I have been working in the British Car repair business since 1964. Motorcars LTD became a reality in 1972. In all of those years, we have had a number of intensely complicated cars come and go.

But none of our projects required us to bring as much intense concentration to a project as this one: “resurrect what is there, make it run like new but do not make it “pretty””.

Our customer found this 1954 XK120 Drop Head Coupe. It had been sitting, untouched, in a garage for about 30 years. He did not have any history on the car and did not know why it was parked. He wanted to keep the car in as “close to original condition as possible”…. Ie: not cosmetically restored, but mechanically restored (everything working, but not new and shiny).

The car was named “Dick”. It is presumed that the previous owner was named “Richard”.

It turned out to be a huge project and after all of the years we have been at this, we have never been so involved in a project that refused to “cooperate”. You would think that a car that had been sitting untouched in a garage would be “easy”…. Ie – change the oil, change the antifreeze, change the plugs, drain the fuel tank, and with new batteries, get it started.

What we found:

• the head had etched beyond the water jackets in the block – the head water jackets looked like Swiss cheese.
• the radiator and block was ½ full of sediment.
• the fuel lines were completely plugged up with sediment and tar like residue.
• the fuel pump was rock solid with tar.
• we put marvel mystery oil into the cylinders for three weeks…
• engine would turn over, but lost compression – squirrel nuts.
• transmission would not shift into gears.
• brakes were rusted to the backing plates and shoes were de-laminating, brake lines full of syrup.
• the oil pan had 2-3 inches of rotted oil turned to wax in the bottom.
• the transmission oil was badly decomposed.
• the differential “oil” had to be removed with a putty knife.
• the head and block would not separate.
• the intake manifold and head would not separate.
• every bolt and nut required replacement and all holes required tapping and re-threading.

What we repaired, overhauled, replaced or upgraded:

• transmission
• brake system
• fuel system
• cooling system
• all mounts
• front suspension
• carburetors and electric choke mechanism
• clutch bushings and linkage
• exhaust
• clutch and clutch linkage and shafts
• new high torque starter
• overhauled engine
  • installed new upgraded front chain tensioner.
  • installed upgraded new front and rear rear crank seals.
  • welded cylinder head and re-machined water jackets to fit block.
  • replaced ring gear on flywheel
  • installed cometic head gasket for deck height.
  • new pistons, valves, guides, set valves.
  • new timing chains and sprockets.

Note that a squirrel had found its way into the exhaust and (no kidding) all the way to the open exhaust valves and left nuts and shells on the inside of the combustion chambers !

The customer wanted to leave the firewall, wiring and paint “as original” and to do nothing but make it function like a new car.

The car starts beautifully, purrs beautifully, shifts smoothly and on its way to get a new dash, upholstery and paint compounding.

To our customer:
Thank you for allowing us to do the work and to preserve as much of the car as we could. Thank you for your patience with our reports that “it is always something”.