Daily driver

[Keith Clements]

Obviously the stresses created by competition are probably greater than the average driver; but also competitors take more notice of the condition of their cars since their lives and others depend on them. More than half the Jowett wheels I have had have had cracks in them and that applys to sets that I have acquired and not used myself. Just have a clsoe look at yours. Do not get too alarmed though as when they are about to give way you will hear a knocking sound so you do have time to stop.

Radials do put more stress on the wheels and thus will accelerate any stress fractures. A good rule of thumb is that the width of the rim matches the width of the tyre. That way the rubber sits square on the road. Fitting wider rims to Jowett centres is bad news.

Also check your wheel studs- many I have seen have been elongated, probably by over zealous use of the air gun. Insist they are torqued up and I would suggest to no more than 40ft lbs. I have fitted Land Rover studs that fit in the Jowett hubs and are (at least) twice as strong.

[paul wilks]

Thanks Keith. Now this might be a daft question (!) but is there any particular model of Land Rover for the wheel studs?
I assume you would also need the wheel nuts because Javelin ones (new ones as supplied by JCS) would not fit.
Is it easy to fit studs without damaging the hubs and is there a preferred technique?

Sorry for the daft questions!

[Keith Clements]

Not sure on the donor vehicle of the studs. I got mine from the scrap yard 30 years ago.
Yes you do need wheel nuts as well. I use the large chrome type that cover the thread. These I also obtained from scrap yard; but they are available as sets, but because you need 20 you need to buy two sets or get from two cars. This does mean the hub caps will not fit on though! I think you will need to reduce the length of the stud to fit under hub cap ; but I am not sure on that. Because I use spacers so as to be able to control the contact patch position and stop the wider wheels fouling the upper suspension link, the extra length was required.
To fit you simply knock the original stud out with a copper hammer and knock the new stud in. The studs have a fine spline on them which locks them, from memory there may also be a flat on the head which locks as well. Although the threaded part is a lot thicker, the splined shaft is the same diameter as the Jowett.

[paul wilks]

Thanks for the info Keith.

[Alf Heseltine]

David

with regard to the tyre issue I've found the radial option ok if you choose a slightly lower 'profile'. On my Javelin I run 175-75R-16 & after 10k they
are wearing correctly & no problems. A higher tyre pressure 35 to 40 psi is needed & there is a bonus of the spare wheel fitting in the carrier.
You will find these radials a lot lighter than the big heavy taxi 16 inch. full radial tyre.
These tyres are marginally smaller than the 16 inch crossplies due to their lower profile. They are produced for vans & light commercials & available
from budget to high spec. Hope this might help.

Alf.

[Forumadmin]

From Steve Waldenberg,

In reply to the questions from Paul Wilks regarding radial tyres for Javelin
(page 16, July issue), here are my observations:
I have had radials on my Javelin since 1997, and the difference compared to
cross-plies is outstanding. BUT, you must go for 175/75 x 16 and NOT taxi size (175 x
16), as these are too bulky and definitely may foul the rear wings. Mine are on original
Jowett wheels and have been tubeless at the rear with no problems, but I did not trust
them up front, so kept these tubed.
Up front, the radials fitted in 1997 (Continentals) were replaced in 2010 as their
sidewalls were cracking, although they still had loads of tread. I went to ATS as normal
car tyre places cannot accommodate the large centred Javelin wheels on their balancing
machines. ATS service light trucks and vans etc and they sold me MAXXIS UE168
TRUCMAXX tyres, 175/75 x 16. The steering is considerably lighter than the earlier
fitted Continentals, maybe due to these Maxxis tyres being 8-ply rating. I run at 30 psi
all round. There has been no appreciable wear on any of the steering joints in all the
years of use - about 10,000 miles or so.
There is a huge amount of tread, and I reckon these tyres should not wear out
in my usage, although side walls may go as before. I seem to recall these tyres were
about £60 each, so they’re probably cheaper than cross-plies.
I also had to replace a couple of the wheel studs, which fractured when ATS
were tightening them up. Jowett Car Spares had them in stock.
All in all, I certainly recommend radials for Javelins and Jupiters. I am even tempted
one day to fit them to my 1938 Austin 10 Cambridge, when its 5.25 x 16 X plies reach
the end of their useful safe life.
By the way, the spare wheel carrier on my Javelin is the open type, so it was
not a problem for a metal worker to add an extra inch or so to deepen it for the radial
tyre. What you would have to do with the full ‘tin’ one, I know not.
RADIAL TYRES FOR A JAVELIN
-Steve Waldenberg

Breaking studs is good, the problem is what has been the effect on the ones they did not break? They will go when you go around the next hairpin. NEVER let them use an air gun on a Jowett! Use a torque wrench.

[paul wilks]

Keith said "NEVER let them use an air gun on a Jowett! Use a torque wrench."

What's the correct torque wrench setting for Javelin wheel nuts please?

Thanks

Paul

[Forumadmin]

30ft lbs

[Robin Fairservice]

Thanks for that answer. Just to be pedantic the imperial units for torque are lb-ft.

[Forumadmin]

Sorry for that mistake. Chris and I were half way through our Great Spares Run and were sitting having a whisky at Drummond's.

[Keith Andrews]

30ft lbs
Thats not much...
Chev is about 75lbs, Crager mags are 80lbs
Set a wheel nut to 30 then 'feel ' it with the wheel lug spinner.....
Side note: something that was tought me many decades ago.
getting the 'feel' of torques, be it a 7/16 nut with a ring spanner or 1/4 "soccet, or a 5/8 nut and ring spanner or 3/4" drive..
set up with a torque wrench then feel learn the torques.
Using spanners is like playing golf, choosing which club...basically always hit the ball with the same weight, but the angle of the face and length of the shaft determines long low flight or high arch short distance.
One becomes very suprised as to how little effort is put in , and how so many things like carb bases get distorted because of over torquing, interfering with operation. as an example.

[Forumadmin]

Yes Keith, which is why many old cars suffer from necked or broken wheel studs. What do you torque your Braddy wheels up to?

Getting the feel of torque is very important which is why I get my appprentices to use an open end spanner, rather than a socket. Unfortunately the strengths of Jack, Amy and Joe differ considerably and what may feel right for one (being that is as tight as I can get it or two fingers at six inches) is different. Hence, we now have a set of torque wrenches.

[p.p.]

yes - keith dit it to me as well.... he tray at least i hope i made it god for the boss

[Keith Andrews]

What do you torque your Braddy wheels up to?

Been a long time since had to change a Braddy wheel....I cant rem, but what the manual says is written down in the clove compartment...
I have seen way too much damage over the yrs from Rattle guns and professionals who dont re familarise themselves with torques and their tools.
Beau repairs, a major Aussie and NZ tyre shop outlet has a workplace policy that ALL wheel nuts are finished with a torque wrench....and yes, I personally know 2 staff that had been fired on the spot for not doing so..it is in their work contract.

It is ironic that tyres, wheels, rubber, studds nuts are all critical to the gap between the road and our cars, yet those who maintain these parts are on min wage, generally ill trained, if at all, and their supervisors and managers are not much better.
Beaurepairs have training programs for staff and managers... and wrenches, alignment machines etc are regularly re calibrated.
Does your local tyre shop do so?

[David Morris]

Hi all,

You might be interested that In the original Jowett instruction book that Jowett's supplied with their WW2 generating sets ( aka the Beast! ) there are two instructions for tightening nuts on the engine. One is 'tight' and the other is 'dead tight'. I guess this was adequate for use in the field, where access to a torque wrench was impossible?

As has been mentioned, I would always use caution when tightening wheel nuts. I have been concerned when visiting tyre fitting workshops with our 'modern' car. They do up the wheel bolts with a 'windy gun' and only then use a torque wrench, presumably to check that the bolts are at least done up to the 66ft/lbs, as specified. As I know to my cost, this can then causes problems when you get a puncture and you struggle with the usual wheel brace. The bolts are done up to some fantastic torque, beyond the physical capability of any normal human and that piece of bent rubber that passes for a wheel brace.

I now carry a old breaker bar, the right socket and a section of steel tube in the 'modern's tool kit!

All the best,

David