Quietly Performing Award Winning Restoration Work on British Motorcars Since 1992

1953 Jaguar XK120 Drop Head Coupe. Chassis 677121. Recently discovered in a N. Seattle garage after being parked in 1975 with a bad fuel pump. 78,000 miles, unrusted and complete.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC Interior. Original leather, wood fascia and panels.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. The seat leather is actually quite good. I decided to treat the original leather with hide food in lieu of replacement. These cars are only original once.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. The wood fascia is quite good. A good clean up and polish will work nicely. The carpet is soiled beyond presentable use and will be replaced. The aftermarket wooden gearlever knob will be tossed and an original knob with the right amount of matching patina fitted. The paper on the trans tunnel are registrations dating back to at least 1964.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. Oops..the radiator is out for rodding and cleaning. The first step down a slippery slope. Check out that glossy paint on LF fender under 35 years of dirt and spider webs.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. The initial desire was to attempt a startup after the 35 year sleep, but I decided against it, preferring a full engine out service as a precaution. It was a good thing, as the cooling system as well as the intake manifold was choked shut. The engine will be disassembled and checked thoroughly, and the head machined for no lead, fitted with new valves and guides. The carburetors will be fully rebuilt along with all engine ancillaries. A complete service of the braking, cooling, and fuel systems will follow. Amazingly, the car is absolutely rust free.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. A full engine out service and mechanical rebuild commences after a 35 year slumber.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. Engine out for full mechanical service. All systems to be checked and repaired as nec’y.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. The lump is on the ground. Of course a fresh clutch will be fitted with a flywheel surface, and the Moss gearbox gone thru completely.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. A slippery slope indeed. The body has been stripped of all previous coatings and repairs, and found to be absolutely rust free. The substrate has been etch primed, then several coats of hi-build poly primer applied. Now the time-consuming task of block sanding and small repairs begins.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. Body and paint work completed. The body will not be color sanded and polished until the majority of the reassembly is done.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. Full rebuild of engine is completed along with Moss box rebuild and fresh clutch, ready for installation in chassis.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC. Powerplant in.

1953 Jaguar XK120 DHC.

Much assembly has been completed including fresh braided wiring harness, rebuilt gauges, restored brake/fuel/cooling/suspension systems.

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Jaguar XK120 engine detail

Vicious guard dog Reggie, seen here hugging his chew toy, is in charge protecting the Jaguar with his life (as soon as his nap is over).

Much additional work completed including the dash fascia and complete insulation of the cockpit cabin preparing for the installation of the new interior.

The majority of the front end chrome has been hung and adjusted. The Lucas headlamp rings are at the plater, ready to pick up, assemble and install. That will finish the front of the car. Chrome on black is stunning.

Rear of the DHC nearly done. The correct letter coded Skagit County license plate was sourced and restored for the car. The cars first owner was in Mount Vernon, Skagit County in Washington State.

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 12:51 am and is filed under Mark's Collection (Not a Sale List). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.