Possible Jowett purchase

[BarryCambs]

Hi all

To cut a long story short, I have the chance to buy a Jowett that's been in the family since new. It's been off the road probably about 40 years, but isn't in bad shape, or wasn't last time I saw it which was about the same time, when I was about 7!! It was in daily use up until that point and was driven up to Newmarket from London when a family member died. My dad thinks its 1929 and I originally thought it was a long 2 as it has a dicky seat. I well remember playing in the car with my brother and being fascinated by the seat. However, talking to dad and looking at photos on the web, I now think it's a short 2 as it looks like these had a dicky as well.

I'm hoping someone can help me with some very basic information. I'm after the physical dimensions of the car (length and width, assuming it is a short 2) as we need to sort storage and I want an idea of how much garage room it's going to take up, so we can see if it will fit into what space is available.

Many thanks, Barry

[Peter Holden]

Long 2 and short 2 could both have dickey seats

Having measured my Long 4 the approximate overall dimensions for a Long 2 would be 12’ 6” long by 4’ 6” wide but you will need space around it to manoeuvre it. The short is about 3’ 0” shorter but will be the same width. If you are not sure which model it is I would assume a Long two to be safe. Light cars of this era were quite small and would easily fit into a standard garage attached to a house. Even a modern house garages which are as tight as you can get, some modern small cars do not fit. Well they might fit but you can’t get out the car once you are in the garage.

As a rough guide a short two would be about the same size of a modern mini or Ka.

[george garside]

If it is a 1929 model with dicky seat then it should in theory be a long 2 as the short 2 was not listed for 1929. For what its worth the 1929 short saloon measured 10'6" x4' 6"

george

[Tony Fearn]

Hello Barry and welcome to the Forum and hopefully to the Jowett Car Club. It looks like you could have your hands full in the near future, as I’m sure you won’t want to pass up such an opportunity.

When you go into Jowett.org there’s a list of actions on the LHS of the home page. If you first click on JowettGallery and log into it, and then go into JowettTalk and log into that so that they’re both on the toolbar at the screen bottom, then you’ll be able to switch between the two.

On the JowettTalk homepage, just above the natter section where you posted your request, there’s a photo of a short two which has been stolen. This will give you some idea of the shape.

If you bring up the home page of JowettGallery and you’ve logged in (top RHS) you’ll see a search facility on the LHS. Type in ‘short two’ and click ‘advanced search’. This will bring up another screen with a further ‘search the Gallery’ box. Type ‘short two’ in this second box, click go and then click ‘download document’ when another screen appears..

Scroll down the loaded page and you’ll come to a couple of photos of ‘The Automobile’ magazine. Choose the left one with the photo of the red short two on the front. This is an article about its restoration, with photos and text that might just whet your appetite.

In the body of the piece, it states that the overall dimensions are 10’ long by 4’ 6” wide, so Peter’s guess wasn’t far out for the short model.

Have a browse around the various sections of JowettTalk, especially the ‘Natter’ and ‘Pre-war’ ones that relate more to your car, and you’ll see that if you do take it on, there’s lots of help available.

JowettGallery also has some good technical items on it, and we’re adding to them bit by bit.

Best wishes,

Tony.

P.S. I'd a feeling that George would beat me to it!!

[BarryCambs]

Thanks for all the info. Dad thinks 1929, but I thought one of my cousins said 32. That said it was during a rather beery evening, so could have been anything! Another cousin has it in his garage and is going to find out for sure. Width won't be a problem if it's 4'6 but the garage has machine tools up one end, so it's just the length, but looks like we could be ok.

given it's so long since I saw it and how young I was, I remember it very distinctly. Although original and unrestored, it was in excellent condition. It has been in a garage for the last few decades, so as long as the rats haven't been at it, it could still be ok.

I'm always surprised by how narrow the older cars are. Pulled up behind an Austin Cambridge at the lights yesterday and it looked tiny compared with the golf I was in!

Thanks again, Barry

[Tony Fearn]

Hello again Barry,

I have a 1933 two-seater with dickey seat called 'Sarah Jane', and attach a photo of her from the side. She's on a long chassis as the short's were phased out in the late 1920s just as George says.

Clive, in Wymondham, Norfolk is also restoring a two-seater with dickey, but his is a 1934 car.

One benefit is, that if the car is actually early pre-war and not vintage (i.e. from 1930 onwards), there may be more spare parts available for it.

Please make sure your cousin takes his digital camera with him to photograph the car so that you can upload a few photos (suitably reduced to kilobytes), as I'm sure the forum members will be very interested in having a look at this rare car.

Tony.

P.S. I'm impressed with your opening sentence in your original post:- 'To cut a long story short'

[Forumadmin]

Barry,

Because the Gallery contains personal and valuable club items it is separate from the 'public' JowettTalk. To view the Gallery you need to join the JCC and then register on JowettGallery.

[BarryCambs]

Dad also now says some people from the "Jowett Club" came to look over it and it was added to a register??? In his mind this wasn't so long ago, but as the person who owned it at the time has been dead for over 10 years, so it could well have been 20-30 years ago. Does anyone know of a register for these cars?

Barry

[BarryCambs]

Hi Tony

The car looks great! I notice it has wire spoked wheels. I'm almost certain this one has the older thick spoked wheels, but I don't know if that helps date the cars?

Barry

[Jack]

Dad also now says some people from the "Jowett Club" came to look over it and it was added to a register??? In his mind this wasn't so long ago, but as the person who owned it at the time has been dead for over 10 years, so it could well have been 20-30 years ago. Does anyone know of a register for these cars?

Barry

Hi Barry,

The club has registrars for all the different types of car - yours will have been registered with the Pre War Registrar.

That means if you have the registration or chassis number, we will be able to tell you (based on the members of the club looking at it) what type of car it is, though that shouldn't be difficult to establish by looking at it yourself with a few photos.

Jack.

[Tony Fearn]

Barry,

I'd forgotten that you need join the JCC, as our webmaster kindly reminded us all, before you are able to enter the 'inner temple' with all the goodies therein displayed, and I apologise to him for my mistake.

Nevertheless, if you're able to send me a private message through JowettTalk, I'll let you know the phone number of our Pre-War Registrar who will be very interested in 'your' car, and will no doubt help you all he can. (perhaps click on my name and you might just see my profile, unless we get another message from our webmaster).

There again, when it has been viewed by your cousin, all may be revealed as, all being well, there will be either a front, or back numberplate on it, and perhaps even an original log book somewhere in the family archives to give a definitive answer. There might also be a plate somewhere under the bonnet which gives the engine number.

Alternatively, the engine number was usually stamped on the top of the timing case at the front of the engine (near side).

Thick spoked wheels were used on all the vintage vehicles, but if I remember correctly (HELP GEORGE!) they were also used on some of the very early standard pre-war cars, but not the 1931 two seater, which I think was calles the 'Focus'. This car had two verticle bars down the front of the radiator with a circle in the middle of them in which was a stainless steel Jowett script badge.

Regards,

Tony.

[BarryCambs]

I had a brief message from my cousin to say its a "1929 7hp short 2+2" he says it's about 2.6 metres long, which converts to 8 1/2 feet, but I'm not sure how accurately it was measured. This doesn't tie in exactly with them not being listed as a model in 1929, but having worked years ago on brand new ford tractors built up from half the parts left from the previous model, leaving the parts lists completely redundant, there could have been some blurring of the lines as it were.

All I need to do now is sort some storage and cash!

Thanks again for all the help. I will of course report on any developments, even if I decide not to go ahead.

Regards, Barry

[george garside]

There waqs a short 'chummy'( i.e a short 4 seater tourer with all seats under the hood as opposed to a dicky seat) listed for the 1929 model year. For the 1930 season the only short Jowetts were saloons.

george

[BarryCambs]

Another and hopefully final basic question. A relative has sounded a note of caution. I'm 6ft - will I actually be able to drive it comfortably? It's a small car and even I seem to remember there was an issue with the brake pedal being very high. Dad says it was always driven using the handbrake.

Apparently, when it was delivered new, my grandfather sat in it and pressed the brake pedal hard and the end broke off one of the rods. You see cars advertised with "comprehensive history", but going back to day one after 80 years is pretty impressive!

Thanks again to all who have helped. Barry

[BarryCambs]

I've spoken to Ian to find out what's on the register - thanks Tony for the contact! It's on the register as a 1929 long two, rather than short, so still a bit of a mystery. My cousin is away for 3 weeks and then I'll be away for 3 weeks, so unfortunately, I won't be able to get over to photograph and measure the wheel base until the beginning of February.

Apparently, it's still in good shape and just needs a very thorough recommissioning. If this is the case, we could hopefully have it on the road sometime this summer ........ assuming I have finished building the garage by then.