Gear Lever Knobs and Electrical Switch Colours

[Mike Allfrey]

Down here in the Colonies we have a major concern relating to the correct colours of:

Gear Lever knob and reverse lock button, electrical switch knobs, lighting switch and trafficator switch lever for Standard Javelins.

The same again for De Luxe Javelins.

The same again for PE Javelins.

The same again for SA Jupiters.

The same, yet again, for SC Jupiters.

My understanding on the gear lever knobs is that they were a creamy grey with marble effect. I am not sure if there were any black knobs.

Not easy to give a positive answer and the Spare Parts Catalogue does not state colours.

Any help with this topic will be greatly appreciated - it is important that such matters are totally correct.

Thank you,

Mike Allfrey.

[Keith Clements]

The quick answer is that both çream marble and black were used and were matched on all the plastic bits. But the definitive answer as to what colour was used with each model, paint and trim colour would need a lot of research.
Amy's SC which was originally white (now geeen) with black (now tan) trim had black.

My SA was originally maroon with tan (now black and red) trim had cream. But this might have been changed before I bought them.

Amy's Javelin 1952 originally standard (but converted to de luxe) was black with brown trìm has black.

[Srenner]

Good question. The small advantage here in the US is that many cars died early and did not have a lot of modifications over the years. E1SA62 has been in my family since 1968. It was all white with a mottled Bluemel wheel that disintegrated by the early 80s. I have one color photo of it.

1950 Javelin Deluxe (my 11634 and 11640 ex-Ted Miller, now James Miller): everything on the dash was black, window knobs and escutcheons "white" as noted below. The horn button was painted black, but was white when cast. The steering wheel was mottled Bluemel. It seems to have varied a bit with some having tan/brown tones and others a bit lighter, but time, use and exposure might change things. Amy Clement's Javelin has such a wheel.

Here's an example of the marbling of a Bluemel wheel. https://www.theodorebruceauctions.com.a ... B5C943F5A5

Javelin Standard: The only one here I have seen is the from Canada, ex-Eric Alford, ex-Tisdale, now James Miller car. It is sort of tan on the dash, not sure elsewhere.


SA Jupiter in the US: White. The white color deepens with age (UV issue IMO) and get referred to here as ivory. So the HFPW knobs, push start, cigar lighter, turn signal, shifter knob and center headlamp knob were the same as the color of the unpainted horn button. These now vary from a milky white to a color heading towards light amber, although the horn buttons seem to look the same color inside, hidden from the elements, they can gain a slight yellow-green tone. The shifter knob is the one with the most variability. Oils form the skin perhaps?

Door knobs and winder escutcheons were white.

Later SA sometimes had a mix of white and black by the time I started seeing more than my personal cars. I seem to recall black & white period pictures showing mixed knob colors; the shifter black but the dash white.

I recently restored the ex-Red Skelton, ex-Ted Miller, now Scott Tisdale Jupiter 266 and he wanted all black knobs. It was very difficult to find the dash HFPW knobs in black!

SC Jupiter: The two I have seen here have black at all places, white on the window areas.

Let's see if we can get others to respond with examples, but let's be careful nothing got changed in the 70 years since they left the factory.

[Mike Allfrey]

Thanks Keith and Scott,

From my experience, the De Luxe Javelin I owned for a few years was an original one-owner car that had been very carefully maintained by its previous owner. The electrical switch knobs (wiper, heater, panel lights, fog lights, starter button) and headlamp, cigar lighter and trafficator switch were all dark brown. the door handle and window winder escutcheons and horn button were what I call ivory. The trim was brown and the car's body was black.

When I obtained the SA Jupiter, all of the items shown above were ivory, and I have to assume that the underside of the horn button was still pristine.

Both steering wheel rims were starting to disintegrate light fawn/grey marble effect. On the Jupiter, quite soon after arriving here in Melbourne, the steering wheel rim soon turned into flaky powder in our hot sun. The Javelin, being with roof, the rim deterioration was slower and a leather glove was fitted.

Today, for us, it is just as difficult as it was in the 1960s to identify what was original for a veteran or even a vintage car's components.

A comprehensive list of options from Jowett Cars Limited (and others) would be useful right now!

Regards,

Mike A.

[Chris Spencer]

'A comprehensive list of options from Jowett Cars Limited (and others) would be useful right now!'


I don't think there was ever such a list

The critical point to take on board is that Jowett Cars were very much a parts bin manufacture - when they didn't have what would be the normal fitment they fitted whatever they held in stock (different colour) as an alternative - there are many alternatives on original factory cars - The only plastic marbled effect that I have ever come across on the cars is applied to the steering wheels, the window winder knobs & escutcheons were only ever cream / ivory on all models of the Jupiter & Javelin - Switch gear colour - I have only ever come across either black or cream / ivory although the choke / bonnet pulls tend to be a dark brown bakerlite along with the indicator switch with exception of the oversize cream / ivory choke pull & cream indicator knob on the Jupiter - The cream switch gear tends to discolour especially on the gear change / reverse button - whilst new pull type knobs have been made available for the Lucas switches - the colours are mismatched with anything original - On my restorations I now refinish cream switch gear along with the steering wheel & horn push, gear change knobs etc in one single colour to match - The nearest colour match for the cream that I've located to date is 'Old English White' - The ivory escutcheons for the door furniture have been available from Jowett Car Spares for some time but not the plastic knobs for the window winder handle - these I normally get turned up from a hard plastic then refinish to match the rest of switchgear

[David Morris]

Hi All,

I agree with Chris. Over the years, I doubt that any two Jowett vehicles would ever be the same! Jowett's were past masters at 'getting by' with what ever was to hand at the time. With money tight, and the post-war lack of continuity, I doubt whether their supply buying department ever purchased lots of anything. So, vehicles rolled off the line with whatever was available at the time.

Add to that, the passage of 70 years, where keen owners would mix and match components, and you end up with wide disparities in fittings.

OK, the colours might not match, but that's what make the cars individual.

All the best,

David

[Chris Spencer]

Interestingly Jowett Car Spares has just made the trafficator / indicator knob available for the Jupiter in Ivory - part number: 55315 I & black again for the Jupiter but also Javelin Deluxe models - part number: 55315 B - Cost is £36 each plus P & P