SHOULD WE SAVE A FEW/SOME/OR ALL OF EXISTING JOWETT SPARES?

[Leo Bolter]

The third image to go with the previous two . . .

Jig standing on its edge and showing a glimpse of the blocks on the far side (to make the Left hand column).

[Tony Fearn]

Are we going to have the chance to use the spares if we don't have enough new recruits as it were? seems a kind of circle is forming

This is a most prescient comment from Alan, who is one of our younger Jowett-owning members, and it takes us on a different tack, inviting further, deeper consideration of the question in hand.

If you've been interested in this post, and haven't yet plucked up courage to air your views, take a deep breath and join the discussion. Descision time can't be far away.

Tony.

[Keith Andrews]

The JCC of NZ had at one time a few original Jowett Company van timber parts that were only available to be hired as patterns to allow copying. I suppose they are still available if asked for . . .

Pretty well sums it up..
What we should have (by now, internationally) a full set of at least scale drawings, or even full size cardbaord/paper templates in 2 or 3 profile in some areas, that even wood working idiots like me can cut out....
But give me a mig welder and a brass dolly and I can rebuild absolutley perferated sheet metal back so it cant be seen inside or outside a single repair.
A brass dolly is esentual

[AlanBartlett]

Keith, your latest comment about pattern, isn't this what the club should be doing? Or already doing? giving its members a chance to copy from a set of orginal pattern jigs the item they wish to create, if they don't have a pattern for it? Which brings me back to my post back along about lending out parts for pattern use only or even onsite assistance, perhaps maybe more thought about the latter as to area or volunteer, man power. Also the cost of getting parts remade from a good orginal, does it differ much from the sh item, how many? is it going to be of use to more people? What about the not so wider useable items?

[Forumadmin]

As Leo found out, JowettTalk only allows 3 attachments per post. I would recommend putting such information in the Gallery where it can be organised in the future (into an album all about Bradford patterns!) and also people can comment directly on each item. If posted in a thread or topic in JowettTalk it can get buried in the rest of the topic.

The Gallery cannot store physical items, but it can store drawings, pictures, videos, CAD/CAM programs, and CNC instructions. Perhaps, in the future, even the layer technology instructions that are now being used to build very complex objects.

[paul wilks]

On the subject of 'originality' I own up! Not only is my Javelin the non-standard colour of British Leyland Bronze Yellow of the 1970s Austin/Morris 1300 GT (Shame on you, Wilks!!) but it is also fitted with a fibre glass offside rear wing obtained 40 years ago from Ken Braddock of Marple- he only had one decent steel rear wing (near-side) which I also purchased. At the time he had produced fibre glass versions both n/s and o/s but I can't remember whether he produced front wings as well.

I wonder if anyone else in the club fitted Ken's fibre glass wings to their Javelin.

I also remember having the chance to buy a 1953 Javelin about 1970. I hadn’t got the room because I had my own Javelin (which of course I still have) and my father’s garage and drive had room for just his car and my Javelin! Although it wasn’t a perfect Javelin it was in better condition than mine but nevertheless no-one seemed to be interested. The result? He stripped the car and entered it in local Jalopy racing events. He had very little success until its last race where it literally flew over a grass bank and nosed dived to earth. Very sad! I retrieved various bits and pieces including the front suspension with a view to updating my earlier suspension. I have never got round to it.

I doubt such a good car would be left to such a fate today. Or would it?

[Leo Bolter]

Regarding the Bradford jig and cross section templates images

The images and explanational text are now on the gallery (as suggested by Keith C) at TOPIC

[Jack]

On the subject of 'originality' I own up! Not only is my Javelin the non-standard colour of British Leyland Bronze Yellow of the 1970s Austin/Morris 1300 GT (Shame on you, Wilks!!) but it is also fitted with a fibre glass offside rear wing obtained 40 years ago from Ken Braddock of Marple- he only had one decent steel rear wing (near-side) which I also purchased. At the time he had produced fibre glass versions both n/s and o/s but I can't remember whether he produced front wings as well.

I wonder if anyone else in the club fitted Ken's fibre glass wings to their Javelin.

Hi Paul,

Interesting, we have two fibreglass rear wings in our shed that came to us with the latest Javelin project. Neither have been or are fitted to the car, and they are quite obviously moulded from an original wing. The source wasn't clear, but the timescales sound about right - these are certainly not new, and could be 40 years old if they have been very carefully stored (which we think they have)

I would assume that the rear wings were done as a result of corrosion - always the back wings seem to go first on rear wheel drive cars - perhaps they were done first as a priority to get around this, but no front wings were produced.

Jack.

[Srenner]

A very interesting thread.

Here in the vast reaches of North America, getting spares can be a real challenge. Please note that the last two Jupiters known to have changed hands recently went to the same fellow so that he could assemble one car. If there is enough left over, perhaps the second car will survive largely intact.

As we all know, a correct car will always have greater value than one made of aftermarket parts. But if the idea is to keep the cars on the road and looking presentable, then fiberglass panels should be just fine, as long as the quality is good. That is really little different from the clubs and people reproducing other scarce parts. Proper wheels, anybody?

A few years back, most of the ex-Ted Miller (ex-Milt Green) spares were sent to storage in Arizona, stored courtesy of John Kenna. The idea was to give them a more permanent home and make them available to those in need of parts. The first part out the door was an entire Jupiter front bonnet assembly that Mike Stout of Canada needed after an accident. The body panels had been salvaged by James Miller and had hung on my shop wall for a year. I suppose that is how a "spares community " should function.

Still sitting in my storage are about a dozen mainshafts from gearboxes, along with boxes of gears and internals. It is very unlikely anyone here will need a mainshaft, but I can't throw them away, right? Ship them off to JCC Spares? Are they worth the cost of shipping? Imagine the price of making those sometime in the future.

On the subject of reproduction parts, it would be good to get synched up so that things are not done as one one-offs. I recently had the convertible top window rubber reproduced and posted that up on this site. Neil Belk has a mold for making the buffers that fit just above the budget locks on the inside of the front wings at the scuttle. (I had been using a cut down Healey buffer). Is there a better format of sharing information on who has what items? Perhaps an additional category on the Board Index where one could post what is available?

Someone fairly bright said knowledge is power. The more we can spread our knowledge, the better off we will be.

[Tony Fearn]

Mr. Chairman, (Geoff Wills) in his 'Chairman's Chunk' in the March edition of the Jowetteer magazine, has summarised "average views" on the spares situation, and his take on things seems to mirror what we've all been talking about in the past few weeks.

But since Geoff sent his 'Chunk' to Hon. Ed. before the 20th of February, there have been a further 39 posts in this thread discussing the future of spares for our Jowetts.

I was interested to read in the Jowetteer that he suggests "Only Javelin parts are in scope for reduction".

Perhaps there are more Javelins around than the rest of the Jowett models together at this moment, and it seems that we are awash with SMUSs.

In the 60's we had, (to quote I.P.) 'rucks of parts' for vintage and pre-war vehicles. Apparently there were even many parts available for the 10hp cars at this time. Now we don't have such luxury, so we're saving used items or reproducing expensive ones to keep such vehicles on the road.

In the future, even the bits for Javelins will dry up, and perhaps it will be less expensive to re-furbish used spares than to have them manufactured from new - a distributor, whether DKY2A or DM2 now costs £315 (fully tested and calibrated) if you exchange it through JCS, but just think what it would cost to have it re-manufactured!

Hopefully, a number of the Exec. members look at 'JowettTalk' on the internet, so will be appraised of all the comments before any decision is made in April.

Tony.

[PJGD]

Just something to keep in mind for when you are desperate:
I have mentioned in this forum before that there is a chance of still getting new Lucas components because they are still being made in India:
http://www.lucas-tvs.com/lucastvs/index.aspx
For example:
http://www.lucas-tvs.com/lucastvs/ignition.aspx
But my guess is that contact should be made through Lucas Service:
http://www.lucas-service.in/index.htm

Philip

[Keith Andrews]

These lucas spare are being sold on the NZ trademe web site, bulbs, voltage regulators etc...in the last 3 months or so.

I had a phone call from a NZ Nth member last nigh by coincidence, (they dont have internet) about making a jupiter part for the top of a winscreen ??? Im no familar with jupiter parts.
Aparently to get made in steel costs an arm and leg, an since I used to own a fiberglass manufacturing company, was enquiring about making in 'glass...arranged to check out this Sunday after the Nth gymkana.
The conservation moved on and he said that yrs ago a mould was taken off his javlin bonet and front gaurds...
As to what has happened to it is a mystry...he seems to think it went down to Christchurh maybe????

[Forumadmin]

I spoke with Geoff who said he wished we (those who have posted on this topic) had commented on this subject via the Jowettteer so as to involve the whole membership. The problem with doing that is the conversation has a delay of at least two months rather than seconds, minutes or hours on this forum.

As we have seen, the problem as first stated changed over that period, reducing to storage of some Javelin body panels, especially doors.

I am not convinced that reaching the whole membership is that important, only those who have an interest and can contribute is really the target. If those not reading this forum were interested then a few may have written to the Jowetteer, but that (in my view) is harder than writing a post on here. Being involved in conversation on here is considerably more stimulating than a letter to the editor, (unless you get a high from seeing your name in print).

Our editor, or somebody else, could have provided a summary in the Jowettteer and thus shown the lively conversations taking place so as to get more people interested.

We just need to keep working to expand the use of this forum. It does not stop the snail mail or telephone conversations or face to face discussions, it stimulates them as well. Have a good executive meeting!

[Keith Andrews]

a distributor, whether DKY2A or DM2 now costs £315 (fully tested and calibrated) if you exchange it through JCS

With all due respect..it doesnt take a rocket scientist to re build a dizzy, nor does it take expensive parts unless the shafts are being metal sprayed and ground. And the "tested and calibrated" sry for the sarcasum here ...big deal. doesnt take a rocket scientist to do that either... a dizzy curve machine helps but is not needed to do so.
I would love to see the justification for the £315.
I can fully rebuild a GM points or HEI dizzy, new shaft sintered bushes, new counterweight bushes, reset pins, chemical clean the body and parts for under $NZ 120 off the top of my head that about £60 or £70

[Forumadmin]

The parts may well be expensive for a 50 year old, not because they are intrinsically expensive just that they are rare and those who have them know that remanufacture of even a spring will be expensive. If, however, India is still making them then perhaps we are being ripped off.

Same with carbs, just buying the jets and gaskets and washers costs about £70.