1952 Jaguar XK120 Restoration

British Sports Cars > 1952 Jaguar XK120 Restoration

Part 1: A Well-Deserved Makeover

This 1952 Jaguar XK120 Roadster is one we’ve known and serviced for many years. It’s a longtime California car that’s been with the same family since the sixties. We completely went through this car several years ago, rebuilding the engine, suspension, and braking system—making it a fantastic-driving roadster. The car has been driven and enjoyed for many years, and was ready for a cosmetic makeover so it’ll look just as good as it drives.

Prior to the present family’s ownership, this 120 had been in an accident which caused damage on the driver’s side. After the accident, the repair was done fairly well and is certainly not the worst we’ve seen, but it does need to be repaired correctly so the finished product stands the test of time. Our plan was to repair the accident damage as well as rebuild the doors and boot lid, and replace any sheet metal showing rust and corrosion.

Part 2: Down to Business

For replacement body panels, we turned to our friend Wray Schelin of Pro Shaper Sheet Metal. Wray has been in the automotive sheet metal business for many years, and is quite simply the best in the business. One of his many specialties is Jaguar body-repair panels, which he makes completely by hand. We’ve been using his services for many years, and have always been very pleased with his work.

When the car was finished with paint and body, it looked absolutely stunning. The metal work was, as usual, performed by our good friends over at Hank’s Welding right here in San Luis Obispo. Hank is an expert metal craftsman, and did an absolutely perfect job repairing the previous accident damage and rust.

For the body work and paint, we turned to more of our good friends over at Kens Body Shop. We’ve been using them for years as they do nothing less than first-class work. We can confidently say that this 120 body is now in better condition than the day it rolled off the factory floor. You’ll see in the photos below that the fit and finish is just perfect. We’re very lucky to have such a talented network of craftsman right here in our own backyard to assist us in restoring these amazing cars.

Part 3: Hard Work Pays Off with Another Satisfied Customer

The car came out well beyond our expectations due to lots of hard work and dedication from our entire team of friends and employees. The fit of all the panels is far better than when it rolled off the assembly line. Our client has chosen to do several tasteful modifications to the car which you’ll see in the photos below. The mods have resulted in a great stance and race look.

XK120s are not the easiest of cars to restore, but they are a favorite of ours here at BSC, and we never turn down an opportunity to bring them back to glory. The styling and driving experience is really something special. This car has been in our client’s family for over fifty years and we are very pleased that he chose us to restore his lovely 120. We hope the car stays in the family for another fifty years of enjoyment for generations to come.

We have to say a big thank you to Jonathan Beller for doing amazing job on the body work, and Ken’s Body Shop for laying out a gorgeous paint job. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Moss Motors for providing all the quality parts needed to correctly restore this car. Restoring a car from the ground up is a huge task, but we sure are happy with how it came out.

Check out the photo gallery for a complete review of each stage of the project.

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