The owner/creator/builder of this wonderful modified J-type writes: “L300 front end bolted into place on original J Type rails. Has been modified with later Mitsubishi Express rack and pinion steering set up. Jag E-Type rear end bolts in too, but has retained most of the original ‘cage’ (Jag lingo for the pressed-metal housing that all the hotrodders discard). However, the trailing arms and bottom shock mounts have been arse-abouted with each other, that was so the rear spring-damper units could retain their original angles yet the top mounts could be simply welded on the outside of the chassis rails, rather than inside (Way too much angle and therefore massive preload) or the only other option of hacking into chassis rails to form top shock mount brackets, which would’ve been nigh impossible without losing too much strength of rails. In the cab area, my brief was to have every control and facility as ergonometrically identical as possible with the original set up. I have even made up a copy of the throttle pedal, but it runs on sealed bearings through the 1″ x 2″ RHS steering column supports. The Lonely brake pedal is actually a J-Type clutch pedal with a cross over shaft to the Ford Fairmont master cylinder/booster poking through the floor. The 1-inch SHS hinged engine cover allows the XJS Jag bucket seats to be in the same pozzy as per. The missing cowl will actually allow the passenger to travel completely NOT in the manner of a contortionist. Although, I must admit, that engine cowl made an excellent passenger’s footrest on long trips. There will obviously be an overgrown version of the radiator section of the cowl, and I figure it will extend from one side to the other, taking in the uprights of the steering column support. The tray will be retained somehow, as I couldn’t imagine a J without one.” Photographs and text copyright Kelly Ashton, March 2011

If anyone else out there would like their J-type featured in this blog, please send in a few photos and words to go with it. We would really like the blog area of the Register website to become a pro-active area for members to show what they’re up to.

Posting the photo sent in by DF set me thinking that I’d seen this scene before. A search through the archives has brought this photo to light, taken from virtually the same spot, this time on a known date – 13. 07. 1956, almost 55 years ago. Well worth comparing with the previous photo, now on the ‘Blog’ page – see button on bar above.

A Register member who also subscribes to ‘Steam World’ Magazine has sent in this copy of a photo that appears in the April 2011 edition. It is a view of Launceston SR station, showing a Standard 2-6-4T at the platform. A Royal Mail J waits outside, parked alongside a couple of lovely advertising hoardings. It’s got to be worth nipping out to your local newsagents and handing over less than £4 to add this to your collection. Thanks DF for sending this!

I don’t know how long this has been available, it’s the first time I’ve seen it for sale anywhere – on Ebay, where else!

A very busy ’60s street scene with J-type in the foreground.

Driving home the other day I heard something on the radio about the South Bank putting on some celebrations to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain. This apparently includes trying to find the remains of the Skylon, a futuristic, cigar-shaped steel structure that became the abiding symbol of the Festival.

Two brightly-painted Forte’s Festival Food J-types (registration numbers OBH 118 and OBH 745) worked as supply vehicles in the Festival Pleasure Gardens at Battersea Park. Wouldn’t one of these be a great thing to recreate…

It’s nearly a fortnight since the Classic Motor Show finished at the NEC, and we’ve finally got all the information together to put up for sale the van that has been promised for a number of weeks now. The owner of the van, Don Dracup, has owned the van for 27 years! Let’s hope the new owner buys it to love, cherish and use in the same way – not just to make a quick profit by selling it on, or parting with the number plate.

Please note that mid-November we will be putting a member’s van up for sale here on the Register website. Details are being finalised!

November 12th/13th/14th. We are delighted to have a stand at the Classic Motor Show again this year, where we will be in Hall 3/3A, Stand number 3C255. We will be directly opposite the Morris Minor Owners Club stand, with the autojumble nearby for a change.

We are even more delighted to announce that Peter Page is bringing his globe-trotting Austin 101 van up to Brum to display on the stand. Excellent news!

A J-Type Register member, Peter Page, has embarked upon a trip to Istanbul in his Austin 101.  He set off from Ramsbury, Wiltshire, on Saturday 13th March.  The van was loaded onto a barge and transported along the Grand Canal in Venice, to St. Mark’s basin.

The actual journey will be Ramsbury – Venice – Northern Greece – Thessalonika – Istanbul – Troy – Ephesus – Cesme – Ancona – Rome – Civitavecchia – Barcelona – Bilbao – Portsmoth – Ramsbury.

This is the second major trip in the van, built as a local delivery vehicle, as Peter has already driven to St. Petersburg in it two years ago.

Click on http://youtube.com/watch?v=JUTaiAPtUes for a short video of the start of the trip