1930 Jowett boat engine.

[Keith Clements]

Anyone like to have this? Available in SW London.


More TOPIC pictures here.

I joined the club in 2002 and your Ian Priestley was very helpful to me while I was renovating a 1930's Jowett engine to fit in a boat.

The boat has now gone, but I still have the engine and propeller shaft I hoped you could find a good home for it.
If someone could collect it from London SW15.
Gilbert Whyman
Please contact webmaster for Gilbert's email and phone number should you be interested.

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

Interesting carburation! twin downdraught Solexes??

[BarryCambs]

The engine in the Long Two is 1934, and has a pressed steel timing cover. I notice this one has a cast cover. Could this mean it started life as a stationary engine, or did some of the earlier ones have this?

[Tony Fearn]

Hi Barry.
I think 1934 was the start of the pressed steel covers.
Tony.

[ian Howell]

Is the engine number (stamped onto the crankcase near the oil filler cap), known?
This would identify the year of manufacture.

[BarryCambs]

As there were no takers for this engine, I went down to collect it last night and it's now back in Cambridge. I had a very interesting chat with Gilbert who is very keen for it to be kept in Jowett circles rather than scrapped and his wife fed me cake, so a pleasant evening out. With help from his son, we managed to man handle it into the back of the Volvo, but I had to dismantle it in the car so it was light enough for me to slide the engine down a scaffold plank. As a bonus, it's the annual Dad, Lads and Daughters camping trip this weekend, so I put all the wood back in the car so we can toast some marshmallows over it!

The modifications were at best Heath Robinson and I don't think it was ever that successful in the boat, overheating being a problem as there was no pump in the cooling system and the Ford Granada radiator probably not allowing for much thermosyphoning effect. Gilbert did think it had some sort of raw water cooling at some stage when the boat was built in the early 60s. He doesn't know what car the engine originated from.

Having dragged it out of the car, I was interested to see how the twin Zenith carbs had been fitted, but this has thrown up a bit of a mystery. Given the dubious state of the rest of the set up, I was expecting to see some sort of bodge with home made adapter plates and linkages. What I did find however was a very neat set up which looks like it come out of the factory. The adapter plates are cast aluminium with no sign of modification. The throttle linkages and the choke linkage bolted across the front of the timing case are nicely designed with no evidence of anything being home made. I'm sure I remember reading in the excellent Complete Jowett History that a few engines were fitted with twin carbs at some stage, though a quick look today, I couldn't find the right page. Could it be this is one of those engines, rather than a modification? Or possibly a hybrid/mongrel engine?

The engine number points to it being 1932 and it has a 3 speed gearbox. It also has a lucas "Electric Engine Starter" though I'm not sure if it's the right one as something rather serious has happened to the teeth on the flywheel!

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[BarryCambs]

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[BarryCambs]

I have now found on page 59 of the The Complete Jowett History in the 1935 section:

"In an attempt to satisfy the requirement for more speed, the Long Four Tourer made way for the Weasel Sports Tourer which was given improved performance with twin carburettors" It goes on to say it was poorly received and only 75 were sold over 2 years.

If this is a 1932 engine, can I assume it's a hybrid??

[David Kemp]

For what it is worth, my late Father often said Jowett engines were used as lifeboat engines .
Possibly the housings are from one of these life boats.

[BarryCambs]

With the cooling sorted out, I think they would make quite nice marine engines. The chap did say it was nice a nice smooth ride. The boat was hand built by a relative and the engine is thought to be from a car he owned but wrote off at some stage.

[Paulstingmore]

Hi Barry

Did this find a home? I’d happily give it one assuming the price is right! I tried to make contact previously but didn’t manage to get a message to you. I’m on Paul.stingmore@hotmail in the U.K. if you want to make contact?

Regards

Paul

[Paulstingmore]

Hi Barry

Did this find a home? I’d happily give it one assuming the price is right! I tried to make contact previously but didn’t manage to get a message to you. I’m on Paul.stingmore@hotmail in the U.K. if you want to make contact?

Regards

Paul

[BarryCambs]

Hi Paul

I'm still pondering what to do with it. The gearbox is 3 speed so no good to me and I was hoping someone might have a 4 speed I could swap it with. Otherwise it's free to a good home or I'll donate it to JCS as I didn't pay anything for it. I'm not sure this is going to be the engine fitted in your car, unless it's had an 'upgrade' at some stage as mine has? As yours is 1928, it should have the earlier engine without the detachable heads. Yours probably has the gate shift on the right hand side?

What I'm actually trying to do is build up a spare engine for mine with bits and pieces I've been collecting off ebay etc. The barrels on this one have the wrong mounts, but I'm hoping the bottom end will be ok if the crank is the same as the steel timing cover engine, as I have another flywheel, manifold, barrels and piston, heads etc.

Barry

[Paulstingmore]

Hi Barry

You are right it isn’t quite right for mine but I thought it would be handy to have in store as a reserve if anything went wrong with mine! If you are hanging onto it, no worries...just nice to know it’s safe! Between the jowett, other cars, showmans van and a traction engine I have a few projects to keep me going!

Cheers

Paul

[BarryCambs]

Hi Paul

If you're after a spare, as I am, I'd recommend finding a vintage engine. The 30's engine won't go straight in with out considerable modification. I guess mine was swapped in the late 40s but I've still been sorting some of the bodges resulting from the conversion. It doesn't sit on the original mountings, so the propshaft is off the donor car, as are glutch pedal linkages etc and I think the position of the steering box has been altered. Certainly not trivial! While at first glance the engines look about the same, they are in reality very different

Love to see the traction engine sometime!

Barry