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J-Register website wins top award!


Stop Press: At the Classic and Sportscar Awards (in association with Lancaster Insurance) ceremony at the NEC on the 12th November, the J-type Register won the award for the Best Club Website!

We were the first award announced too. First award ceremony I’ve ever been to, in all the years we’ve been doing the show, and we win something! Register members John Beaton, over from Australia, and Ken Bennett were at the awards to witness our success.

In his speech Simon Taylor, Compere and C&SC’s Editor at Large, said:

“There’s a wonderful array of club websites out there, and after much discussion the judging panel selected as runner-up the site of the Mazda MX-5 Owners’ Club.

But as the overall winner they plumped for a more light-hearted site featuring one of our favourite commercial vehicles. You can’t help but smile when you open a website and there’s a graphic of a van motoring across your screen.

Yet there’s much more to it than that, because the site includes plenty of background material on the vehicle – with some excellent archive photos, including various special-bodied examples and even ones involved in crashes! It’s a must for anyone interested in the Morris J-type and their Austin siblings.

Best Club Website goes to Harvey Pitcher’s J-type labour of love, at www.jtypevan.com

And the award isn’t for the best SMALL club website, it’s The BEST Club Website! We beat all comers!

Our thanks to the guys at Carousel Digital http://www.carouseldigital.com/, without whose help the website wouldn’t be anywhere near so professional.

 


Sydney Museum Underground Station – Australia

Another submission from intrepid Oz photographer, J-owner and enthusiast Peter Bateman:

“The Sydney railway travelling public are treated to the sight of J types at the Museum Underground Station.  The historic station prides itself in maintaining a heritage of old advertising signs and this NRMA poster is the one to capture my eye.  The NRMA sponsor the annual MotorFest on Australia Day, January 26 each year and I can guarantee there is at least one J there each year. Pop along”


Update on J/R 4875

From Peter Bateman:
Progress is dedicated and thorough with J/R 4875.  The custodian, Michael Freeman, has found many helpful folk near to his workshop to make new bits.  Latest is his very accurate remaking of the original steel floor.  The original panels, whilst in ‘serviceable but needy’ condition were remade and now are just like they should be. When Michael purchased the van a great deal of work had been done on the chassis and engine by the previous custodian some years ago.  Michael has found that ‘playing around’ with the so called running chassis does have it’s merits!  There were leaks in the fuel tank and carby!  No longer though as fuel tank was easily removed, repaired and given a very good chemical seal.  The carby just needed a little TLC.
It is great to see another lover of the mighty J take so much care in restoring 4875 to it’s former glory.
The pile of bits is a snap of the old floor (owners and enthusiasts in the UK will not have seen metal floor panels before!). The front shot shows the “new” grille which Michael got from Charles Williams (who restored J/R 1102 and J/R 8402) the third snap is the underside of one of the floor pieces.  Then the handsome one is Michael Freeman and the bits in situ.