1936 7 hp chassis in Australia

[Andrew Henshall]

I recently purchased the dismantled mechanical remains of a 7 hp Jowett which appears to date from about 1936. It is a cruciform chassis as used on the passenger cars, and the dimensions of the chassis (based on the measured wheelbase & track) matches the drawing contained in the original 1935 7 hp Light Car Instruction Book.

Along with the chassis came some important bits of a 7 hp engine (although other important parts are missing, like one complete cylinder!), a 4 speed gearbox, front & rear axles complete with brakes, a set of springs, a set of 19" Dunlop Magna wheels, the steering box, a fuel tank, the remains of the radiator, and one hub cap.

So, apart from a few important 7 hp engine parts, I need to find three more hub caps to suit 19" Dunlop Magna wire wheels. Can anyone help? The hub cap is 6.0 " OD and has a single centre screw fixing - see below.

DSC02872_s.jpg

I am interested in understanding what year the engine was manufactured, although there is no guarantee that it is the original engine that came with the chassis. It is definitely a 7 hp with Number: 644633, which I believe is probably from 1935, based on other 30's Jowetts I've seen. Perhaps Ian Priestly can confirm this?

I am still restoring our 1951 Jupiter, but when that job is finished next year, I will start working on the 1936 7 hp.

Best regards,

Andrew Henshall
Jowett Car Club of Australia
Victorian State Representative

[george garside]

The engine number quoted is from a 1936 (model year) car, which of course could have been built during the latter part of 1935 the first number (6) denoting the model year.
george

[robert lintott]

Further to George Garside's post, the information on Marcel's Jowett in Germany suggests that the Australian car could have been made well into 1936. Marcel's Jowett BAK 156 was first registered in the UK after 01/08/36 , when Bradford first issued the BAK series. Its engine no is 642698 whereas the Australian car engine no is 644633, nearly 2000 later . Of course engines may not be used in sequence and we do not know how long these cars were in the showroom/ on the high seas to Australia, but it seems likely the Australian car is a 1936 production rather than 1935. Does anyone have the prewar factory build records? Bob Lintott

[Andrew Henshall]

I'm currently researching the original 1936 Jowett passenger car Luvax shock absorber type, and arm lengths (F&R) and link lengths (F&R), as I am missing these parts on all four corners of my 1936 7 hp chassis. I need help identifying the correct shock absorber type used on the passenger cars (not commercials), and the arm & link lengths.

Vintage & Classic Shock Absorbers tell me that according to the Luvax datasheet, my 1936 7 hp should have Luvax shock absorbers Type AR (Front & Rear), with Arm numbers: Front 80/6 and Rear 80/5, but they have no numbers for the links. Unfortunately, they can't provide length dimensions for the arms or links which means I can't compare their info with measurements off original cars here & in the UK.

I have already confirmed that my chassis has holes on 4" spacing with horizontal alignment at both front & rear, which exactly matches the Luvax Type AR shock absorbers and the earlier Type 2RA, 3RA & 4RA, but I want to be sure that I source the correct parts for my passenger car (not commercial).

Can anyone help with the Luvax type info I need for the shocks & arms, and/or send close-up photos of the front & rear shock absorbers/arms/links on your 1936 Jowett passenger car? Would it be too much to ask you to measure the arm lengths (F&R), & link lengths (F&R) center-to-center for me?

Best regards,

Andrew Henshall
JCCA Victorian State Representative

[Tony Fearn]

Hello Andrew.
I see that you have not yet had a response to your request for photos of the 1936 shock absorber and linkages.
I'm sorry I can't help as my cars are 1933 and 1934.
However, I've recently had to mend one of the garage sides, so needed to move some secondhand spares around. Before re-housing them I'm in the midst of photographing what I have in second hand stock.
The shockers and linkages are from several Jowett vehicles, and bits picked up at autojumbles over the last 30-odd years.
There's quite a variety.
All the best for the New Year to you all 'down there'.
Tony.

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[Andrew Henshall]

Thanks for your reply Tony,

You have an amazing 30 year collection of spare shock absorbers, arms, & links; well done you! Are any of your spare parts for sale perhaps?

Do you know if the shock absorbers etc on a 1936 7 hp are any different to those on your 1934 7 hp? I believe that the cruciform-braced chassis replaced the ladder chassis in 1935 (on passenger cars) so perhaps there are differences in the suspension area as well. If not, I would appreciate any info you can provide off your '34 7 hp.

I joined the JCC last year, and Michael Koch-Osborn has been extremely helpful with parts for my '36 7 hp engine, and is also trying to identify the correct shock absorbers, etc for me. He is also co-ordinating the restoration of my '27 radiator, so I am really getting great service from JCS.

I've asked Brian Hehir (who has an origninal1936 10 hp - it's been in his family since new) to identify & photograph the shock absorbers on his 10 hp car, and will keep searching in Australia for the info/parts.

I guess if it comes to it, I will probably have to purchase four Luvax Type AR shockers and arms from VCSA and make links down here to suit my chassis set-up.

I'm OK technically when it comes to Jowett's post-war designs (Javelin & Jupiter) but I'm on a very steep learning curve on their pre-war models, so your assistance is much appreciated. (No offence intended to all those Bradford owners out there who will no doubt insist that the Bradford is also a post-war model, but surely the Bradford's chassis design is really pre-war? That statement should start a long discussion on the appropriate forum)

Cheers,

Andrew

[george garside]

back in the 60's when Javelin owners were the majority in the JCC for concours purposes we invented the 'side valve' class so that Bradfords could legitimately be included with the pre war vehicles.

george

[Tony Fearn]

Michael Koch-Osborne has been trying to identify the correct shock absorbers for me.

If and when MKO has decided which shock absorber bits are required, and if JCS does not have them, then if you can let me have the measurements and details of the bits you need, we can come to some arrangement if you can't get them anywhere else. I must stress that the shocker bodies will have to be refurbished, but the ironwork just needs blasting and re-bushing. When you have details, look again at the photos I posted to see if there are any bits that might just do.

Perhaps as you say, purchasing 'new ones' from VSCA might be the way forward unless they are really prohibitively expensive. Anyway, it seems that you're not yet wanting them asap, so there's time to discuss alternatives.

The UK Jowett Club has very many members who do not use this Forum. Perhaps an email advert about you needing 1936 shock absorber photographs to our Hon. Editor for publishing in our monthly Jowetteer magazine might add another string to the bow. The deadline for copy is the 20th of the month as you will have seen from your copy of the mag. His email address is inside the front cover.

Tony.
P.S. Isn't Sue Sharrock running a 1934 Flying Fox?

[Andrew Henshall]

Tony,

Thanks for your offer to help with some parts if I am desperate. I also appreciate your suggestion to put an advert" in "The Joweteer".

VCSA are likely to be very expensive; I plan to be sitting down when I eventually receive their quote!

Yes, Sue has a Flying Fox, but I started by asking owners of models built after the cruciform-braced chassis was introduced in 1935, as my chassis is a 1936. Brian Hehir has sent much info, and I will also contact Tony Gray who bought the 1937 10 hp 4-door saloon from Mike Allfrey last year.

According to Brian H, his 1936 10 hp cars have Luvax Type 4RA on the front, and Type AR on the rear, whereas VCSA tell me that my car should have Type AR on both front & rear.

Does anyone know if the later Luvax Type AR are better than the earlier Type 4RA? I believe that they are interchangeable as both use 4" spacing holes on horizontal alignment.

Cheers,

Andrew

[ian Howell]

Andrew: -

Have a word with Bill Lock - he is moving a lot of surplus (old) stock and a lot is available at low costs to interested parties (You qualify!).

Better yet, he is booked to come to Australia next month and I am sure (well sort of) his hand luggage could manage an axle or two plus some other little bits?!

[Tony Fearn]

Would it be too much to ask you to measure the arm lengths (F&R), & link lengths (F&R) center-to-center for me?

Hello Andrew.

Your letter about the shock absorbers has been published in the February edition of the Jowetteer.

This morning, our Pre-war Registrar, Ian Priestley rang me to say that he's going to have a look at his 1936 car and measure the lengths of the arms and links, and would I let you know that this is happening. So things are moving.

Tony.

[Andrew Henshall]

Thanks very much Tony for passing Ian's message through to me. I know that Ian has not been well recently, and hope that he is improving.

Also thanks to Alan Brierley for publishing my appeal in The Jowetteer; no doubt we will see it in our copy in a few weeks time.

The info I am collecting will be of assistance to other pre-war 7 hp owners, particularly Marcel in Germany, who is looking for definition of the correct shock absorbers, arms, & links at the moment too.

Kind regards,

Andrew

[Andrew Henshall]

I have collected as much info as is currently available from pre-war Jowett owners in Australia & the UK and combined it as best I can in an attempt to define the details of the front & rear Luvax Type "AR" shock absorbers, arms, and links that were used on the 1936 Jowett 7 hp passenger car models (not commercials).

While several cars no longer have Type "AR" shocks fitted, it would appear from owner's info and an original Luvax catalogue that Type "AR" is the correct type.

These cylindrical shock absorber units have "Type AR” cast into the iron body as shown below. The mounting holes are on a 4.0" centre-distance, and the shock absorbers are mounted with the holes horizontal in the vehicle at both the front and rear.

140219_RIMG0068_rear_AR_s.jpg

I have created drawings of the arms & links and have uploaded them to the JowettGallery in the pre-war folder. Please note, as there were small differences between the same measurement on the arms & links when measured by various owners, I have had to average the results. Hence the dimensions on my drawings are not to be considered totally accurate, but will provide a useful guide when trying to locate missing arms & links for your project.

Thanks for your help to those who contributed to this research.

Cheers,

Andrew

[Andrew Henshall]

Can anyone help me with a source to purchase the rear engine/gearbox mount rubber elements for a 1936 7hp passenger car?

The rear mount requires two rubber elements which sit inside steel cups that are welded to the bracket bolted to the cruciform chassis. The cups are 9/16" deep. The rubbers are basically cylindrical in form approx 1.25" OD and probably 7/8" high and have a hole through the centre to take a 5/16 diam bolt. They might have had a shoulder on one end designed to spigot into the cups and this would add to the 7/8" length.

Hope you can help me again.

Cheers

Andrew

[Andrew Henshall]

I am currently rebuilding a recently purchased Lucas DK2A-0 distributor (it was actually a bag of bits) for my 1936 7 hp engine. I am informed by several very reliable sources that the DK2A-0 is the correct distributor for my engine and that it has a centrifugal advance mechanism.

I have reconditioned the advance mechanism, fitted a new drive gear, fitted a cam assembly (which came loose in the bag), cleaned & set the points, fitted a new condenser (had to modify the bracket), and sorted out all the hardware so that things fit securely.

My main problem is that I'm not sure I have the correct cam assembly in the distributor. Can anyone send a photo of the correct cam for a DK2A-0 distributor?
Should the top of the cam where the rotor arm fits be 14.2 mm OD or 12.0 mm OD?
What is the orientation of the rotor arm locating cut-out relative to the axis of the drive pins for the advance mechanism?

My next problem is that I'm not sure I have the correct rotor arm in the distributor; I have a feeling it should be a 405469 (same as 400052) but I only have a 405468 (same as 400051). Can anyone send a photo of the correct rotor arm for a DK2A-0 distributor?
What is the orientation of the locating tab inside the rotor arm relative to the brass contact where the spark jumps to the terminal in the cap?

Lastly, as I have never seen my engine assembled, and it was missing all the accessories when purchased anyway, I actually don't know which way the distributor rotates (when viewed from above). I have checked a very comprehensive Lucas distributor data sheet, but it doesn't list the DK2A distributor. Can anyone help with this bit of fundamental info please?

Once I have all this data, I will be able to understand why, with the various bits I have, the rotor arm is not pointing to a terminal in the cap when the points open, no matter which way I rotate the thing! It's about 70 degrees off to one side when going one way, and 110 degrees out when rotating the other way.

Cheers,

Andrew