One thing I wondered when I restored my 1959 MK2 was what these brackets are for? Later MK2's don't have them and nothing was fitted to them on my car. I assume they area carry over from the MK1?

 

They show as part 24 on the Mk1 parts book, cannot find them on the Mk2 book, but you would need a very early parts book as they are bound to be a roll over from the Mk1 (sorry 2.4 or 3.4 saloon for those that wish it to be titled as original), the later updated parts books don't show some of the early parts unfortunately.

 

It looks a bit of an odd shape for stiffener as it has a hole through it like something is meant to bolt to it, they are also different LH to RH.

Maybe it was intended for something and then never got used, the only thing I can think of is something to do with the handbrake but I don't have a clue how it would have worked.

 

If you look at the picture, there is a hole through the stiffener bracket, on the parts list there are different part numbers for left and right hand so they will be different.

They are definitely this part, I don't know why the holes are there, I will dig a little more on that.

 

I wonder if they had something to do with the Mk1 move from drum to disc brakes & how the handbrake was operated

 

I've looked at that Glyn, on the early handbrake the compensator was different with a yoke and two cables running back, rather than the scissor type on later models, there doesn't appear to be any cable brackets in the parts book that would fit there, it is odd they call them stiffener brackets rather than just stiffeners, but I cannot find any corresponding part that would fit there as yet.

 

Could they have been used in the production process to locate the body. ?

 

I doubt it Fraser, but one never knows, they did over-engineer the Mk1, (first monocoque etc.) so it is a possibility, but as it is called a stabiliser bracket it may have been a design for some other body component between the two, would be my best guess at the moment, this may have been at design only and never fitted in practice, or fitted to early Mk1's and then dropped, or something else completely, I am really guessing at this point.