My new Bradford

[a colin dennison]

Eyup one and all. I am a new mwmber of the club, although I have been involved with Jowetts for quite a while. My uncle is Eric Firth and my involvement is through him. I have just managed to wrestle his Bradford Lorry, EJB 27, from his grip. It was sorned for the last couple of years, but my uncle trailered it up on September 20th and I took it for MOT the next day. It was taxed and tested by lunchtime. I believe the young MOT tester hasn't stopped shaking yet, he simply did not know what to do. I have met several members already, at the former employees reunion over the last few years, and am looking forward to meeting a lot more. Crossing the days off until the next Noggin' and Natter.
Cheers
Colin

[Keith Clements]

Welcome. Hope we have many more experiences of you and your Braddie.

[Tony Fearn]

Hello Colin,

Welcome to the Club. If you're a chip off the (perhaps not so) old block (once removed) you have just planned most of your future as far as Jowetts go.

I don't think you'll regret the action. I have found over the years that if you ask a question within the Club, you will get an answer or help if necessary.

Keep on this site as well as the general Jowett Car Club as you've already seen the level of technical help that there is available world-wide through the Web.

Have a look at the posts for the next Jowett National Weekend in Crieff, north of Stirling in Scotland for the details of the next major Jowett get together.

Email Martin and sort out the May 2008 weekend.

Regards,

Tony.

[a colin dennison]

Hi Tony
It is fair to say that Eric and I are on the same wavelength. Already studying how to get the Braddie to sunny? Scotland. I think the drive may be a little 'too much, too far'. The current engine, a CC, swopped by uncle Eric and myself, isn't exactly bursting with energy. I think it needs a dose of looking at. We thought that as it was far more powerful than the CB, etc.
Perhaps I might get the opportunity to overhaul the original CB engine before then, then again!
Colin

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

Hi Colin, just a couple of comments:
I took my son's Saxo to the garage who usually does the Bradford and the testers comment was " Goodness you've brought me something normal today"
AND
"Far more powerful" hardly the phrase I'd use for 25bhp over 19, but then again I suppose a politically astute statistician would claim its a 31% improvement, but in reality it is still only marginally more powerful than your lawn mower, but a lot more fun

[Tony Fearn]

Hello again Colin.

Usually when we have the annual Jowett Car Club Rally there is always a contingent from the wrong side of the Pennines (i.e. Yorkshire) who travel to the Rally in a "lump". Wherever the leading vehicle goes the others follow blindly. They've yet to end up in a river, but I think one of them now has a SatNav.

If you do attend one of the Northern Section Nogin and Natter evenings then it might be useful to suss out whether or not there is a posse going up to Crieff.

It will probably take two days for the Yorkshire and Lancashire members driving pre-war and Bradfords to get to and from Scotland as it's about 260 miles to the hotel. If you don't yet trust the Bradford it might make sense to go in convoy.

Tony.

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

SatNav?? we don't do new fangled things like that in Yorkshire - but one member now has a compass,'cause he's bought a digital watch so he can no longer point the hour hand at the sun and bisect the angle between something and 12 after taking account of Daylight Saving Time or what ever you did!!! to find north.
Joking apart, here is probably a good place to group in cyberspace before heading north in reality. Maybe there should be a separate posting under UK events??

[Keith Andrews]

who travel to the Rally in a "lump". Wherever the leading vehicle goes the others follow blindly.

Alan Stanley, our nth branch events organiser of many yrs experance, has a method that works very well for the faster and slower cars.
The Bradfords head off about 15mins earlier, then about every 50 miles or so there is a break...lunch whatever at a museum or place of interest.

Also print out of directions....Google earth is very good at this, one can even change the way pionts to suit.
Google Earth instruction sort of go like this
"turn bear right at 'X' interestion
travel 1.1 miles
turn left at 'Y' rd"
Distances are very accruate, assuming our old odometers are also.

[Mike Allfrey]

G'dday Colin From The Sunny South,

Scotlsnd too far - for a Bradford?

Good grief! Come October 2008, we will have a Bradford that has made the crossing of Australia ten (10) times! And, yes, it will be driven back again.

I won't say how far it is across this continent, you can work that out from Google Maps!

Good luck on your journey,

Mike Allfrey.

[Forumadmin]

Getting a Bradford out of Yorkshire is extremely difficult. It is like exporting Carlsberg from Denmark; the border police have ingenious ways of making them or their owners fail!

[a colin dennison]

Eyup all and G'dday Mike
Many thanks for all the words of support received from fellow Jowetteeers regarding the trip to Jockland er I mean Scotland. I DO have confidence in the Bradford's ability, it is simply having enough time to allow for the journey. I don't want to rush (as if) and I don't want to put the Bradford under undue pressure. The very busy roads, and fast moving traffic may force me to drive faster than I would like. I do not know if I am allowed to use the Bradford on motorways. I do realise that I would not be going very fast, but at least people could pass with relative ease.
I have already planned a diversionary tactic to escape, briefly, from Yorkshire. Although this did involve money , so I am currently working on an alternative plan.

Colin

[Keith Andrews]

As sugestion/thought...

Some yrs back in my hot rodding days, our club had a big rn n the south island of NZ, whch also meant te Ferry acroos the Cook Striaght, which was not cheap...keep in mind these are also modified V8s that often dont get very good milage...and a couple that the owners where not fully confident of such a long trip.

So we hired a Car transporter, loaded all the cars on and sent them down to a town 3/4 of the way, in the nth of the South Island.
From there we drove them to the event with other clubs.
After the Meet we drove back up, loaded on the transporter and sent them back to Auckland.
We hired a bus, and travelled in that...which also took those all the way and did not have cars on the road.
This saved us a fortune in Ferry fees, travellng costs, motels etc, and resulted in one of the best club turnouts ever, cars and members and families...at the other end of NZ.

Just a thought...

[Tony Fearn]

Na'then Colin.

'Ecky thump', this thread has generated quite a few replies from all over the world, hasn't it?

I wouldn't recommend motorways for the Bradford. Your top speed, relative to a 40 tonne articulated lorry makes it a rather dangerous place to be for any length of time. You can even be 'totalled' whilst parked on the hard shoulder!

Keith's idea seems to be worth following up if you can get other like-minded people to join in.

I'll bet, having read Paul's last post, that he used to be a Boy Scout, just like me, (and probably most of the older [male] Jowetteers).

Regards,

Tony.

[Keith Andrews]

We organised the transporter as a club...and all meet at 1 place to load.

When I brought my Braddy from down in the sth island a while back. Transporting, plus flying down (return) for the day to purchase was cheaper than simply driving home by several $100s

the guy who ran the transporter company was a car entusist so was rather generous with the discount....

And yeah my hand goes up as an Ex Scout...cubs thru to Venturer leader.