Practically Classics Forum

Revival is a time warp event - nothing post 1966 gets into the circuit - so they encourage everyone to turn up in period dress - so here for your laughter is me & the other half in our garb for the event

You don't look very grumpy in that pic

At least you look suitably Northern though.

You don't look very grumpy in that pic

Happiness is an enforced regime by the other half - what she does not know is that I am just pretending to be happy

At least you look suitably Northern though.

Can't beat a Jowett, good bad or otherwise. The recent one looks lovely.

The day job has been absorbing far too much of my time - working away from home does not help at all - so what was really needed was a bit of classic therapy - up went the garage door and the cover came off the Javelin which had been in hibernation for several months -quick check round all looked good - turned the battery isolator on and then the ignition key - then tried the starter - battery had held charge and the engine turned over well enough but a complete refusal to start - looked a little deeper and checked for contact on the points - rotor arm got a little clean up - then noticed that the choke on the left hand carb was only coming half on - so corrected this by adjustment on the cable - tried to start it again and still found it wasn't even attempting to start Wound out the first plug to hand and found this With the plugs sat on the top of the heads the plug cavity had filled with water - so each plug was wound out and cleaned up - then when I got to the rear left plug I found the lead detached from the plug - With all plugs cleaned and the leads checked soon converted the engine into starting & sweet running. A slight fuel leak on the left hand carb from the supply was soon corrected so now I can work my way through the list complied from the first time out in my ownership at Goodwood Revival last year.

The old windscreen wipers were next to useless and were attached to the spindles by oversize Heath Robinson type adaptors These were replaced with new old stock arms & blades that I had managed to pick up at the NEC last November - next on the list was the broken indicator switch again I had sourced a new one at the NEC show - I had to sort the wiring where the previous owner had stuffed 3 wires into one terminal - soon sorted by soldering the three on to one lead and making good with some heat shrink The old switch was cream but the new identical Lucas switch is bright white - something that I will have to live with for now while source something more suitable in colour

Put a tanning lamp on the seat and aim it at the switch, that'll soon get it de-whitened a bit.

Javelins were only fitted with semaphore trafficators in the B post at the factory and HUJ still retains them however, most owners have added indicators to the cars over the years - the fronts are straight forward by using the separate side lamps as indictors (white lens but with an amber bulb) then fit the sidelamps into the headlamp bowls - this was sorted when I first acquired the car last year - the rears were some make do & mend attempt that the previous owner had bolted on - Something that I never liked - I wanted something that was less obtrusive and that did not stand out on the car too much - again these were sourced from the NEC show and duly fitted Result was a lot better in appearance

Next on the list was the flickering charge light on the dash - no surprise then when I found this lot on the rear of the dynamo Bits of bodge / tape and a loose connection - quickly put right by cutting it out and extending the cable The car is still on its original wiring loom so there is a plan to renew this at some stage - maybe over next winter ?