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Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6137 Posts |
 Posted - 07/01/2011 : 20:33:54
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All the standard reference literature suggests that the J2s had weather equipment to match the car's colour. Did this in fact happen in practice and if so, is the coloured hood material available today? The photos of my (green) J2 in its youth would suggest that the tonneau was certainly not black and was perhaps fawn/beige rather than being a dark(ish) green to match the coachwork. Can anyone say for sure?
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David Allison
United Kingdom
665 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 12:53:00
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Simon
I am reasonably sure that the material was black originally - however you could probably have requested and paid for a different clour.
It is also reasonable that the tonneu in the picture above was (at one time) black but had faded in the sun and rain.
Certainly the tonneu on NA0307 fades to a pale grey during a few summers.
As the material ages I treated it to regular re-blacking with cherry boot polish but once faded the colour returns to grey as soon as it gets wet.
In the 60's the cars were often fitted with hoods and tonneus made from the more modern plastic materials (probably because they were cheaper) and these were certainly available in a range of colours.
Hope this helps.
Regards David |
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kimber
United Kingdom
1529 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 16:21:12
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Quite an interesting photo. What is happening in the background? A row of cars of apparently the same make? (Sorry to digress from the original posting).  |
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BobRichards RIP
United Kingdom
238 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 16:57:21
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David, you may not remember this but in the 50s and 60s Double Duck was the cheap and cheerful hood and tonneau material with PVC or vinyl as the 'luxury' spec. Some suppliers would sell either material in various colours, beige being a popular option.
Nowadays of course, double duck is more expensive with mohair available as another spurious alternative. |
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Bruce Sutherland
United Kingdom
1565 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 17:40:48
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Gentlemen,
Beyond 'Double Duck' and Mohair hood and tonneau materials, I offer an alternative which I will be using, a modern convertibles material - 'Stayfast' - which is available in a number of colours in addition to black from: http://www.haartz.com/en/products/convertible_toppings/cloth/stayfast.asp
I was lucky to acquire a roll before retirement.
Bruce. (PB0564) |
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George Eagle
United Kingdom
3240 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 17:42:01
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I tend to agree with David on this one - I think the original weather equipment was black and that over time the colour turns much lighter as it bleached by the weather.
I can recall that in the early days I used to treat the hood of my PA with a hood blackening treatment which Halfords used to sell. Happy days when the PA (PA1238) sat outside all the time and was my everyday transport.
George |
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LewPalmer
USA
3244 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 18:26:24
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I agree with the black hood and tonneau cover, but when I did the research on my J2, I believe I found that the piping on at least the tonneau cover was the same color as the interior.
Lew Palmer
Registrar, NAMMMR |
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PeterL
United Kingdom
1723 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 19:01:27
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Yep!
Piping on the remains of one of the sidescreens on F1344 was green, it might be original...
Car was black with green trim.
Cheers
P |
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Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6137 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 19:43:58
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Thanks for the sudden flurry of answers, guys, I was beginning to think no one was going to respond.
Although the photo in my initial post shows a marked contrast between the colour of the tonneau and the colour of the hood of the car next to the J2, I don't think this is due simply to fading even though the picture was taken in August 1935 when the car was two years old. The additional pictures (below) were taken when the car was pretty new as the shine on the coachwork (and even on the spare tyre) would attest, and it clearly doesn't seem to be a black tonneau.
As for the row of identical cars in the first photo, the picture was taken at the 1935 Ulster Grand Prix (motor bikes, that is) and I think these are probably charabancs that were used to bring people out to the circuit from Belfast or the surrounding area.
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tholden
United Kingdom
1638 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 21:13:59
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J2's were originally available with weather equipment to match the body colour although I am sure black was also available to be used if you ordered a car painted white or a special colour. Most people have used black for as long as I can remember and coloured material is very seldom seen these days.
In the sixties there were still cars around with their original coloured weather equipment but I never thought it looked very nice and have always used black.
TH |
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Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6137 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 21:49:16
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quote:
Originally posted by tholden
In the sixties there were still cars around with their original coloured weather equipment
So the coloured weather equipment did actually exist after all. I did ask one of my aunts if she could recall what colour the hood was but after more than forty years she had no recollection. And my Dad had died some years before I acquired the car so I never had the chance to ask him. But when I think about it, I doubt if I'd actually opt for a green tonneau, hood and side screens. It might look a bit over powering along with the green paint and green seats! Perhaps I'll go for fawn/biege rather than black though as the original tonneau is clearly a lighter colour than the coachwork.
Thanks to everyone for all the replies. |
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sam christie
United Kingdom
3101 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 23:44:35
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I am sorry but I too cannot resist the digression. Could the vehicles in the background be Crossley (or Lancia) Tenders as used by the police?
Sam |
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Brian Kelly
USA
526 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2011 : 04:12:02
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The row of vehicles in the background don't seem to have Registration plates afixed to the front.
Any comments on that?
Thanks for posting the period photos Simon.
Brian. |
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David Allison
United Kingdom
665 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2011 : 09:47:17
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Simon
I think you missed the point of my argument - the coloured hood and tonneau were available but I think you had to pay extra for them.
The standard car colour was black - customers requesting a different colour had the car re-sprayed at Abingdon prior to delivery.
Terry Holden knows a great deal more about J2's than I do (probably MMM cars in general) and it would appear that if the car was supplied from the factory in green, then it may well have had a green hood, sidescreens and tonneau.
However I stick confirmedly to my point that the colour of the tonneau in the photos is almost certainly faded grey (from whatever the starting colour), rather than proof of a fawn or beige colour. The camera does indeed tell lies - especially 80 years down the line on a black and white print.
Also at 46 (OK 47 in May) I resent "you may remember" with regard to hood materials in the 1960s - I wasnt born till 1964! - I am not THAT OLD despite what my sons would say to the contrary.
Personally though what does it matter what colour the tonneau is - have whatever colour you like and enjoy using the car as soon as possible.
Regards the vehicles in the background of the 1st photo - I think that Simon is quite correct - they are almost certainly charabancs rather than Police vehicles.
I think that the front number plates would have been on the windscreen below the fold - they are hidden on most of the vehicles because the windscreens are folded but you can just make out at least one of them.
Regards David |
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sam christie
United Kingdom
3101 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2011 : 10:33:21
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I believe the flat top bonnets are Lancias and the 'house roof' bonnets are Crossleys.
Sam |
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Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6137 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2011 : 12:00:46
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quote:
Originally posted by David Allison
Simon
I think you missed the point of my argument - the coloured hood and tonneau were available but I think you had to pay extra for them.
The standard car colour was black - customers requesting a different colour had the car re-sprayed at Abingdon prior to delivery.
No, David, I did't miss the point of your argument. But all the literature suggests that the standard weather equipment on the J2s was colour coded (if I might use the modern vernacular) to match the car's colour scheme, not that the coloured weather equipment was a special order.
quote:
Originally posted by David Allison
However I stick confirmedly to my point that the colour of the tonneau in the photos is almost certainly faded grey (from whatever the starting colour), rather than proof of a fawn or beige colour. The camera does indeed tell lies - especially 80 years down the line on a black and white print.
While I would agree that your conclusion is plausible in relation to the first photo, I don't think it holds true for the second one where the car is only a few weeks old and the tonneau is clearly not a new black one (compare how black the hood is on the car beside the J2 in the first photo).
quote:
Originally posted by David Allison
Personally though what does it matter what colour the tonneau is - have whatever colour you like and enjoy using the car as soon as possible.
I agree, but I was really only trying to find our whether the coloured weather equipment was simply a figment of the sales brochure's imagination so to speak or did it actually exist. It's not something that I've seen referred to before and it's always interesting to try and clarify these things.
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Edited by - Simon Johnston on 11/01/2011 12:02:58 |
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