Beaulieu Autojumble

[ian Howell]

Chris Cole's comment in the 'Javelin' section prompts me to make an entry about Beaulieu.

I nearly didn't go as it is quite a 'haul' from Eastbourne and last year I spent all day searching and found very little, and that was at extortionate prices. Coupled with comments about the cost of club stands and the 'clash' with the nearby Netley autojumble, I seriously doubted the benefit of patronising the event.

However, I was persuaded, and with my son we arrived and paid our TWELVE POUNDS FIFTY EACH and entered the site.

On the first stand I found a repairable Lucas ST 51 rear light, and for only £6. That will at least get the car on the road (eventually!). And then we found a BOX FULL of speedos - many brand new - all for £25 each.

I found a new Smiths speedo that fits the hole in the dash panel, with an angled cable entry. The grease in it was solid, but a quick trip to the clockmaker's cleaning kit and all works very well.

Finally I found some radiator 'buffer' tape and that has now replaced the remnants that were on the radiator I bought from Michael Koch-Osbourne.

NOW my son has found some new 75.5mm piston rings, so that is the next task as at least one of the 75.4mm rings on my engine is missing (it was broken, so I removed it to avoid damage), assuming the thickness is OK, I am sure that the 0.1mm (4 thou') won't be a problem once the gap is set right.

So progress of a kind, but I still think the entry fee is far too much. A 'tenner' would be plenty I feel.

Now all I need is a new body (well two actually, one for me, one for the car!).

[Keith Andrews]

What is radiator 'buffer' tape ?

[Tim Neville]

I agree that Beaulieu is a bit expensive. And it's a long haul from Cornwall! But I've usually found something worth having at a reasonable price for my Javelin, and you just never know what you might come across. I noticed a Javelin grill this year at a fair price. My youngest son found heaps of stuff for his early Minor.

[ian Howell]

Buffer tape is what I call the stuff that goes in and out around the edge of of the radiator shell to stop it rattling against the bonnet panels. See, over here we SOMETIMES have bumps in the roads and unless everything is lashed down and buffered, you get funny noises, especially on old cars.

I guess there might be a 'proper' name for it, but Hey!

(Getting the steering gear back together this week with luck).

[Keith Andrews]

Ahh the body webbing between bonnet and body/radiator cowl
used to space the gaps pannel heights

U can get this stuff at engineers suppliys, often used as tape insuation on pipes...there is 2 versions anice canvas looking one and a coarse white asbestos one
Also some of the bigger haberdasharies carry it as canvas webbing

[ian Howell]

Yerssse, Well the stuff I got was displayed as 'webbing', various widths but all in a 'drab olive' or 'khaki' colour - military source perhaps?

It is a nice thick canvas material, looks 'the part' and fits exactly in the slots in the rad. shell. Just needs to be rivetted at the ends now.

Didn't get the steering gear back together - too wet to get the axle out in the open for final fettling. Still, the summer appears to be back (warm rain) so let's hope for another chance this week.

Let's start a new debate: -

Piston ring gaps.

I have a vague recollection that the gap on new rings in a new bore should be of the order '2 thou' plus 1 thou' per inch of bore'. Say 5 thou' on a 75.4mm piston. Is that about right?

My direct experience was with BIG marine diesels (600mm bore) so isn't of much help.