It's 1968, My older brother leaves for Sacremento State College in the ex-family 1957 Desoto which he purchased from my parents for $150.
He gets settled in his dorm and his classes. He starts looking at the classified ads (we were raised on classified ads). He gets excited about a Jag XK120 ad because a good friend of our Dad's brought one by the house a year before - he was selling it for a friend, and we all were transfixed by the car.
My brother makes a deal with the owner and trades the Desoto for the 120. We get "word" in the bi-weekly phone call about this sports car Craig got for the Desoto.
Summer is coming. Craig has made friends with the man who runs the dorm. Craig will be his "Stand-in" and will run maintenance operations for him, for the summer. Craig sees an opportunity to help his 12 year-old bro (me). If I can find the money for the flight, he'll put me to work prepping the dorm units for paint.
I mow lawns. I get it together, and fly to SAC. Craig was going to pick me up in the Jag, but the week before he raced a 1968 Charger to SF to see my other brother in the Navy Brig! He had the carbs on the 120 too lean, and burned a piston at a constant 115 MPH - burned it right on through.
When I saw the 120 I fell in LOVE! The FIRST thing we did is get to work pulling the engine in the parking lot of the dorm. Craig arranged for a long block to be delivered. We changed the head - the 120 was an "S" and the long block had the mild head. As time dragged on past 9PM, I could not take it, and said good night.
At 7AM the next morning I scrambled out to the parking lot to see my brother working on the car. "What time did you get up", I asked. "I didn't go to bed", he said! We worked together and had the "blue bomb" running by noon.
I was NEVER as excited as when we pulled out into SAC traffic with no brakes! We were taking the ONLY transportation we had to go find brake parts! How did we stop? Well, the XK120 has a "fly-off" hand brake - it doesn't "set" until you push down on the top of it. My brother simply pulled hard on the long chrome lever to stop the 3600 pound, two seat "drop-top" giant piece of art!
Anyway, we got it fixed. We got the dorms painted and my dear bro paid me much more than my 12 year-old effort was worth! I flew home with a new LOVE in my heart - I had to find an XK120 of my own!
Do you want more XK120 stories? Let me know. I did own 5 before I was 20 - not to mention my E-Types.
Here's what to do next:
otomania.info: you have to store your the automotive for the meantime Also On shopping
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