2011-02-19 14:53:02 | Lofty writes:

The current owner was not quite 6 years ols when this Jaguar was purchased by his Father. The car remains largely in it's original condition. The engine or other mechanical items have never been apart or out of the car.

2012-04-09 20:46:20 | JP writes:

As the owner of this car I can tell you that the original interior carpet color was cinnamon as was the wool surrounding the rear seats, This color was not listed in XK data as an option to choose for the interior. It just goes to prove that Clive couldn't find and Biscuit wool for the carpets or seat surrounds on the rear that day........... :)

2020-01-05 01:10:51 | Anonymous writes:

Jaguar “C” Type Heads

This is likely going to start a few conversations, so here we go.....

I own 1956 XK140 DHC MC/SE , S817921. As I was with my father on January 4th, 1956 (64 years today) I can attest that the engine had never been apart from new, yet there is NO “C” cast in the valley.

Being extremely anal, I have researched this anomaly and finally received the following response. This is from noted Jaguar expert Roger Payne.

Here is a copy of Roger’s email to me, the first part being the explanation to the late Mike Cook.

Mike, I have taken the pertinent information from Roger Payne to help me figure out why there was no “C” cast into the head on my 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC. I felt that this would be great information for you to have after his response.

OK Jim,

I am positive I have the answer, albeit not 100% sure of detail as to why.

You need to understand the sequence of manufacturing Jaguar Cylinder Heads, and then have an understanding of factory manufacturing and production-line systems and methodology.

First up, the 'C-type' cylinder head was developed initially for the C-type racing car from 1952, with its first evolution appearing at June 1952 LeMans, with further development leading up to a decision to offer a serial-production version as an option on XK140s from their release in October 1954.   The earlier versions were very much development/hand-labor intensive heads.

Research to date, says that the earliest XK140 C-type heads were cast up by West Yorkshire Foundry (WYF), and the casting was to be identified as required by Jaguar, with Jaguars allocated part number (for the completed head) - C7707, thus differentiating in Jaguars system, from the parallel supplied A-type Cylinder head part number C6733-1.

Amongst your photos you show one with the WYF logo - thus as expected - followed by RH 555 (see later).

You show another photo that shows C7707 over a smaller C3

The C7707 cast identifier is of course proof that this casting, as we already know was cast/made by WYF, is indeed a C-type head casting, with the C3 being interpreted as meaning the third evolution of the C-type head casting – with all 1954/5 XK140 C-type heads showing this same C7707 over C3

The first identifier as above – WYF logo followed by RH 555 is now most important.

The RH 555 is the actual casting sequence number used by West Yorkshire Foundry, incrementing in order, that I believe started at probably RH1 or RH01, and went up to RH999, then RHA1 to RHA999, then RHB1 and so on.

Now observation over many years of genuine XK140 C-type heads, reveals that the earlies WYF C7707 C3 head castings did NOT include the cast in large ‘C’ as yours doesn’t, but the cast-in ‘C’ was added later.

I do have confirmed examples of WYF head castings from a low of RH336 (albeit safe to assume, and earlier back to RH1) to a high of RH704, none of which includes the cast in ‘C’.

Now all confirmed C7707 cylinder heads between RH336 to RH704, and this now includes your RH555, do not have this cast in ‘C’.

The first confirmed cylinder head I have confirmed WITH the cast in ‘C’ is RH752, and with all later C.7707 heads thereafter.   Thus I believe the demarcation of no ‘C’ castings to now adding the large ‘C’ was at some time between RH704 and RH752, and one can GUESS maybe at RH750 given batching production.

So, at this stage, I am 100% happy that your WYF casting of part number C7707 over C3 head identification, with a casting sequence number of RH555 is 100% definitely an XK140 C-type head, and thus SHOULD NOT have the cast ‘C’ identifier that was only added to later castings.

What happened next.

The Head Castings were delivered to Jaguar on pallets, and stored in Jaguars warehouse.

The Head machine shop/assembly area would draw from store new head castings – whether C-type or A-type, as required, but would only draw probably a pallet-load at a time, and apart from ensuring was indeed the required C7707 or C6733-1 casting, would not have cared at all about being in order or not in order of the RH casting sequence number.

So there are no rules at all about exactly when/what order a casting from warehouse went through the head machining/assembly stage, and thus what particular HEAD SEQUENCE NUMBER was stamped in at the rear of the cylinder head valley, yours being BE157.

Now under normal circumstances, Heads with ‘C’ included in casting, start from about AU904 HSN onwards, that end up about Engine Number G2000 onwards, so your BE157 / G5386-8S is an anomaly, that I expect was a pallet or two heads sitting at back of warehouse unpicked. Whilst newer deliveries from foundry were picked and entered the head machine/assembly shop earlier, until eventually in mid-1955 your pallet finally got picked and built up into an allocated Engine Number engine.

The other confirmed examples are:-

G5801-8S has Head-Sequence Number BE168 (so surely same batch of heads going through machine-shop as yours with BE157), has no cast-in large ‘C’, and is casting number RH436

G5752-8S has Head-Sequence Number BE475, has no cast-in large ‘C’, and is casting number RH585

G5430-8S is also reliably advised as having no cast in ‘C’ but I have not followed up re photos/advice of Head Sequence Number nor Casting Sequence Number.

Also bear in mind that once a Head Sequence Number is assigned and stamped in, completed heads are stock-piled before being allocated and having Engine Number stamped in, so nothing unusual about your Head Sequence Number being only 12 different, but 500+ engine numbers different

So yours is now the FOURTH reliably confirmed example of this now known and understood anomaly, but is 100% original and authentic, but as you fear certainly not known by many people at all let alone a JCNA Concours judge, if any apart from myself having been researching this aspect for many years, albeit I have shared this information with a couple others.

Can I suggest you write/communicate with the JCNA Concours Directors, not sure of title/who exactly, and seek their advice regarding what you need to do, and can do, so this lack of a cast-in-‘C’ does not become an issue if and when you enter a JCNA Concours, as you cannot reasonably expect any JCNA Concours Judge to fully understand what I have just explained above.  JCNA will surely have a means of handling such apparent anomalies , but best to resolve before the event, rather than after.

AS above, I am 100% satisfied that although your situation is indeed an anomaly, this head is indeed ORIGINAL and CORRECT for your XK140 S817921.   

Regards,

Roger Payne

8 Beggs Place

MACARTHUR  ACT  2904

Australia