Jaguars with Tester chassis and Hodge engines
Discussion
Just wondering if anyone has info of the above?
Friend is possibly restoring his XK120 with a Tester chassis and Hodge fettled engine and is wondering what interest there is, history on these types of cars. His is fully documented, though no body and has not seen the light of day for twenty years...currently in a barn....
Any history on these cars? i have only ever seen an old advert for one from the mid 1980's, for another XK120.
All help appreciated.
Thanks
A
ps pic of engine...
Friend is possibly restoring his XK120 with a Tester chassis and Hodge fettled engine and is wondering what interest there is, history on these types of cars. His is fully documented, though no body and has not seen the light of day for twenty years...currently in a barn....
Any history on these cars? i have only ever seen an old advert for one from the mid 1980's, for another XK120.
All help appreciated.
Thanks
A
ps pic of engine...
Edited by addyman on Wednesday 4th February 11:36
Jim Tester did a lot of chassis develoment work on the XK's, I suppose mainly for racing. Although I'm not certain of the exact technical details he did modify the suspension and improve the rear axle location among others.
Certainly in period he was highly respected and any car he was associated with or that is carrying his modifications would command a premium.
Certainly in period he was highly respected and any car he was associated with or that is carrying his modifications would command a premium.
Look what i found! Thanks for pointing me in the correct direction...
Tester Engineering
Tester Engineering
Edited by addyman on Wednesday 4th February 07:31
The engine and rear end are certainly pretty modified from the state they left the factory.
You would have to make major mods to the body work to get those carbs under he bonnet. Even to fit triple SUs you need to extend the side of the bonet and inner wing to make space for the front carb. With the Webers you are going to need a lot more space.
Am I right in thinking that it's sitting on the front end of an XK chassis?
You can buy new bodies for XKs. I think Autocraft even do light weight bodies. But you might like to make sure you are sitting down before look at the price of a complete body, before fitting etc...
The pitures don't show the front suspension. This was by torsion bars and concidered pretty advanced at the time. The backend was a live axel o cart springs. Your one has modifications to improve the locating of the rear axel. I guess this would also entail bodywork mods.
One other place you might like to ask for information would be the XK list on the Jag-lovers site. Before a whole load of people dive in say they don't like the E-Type forum on Jag-Lovers, I've ever had any problems with the XK list. There are a lot of experienced XK people there. XK120s are not my main area, I've got a 150. BTW the archavists on the list will probably ask you for the chassis, engine and gear box number, they'll be out of luck with the body number I guess.
BTW, it looks like that engine might have a straightport head, which started life on the XK150S, and was the used on the E-Type and Mk10, at least it's been painted as a Gold Top. Weber manifolds are much more common for a straight port head than the earlier heads. If these were a set of Webers from the era of the XK120, they could be as valuable as some XK120s.
The sump isn't an XK150 one, it's not a Jaguar saloon sump either, I don't know what an E-Type sump looks like, but early XK120s had alloy sumps too.
You would have to make major mods to the body work to get those carbs under he bonnet. Even to fit triple SUs you need to extend the side of the bonet and inner wing to make space for the front carb. With the Webers you are going to need a lot more space.
Am I right in thinking that it's sitting on the front end of an XK chassis?
You can buy new bodies for XKs. I think Autocraft even do light weight bodies. But you might like to make sure you are sitting down before look at the price of a complete body, before fitting etc...
The pitures don't show the front suspension. This was by torsion bars and concidered pretty advanced at the time. The backend was a live axel o cart springs. Your one has modifications to improve the locating of the rear axel. I guess this would also entail bodywork mods.
One other place you might like to ask for information would be the XK list on the Jag-lovers site. Before a whole load of people dive in say they don't like the E-Type forum on Jag-Lovers, I've ever had any problems with the XK list. There are a lot of experienced XK people there. XK120s are not my main area, I've got a 150. BTW the archavists on the list will probably ask you for the chassis, engine and gear box number, they'll be out of luck with the body number I guess.
BTW, it looks like that engine might have a straightport head, which started life on the XK150S, and was the used on the E-Type and Mk10, at least it's been painted as a Gold Top. Weber manifolds are much more common for a straight port head than the earlier heads. If these were a set of Webers from the era of the XK120, they could be as valuable as some XK120s.
The sump isn't an XK150 one, it's not a Jaguar saloon sump either, I don't know what an E-Type sump looks like, but early XK120s had alloy sumps too.
George Hodge was the engine builder at Jaguar and built most of the works engines during the late 50s and 60s.He retired from Jaguar but during the 70s/80s everyone on the track either had Forward Engineering or George Hodge engines. A really top engine builder though now losing his sight, I believe. Jim Tester you know about. He was one of the best chassis builders there has ever been, sadly passed away with cancer some years back. His son now running a business, in his own right. Tester Engineering
Sorry ,but you may find that your Identity already exists as a complete car elsewhere. If it is a car with extensive well recorded competition history and the body/ chassis were modified either by track work or for Mod sports, with todays high values of ex works cars a collector would pay a premium for the correct body chassis to be built from scratch. You may well have genuine history,great if you have, but check it out before you even contemplate it`s sale or restoration.Might save alot of tears.......
RW774 said:
Sorry ,but you may find that your Identity already exists as a complete car elsewhere. If it is a car with extensive well recorded competition history and the body/ chassis were modified either by track work or for Mod sports, with todays high values of ex works cars a collector would pay a premium for the correct body chassis to be built from scratch. You may well have genuine history,great if you have, but check it out before you even contemplate it`s sale or restoration.Might save alot of tears.......
I think in this case the tears may be someone else's though.Yes, next time we get to the barn, the numbers will all be gleaned from the various bits. Numbers numbers, it all rests on them.....
Hoping in the next week or two to get the final numbers now I have the location of where Jim Tester put his own numbers.....
Will keep the thread updated....
Thanks for all the help.....really appreciated...
Adrian
Hoping in the next week or two to get the final numbers now I have the location of where Jim Tester put his own numbers.....
Will keep the thread updated....
Thanks for all the help.....really appreciated...
Adrian
Edited by addyman on Thursday 12th February 15:14
Further info for those with an interest...
engine spec is
capacity 3781cc
comp ratio 9.8-1
crank 010/010 tutrified balanced
lightened flywheel
borg & beck comp clutch
Jag comp camshafts 7/16 lift 22 x 22 degre dwell
Chassis is confirmed a Jim Tester Chassis, by his son, who is interested in exactly how many his father made etc and what happened to them.
Chassis is a heavily modded early XK120 chassis, lowered engine, totally modded rear back axle with some repositioning Aston Watts links/rose jointed trailing arms, front uprights with Armstrong Formula 1 adjustable shocks, new bushs/arms and altered position on uprights.
Lowered steering racks, uprated LSD, D-type gearing, replined XK150S hubs.
All these mods were done in period by George Hodge and Jim Tester.
In the next week will have gleaned all the numbers and will get some history off them from the various club archives.
Jag-Lovers and the XK Club have been more than helpful in this quest and are a total mine of information, especially the XK Club who are extremely interested in the history of the car as well.
Thanks to all
A
engine spec is
capacity 3781cc
comp ratio 9.8-1
crank 010/010 tutrified balanced
lightened flywheel
borg & beck comp clutch
Jag comp camshafts 7/16 lift 22 x 22 degre dwell
Chassis is confirmed a Jim Tester Chassis, by his son, who is interested in exactly how many his father made etc and what happened to them.
Chassis is a heavily modded early XK120 chassis, lowered engine, totally modded rear back axle with some repositioning Aston Watts links/rose jointed trailing arms, front uprights with Armstrong Formula 1 adjustable shocks, new bushs/arms and altered position on uprights.
Lowered steering racks, uprated LSD, D-type gearing, replined XK150S hubs.
All these mods were done in period by George Hodge and Jim Tester.
In the next week will have gleaned all the numbers and will get some history off them from the various club archives.
Jag-Lovers and the XK Club have been more than helpful in this quest and are a total mine of information, especially the XK Club who are extremely interested in the history of the car as well.
Thanks to all
A
Edited by addyman on Wednesday 18th February 17:06
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