Early Javelin Restoration

[Chris Spencer]

This is a early - 1950 - Javelin - originally exported to New Zealand but purchased by fellow JCC member Peter Pfister a few years ago and shipped from NZ to Peters home country of Switzerland. The car has several very early details which could indicate that the car was probably built in 1949. Peter brought the car over to the UK this May for the JCC annual rally but left it in the workshop of Keith Clements for a through restoration. The plan being that Keith will handle the mechanicals & oily bits - I will attend to the body shell / paint & shiney bits, Jack & Amy will help out where they can, and Peter will help on the occasions that he comes over to the UK.

Although the car looks very nice in the image it has seen some life over the years, it has a basicly sound bodyshell but doors have gaps that you could drive a bus through in places - on the other hand in other places the gaps are so tight that the paint gets taken off when you close the door. The paint is several shades of green all over the car and underneath the paint are several areas of patch & bodge. The underside fairs no better with some of the mechanicals having seen various attempts of poor repairs over the years and there is some awful welding in places. We intend to post on a regular basis as we pick our way through the restoration process - please forgive the odd in house laugh that the team tend to exploit on occasions and feel free to join in the discussions

[Chris Spencer]

The team removed the engine & gearbox

along with the interior trim & floor

Meanwhile I fabricated brackets in order to mount the car to the turning jig

[Chris Spencer]

With the jig mountings in place and the wheels removed off the car - plus a little shuffle here and there to clear the roof beams of the workshop - over she went

Giving us clear access to the underside of the car

All quite solid but some frightening finds in places - more to follow soon

[Robin Fairservice]

I do not think that the Javelin can possibly be a 1949. Mine was made in August 1950, and has the earlier Jowett badge on the front of the hood. Peter's also appears to have white side lamps; mine didn't have separate white lamps but are in the head lamps. What diameter are the headlights? Mine are 5.75 inch, but this one looks as if it has the later 7 inch ones.

[Chris Spencer]

Robin - The headlamps are 5.75 inch early type with the side lamps in the headlamps - the white lamps that you see in the lower part of the wing are a non factory - later fitment to give the car indicators - it was not unusual to have white lense indicators prior to the 1960's - there are various odd differences on this car to others of the same year thet tend to indicate that this is a very early car.

Regards

Chris

[Robin Fairservice]

Then what is the chassis number, that should clear the identity up?

[p.p.]

EOPB9622
the garage jowett dealer sold it 30.05.1951
arrived in NZ 1950

peter

[robert lintott]

EO PB is the code for 1950 model Javelins ..
In the register there is an EOPB 6959 UK registered on 31 Dec 1949. There is an EOPB 9647 UK registered on 15th July 1950. We can be fairly sure that 9622 was made in the first half of 1950, going to NZ and unsold in a dealers showroom could take several months but 30/05/51 seems a long time unless it was a "demonstrator" ?

The headlights look rather larger than the early models but that must be just the photo! 7 inch lights were introduced in November 1950 starting with car engine number EO PC 11326 ( was that the car number too?) according to the Jowett technical information sheets. I think retrofitting 7" lamps would mean changing the wings as well, so not simple .

The chassis /underside looks like new in the oictures, clean , black and shiny ??? What an excellent piece of kit ! Bob

[Keith Clements]

Like an old woman's make up, cosmetic. We will reveal all the cracks in her skin as we progress. But she is not a bad old girl. As Peter will attest, there were lots of rumblings and bangings, only some of which were cured before the journey from Bodensee.

[p.p.]

one of the rumbilngs and bangings.... a winow handel in the door floor
peter

[p.p.]

new zealand owner registration:

Jowett dealer aukland
james dale alderson, may 30 th 1951 avondale ak
thomas oscar stephens, oktober 18 th 1951 albany
violet hansen, september 17th 1954 takapuna
elaine joan shadbolt, september 10th 1985 whangamata 87,000 km
robert quantrill, april 9th 1992 waihi beach
jack fraser quinn, february 15th 2009 auckland
lleaii flynn, february 15th 2010 waitakere 98,790 km
kostadin chterev, march, 13th auckland 98,790 km

there reported the odometer stand prior in kilometers!!!!?????

the registration plate history:
BH7404
ILUVNZ 1988, may 10th
rh6704 1992, april 8th
peter

[Robin Fairservice]

My chassis number is 10100 and it was shipped from England to Vancouver on August 21, 1950, so 9622 would be a bit earlier than mine. The cylinder heads have casting dates on them which could narrow the manufacturing date a bit closer. The Jowett badge is off a later model than mine, which made me start questioning the date.

[Chris Spencer]

There are several bits on the car that pose questions - I think some areas are later additions but a glove box lid like no other ever seen, unsure about the bonnet badge too, the grille is original and the bumpers are the early type - no doubt we will uncover other odds during the restoration but in general I do not think the factory had too many rules when building the cars - and they may have been some crossover items between standard & delux models.

[robert lintott]

for Robin, According to the register your 10010 is an EO PC which means made in 1950 but a 1951 model, August is very early for the annual model change , and in the register there are four cars with numbers higher than 10010 , but shown as the earlier EO PB models . One of them probably has an incorrect number recorded but the others look OK , except for the order. May be the Factory changed cars around ? Is yours a PC?

Another way of chaecking the headlights is that with the larger lights the horizontal chrome strip between the light and the Grill is shorter.

[Robin Fairservice]

I don't know why the register is wrong but my chassis plate says that mine is an EO PB L. By the way the number is 10100.