Jaguar XK120 XK140 Walnut burl dash boards
Welcome to my Jaguar XK120 and XK140 dash page. I have made quite a few new XK dash boards over the years as well as restored numerous originals. I consider my work to be among the finest due to my careful choice of veneer and my dedication to originality. I am currently taking a break from this activity because, like anything, even the best activities become tiresome if overdone. Having made an extensive study of original dashboards and inspected many original examples I figured I would share some of my observations and a few pictures on this page.
If I currently have a dash for sale it will be at the bottom of this page.
In the past I have used two types of walnut on XK dash boards: Circassian Walnut (above) and American black walnut (below). Originally all XK dashboards were veneered in Circassian walnut which is often called English walnut, French walnut, Russian walnut and Carpathian walnut. Circassian walnut is lighter in color and may have some area which are very light. Note that many original dash boards which retain their original veneer appear dark and muddy. This is often due to the darkening and yellowing of the finish. When the finish is stripped off the veneer underneath often appears lighter and brighter.
A common mistake I have seen is the use of Carpathian elm to veneer XK dash boards. This is wrong and unfortunate as Carpathian Elm is very different having tight clusters of pinpoint dark eyes surrounded by flowing grain. When I see one of these elm dash boards I involuntarily flinch and avert my eyes. The misunderstanding likely stems from the similarity of the names Carpathian walnut and Carpathian elm. Perhaps this mistake was also printed in a book many years ago and perpetuated, as is so often the case in many fields including art and restoration.
v American black walnut
The inside of the glove box door was originally veneered in straight grain mahogany or walnut as above. The door was held shut by a brass ball snap and hinged on chrome hinges which hold the door open in the horizontal position. These hinges are fragile and often damaged. New hinges are available which look identical but do not hold the door horizontal. On the XK140 the door was held by a chrome arm ( I retrofitted a chrome arm from a MK2 in my own XK120). The interior of the glove box map drawer was originally flocked with emerald green flocking. Flocking is a durable rayon fiber which is sprayed on a base of wet bonding agent and allowed to dry. Felt was never used, always flocking.
The glove box door and the map drawer have solid knobs which were made of matching burl walnut. I have also seen some knobs made out of some type of immitation burl plastic. I imagine these knobs were reproductions from the 60’s or 70’s but I do not know for sure. I do know that most original knobs I have seen were wood. It was very common for knobs to break making original knobs rare. I have a few perfect originals which I use as templates to make new ones. Many reproduction knobs I see made by others are far too large. Any chrome knob is from a sedan.
There are twelve other pieces of wood besides the dash in the XK120 and XK140 FHC and DHC models. They are made of solid English oak, which is a finer grain wood than American oak, and veneered with Circassian walnut veneer. The exception are the thin strips on top of the doors which were made of Cuban mahogany. The long door cap pieces have book matched veneer just like the center dash. I have also seen the smaller side pieces with mirror image veneer, but not always. These pieces were hand fettled to fit each car. Often you will find the backsides whittled away in strange ways to clear bumps in the body or screws, each set is slightly different. I have even seen the lengths of pieces differ by half an inch on the same car from side to side. It is very common for the rear of the large door cap piece to hit the body and be worn away or chipped. In fact, it almost seem inevitable that they hit quite hard and are sometimes damaged in this location.
The walnut burl veneer rolls seamlessly over most edges and into the gauge openings. On original dash boards you will often find many cracks, splits and veneer misalignment in the areas of the gauges (they did not seem all that particular!). I developed a very odd process in order to minimize veneer cracks in my new dash boards, but still some cracking is inevitable. Pictured above is one that came out perfect!
Pictured below is the largely original dash in my own XK120 coupe which I reveneered and finished in a matte clear coat. You may be surprised that I used a matte clear for my own car, but it has several advantages: there is less glare, fine scratches do not show, and it looks more in keeping with the age of the car.
I have come to realize that most of the dash boards I have made may have the flaw of being flawless; too glossy, the finish too smooth. Jaguar XK dash boards originally had a thin clear finish and the grain of the wood telegraphed through the finish slightly. I know this because I have uncovered many original samples of perfectly preserved finish, untouched and hidden away from the sun. Going forward I will strive to emulate this thin original finish in either gloss or semi-gloss in any dash boards that I make with the goal of making them even more authentic looking.
If you have read this far you might be wondering if you can purchase an XK dash board. The answer is yes and no.
If I have one for sale it will be below. I am not currently taking orders.
$1550 + shipping Darrell (at) thevintageline.com
sold
The center gauge fascia, top eyebrow piece and ashtray are original to this dash and wear their original veneer. The side pieces and map drawer are new. The dash has been refinished in semi-gloss and has a very nice, patina preserved, vintage look. Well . . . it is vintage. See the video below for a complete description.
Price on request Darrell (at) thevintageline.com
SOLD
SOLD
This XK 120 dash is of completely new construction with some beautiful Circassian walnut burl veneer. It fits the later low key cars.
Price on request Darrell (at) thevintageline.com
SOLD
SOLD
This XK 120 dash is of completely new construction with a cuban mahogany dyed patina finish. The finish is made to look old . . . and this new dash definatly does look very original and would suit an unrestored car very well.
