LXT 259

[Khevenhuller]

Hello Guys

I am a Jowett newbie and the new owner of LXT 259. This was bought with the specific intention of being a project, and to be a vehicle to allow participation in the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO). As the Jowett has a good track record (Monte, Tulip and so on) and I am from Yorkshire it seemed a good choice.

She is totally complete with only the toolkit missing and, bizarrely, no rear view mirror!

Some basic data.

The brass plate notes her as E1 PC 13060D

Very few modifications have been made. No indicators are fitted, trafficators are still extant and not suppressed. Considerable history came with her including the original log book dating to 1951, some original tax discs from the sixties and even an old ‘book style’ driving licence of a previous owner, of which there have been four plus a dealer. Letters from mechanics, bills and other correspondence amounts to a small snowdrift.

A comprehensive log of work and trips by the third owner from the sixties outlines a replacement gearbox and a Jowett Jupiter back axle were fitted during his time along with numerous other small items of maintenance.

Of immediate interest is the steering wheel. Like many the original Bakelite has decayed to a white bone-like material. I understand this is a normal age-related feature. What is startling is the wheel boss itself. I have only ever seen the standard Jowett horn motif on a red/blue background. This has a stainless steel boss with the letters J J etched into it and filled in with black lacquer. There is no record of this being fitted, and given the nature of the documentation that is unusual.

So, does anyone have any comments, guidance, dire warnings or anything to say about this first apparent non-standard fitting – the steering wheel!

K

[Keith Clements]

Good to see we have the prospect of a rallying Jav again. If you want any encouragement or advice I am sure you will get it on here from the few that have rallied their Javelins, me included as I have done the Monte, Tulip and LeJog in a Jav and numerous other international rallies in the Jup.

What do you want a rear view mirror for?

Have a search on here for 'steering wheel', there are some topics discussing the subject.

Can you make it to the Resto show this weekend?

[Khevenhuller]

Hi Keith

I am afraid this weekend I am due to be working, and all I currently have in terms of wheels is a wretched Herald 13/60 that is waiting to be next in the paintshop after the Scimitar comes out.

As for the steeing wheel, I found one topic dating back years describing a similar thing but with one 'J'...arguments that it was from a Jaguar, or was an upside down 'F', just confused matters IMHO.

I have two letter 'J's (Jowett Javelin?) and the wheel itself is that very distinctive Jowett shape and old enough to have the decay. Fitted later? A special? A vanity project for Jack Jones of the TGWU?

Apart from the rear axle, she is very much a timewarp. Interior is beautiful. External trim, well, re-chroming needed but it is all there too. Most obvious rot is on the drivers side doors, posts and sills. Underside seems very solid.

John

[Khevenhuller]

Anyone any opinions?

[robert lintott]

Interesting picture of the interior /facia. The steering wheel hub looks normal, the centre piece could have been turned up in aluminium to replace the original which may have had the horn connection failed at the pick up on the steering column. What is the hand lever on the right , and the indistinct handle or what below the facia ? Also the clock has been replaced by a rev counter , very handy for rallying /high speeds . Were any factory produced cars so fitted? A piece of history . LXT was a 1951 London number. Bob

[Khevenhuller]

Bob

LXT was first registered in London in 1951 and spent most of its life there, mostly owned through its life by a guy living in E17. The original log book records all of this and is a beautiful thing to have.

Changes to fascia and column are not recorded in the history. This goes up to about 1970, but any changes made after that -if any - are not recorded. But the fitting of the Jupiter rear axle is commented on, and the guy who fitted it was able to compare revs to speed both before and after the alteration. That could imply that the rev counter was already there, otherwise it would have been hard for him to make such a comparison.

I have no idea what the right hand ‘wand’ is for. If the car had been fitted with indicators then it may have made sense to fit a wand to the column at the same time. But she has no indicators, and it seems a lot to go through just to make it easier to work the trafficators, but who knows?. I will tool over to the workshop do a bit more investigation relating to that and the ‘mystery handle’ on Friday. There is a note that something was added under the dash to control the rear window demister, but a chrome handle seems a little extreme!

As pertaining to the steering wheel, I will check out if there are any marks or indications on it, but I am not hopeful. It cannot have been fitted that recently, as the level of decay of the Bakelite would make it silly to change the central boss and not the rest. I do think it looks very stylish. But why go to the expense of something like this when buying a replacement wheel would surely have been a cheaper and more sensible option?

But isn’t this fun! An exercise in automotive archaeology…

K

[robert lintott]

A detective story ! There are better quality used steering wheels around , try an ad in Jowetteer and on the forum . The right hand lever could be for the semaphore indicators , the original switch often goes u/s, or just a thought has an overdrive been fitted behind the gearbox ? Get under and look behind the gearbox , what a find if it has . Bob

[robert lintott]

P.S. there are two types of steering wheel, early ones had a key way fixing to the column, later models --from E2 PD 20881 have a spline fitting ,there was some kind of adaptor to fit a later one to an early car but I dont follow the description I have ! Bob

[Jack]

That stalk looks like the quite modern ones here, chrome ones are out there as well as black and green:

http://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/directio ... tch-black/

My money would be on the trafficator switch either not working, or the return (clockwork type) spring not being much good, and that indicator being fitted to fix the issue. Worth checking the wiring to see where it goes, as always with these things after a long time modifications get made to keep the car on the road or make life easier in modern traffic.

On the wheel, you could easily keep the centre and get the rim redone - not sure if this is a JCS service or other, if you take off the boss you might be able to see whether the fitting is somehow modified too. The horns can be a bit variable, especially with the wire rubbing and touching the centre column (so the horn goes off when you turn the wheel) or the connector coming off or not making a good connection on the inside of the button, which might explain the replacement boss, which looks well engineered, but when you take it apart I guess you will find out.

The rev counter looks like a Jupiter one perhaps, if so that is good news and certainly much harder to source than a Javelin clock.

Please keep us posted with progress and keep the pictures coming - good to see another car being put on the road and it sounds like it will get some use once done.

Jack.

[Chris Spencer]

The steering wheel is standard to the Javelin and it is just an alloy centre cap that someone has made up to repalce the original bakerlite type - the wheels can be refurbished try the company listed below

WHEELWRIGHTS

Address: The Warehouse, Baxtergate, Morecambe, Lancs LA4 5HX
Phone: 01524 423453
Fax: 01524 831953
Service: Can restore 99% of steering wheels.

Or you can purchase kits in order to undertake the restoration yourself

http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/produc ... repair-kit (but these have limitations)

From experiance - I would say that yours is beyond DIY repair and requires a new rim moulding to the metal frame of the wheel

[Khevenhuller]

You can rest assured I will not be undertaking my own steering wheel restoration.

Bash with hammer, scrub with wire brush, polish with mucky rag...totally fine

K

[Keith Clements]

The Jupiter Axle may cause problems with the Panhard rod and tyres rubbing on arches as it has different dimensions.

[Khevenhuller]

Keith

Well, as it has been like that since 1965 and shows no ill effects so far they must have made some modification along the line somewhere...

[Khevenhuller]

Additional pics of 'Nora'...

[Khevenhuller]

More pics of 'Nora'.