JB's- JB

Friday, 15 August 2014

A new toy is on the way to us from the UK.

We haven’t had a new car in our garage for a while so we have been looking.
We were looking for a Heinkel, but as none were imported into Australia (except private imports) few were being sold. We bid for a few on E-Bay UK, and at last we were successful.

We bid and won a 1960's Heinkel.

We flew to London, hired a long wheelbase Ford Transit, and arrived to view the car in Devon.
Let’s say the words on E-Bay were extremely kind to the description. The car had been brush painted, and it only took a very short time to compile a full page of “missing parts”
We resolved to continue, and loaded the car into the Transit.

We then drove back from Devon with our new toy on board and parked it in Roly's drive way. He had been volunteered to hold it for us pending our getting a permit to ship

To import a car to Australia you need an Import Permit, and that takes 20 working days. At the end of the full 20 days, the permit was issued.

The car was collected from Roly's drive way and taken to the shippers yard, where it had to be put in a container for transit to Melbourne Australia. The Ship (MSC Lauren) was last seen departing Felixstow UK and heading for Portugal, and it is due in Melbourne October 2014.

When we see it next we can really have a good inspection of what we have bought, order the missing parts and get our new toy on the road.
Current location of the ship with our new toy as of 10.45 am 15 August is,

New location, docked in the port of Sines, as of 20.25 Saturday 16th August.

Now along the north African coast heading for the canal. Thursday 21st, 20.20 GMT.
New location, the Read Sea! 26/8/2014.

Thursday, 17 July 2014

The racing Messerschmitt.

"I took the Messerschmitt to a car show and Race meeting.

The Austin 7 Club hired an old race track for the day, to run some Historic car racing. The Track is about 200 km north of Melbourne, and when I got there I joined a Reliant and a Goggomobile. Lots of racing and lots of cars in the show. Our group made a spectacular display when we were invited to have a few laps of the circuit and I lead the trio. The Messerschmitt even got a prize for “Outstanding Spectator Vehicle”"

Monday, 19 May 2014

National Motoring Heritage Day in Australia.

I took the Messerschmitt to a Car show to display its new side carrier for the first time
It was National Motoring Heritage Day in Australia.

Our Messerschmitt proudly showing its side carrier and a German flag for its heritage.

There was a good turnout of cars, and here are a few that caught my eye.

A nice line up of Austins.

A nice Chrysler.

A Model "A" Ford.

Of course Model "T" Fords.

Rovers.

A nice Vauxhall.

And many more nice cars
It is Autumn now, so we are getting near the end of the Car show season here in Australia.

Friday, 16 May 2014

An over due update.

The Blog has been a bit quiet recently but we have been working in the background.
When Messerschmitts were sold, there was a factory extra in the way of a boot carrier, (we have one of those) and a less often fitted "Side carrier"
The side carrier is for a suitcase, or a set of Ski's or both.
We now have the "Side Carrier" and I am getting a set of old ski's - all from Germany the home of the Messerschmitt.

Side rack down, ready to load.

Side rack up, very neat and tidy.

A busy 2 weekends coming up
We have a National Motoring Heritage day Sunday this weekend -I think you call it "Drive it day" in the UK.
The Messerschmitt is going, should get some good pictures.

The weekend after is Historic racing at Winton - Winton is an old Historic race track about 300 Km north of Melbourne.
http://www.historicwinton.org/newwinton_files/historic_winton.html

Should be fun and I am expecting to be able to do a few show laps in front of the crowd with the Messerschmitt. I am arranging to have a video taken so here is hoping it all works out - got to be a fine day.

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

J type at the starting grid, and there off.

Turn up your volume.

Our brakes seemed as if they were binding the other day, so off with the front brake drums. The 4 brake cylinders had been replaced when the van was overhauled 2007, but all 4 were totally seized and in the open position - no wonder I could feel binding!. 4 brand new front brake cylinders later, and we are back ready for action.
(Hercules too had all its brake cylinders seized recently, and they had to be replaced. They also were new only a few years before)
The Australian Grand Prix is due to be held 16th March, and seeing as the track is less than half a kilometer from our house, what better place to test the brakes

Monday, 17 February 2014

By Royal Appointment.

The Queen was in town today so we just had to go visit in the Messerschmitt.
That was the Queen Mary 2 in Melbourne
And here is a video -(Turn you sound on to hear the purring engine) It was Monday afternoon, but we sure drew a crowd.

Thursday, 6 February 2014

A visit to Germany but back home now and in the warm.

We had to go to Germany on family business and the temperatures were round zero
Our transport while in Germany was a little Toyota, 4 seater, 3 cylinder, 998 cc, so underpowered on hill starts and semi automatic.

Talk about cold - it is about minus 2 every day here but the locals say it is warm as it is normally minus 20 this time of the year. We are is in the Black forest, - but that is total rubbish, a total white out.

A slow somber walk.

We were near Stuttgart, and that is where they make Mercedes.
We sure are glad to get back to the Australian Summer- back to temperatures in the 30's.

The History of this van and the plan of work that needs to be done.

All about the owner.

I have 2 Australian built Mokes and have seen the J series Van around in car museums / at show for some time. Our Mokes have been restored and are in original condition, but all the J Vans I had seen were “Restorers” –too much for me .

The J Van is rather cute, and everybody who has seen ours thinks the same. My initials are JB so I bought 3 “Corgi” J models off EBay

While I was browsing the internet I came across “Roland’s” blog site and a Blue J restored van in UK was on eBay UK . I tried to contact the seller, but got no response and the Van subsequently disappeared off E Bay. Another, a Red J ute turned up on eBay UK, and that too disappeared before the end of the eBay auction. A virtual shell turned up 200 km from here, but that would have been too much work for me.

Next “Roland’s” site turned up a Austin 101 in Sydney. I rang the seller and he really didn’t know much about the vehicle. He had bought it, in 2007 as a reasonably restored body, with mechanicals “to be restored”. He was not mechanical so he sent it to a very reputable “Morris Minor” repairer in Sydney. After some six months or so of being in that repairers garage the Van appeared and was registered in Sydney for full road use.

I told the seller I would have to come and see it (Sydney is 1000 km away) and I was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. An operation fixed the cancer and a month or so after, I went to Sydney. The body had been done up, a bit on the cheap, but not bad. The mechanicals were terrific (with receipts to verify the good work)

I told the vendor we would think about it and next day, with a pile of cash I my pocket, I phone and suggested I call and speak. The vendor was too busy that day, so I offered a lot less than he was asking. I think he nearly fell over, but agreed to think about it for the weekend. He rang an hour later and told me he had sold the van to the mechanic who repaired it for the price he was advertising, and if I wanted to bid higher I could have it. I declined.

Two weeks later, he rang my partner, we had used her phone when we spoke to him before, and advised the sale had fallen through and "was I still interested". I had expected the call as the Van was still being advertised for sale, and I really didn’t think the mechanic would want to buy it after charging for his work over the past three years.

I delayed calling for a week or so, and over the following weeks got the vendor to accept a low price. The Van was picked up by a trucking Company in Sydney and delivered to Melbourne.

I got the details of (and have visited) the seller who had the Van before it went to Sydney and have managed to piece the following together

The van is defiantly a Austin 101

The Van was delivered new to a Company called “Federal Springs” in Brooklyn (An inner Melbourne suburb) who made springs for cars, trucks etc

I have also found a plate on the Van saying

Ausdis Pannel and Engineering Pty Ltd

Stubb Street

Kensington (This is another inner Melbourne suburb)

The Van was then discovered near Geelong (50 km south of Melbourne) by a “Car restorer” in 2000. It had been a "Paddock car".He had the body repaired, and in 2007 sold it to my Vendor who took it to Sydney on a trailer.

A Sydney “J” enthusiast (Peter) was aware of the Van in Sydney and he advises it is defiantly a “JB”.

I am in an inner Melbourne suburb, so apart from 3 years in Sydney, the van has been all its life within 50 km our home., in its early years within 5 km of here

That is the story so far, and is yet to be confirmed. It can’t be both an Austin 101 and a Morris J so I have requested a search of the factory records in UK based on the chassis Number – the original engine was replaced in Sydney with a 1622 cc BMC “B” series engine so I can’t search on the Engine Number

I understand the Morris Commercial records are just about non existent, so if it can’t be traced it must be a Morris – probably 1959 JB

If it can be found it will probably be a 1959 Austin 101 (Which would be quite rare)

It was registered for the road in Sydney as a 1952 Austin 101 – all the paperwork form the original owners is lost, and the Austin 101 was not produced till the introduction of the JB in 1957. In brief we have a few contradictions to date.

I may have to look for a new Front Panel and grill to make it JB’s JB or it may have to be JB’s 101

I really must acknowledge the help I have had from Roland, or I would not have found it, or been able to find out what I have found so far.
In the UK the chassis number would have been stamped on a small tin strip and mounted by the radiator filler cap. It would have been stamped with a prefix of either JB/MR 45066 or JB/AR 45066 (M for Morris, A for Austin) the chassis dates the van as being late 1959 production. The Australian plate misses out this vital prefix. Maybe this is not important, maybe the fact that another 50 years old vehicle is out there being enjoyed and used for what it was designed for.
Plan of work.
Well I would like to investigate the steering set up as to me there is rather a lot of play in it, rather like steering a boat. I just intend at the moment to enjoy my new toy, take it to a few rallies and with luck meet up with another J owner and compare vehicles.
Watch this blog for more postings about its history, restoration/improvements under taken and rallies/shows attended.

Road legal and ready for 90 days of fun in the sun.