jw4 Smokey's JW4 Formula Four Rebuild Thread

[stephenh]

Mark, the amount of detailed research you have carried out is incredible. Well done!

[Mark (smokey mow)]

10 hours ago, stephenh said:

Mark, the amount of detailed research you have carried out is incredible. Well done!

Thanks for the kind words Stephen.  I really couldn't have done it all alone though and there's so many people I must thank for their contribution.

 

The biggest thanks though must go to Rod Pickup, who purchased the production rights for the JW4 from Johnny Walker in 1972. Sadly Rod passed away suddenly about 3years ago and before I had bought my JW4 but during his life he had done much to research the history of Johnny Walker's business and catalogue it for the future.  It's largely Rod's research which I have been drawing on over the last few days to write my very brief history but also the contacts which he found and I also have been fortunate in speaking to who both raced the cars and worked for the company during it's brief history.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

So this evening I had a knock at the door from the DHL delivery man with yet another parcel for me.  SWMBO is getting quite used to all the deliveries of car parts and generally doesn't question it too much but this time I'm not sure she was too impressed with my order of 250 custom printed stickers for the bodywork.  I'm not 100% but I think it might have something to do with the fact that I only needed 3 but had to order another 247 spares so as to meet the companies minimum printing charge.

 

[Yanto]

I can sort of understand your need to buy that many and the wife being unimpressed.

I can't work out what the symbols are above the car, the one on the left looks like a boob , i'm sure it isn't but it's stuck in my head now.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Thanks Yanto, now you've pointed out the boob, I can't unsee it!!    

[Mark (smokey mow)]

54 minutes ago, Yanto said:

I can sort of understand your need to buy that many and the wife being unimpressed.

I can't work out what the symbols are above the car, the one on the left looks like a boob , i'm sure it isn't but it's stuck in my head now.

I don't think I've ever said but the logo is a tribute to Pitman (shorthand) who was born a short distance from the JW factory and it simply reads Johnny Walker. Rather unfortunately when seated in the car and therefore read upside down it reads something complety different a far more offensive  not something I could type and get past the swear filter

[pistonbroke]

Ah yes I can see it now  ( very rude though ) 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I'll take your word for it!! I've had how Pitmans works explained to me, but I'll be honest, it just went right over my head. (My brain doesn't seem to work like that when it comes to linguistics!)

[Mark (smokey mow)]

One of the problems I've found with the restoration of these cars is selecting the correct parts and materials that would have been used in the 1960's.  The large parts, one could say have been easy as they're visible in photographs and well documented in the literature and drawing but it's those smaller almost insignificant items that have proven to be a challenge.

 

One such question arose with fixing the brake lines.  It would have been easy to use the plastic mounts as seen on many Westfield's or maybe even P-clips or cable ties but I'm fairly confident that none of these were around in the 1960's and as such would have no place on my car.

 

After some time head scratching I came across "John Bull" rubber cable ties.  These were used on BSA and Triumph Motorcycles to name but two so correct for the period for securing clutch and throttle cables etc from chafing against the frame. 

 

 

This week I made up and fitted the front brake lines so had a chance to try out the ties for the first time. 

 

[grahamf]

I came across the following at the National Museum of Scotland and was reminded of this thread

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Over the last couple of months I've been completing a few of the smaller jobs so not much to show in the pictures. 

The electrical isolator switch is now fitted but I still need to make the wiring loom and next up the linkages for the brake balance bar were made and fitted.  There's also a nylon bush fitted on the pull rod but thats missing in the pics as I was still waiting for the nylon to make it when I took the pictures.

The clutch cable was also made up by modifying a brake cable from a Tandem! And then the last job was to fit the split sprocket and chain to the drivetrain.

 

[Mark (smokey mow)]

A quick glimpse of what it looks like right now

[Rory's Dad]

Magic!

 

(...and a lot of hard work - well done!)

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Can anyone identify the venue in these 4 pictures? They were all taken around the same time but I'm not sure if they're at the same place or where it is. The owner of the white car at the time was Chris Robinson and going by the G registration on the Peugeot the photos were taken sometime after 1990.

Any ideas?

 

 

[pistonbroke]

Bottom pic could it be snetterton ?