Season’s Greetings from J-type HQ
To J-type owners and enthusiasts everywhere. All the very best for 2012!
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Motoring-related Christmas cards
It’s always nice to receive Christmas cards, and even nicer when they reflect our hobbies. Here are the motoring-related cards that have been sent to Register-HQ so far.
Christchurch NZ in 1960
Iain Booth (ex owner of the Doyles van featured in the previous post) sends this image of the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch, taken in 1960. Despite every effort of the recent earthquakes, the Bridge survives. The Bridge’s foundation stone states “Laid 25th April 1923 by His Excellency Viscount Jellicoe Governor General of the Dominion”. Originally built in grateful remembrance of Canterbury’s Sacrifice in World War 1, the monument now pays tribute to those who served in more recent military activities too.
Moris J gets new livery!
Yet more from our intrepid Oz photographer and reporter of all things J-type. Peter Bateman writes:
“The attached are of Ian Booth’s old van from Christchurch, NZ. Now owned by Ben Doyle of the famous Sydney fish shop family at Watsons Bay, the van has found a new home. Any J enthusiast who wants one of Sydney’s best presented fish dinners can now enjoy their feed whilst looking at a J. After coming across the Ditch (the Tasman Sea for those geography pedants) the van was given the correct documentation for road registration by the local mechanical firm IFIXEM. Then a short transport stage to Bathurst for sign writing before another transport stage back to sunny Watsons Bay.
Not looking too bad for a van which was restored about 8 years ago. Now Iain has a reason to visit the Big Island!”
We have added the photograph and three others to MORIS J’s gallery page.
What a way to display a J!
Peter Bateman, Oz photographer and reporter on all matter J-down under, sends this photo to amuse all J-type owners and enthusiasts. Jealous? You bet!
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.
Goodwood Revival 2011
I’m back from attending the Revival – a long drive home, reaching Birmingham around 10.30pm.
High point of the weekend for most must have been the ‘squadron scramble’ which saw TEN Spitfires take off, display in formation and then all land – a fantastic sight and an awesome sound from the nine Merlin, and one Griffon, engines.
There were FOUR J-types on site: 5003 NX, Hardy Engineering’s 221 EMF, custom van 344 CNM, and LVJ 61 in Kenwood’s livery. Over the next couple of days there will be a new page for the event, so if anyone out there has photos to add, please submit them by contacting via the ‘contact us’ facility at the bottom of each page.
More from Down Under!
J/R 4875 the ex John Beaton van #1 after making an 1800 kilometre (1125 mile) journey from Victoria to Queensland last Easter has been to the ‘exfoliant beautician’ (sandblasters) and is now ready for some metal work. Michael Freeman, who owned Kelly Ashton’s ex Lorraine Dry Cleaners J type in his youth has started this project with the intention of doing it once, doing it well. The only way to approach long term restoration. This van, which has an original steel floor and early shock absorber mountings is set to be a great addition to the almost 50 known J types in Australia. We will be watching this project closely.
Peter Bateman
