintain pin sharp focus over varying distances and many different types of lighting.
For my part I have been more than happy to spare the time and generally facilitate some of the more unusual requirements.  To take the required picture of the rolling chassis, the workshop was draped in white sheets and the floor covered in white card. 

My 'snap shot' gives an indication of the preparation required

The entire chassis was carefully cleaned then rolled outside and the tyres were scrubbed spotlessly clean and had some none shiny dressing applied.  To prevent getting the treads dirty on the roll back in they were wrapped in cling film.

It may all sound a little O.T.T. but I have now seen five of the nine images in their final A3 form and would have to say that they are quite extraordinary.  Not really photographs in the conventional sense but more akin to some sort of fine art imagery.  Hopefully with the permission of Mark Johnson, the photographer, I will eventually be able to show them on this blog, but am very aware of the huge amount of time and expense incurred to achieve his goal.  I plan to have a large (48" wide) picture of the rolling chassis framed up and hung on my study wall.

Electric Water Pump Conversion
No, I've not forgotten about this, but it has become rather more involved than I intended.  Rather than butcher the existing water pump I have drawn up a new front plate with water inlet and idler pulley.  Its currently been converted to a CAD drawing for CNC machining but it's likely to go through a few iterations before it's exactly as I want it.  If it looks right and reliably does the job, I may get a few made up and sell them to recover the cost.  If not, it will be quietly abandoned.

Next Post  Mid October

POST 37 SEPTEMBER 2012 - PAINT SPEC

Some considerable research has gone into establishing the paint finishes originally used.  Whilst it would be good to maintain this originality, the predominant consideration has always been to ensure a long and rust free future.  I've had a good deal of discussion with Alex, the man responsible for the bodywork and paint and we jointly concluded that a number of different finishes / processes would best achieve an acceptable compromise.  This did become a little complicated resulting in the production of the inevitable list.

Paint Spec – August 2012 
Paint System - MIPA - Two Pack  totally none water base.                   
Colour - White 0802 Fiat / Alfa / Lancia 268A  Bianco Bianco Standard

Seams

All to be washed in or beaded.

Fine stone guard / satin black  (Sample Satin finish before painting)

Engine compartment – includes panel above bonnet hinges
Underside of bonnet
Water shields for bonnet (to be fitted later)
Inside Boot except hinge panel (see white)
Top of Petrol tank under-tray
Inside of front inner wing panels
Front bulkhead passenger compartment side
Under front Scuttle panel & Dash fixing assy.
Inside boot lid including ash frame. Excluding aluminium side trims

Satin Black  (Sample Satin finish before painting)

Battery box panel    All areas behind seats
Side screen storage area

Fine Stone Guard / Matt Black

Transmission Tunnel Cover
Gearbox Cover

Fine stone guard / White

Inside door panels and inner faces (over sound deadening pads)
Door lower inner panel Vertical & Horizontal
Inside Heater Blower box to be fitted under wing

Stone guard / white

Door bottoms where exposed to road chips
Wing bottoms where exposed to road chips
Heater Blower Box / Front Cover to be fitted under wing
Outer sides of inner wing panels
Inside wings and splash panels
All underside body panels at rear
Bottom of petrol tank under-tray
Head Lamp Pods

White (where not obvious)

Bonnet return
Boot Rear hinge panel inc. side pieces
Boot lid prop support
Door front & rear shut face panels
Inside fuel filler and lid assy.
Number plate carrier - all

Black Stone-guard where accessible.   Wax-oil after final paint

Dash Side strengthener Frames
Front part of A Posts
Rear of B posts, drill and plug closed box after wax-oil injection
Inner side of splash panels
Inside sills including top section

Satin Black Powder Coat (All by Romax)

Fuel filler pipe cover
Bonnet Catch Assembly
Bonnet and boot hinges
All suspension parts
All Misc. Brackets


The final decision on colour was made by simply looking at modern cars and choosing a similar creamy white that I think looked something like the original, which is described on the Heritage Certificate as Cream.  This is contradicted by the first owner, Vernon Maitland, who is very definite that it was in fact white.  According to Urs Schmid, Old English White / Cream was not a standard colour until December 1952 but the Cream / Ivory available up to that date is nowhere near the cars original colour so I can only guess that it was ordered in special colour.  The obvious question at this point is how do I know what the cars original colour was?
Before the car was taken back to bare metal absolutely everywhere, I removed and retained the cover over the fuel filler cap and carefully sanded it back to reveal the cars paint history.

The consensus is that the cover (and presumably the whole car) has been repainted three or possibly even four times but always exactly the same colour, most likely Old English White.
Considering it was incontrovertibly only on the road from 1950 to 1965 this is remarkable. The last owners business was the supply of equipment and spare parts to Automobile spray shops which may or may not be relevant.
I will have the fuel filler cap cover finished over the previous layers of paint so that some future owner in another fifty or sixty years can have the pleasure of uncovering its paint provenance, probably using the accelerator mass spectrometer / carbon 14 dating app on their mobile device!

Old English White as printed in Urs Schmids 120 book compared
to my 120 fuel filler cap.  Interesting how this colour looks so
different from the previous close up picture.

Cartoonist Giles 120 in Old English White

Powder coated wheeles are matched to Fiat Bianco Bianco

Its impossible to accurately show these colours on computer screens, which just add to the differences in camera translations, reproduction and printing processes.  To entirely bypass this I first took a swatch of the Fiat Bianco colour to the powder coaters and had them paint a sample piece of tube which I then checked against an actual car.  Very very close, and as the wheels are separated from the body by the tyres, you'd never detect the difference.  I will have Alex do the same with a two pack paint sample checked against the same car, and again once the whole batch of paint has been mixed. 

I'm probably a little over obsessed with this colour issue but this is partly due to my 140 being painted in a slightly different and unusual BRG 'hue' than I intended.  Entirely my decision / mistake, but it's delicate olive shade has solicited a good many surprisingly positive comments - or are they just being polite?

Tuesday 4th September - ENGINE START UP DAY
With everything checked and double checked and my order of 15 litres of Millers SAE30 Running In Oil arriving this morning, it suddenly dawned on me that the moment had arrived, nothing left to do but push the button.  I will cover the run up, the 'event' and the outcome in some detail in my next post.


Miscellany

The Eskdale Run - Sunday 3rd September.
This is organised by Teesside Yesteryear Motor Club (TYMC), the club that Jeremy Clarkson had a pop at a couple of years back, on his sometimes entertaining but mostly repetitive Top Gear show with the comment : 
"How much do I not want to go out to dinner with anyone who is a member of that club.”

Eskdale Run starting point, Middlesbrough Motor Club.
Founded in 1905, it's most famous son being Freddie
Dixon of racing Riley fame.

Starting in Teesside the Eskdale takes in some of North Yorkshires most magnificent moorland / dales scenery with a lunch stop at Grosmont, the Moors Steam Railway centre.  Hugely popular, it is invariably over subscribed and is generally scheduled to coincide with the best showing of Heather on the more remote moorland slopes.

Typical view of the North Yorkshire Dales with the North
Sea just visible over the horizon

A great day out for enthusiasts, with cars from the early 1900's to modern classics, and everything in-between, plus an amazing bunch of extreme hard core Classic Motorcycle guys, probably unique to the UK's North East.

Don't know about Jeremy, but this is just one of a whole lot of TYMC members I woudn't mind having dinner with.  Bill Taylor bought this fantastic 1935 Type 40  Racing Spec Norton International when he was a teenager.  Circa fifty years later he still push starts it (no kick start) before embarking on a 100 mile blast.  The open exhaust 'blat' will have certainly curtailed a few Sunday morning sleep-ins.

Next Post - Mid September

POST 36 AUGUST 2012 IGNITION SYSTEM & USB PROGRAMMABLE DISTRIBUTOR

By the end of this month that scary engine start up moment will be imminent with only the exhaust system, cooling and ignition left to fit.


In close to fifty years of driving old cars, I would say that nine out of ten problems I've encountered on the road have been electrical and often ignition related.  Back in the sixties, even brand new cars had problems, especially on cold wet mornings when they were reluctant to start.
With this in mind, I'm keen to ensure that my electrical and ignition installation will never give me cause for concern.  It would also be good to see a pristine 1950 engine bay.  This competing requirement will inevitably result in some compromises, but original HT leads and plug caps would be good.  The downside might be interference to my proposed DAB radio installation, electro magnetic interference upsetting my electronic ignition system or RF noise locking up my neighbour's digital TV's as I pass by.  I really don't know and can't find any one that does, so it will be a case of try it and see.  Fortunately I have access at work to a Spectrum Analyser which will display whatever nasty stuff is being radiated and provide precise data relating to the effect on digital radio and television signals.  I'll let you know the outcome.

Cap, conduit and HT leads not quite as original and needing
some attention

XK's for the first few years had the HT leads routed under the carburettors and around the back of the engine leaving the front uncluttered.  It was not until 1953 that they were routed over the cam cover, possibly for some technical reason or maybe just to save a few pence on a couple of yards of HT cable.  Again, no one seems to know.  As a very early 120 my car would have benefited from that original design and in the absence of any good reason to revert to the later layout I adopt the original route.  To minimise the possibility of cross firing between leads (one of several reasons mooted for the change) I run them in an aluminium tube with a central polypropylene rod and original Bakelite spacers to keep them separated.  The tube is heat insulated from the engine with a calcium silicate sheet.

Original HT lead conduit cleaned up beautifully with black
boot polish.  Note polyprop rod to keep leads separated.

Neat solution to route leads under carbs

Note red 'Champion' labels on plug caps.  Not sure if they should be there. 
Definitive answer for a December 1950 car anyone? 

To improve on the usual practise of simply relying on strands of wire pushed into retainers to make electrical connections, the HT lead copper conductor is carefully splayed within the brass connector to the distributor cap and soldered in place.

Centre copper conductors splayed and soldered to brass connector

Next consideration is the distributor.  I have over the years had many a disagreement with the Lucas unit in its various forms and as its not particularly prominent within the engine bay, it will have a modern replacement.  I fitted a 123 Ignition distributor to my Frogeye around three years back and have never touched it since.  The very latest version is the 123 Tune with a USB port to connect to a Lap Top and programme in whatever curves you want.

Superbly engineered 123 Ignition 'Tune' distributor with USB
 port to programme your choice of advance curves.

The software to run this is downloaded from :  http://www.123ignition.nl/downloads/software/123Tune/ 

Running the programme, the first screen displays a very comprehensive dashboard with clocks for RPM / Crankshaft advance, Coil current, Distributor temperature, Vacuum and a timer to compare acceleration between two pre-set RPM points.

The second screen allows you to select seven points of crankshaft advance and seven points of vacuum advance / retard.  Each series once selected can be saved to file.  The distributor is connected via a USB lead and two 'curves' selected and downloaded into it.  It is possible to switch between them by applying 12V or 0v to the distributor's yellow lead.

The XK workshop manual has sufficient information to allow you to emulate the original setting for the Lucas distributor or you can put in your own.  You can even play about with them on the road, using the timer to compare acceleration between settings, but only after confirming that you are a passenger and not the driver, a neat touch.  If you happen to have access to a rolling road and dynanometer then you could really have some fun.
I had the benefit of following on from friend Tony Hamnett who fitted one to his 120 a while back and emailed me a whole series of curves taken mostly from the 123 Ignition website and tweaked for his particular application.  I simply selected the two he found best, imported them and downloaded them into the distributor.
My most likely application for the two settings, given the shortage of 99 Octane in this part of the County of Yorkshire (12th in the Olympics Medal table or top by a very long mile on a population / medal basis) would be to switch between curves optimised for high and low octane fuel.

Heat shrink nicely finishes of caps and will keep moisture out

On the recommendation of a couple of respected enthusiasts, I fitted a set of Iridium needle point plugs to my 140 about eighteen months / 7000 miles back and its run like a sewing machine ever since.  They are quite expensive at around a tenner each, but so far show no signs of wear so they're naturally included in the 120 spec.

Iridium needle point plugs - probably the best present an XK could have

From an appearance stand point, the end result is just about as good
 as I had hoped for

So that pretty well ties up the ignition system, all done with great care and attention, and I have absolutely no doubt that when I switch on the ignition and press the starter button for the first time - it won't start!


Miscellany
Autobodycraft, the company doing the 120 body, staged their own charity Motor Show on Sunday 12th August.  More than 100 vehicles were on display, 1500 people attended and over £5,000 was raised.

Great example of Yorkshire humour

Rat car with monster truck turbo diesel

Next Post beginning of September

POST 35 AUGUST 2012 NO MORE BOOT LID BLUES

The saga of the boot lid could fill a couple of books all by itself.  To recall.
It was missing along with many other parts when I bought the car back in 2010.  I did eventually acquire one which had had the bottom third of the ash frame replaced, but when offered up to the car, the overall shape was wrong.  I returned it to the supplier along with profiles cut from hardboard showing the exact shape required.  It was duly reworked and returned and a trial fit confirmed that it was now fairly close to being right.
However, close inspection (a little late in the day I will admit) showed that the aluminium skin was secured to the frame in many places by steel nails. Body shop man Alex was less than happy with this and I was sent packing yet again, booted out, boot lid in boot so to speak to find a solution.

Lid No 1    Less than ideal skin, lots of holes and a few nails.

 I allocated a whole day to resolve this and played around carefully removing the steel nails and replacing them with specially made (by me) aluminium pins bonded into the ash with the intention of welding the heads to the skin. After several hours of prating about, it became very clear that I was pissing in the wind (I apologise for the language but it best describes the mood) and went home.
The following day, a Sunday morning I am back with renewed spirit, take afresh look at mess I've made and decide to do something else instead. 
Contemplating the purchase of a complete new lid at circa £3000, I recall a conversation I had about a year back. A friend of a friend said he may have one but it was probably beyond repair. A couple of phone calls and an hour later I'm in the garage of Rob Hind at Sadberge and looking at a rotten wood frame with perfectly good skin.
If I can fit this good skin to my OK-ish frame that might be be the answer.

Lid No 1    As well as repaired bottom frame, steel strips are rusting

Back at the workshop and further investigation indicates that opening up the wrapped around edges of the skin will be difficult.  I try annealing first but can tell that anything more than slightly opening the seam will end in tears.
I eventually manage to remove the rotten frame from the skin and and determine that it should not be beyond my wood crafting skills to fabricate a whole new frame to fit into it rather than use the repaired one.  This massive misjudgement is dealt with in detail in post 29 (Boot Lid abandoned). 
As outlined in this post, after many hours of wood wasting, I eventually find and order up an exact copy of the original frame for £250.  As requested, it is delivered in pieces enabling me to build it into the skin.  I am now back in my comfort zone and work proceeds apace making up new steel strips to screw onto the frame and slip into the aluminium skin.  The frame is temporarily built up with hinges, handle and catches and a trial fit looks promising.

First trial fit of temporarily assembled boot lid frame looks good

Next I need the aluminium trim pieces to fit around the edges and Contour Autocraft come up trumps again with a really good fitting set.
Having established that the frame is fundamentally the correct shape I prime and refit the steel strips, inject Tiger Seal into the folds then assemble the frame into the skin.  Crimping the skin back in place with a special tool borrowed from Alex was very easy, but the addition of the sealant means almost certainly that it will never come apart again. 

Edge crimped onto steel strip and sealed in with Tiger Seal

Ash and softwood laminated frame match the rear end shape exactly

Back to the body shop and Alex tweaks the fit, bashes it around a bit then skims and shapes it before giving it back to me.  All that's left is for me to glue it all together and fit the corner pieces supplied with the frame kit.  Its finally taken back to Alex who is at last satisfied that once painted, it will look perfect and more importantly stay looking perfect.  My final job will be to fit the inner plywood panel but this will be done from underneath with the boot lid fitted, to ensure that no twist occurs. 

Rare view of boot lid from petrol tank location.  Ply panel will
be fitted from here to ensure no twist occurs.

Once screwed in place this adds an unbelievable amount of stiffness to the whole boot lid structure.
Just for fun I tap into our companies small works costing programme for jobs based on time and materials.  I put in my time spent, material costs and associated travelling - three time to Newcastle and twice to Harrogate.  With an hourly rate of £37.60 a nominal overhead cost and mark up it totals up to £3,267.27  There is a moral in there somewhere. 

Miscellany - related topics

Croft Nostalgia Weekend
Preceding the Croft Classic Weekend I was invited to a Press Day along with a few other JDC members to help promote the event.  It turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable day with plenty of opportunity for track action and quite well organised compared to last year.  BBC regional News gave it a half minute plug in the evening and my 140 appeared for a nano-second at the back of a bunch of cars on the track and a few seconds later at the front - if only!


The Croft Nostalgia event is a fabulous weekend with all the atmosphere and a good deal of the spectacle of the Goodwood Revival, but without the huge crowds. The BRDC have a full programme of classic racing and everyone has access to all areas including the paddock. At £25 for both days its quite a bargain. No doubt it will cost a little more next year.

Set up 1955 Photo I took end of July at Croft Press day

Trailer mounted Rolls Royce Griffin V12 ticking over. Only a couple
of wheel chocks stop it shooting off down the runway when opened up.

Next Post mid August