1953 Jowett Jupiter - Racecar - Green Team

Freshly rebuilt race engine collected yesterday - now just have to get it installed ready for the forthcoming historic racing season 

Collected late yesterday afternoon 



Along with a freshly rebuilt race engine 



Both now in the workshop 



More to come next week when I get back from Revival 

Just some of the challenges - the port flanges required increasing in diameter



And the new carb stacks required fettling to ensure that you could clear the nut to stud setup 



The water pump support tower had been previously 'Got At' by someone and a replacement from my own stock was sourced 





Various parts that were looking tired in the cosmetics department were cleaned, prepared & primed 



Then painted 



Carb linkage replaced with a much less worn & straight one 



Fresh gaskets made up & fitted 



Questionable items binned & replaced - In this case the oil pressure pipe 





Radiator header tank was all wrong running an open system hence this was scrapped 



New header tank bracket fabricated & fitted 


 
Along with a new tank which shall be plumbed as a closed loop system 



New engine fitted and we are working our way through various bracket modifications in order to allow the fitting of the engine axillaries  



Some rerouting of wiring & coolant hoses is being undertaken at the same time in order to tidy / simplify the engine bay layout 

Work on the car has been pretty non stop with little time available for updating the thread - numerous improvements made with bracketry / fastenings / access to parts 



But we now have the engine running - run up at 2,500rpm for 20 minutes - this to bed the new camshaft in 



We tightened a few hoses & replaced another that wouldn't seal correctly 



Loaded to the trailer and delivered to Tom Airey 



Left with Tom & his dyno for a few hours 





With the results jotted to scrap of paper 



All the upper figures are the new jets fitted to the reworked webber carburettors - the important figure reveals 90 BHP at the engine @ 4,200rpm - Excellent news as the engine will rev to circa 6,000rpm once fully run in - This has potential for 110 BHP +++ (great for a engine that in standard form produce 60 BHP) given that there are next to no off the shelf engine tuning parts / race parts we couldn't be happier   



After further tweaks once we arrived back at the workshop the car was reloaded to the trailer again - we are just heading out for a track day / further testing - more later 

Tom - Is a nice chap and has been old school tuning for over 60 years (He's in his 80's) - Certainly know his onions from his shallot's - don't expect any fancy spreadsheets with graph's indicating BHP etc - He's as old school as you can get - scrap of paper with the jettings & BHP is what you get along with his knowledge & experience - He's not far from your doorstep either but don't expect to hang around whilst he works his magic that is not how he works - leave it with him for a couple of hours and he will have it sorted    

Clutch cover & plate removed revealed a burnt plate and a very badly scored cover 



Harry was over just after breakfast to deliver a new plate & cover - these are bespoke race parts made to order and not available off the shelf 



Whilst Scott dealt with the clutch issues I placed the old race engine outside to be degreased & pressure washed 



Likewise with the car 



A number of issues with the clutch then transpired to a very frustrating day 



Meanwhile I removed the tail shaft & side cover from the very incontinent gearbox which leaked oil at an alarming rate 



New gaskets were cut and with everything cleaned back the box was reassembled



The gearbox is also a custom build - whilst the casing remains original the gearsets are straight cut for faster gear changes and improved power transmission - it creates far more internal pressure than a standard gearbox 



I've added a breather to the disused speedo drive port which should help 



Back to the clutch then - fitted & removed just some 8 times over the course of the day with all sorts of issues addressed and therein is racing for you - Sometimes you can reap in glory but for most of the time its bloody hard work - 2 experienced chaps working at the coal face all day to address various issues with what should be a simple mechanical operation - With a rare car where parts are not just available off the shelf - things have to be altered / adjusted / fabricated and when you don't hold direct access to a machine shop it becomes incredibly frustrating - Fortunately both myself & Scott are capable of standing back & assessing problems along with thinking outside of the box - The gearbox is now ready for refitting and we should have the engine / gearbox refitted & running by mid morning    
 

This is the old lower bonnet spoiler - fabricated in steel - its a mess !!



Initial curvature formed & trial fitted 



Then trimmed back 



Lower flange for strength & end returns added 



Bonnet tie down straps added 



Meanwhile Scott is resolving various issues elsewhere on the car 



Relocation of the fire extinguisher system to bring the weight towards the rear of the car 



New support welded in to the superstructure to support the system 



At this stage we discover that the incorrect parts have been sent to extend the routing of the system and return the extinguisher to its original position in the bulkhead toe board



Lamps & trim are removed from the body 



Todays job for Scott is remake the wiring harness for the bonnet 



The one removed is utterly goosed / ill thought out & executed 



Sid continues to pay his inspection visits and offer encouragement 

Scott modified the sump pan



By creating an opening in each baffle with a door to prevent oil serge when the car is the corners 








Meanwhile the bonnet was squared up 



Filler skims applied as required 



Then profiled back 



Revisions to the bonnet wiring harness made and the relays transferred to the bulkhead 



Bonnet & bulkherad ready for polyester primer 



Along with the front spoiler 



Primer applied 



Along with the guide coat 



Profiled back upon curing 



Followed by the paint 



A mammoth effort in time management & logistics - we are due in Spa in less than 24 hours time - The paint is far from perfect & doesn't match the rest of the car - but it is what it is - we had to work through the night to get the car to this stage   

Great team effort. Hope all goes well in Spa.