Jowett 10 HP Four Saloon

Mike Allfrey · Post by **Mike Allfrey** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:07 pm

G'dday From an Only Slightly Dampened South,

Having just re-purchased a Jowett 10 HP Four Saloon time capsule, where is the best source of parts for this model?

The car is absolutely complete, but will need items like engine gaskets, pistons (new) and such. Those are just starters.

I had posession of this little car some thirty years ago and sold it because of my Jupiter project and family matters. After sale it was not well looked after, and was stored in an open shed. The fellow I bought it back from, had stored it for a year in the open, but under sketchy tarpaulins.

The Task Begins,

Mike Allfrey.

ian Howell · Post by **ian Howell** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:31 am

Mike: - I can't offer any help or advice - only sympathy!

Progress with the 'repair' of my 1930 Long Four is best described as 'glacial'. Still, it keeps me off the streets!

Good luck. You are in the right place for shoulders to cry on.

dougie · Post by **dougie** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:53 am

The cats out of the bag

Do me a story for the newsletter please Mike.
I sold my Javelin because of my Jupiter and bought it back as a wreck.
When sold it had the original Q plates Q497694 they are screwed onto the office door behind me now.The bloke I sold it to wrecked it and deregistered it and then parked my Jav under a mango tree in his front yard.It was a mess.

Mike Allfrey · Post by **Mike Allfrey** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:28 pm

Thanks Ian,

Fortunately the car is complete and in very reasonable, but sad condition. The entire body is repairable and the engine still turns with about two and a half compressions! So, it stands a chance of starting up. I put a new timing chain in, same as one of the two Jaguar XK chains, some thirty years ago. So, that part should be OK.

Will put progress reports on JT as they happen.

Regards,

Mike Allfrey.

ian Howell · Post by **ian Howell** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:09 pm

Now that bit about the Jaguar timing chains could be very useful information! (To someone - or possibly two?).

Mike Allfrey · Post by **Mike Allfrey** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:57 pm

G'dday From The Sunny South,

We had 8 mm in the rain gauge, but the dust is back! Mount Buller got 177 mm (7") of good rain the other day, which is thrilling!

I can't remember which Jaguar timing chain it was - upper or lower - suspect it was upper. Having the Renold factory just around the corner, 10 kilometres, means that I just front up at their sales counter with a sample. We buy our Javelin chains this way. None of that Asian rubbish in our Jowetts.

I just hope the Renold grease did its job, as the engine only ran for a few minutes in my previous ownership. At least obtaining a new one is the least of my worries!

The instruction book that came with the car, says that there are hydraulic engine mountings. Mine has rubber mounts of circular type. Maybe an Oz mod many years ago? The hydraulic type sounds interesting, maybe there are a couple somewhere?

I like the instruction book's method of topping up the mountings - "until they overflow".

By the way, the engine number is J7779. So, it should be kept in the register.

Regards,

Mike Allfrey.

Bryan Walker · Post by **Bryan Walker** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:57 am

Hi Mike,
Try Neil Moore NZ,

He got a set of 10 pistons in from the uk last year, also the JCCNZ spares still has head gaskets and a few other parts.
If I get time I'll put a picture in the gallery of the 10 remains in my shed waiting its turn and for me to get really keen
Bryan

ian Howell · Post by **ian Howell** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 12:49 pm

A set of 10 pistons - now THAT would be SOME Boxer!

Mike Allfrey · Post by **Mike Allfrey** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:00 am

G'dday From The (at last) Not So Sunny South,

Returned from a tour of the State, not in the Jupiter as we were part of the organizing group and had to carry signs etc, so we took our mature Rover P6B V8.

Upon return there was a message from Paul Beaumont which, unfortunately, I deleted without realizing that it could not be retrieved - by myself!

Anyway, Paul, the essence is that the 10 hp Four Saloon is in fact Engine Number J7779, Chassis Number not sighted yet - and it is now firmly in my posession again at last. The car was sold to Mr Rupert Keith Starr, in Yarrawonga a small country town on the Murray River in the north of Victoria. The Jowett was first registered on October 22nd, 1937 and its registration number was 250-492 and being of 10 cwt, 18 lbs and 4 oz it attracted 28 power/weight units at 3/- (shillings) to result in 4 pounds, 4 shillings first registration cost, plus 2 number plates at 3/- the pair (!) and just 1/- for the registration certificate. One Australian pound was the equivalent of 10 UK shillings.

The car is described on the certificate as being blue with blue wheels and being equipped with pneumatic tyres.

On the 23rd March, 1939 the Jowett was sold to Mr A Till of Yarrawonga. Those are the only two owners' names on the certificate. That of Starr is interesting in that I think he was the Jowett agent when Javelins and Jupiters were sold in the early 1950s. In a small town like Yarrawonga would have been then, there would not have been too many Rupert Starrs who would have bought a Jowett.

It is known that Mr Till moved further south and was a water reservoir inspector and the Jowett was used for this task. That means that many miles of dirt roads would have been covered when Mr Till carried out his inspections.

The car was brought to Caulfield, a Melbourne suburb, by Mr Till and it was used until its last registration date of October 1959. Then it was placed in dry storage until I purchased (rescued) it in about 1976. A few years later I sold it to Theresa Coutourier. I did not have the room or time to do anything with it, other than getting it running, hence its sale to Theresa.

It was then sold to a surprisingly young fellow, Jamie Rodgers, via E-bay and he stored it for just over twelve months.

With the car came the original Registration Certificate, owner's instruction book and a spare parts catalogue. Inside the spares book is the name of the Melbourne distributor, Liberty Motors who also distributed Bradfords, Javelins and Jupiters in the 1950s.

It is now safe and dry in my garage and work will commence after tidying up my workshop.

Regards,

Mike Allfrey.

PAUL BEAUMONT · Post by **PAUL BEAUMONT** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:42 am

It is good to hear that another 10/4 is safely back in the fold Mike. As I said in my personal message, I am in the throws of compiling a vehicle register here in the UK, so I will update the record. I will also print your message and pass it to Ian Priestley (Hope to see him tomorrow) as I am sure he will be interested.

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:18 pm

With the car came the original Registration Certificate, owner's instruction book and a spare parts catalogue. Inside the spares book is the name of the Melbourne distributor, Liberty Motors who also distributed Bradfords, Javelins and Jupiters in the 1950s.

THAT is a car worth a lot of effort...
If the engine chassis numbers match,
and was a 1st gen camaro....
It adds another $NZ20.000 on to the base $NZ45,000 value of the car.
That may not apply to Jowetts thu..........yet.

Bryan Walker · Post by **Bryan Walker** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:20 am

Hi Mike,
Just noticed your comment on the engine mounts:
The 10hp had hydraulic engine mounts till 1938 when they changed to the rubber type. I don't think you will find a chassis number as only the engines carried the number.
Was the car a Aussie assembled type or a fully built up import.

Also the 1937 instruments are in the center of the dash,Separate molding on door sill while '38-39 instruments mounted either side of steering wheel and the molding was pressed into the sill.