Jaguar Repair: 1959 Jaguar XK150 Roadster Brake Servo Placement and Smiths Volt Gauge, xk150 roadster, jaguar xk150

Question
QUESTION: Can you tell me the placement of the brake servo on a 1959 Jaguar XK150 Roadster?  I took my car to a guy in Arizona and he ripped me off, filed bankruptcy and when I got my car back it was missing tons of parts, including the hood.  I have been locating parts to replace and do not know where the brake servo needs to be installed.

Also, I am looking for an original Smiths Volt Gauge for my 1959 Jaguar XK150 Roadster.  Any suggestions on where I might find one?

ANSWER: Hi Gary,

It has been a long time since I worked on the 150 but as I remember is was a remote servo mounted under the car. The master cylinder brake line ran from the master cylinder to the remote cylinder on the vacuum servo under the car mounted to a frame member.

Nisonger is a good source for instruments and they are now part of Moss Motors. Moss has a toll free number and a web site.

Sorry to hear about the rip-off as some parts are getting hard to locate on collector cars like the 150.

Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Howard:

Thanks for the quick reply.  As to the brake servo, I was told by another that it mounts to the battery box.  Do you know if this is the correct location?  Or, do you know where specifically it should be mounted on the frame?

I'll try the referral to Moss Motors on the gauge.

Thanks,
Gary

Answer
Sorry Gary, but the last 150 I worked on was in a Jaguar dealership in 1961 and all I remember was needing to go under the car to work on the servo. That was 51 years ago and the memory is fuzzy as I had to work on 120s and 140s too.

You should get a Haynes or Bentley manual on the 150. If the brake lines are still on the car you can just follow the brake line from the master cylinder as it went directly to the servo unit. Then the servo cylinder supplied the brake line power to the wheels. If the lines are still on the car it should be easy to follow the lines. If they are gone too, all you can do is to look at the service manual.

I learned to have a manual for any car I work on. In fact my first job working on cars was a Jaguar dealership in 1960 and I was hired over experienced auto mechanics because I had been working in motorcycle shops prior to that and the service manager who hired me asked to see any service manuals I had and all I had were several motorcycle manuals and he looked through them and said he was looking to see which pages had greasy finger prints on them and he hired me (with absolutely no auto experience at all) over several experienced auto mechanics.

The way he explains it is that your brain forgets details and the manual never forgets a detail.
I am proof of that as I don't remember where that servo is mounted.

If you get a manual (Moss should have them) and it don't show exactly where it is mounted let me know as a last resort I have a friend who restores old Jags and I will ask him exactly where it is mounted and let you know.

Howard