ROD turned round tonight to check the offside.

Now we have light evenings I have been able to come home from work and in daylight do a couple of jobs on ROD each evening. Everything is so much easier when your now having to hold a torch while doing something.

A worms eye view of ROD. He started straight up last night, first press of the starter button, setting the mixture correctly has helped no end.

So I turned him round and will remove both wheel tonight to double check and adjust the brakes and all suspension nuts and bolts for tightness. 

He was a real talking point, yesterday when we had our free house painting session. they only did the front and inner porch but did leave the "spare" paint nearly 4 litres so that all helps. (this was a free paint, using a trade "paint pod" system, getting trade people to try the product and application system, for their feedback before the product is launched in the next two months).

I will be sorry to see ROD go but needs must, and I do have a keen buyer who is an ex-J type owner, who has first refusal on him.

Sunday Night, lets check the lights.

It's Sunday night so I thought I would check ROD's lights, all are working correctly but the head lamps will need to be correctly aligned, they are a  bit high at the moment, great for owl spotting but not much else.

The next job is to turn ROD round and double check every thing on the off side is correct. The day of the test is looming soon.

All this work I'm doing is just to get him on the road, ROD will be by "no means finished" but I'm getting him up to the minimum standard so he can be used on the road and becomes a running restoration. The new owner can then decide how much more work to do on him, leave as "work a day" or improve  but a least he can start to attend some rallies.

Yet another item ticked off on this pre-MOT check list.

Sunday work stopped by rain!

I started to work on ROD this morning, going over the jobs that its first road run had showed up.
While I had my camera handy I thought I would take a couple of pictures of the underneath wooden frame work, this had been requested by one of my blog readers, so here they are.
The above pictures showed up areas I had missed with the paint brush so this a good time to do it.

I then removed both front and rear near side wheels and drums, I always slacken the wheel nuts off, jack up the vehicle, undo the drum nut and gripping the complete tyre, remove wheel and drum as one. I always find it easier than just removing the wheel and then have to remove the drum separately,

In the past stubborn drums have needed a puller or slide hammer but using the whole wheel I have so far found both front and rear drums come off easily.

I then cleaned out the brake drums of dust checked all was well with the shoes and wheel cylinder and refitted the drums. I took the opportunity to bleed the brakes and managed to remove some trapped air from the rear wheel cylinder.So a little bit more has been done to ROD, I will turn him round in the next few days and do the same, clean and check the off side brakes.

When I first gained ROD I had drained and refilled the rear axle, after his short drive I drained some more oil from his rear axle in case the drive had dislodged any muck. The oil was clear so I just had to top it back up. The original oil or should I say treacle that I drained out was disgusting, I have a feeling ROD had been driven into the ground in later life.

A couple of pictures of a seat base as requested by Bowie. Later on I checked RODs lights and indicators and I was pleased to report all working correctly.

The clocks altered this weekend and it was so nice to have some daylight till 7.30 pm. I will be able to come home from work and do the odd job on ROD with ease, fantastic spring is here.

Let's start fixing things.

The first thing I looked at was the air cleaner, my first run in ROD last weekend showed me what other side valve J owners had told me, the induction noise from the air cleaner is louder than the engine. It is after all a very basic design, a tin can with wire-mesh in it. So how to make it more efficient? Well what do they do on newer cars? Fit a paper element. Now I like to do modifications to vehicles to improve safety or ease of servicing so I think I will try to get a circular paper air cleaner element to fit over this housing. If it does not work it will be easily removed with no damage done. That's a job to do when I'm down the car spares shop.
The reason I had the air cleaner off was to make sure all was tight as ROD had been running "weak" so I had to check for air leaks on the carburettor. I moved on to the faulty speedo, I removed the inner cable and one end was chewed up. Having removed the speedo head I fitted a new inner cable. I took this opportunity to replace both dash panel lamps.
I took the speedo head into the garage while we had yet another light rain shower and stripped the speedo down. It was at this point my wife Caroline asked "why not fit a new one" I explained I did have others but I wanted to see what was wrong with this one.
Well I found three problems, 1, the input shaft was very stiff, 2,the magnet on the end of the input shaft has lost its magnetism and 3, the rotating cam driven by a fibre gear is worn so that's its movement does not quite engage with the ratchet wheel to advance the mileometer.

I also took out the oil pressure gauge, this was full of dust where the inner blue light shield had slipped down allowing years of dirt to gain an entry.

Here the engine (on fast idle) is holding good oil pressure and you can now see the needle on the gauge having removed all that muck. Even the battery is getting a charge.

I still have to decide what to do with the original speedo, make one out of two? or try to get the parts. I would like to refit the original unit, I would , as I have done with ROD so far, to conserve whats there than just keep replacing and throwing much of him away.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I hope to have both rear wheels off and double check the rear brakes, shoes and drum, refit and adjust up now the shoes have bedded in a bit.

ROD's first road run in maybe 20 years.

I took ROD for a spin, after checking bolts, nuts, pipes, clips, split pins etc were all in place and tight I felt it was time to see if a small trip would show up area's needing more work.So I started him up, the Morris Minor battery which is currently fitted just about did the job, I knew it was too "small" (a morris minor battery is 38amp hour, while at side valve J should be 57 amp hour rating) but that's what I had too hand. He started up OK but a new correct capacity battery will have to be sourced soon.
I drove him to the end of the drive (I must mention to the gardener about cutting back this hedge).
( ROD stopped in my driveway, as some idiot with a camera was standing in the road ).
I took ROD to the local village pub, unfortunately shut, so no time for a swift half!
I then took ROD on a bit of a scenic road run, wandered out into the countryside, and stopped in this field entrance. ROD had driven well, clutch a bit sharp, maybe all side valves/chain linkage J's are like this, I don't know this is my first. ROD had started well on full choke and had been running on half choke OK, but would not idle on no choke so I tweaked the mixture screw. Half a turn in, no real difference, half a turn out still not much change, after a couple of tweaks I had forgotten where I had started!!!!

So I went for a little walk to let him cool slightly and take a couple of pictures of him sitting at the side of the road. He needed a rest, he had, after all done about four miles so far, rather a lot having rested for the last twenty odd years.

I think ROD is rather photogenic and it was very nice being out early, on this spring Sunday morning, all these pictures were taken before 7a.m. a glorious time of the day.

ROD started straight away and we drove home very well, this first "shake down" road trip high-lighted some things that need attending to.

1, A new correct size battery and clamp required.

2, The mixture needs setting up again as its running weak. (some idiot's been fiddling)

3, The induction noise is very loud from the air cleaner/carburettor, this is normal but I wonder if I can fit a better paper air cleaner assembly to quieten it down a bit.

4, The brakes are soft, they got better each time they were used as the new shoes bedded into the drums, though I feel a bleed of the brake fluid would also help.

5, The speedo does not work! So I will have to investigate the speedo head and cable to see what's going on.

ROD ran rather well, I was surprised just how nippy the side valve engine proved to be and I was getting a bit of a "high", I know I had a big grin on my face as we drove along. Even at this early hour many people I know were out and about, they all did a bit of "head turn" as I went by. (Was that a look of shock or surprise on their faces, I wonder?).

I also got a bit carried away driving home and was trying to hurry the gear changes, bad error there by me, you cannot do that to a side valve, three speed J.

So at long last the two years work so far carried out is coming to an end and an MOT test is on the horizon. I will be sorry to sell him but needs must.

Another 20 J type pictures have been added to the album on the right, enjoy.

The weather is going to be good this weekend.

If the weather is as good this Saturday as they say it's going to be I will start checking over ROD. 

So many finishing jobs to do and I must start going round him and checking the tightness of all the nuts and bolts.

I might even take him for a small spin to the end of the road and back. 

On to this blog site as you can see I have been playing with the layout and if you had your speakers on you should have   heard some "magpie" music.

Do let me know what you think of the site and any ideas to make it more readable.

Have a great weekend all  you J type owners.

The Royal Enfield parts have arrived.

A parcel arrived from India Tuesday morning, although it had been sent some time ago it had been held up in the Airport customs and not released till last Friday. They have been x-raying all the parcels and as my one contained wires it had been delayed. I have been waiting for various parts the main one being a new "AC/DC" alternator. The picture above is of the old one, this has four wires two go to two of the six coils, these are wired in series, while the other two wires go to the remaining four coils, these are wired in parallel two pairs of coils i.e. coil 1+3, and 2+4 giving two phases of an AC current. The windings of all the coils are made with the same gauge wire. The new heavy duty alternator is similar except it has the coils in different gauges of wire, thicker on the AC for more current but uses only 3 coil of the six, so the AC output is a very rough and uneven sine wave while the DC output is increased by a third. The DC output is used via the rectifier and regulator to power the side lamps,coil and charge the battery while the AC out put is used for the headlamp both dip and main beam after all lamps don't mind AC but batteries do. It does seem an over complicated system to me.

I will be adding a separate album of motorbike pictures including all the ones I have taken while rebuilding the bike three times and some of my mates various old two wheeled junk.

Now that the bike is running correctly (thanks Royal Spares) it took only three quarters of an hour to fit the new alternator last night in the dark I will turn my attention to ROD the pick-up truck. I will have to go all over him and double check all the nuts and bolts,brake pipes etc as I have not touched him for so long. I will then do a mini MOT on him before I take him out for the proper one. I will then get brave and start doing longer and longer trips in him as he settles down to being used for the first time in many years. Keep checking in for an update on his progress.

Fantastic weekend weather.

A fantastic weather weekend, as we are to have the front of our house painted (for free)!! 

ICI Paints needed to do an "on site" trials of a new paint system, we put our house forward for the trial but at first we were turned down, at the eleventh hour this has changed.

So Saturday saw me, not playing with vehicles but giving the front of the house, a long overdue spring clean. The gutters cleaned out, a Wisteria climbing up the front all had to be cut down, the pressure washer was dragged out and all the paintwork,windows and plastic gutter were given a blast. Also the bike had a bit of a blast, its first wash in about three years.. The lawns were mowed, the paths swept and borders dug, I was knackered !!!, but as a few people from ICI will be standing in the drive, (watching the painter at work) and ROD the ex-painters truck will be there, they might take an interest in HIM, they might change their minds and publish a bit about ROD in their in-house newsletter. 

After all ROD has been painted with good old ICI paint.

So you can see I have been kept away from my vehicles, so here is a round up of other J type owners "doings" this weekend.

A Jb van earning its keep, Harveys van pressed into service to carry a light load of 150 balloons. Yes you can update a JB and have airbags fitted. The van was used to carry the balloons to decorate one of the floats in the St Patricks Parade held in Birmingham. This vehicle should have been in the parade, not just supporting it.Below are some of the super pictures of the just found remains of a JB van. Started life as a milk delivery Van in 1959, in sunny Wales. At the end of its life a local farmer took on the remains and towed it up to the tree line on his sheep farm. It was used as a human shelter in bad weather and also a safe covered area for the the birthing and delivery of new born lambs. Some what damaged by the local kids (and I don't mean Goats) the remains when dragged out by Bowie but were in a poor state. Some useful spares have been sourced. There are a few parts remaining in Wales, so if your interested in what's left, take a look at the "Bowie" site for further details.

Some bits worth saving, front shocker mounts, front axle, steering etc.

Another Jb for sale.

A nice 1961 G.P.O. planners van is for sale. Contact the man with all the info via the Bowie and Mr Therm link on this site. Also another 8 J type pictures have been added to the album on the right. If you have any pictures of J's I can use please send them in.

The Best J type at Brooklands or the only J type at Brooklands, take your pick.

Ken B's J type planners van, I remember helping him collect this and had the honor of driving it when we collected it from down Guildford way and taking it back to Walton on Thames.
A picture of the parting of the ways, YLH has moved on to Mr Mullholland in south West London/Kent area. He has an Austin 101 bought from e-bay and is under the welding torch at the moment. He also has other Morris Commercial vehicles LC3 etc.

Don't forget the Brookland Austin Morris day on Sunday.

The Brooklands Austin and Morris day is on Sunday 8th, I will NOT be there due to an incident a few years ago, I had taken some items to give to fellow vehicle owners at this event but was accused of being a trader and forced to pay the going rate of £55 for a pitch. So be warned if you have any bits and bob's you thought you might pass on, watch out it my prove to be expensive. Talking about expense I have invested a whole £10 on a secondhand laptop and bought a mobile USB broadband thing, so I can check my e-mails and do blog updates more often. I have up till now had to do it all at work on my Apple Mac, in snatched odd slack times but as of late I have been out on the road being a delivery boy this has proved difficult. The bike is running again but I'm not happy with it and have ordered a "shed load' of bits straight from India. The parts are so cheap, the carriage is not. I have also added another 12 pictures to the J type album and there is also a link to the "ESSO" van that became the "River boat van" that recently changed hand and went up north to be fully restored, enjoy.

Truman's blog is rather fantastic do take a look, I will replace the "missing link" to it shortly. I removed it has it had been dead for a very long time, it is now "full steam ahead" so I better put it back.

A further link on the right has been added it will be of the complete restoration of the excellent early j type van that went on to become the R.A.C vehicle. (LDG)

 

Recent finds and recent van sales.

Another van has changed hands, the postal G.P.O. van that did not sell a few weeks ago was re-advertised this Saturday at 3p.m. by 5p.m. it had been snapped up for the buy it now price of 5.5K. If I had the money I would have bought this, with all its original equipment, it would be hard to replicate. I do hope the new owner from Kent (and already has an Austin 101) will restore it as a postal van and not convert it to an ordinary van.

Further update on this is that I understand it has been bought by the chap that bought the other van that was advertised on e-bay last March for a buy it now price of £2000 (see my blog entry for that month).The 101 when purchased last year.



Also another J type van has been found in Wales, details are scarce but it is a "flatpack" van and some bits have already been removed. Further details of this vehicle are, its a Jb from March 1959, chassis number JB/MR 39667.