120SE Luggage Compartment Clips

Luggage compartment clip questions: A curious configuration exists in 120 "Special Equipment" Models. 1952-53 OTS' and FHCs have been seen to have clips in the lower right side of the boot/luggage area: 2 clips for the Budget Key, and 3 clips for the Wheel Brace, even though with their wire wheels, the cars carry neither the Budget Key nor the Wheel Brace. 1. Did all 120 bodys get a full set of clips, whether or not they were to become "Special Equipment" models? Did the factory ever stop putting the extra clips in the SE models? 2. There are 2ea, BD 5211, clips listed for "...fixing Grease Gun" in the Luggage Compartment for OTS, FHC and DHC. I have never seen a 120 grease gun anywhere but in the engine compartment. Does anyone have one clip-fastened in the luggage compartment? Where is it? Chassis #? - Thanks, Dick Cavicke

Dick, I don't know the answer to your question (re boot clips etc), but I flatter myself that after about a couple of years, I can spot without hesitation a "Dick Cavicke question" out of 30 waiting emails, and also a Rob Reilly answer! Will try to have a look for some suggestions re an answer sometime soon. Regards, John Elmgreen

My 120 OTS(1952 672200) has the grease gun in the engine compartment. In the luggage compartment on the lower right side is fastened the smallest fire extinguisher (brass) I have ever seen. I have no idea if this is original or not. - Dave and Linda Freeman

John, are my answers really that characteristic? Yeah, I know, pedantic, ha, ha. Guess I'm a living example of the old joke, "ask an engineer for the time and he'll tell you how to build a clock". Or is it "willing to spout off with opinions". ;-) Anyway, here's another opinion. This grease gun clip question is probably another example of how the parts catalogue was most likely typed up by some office girl who never got down to the shop floor and actually looked to see where the clips went. She got a list of all the different clips from another girl in the production control or the purchasing dept, saw that one was for the wheelbrace, knew that the wheelbrace goes in the boot, and figured all the others go there, too. Or since the 120 was the first model to have the grease gun anywhere else but in the boot, she may have been going on past experience. Part of my job is making out long parts lists for scientific equipment, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that it's very easy to make a mistake on something like this. On steel body cars I've only seen it on the left front upper wing valence, and on alloy cars I've only seen it on the right hand scuttle and on the middle of the scuttle. Just my opinion of course. As to SE's having unneeded clips, the inner wings were probably ALL made with the punched rivet holes. Then the question becomes - at what point in the production sequence were the clips put in? Before painting? Before the boot floor cross panel was put in? Before the rear wings were on? It's a fair guess that the production line guy didn't know whether each body was to be wire or disc wheels, his job was to put clips in every one. Anybody have an SE without the clip rivet holes, to disprove my theory? Feel free to keelhaul me, friends. PS: I'm still sticking to my guns that it was a Sunbeam Alpine in "To Catch A Thief", but it IS similar to an XK, and we only get fleeting glimpses of it in the film, so anyone mistaking it for an XK could be forgiven. This early body style is practically unknown in the US. Someone on the British cars list has one and it's scanned on their web page if anyone wants to pursue it more. ftp://ftp.team.net/sol/Images/53sunalp.gif

I agree the housekeeper was in a Delahaye or something similar. Tres magnifique! - Regards, Rob Reilly

If you have any questions or comments send e-mail to: ted@jag-lovers.org
Main Page	Back to the Library