Hello, an elderly friend found these in a barn in New Hampshire and asked me to find out the value of them. They are in excellent condition. Can anyone help establish the value of these? They are identical to the ones in THIS PICTURE. I can send 7 pictures but this forum will not let me upload them here.

Thanks,

Peter - E Mail for pictures

 

These may not have any special value (unless he found them in the barn, mounted upon a cylinder head, in the engine compartment of a real C-Type). The red "C-Type" logos have been available forever as individual items that are easily attached to run of the mill XK engine cam covers. I used to have a replica C-Type that had cam covers identical to those in your picture. Also, along the way, more than one garden variety XK120 had a C-Type head with the self-same cam covers - again, nothing particularly special. I am not sure if one could actually identify a cam cover that originally came from an authentic C-Type.

 

I would be more interested in what else he found in the barn
signs, old crap, junk, license plates
I love American Pickers

 

Thanks to both of you. I suspected they had more of a universal application.
I'd still be curious as to the value? Anyone have an idea?

 

Up to a few years ago, the XK valve covers were regularly in-stock items, but seem to now only be available on the "secondary" market. Recommend searching eBay - I would guess a mint condition XK120/140 valve cover would go for about $200, per side. The red C-Type badges are still available from the usual suspects for about $60 each. The one hooker is that if you have a valve cover from the earliest release of the XK engine (these are identifiable because there is no bolt hole at the front center edge of the cover - for the so-called stud-less cylinder head), the valve covers would be worth a lot more - if you can find a needy person. So it depends. Can you find a part number cast somewhere in the interior of the valve cover (Cxxxx)?

 

Mike,

Can I call you on this? Can you reply to shep233@comcast.net ?

Thanks,

Peter

 

E-mail sent.

 

Hi Guys!

Thanks for this subject. You realize, of course, that once you go offline and communicate via Email, the thread is lost and those who were interested are orphaned.

I find myself in a comparable "valve-cover" situation to PeterMax – in the early to mid-80’s, I had no fewer than 10 Jags in my stable (a Mk 5, a 120 with a louvered hood, a 140MD roadster, a 150 drophead, three or four 150 coupes, a Mk VIIM, a Mk X, and a 420S), along with more than my fair share of spares, both used and NOS. I found yesterday in my garage not one, but two pairs of C-type aluminum valve covers. Both are the later types with the stud-hole at the front of the cover, and they all seem to have the same part number cast into the underside: “C7186,” as best as I can make out.

I appreciate Mike’s comments, and I am almost glad that I no longer have handfuls of 1950 era motorcars, because it is becoming impossible to find the necessary parts in either the primary or secondary markets, at any price.

I find myself, like too many others these days, to be in a financially awkward situation, so I am cataloging all of my spares and will offer them for sale somewhere – Ebay, Ebids, JCNA classifieds – I haven’t decided yet. But being a defender of the faith, and having been soured by the rank profiteering which ruined British motorcars for the great majority of enthusiasts, I wish only to deal with the end user, someone who will appreciate finding what he needed for his project, rather than dealing with a middleman who will gouge both ends and take all of the fun out of the sport.

Thanks! Joe

 

The bosses under the nuts at the front of the cam cover are thicker than most of the others. They are about 1" thick. Also, the original C Types never used a head with the C plaque cast into the head, and the original cam covers never had the badges. Also, the original C Type heads were not painted. The XK140MC was the first car with the red paint.

 

Hi, This to Joe, the "emergncymd", Since I need XK120 things, and I just saw this thread, I wondered if you had any XK120 (or 140) stuff left? If you do and you have a list of it, I'd love to see it.

Thanks and best regards.

Brian alphajag@att.net

 

Peter,

oops just responded to an ancient post - sorry all!

Your friends cam covers appear to original Jaguar supplied units and are worth a good chunk of change, IF the mounting holes are perfectly round, not depressed and the covers mating surfaces are flat.

Those covers are likely from an XK-140MC, most (if not all) of which were fitted with the same. The MC's got C-Type spec heads, and further, both dealers and the factory would fit your XK or Saloon with the same on special order.

The story goes many more heads were ordered than needed, so they ended up on production cars, and got the nifty made-up badges as a tattle of coolness / all or most all were painted red.

I have a few of these heads (none for sale ;-), and three or four sets of the covers, some usable, some not. Price varies on condition but I would not let them go cheap ($350-400 for perfect ones would be my number, not sure if too cheap - conversly I was offered $7k for a C head) as someone looking for the real deal to compliment their head or an MC that are missing, will pay. Or as mentioned, on a C-Type replica they look neat but were not supplied on the real XKC's, think of them as wonderful marketing gimmicks. As mentioned, you can fake these covers with separate badges.

Hope that helps.

Jeff