Hello
Re: Hello
Just a Junior update - Dick Preston has almost finished a hood frame for me based on an identical Tourer in his village. It should be ready within the next fortnight. The owner of the other Tourer is having a new hood made and I am joining him in the order, so Little Bea should be generally weathertight quite soon.
PS I sold the Sprite as a project. I only realised how much I hated working on a monocoque when the Light Six turned up!
PS I sold the Sprite as a project. I only realised how much I hated working on a monocoque when the Light Six turned up!
Re: Hello
We had a really nice and fairly long drive through the Fens on Sunday - it was a lovely day and Little Bea behaved perfectly: she hardly smoked at all so I think the exercise has done her good. The brakes weren't great and I was a little worried about her old joints so I have put the Six on hold for a couple of days to service her. I have changed all of her grease nipples for 5/16" BSF with a modern profile as these fit the grease gun properly so she is now fully Iubricated. The brakes just needed a tweak and will be much better although a road test is on hold because it has been raining.
We plan to use her far more this year, largely for trips to and from local pubs.
We plan to use her far more this year, largely for trips to and from local pubs.
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By the way - don't forget the spit pins. The Junior's steering was a little sloppy and on examination I found I had forgotten to to put the split pin in the castle nut on the steering box to drag link connection and it had loosened. I am only confessing to this embarrassing omission to make sure everyone knows how easy it is to forget something and end up with a potentially dangerous situation.
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I'm off to Wales tomorrow to pick up the new hood for the Junior. I'm setting off early as its a fairly long run (around 4.5 hours each way) but I'm looking forward to seeing Dick Preston and having a poke around in his workshop!
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Nine hours in the car went well as I left early and cleared Birmingham before the rush-hour. Dick is a lovely multi-talented man living in an idyllic old church vestry in Snowdonia. In his workshop he has a beautiful flat-two Jowett and an exquisite Porlock I quite fell in love with that he has built on an original chassis. Tuned engine and 4 speed box make this very desirable, and he may be selling it. Oh no! - the Series One my have to go....
I picked up my hood and have fitted the basic parts to Little Bea, although I have to fit the connectors at the rear to hold it down and help to stretch out the creases. The fitting over the screen is spot on and Linda is delighted that the lining is a similar colour to our seats so domestic harmony continues to reign.
I picked up my hood and have fitted the basic parts to Little Bea, although I have to fit the connectors at the rear to hold it down and help to stretch out the creases. The fitting over the screen is spot on and Linda is delighted that the lining is a similar colour to our seats so domestic harmony continues to reign.
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Hood fixed with 'lift the dot' fittings. A bit of adjustment still required as one or two of the original holes for the fittings in the body are too high, but the hood gives a nice period look to the little car.
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Now I have weather protection the issue of windscreen wipers starts to become a priority. I have three working options comprising Lucas vacuum or two versions of the 6v Lucas electric wipers: Pull and Spin or another one the model number of which is unclear.
I have no experience of these although the unknown Lucas is quite like the ones on my Land Rover. I understand that the vacuum wiper is poor technically as it doesn't work unless you have a slack throttle giving a decent vacuum, so although this is the correct period piece I don' think I'll go for it. The Pull and Spin is the most energetic and neatest of the two electric options so I'm quite tempted to fit that one. Does anyone know when this model was in production?
Fortunately the holes in the screen are the same for all options.
I have no experience of these although the unknown Lucas is quite like the ones on my Land Rover. I understand that the vacuum wiper is poor technically as it doesn't work unless you have a slack throttle giving a decent vacuum, so although this is the correct period piece I don' think I'll go for it. The Pull and Spin is the most energetic and neatest of the two electric options so I'm quite tempted to fit that one. Does anyone know when this model was in production?
Fortunately the holes in the screen are the same for all options.
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Hi Colin,
Vacuum type is useless on a small engine car (imho of course but also from practical experience!) I used pull & spin very effectively on my '27 Junior.
I took the car for MoT and whilst I was there I was offered a very satisfactory sum by a local collector - considering I bought it as a basket case that fitted into the back of my swb Series 1 Land Rover! I only bought it to stop it being scrapped & most folk thought I was crazy - but I enjoy a challenge.
I know it was sold at auction after the collector died but don't know its current whereabouts.
Good to see yours up & running
kind regards
Bill
Vacuum type is useless on a small engine car (imho of course but also from practical experience!) I used pull & spin very effectively on my '27 Junior.
I took the car for MoT and whilst I was there I was offered a very satisfactory sum by a local collector - considering I bought it as a basket case that fitted into the back of my swb Series 1 Land Rover! I only bought it to stop it being scrapped & most folk thought I was crazy - but I enjoy a challenge.
I know it was sold at auction after the collector died but don't know its current whereabouts.
Good to see yours up & running
kind regards
Bill