Loose Fillings
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News and history of air-cooled racing cars in Australia and beyond GOOD VIBRATIONS Interest in motorcycle-engined racing cars of the ‘40s and ‘50s continues its quiet growth. In this issue of Loose Fillings we note the start of a New Zealand project to LOOSE restore two long-lost JBS 500s, and the LOOSE successful appearance of Australian air- cooled cars as part of what is expected to develop into a major annual gathering of classic motorcycles at Broadford in Victoria. We also record in The Log the regular FILLINGSFILLINGS appearances of air-cooled cars – which is what it’s all about. Lost The Surtees JAP was everything the scene. He spent four and a half years build- Australian 500s 500cc movement promised, being an ing his 500 before it made its debut in April THE owner-built car that was constructed 1960 at Silverdale hillclimb, near and operated on a very limited budget Warragamba Dam on the south-west fringe with considerable success. of Sydney. SURTEES Geoff Surtees worked for the legendary The car was perhaps a typical late-‘50s Fourth in an Sydney tuner Gordon Stewart and was 500, in that it followed what had by then occasional later workshop foreman for Jack Myers, become recognised as conventional main- series JAP another legend of the Sydney motorsport stream 500 design. It had transverse-leaf Loose Fillings #32 WINTER/SPRING 2009 1 and wishbone suspension at each end, steering ratio. Photographs also show Above: Geoff Surtess in the part complete using Fiat wishbones, front uprights and straight tubes later replaced some of the Surtees-JAP possibly in the backyard of Gordon steering-box in a multi-tube chassis. This original curved tubes in the cockpit area, Stewart's workshop. Photo courtesy Jim Robson. had some curved-tube Cooper ideas such and suggest the springs were stiffened to Front page: Geoff Surtees on the Silverdale as Bradnack lugs for suspension brackets, reduce roll. startline. Photo M J Pettigrew. Inset: Roy Gilbert, although the chassis itself was an unusual From the outset the car ran a speedway also at Silverdale. combination of straight and curved tubes. JAP and an upright Norton gearbox. Front wheels were a variant of the popu- Surtees said the engine originally had lar 15-inch Ralt design which in this case about 35 bhp, lifted to 45 bhp after modifi- Schureck’s self-built BB Ariel, which had were unique in having a bolted-on small cations by Charlie Ogden. Surtees also first appeared in 1962 and which was very diameter brake drum, rather than the usual talked of huge vibration below 3500 rpm, similar in general concept. cast-in 8-inch drum. Rear wheels were ini- and such strong torque that the gearbox Surtees’ last outing with the car was in tially Morris 8/40 wire wheels cut down to casing and mounting brackets had to be August 1963, and in October 1963 it 15-inch, later replaced with Ralt rear-pat- strengthened. Late in 1962 the car was appeared with a new owner, Roy Gilbert tern wheels although the brakes remained reported to have had a major engine break- from the NSW Central Coast. He had a lar- outboard. The car ran for some time with age, but it was otherwise highly reliable. rikin sense of humour, but he was serious no bodywork, but progressively acquired a It was also very competitive, Surtees about his hillclimbing and tried to contest Ralt/Lynx fibreglass nose and alloy scuttle setting overall fastest time of day at all the rounds of the NSW championship and side panels, all painted dark red. Silverdale on three occasions and repeat- series, taking the Surtees JAP to a number In an article in Sports Car World in edly lowering the under-500cc record, and of hills where it had not previously 1962, Surtees talked of continuous detail running a best time over the standing quar- appeared. At Silverdale in May 1965 he development, including three changes to ter-mile of 16.02. During 1963-64 the went off the road and overturned, in what seating position and two changes in the Surtees JAP found a serious rival in Brian looked like a relatively minor accident. However, to Gilbert’s considerable sur- LOOSE FILLINGS BY EMAIL & ON CD •Noel Martin-Smith, phone 06 875 8235. prise the car’s chassis was found to have In the UK it’s £10 post free from James comprehensively distorted in the accident. You can get Loose Fillings faster by e-mail •Holland. It was decided the only solution was to (and save us postage at the same time) as For Australia and elsewhere, it’s $A20 post build a complete new chassis, and after just free from Garry Simkin. •follows. six seasons of competition the career of the In New Zealand please email Ian at Surtees JAP came to an end. [email protected]. Most of its mechanical components • In the UK and Europe please email James at [email protected]. were used in its successor, the Gilbert JAP, • For Australia and elsewhere please email which had a Brabham-style straight-tube Garry at [email protected]. chassis and appeared in a remarkably short For Loose Fillings to arrive by post please send time, having its first run in late October Garry Simkin a book of 55 cent stamps 1965, at Silverdale. This car was followed (address on back page) from time to time. in 1968 by a second Gilbert JAP which The first 30 issues of Loose Fillings are now bowed to the inevitable and ran 10-inch available as Acrobat files on a CD, (right) wheels. complete with an index. Copies are available as Although unsprung cars like Dick follows Shoebridge’s 650 Voodoo or the White 500 • In New Zealand it’s $NZ20 post free from driven by Tim Schenken were several sec- Loose Fillings #32 WINTER/SPRING 2009 2 onds faster up Silverdale, Gilbert refused carton of beer. A brickie mate repairs the Advance Racing M in Sydney is ‘’The to consider building a car with no spring- brick fence for a similar price, and Roy Green Goanna,’’ call John on 02 9897 ing, and was vastly proud when the first and his brother buy a sheet of fibro to fix 7551. In South Australia try Peter at Gilbert JAP became the only 500cc car the house. Everything is “as new” except Scotcher Petroleum, 08 8262 2200. My with springs to climb Silverdale in under the new fibro is a different colour, so they Vincent and Norton engines have experi- 40 seconds. try to match the paint. They are halfway enced no problems on Shell. The Morris The first Gilbert JAP was later given a through the repaint when the neighbour line of oils is available from Lubricon in 1200 VW engine and gearbox, and has arrives home and they have to ‘fess up. So Victoria (03 9360 9599) in 30, 40 and 50- since been lost. The second Gilbert JAP is they have a few beers, and they all have a weight varieties. Terry Wright uses this currently offered for sale in our classifieds. good laugh. brand when competing in the UK with his Mark Taylor, who wrote hillclimb reports Graham Howard with John Wright JAP engines. Also available in Victoria is for Sports Car World in the 1960s and was the Lubrimax Speedway range of oils, call a valuable source of detail for this article, EXPERIENCES WITH OILS Minh on (03) 9391 1300 or 1300 721 300. remembers seeing the remains of the ears ago I ran the JBS-Norton on Garry Simkin. Surtees JAP chassis on the wall in Roy Shell XMO High, which was sup- Gilbert’s garage. Geoff Surtees died in posed to be fine with methanol. BITS AND PIECES 1992, as did Roy Gilbert. Y Maybe it was, but it’s a ‘’thin’’ oil and I Roy Gilbert’s informal way of doing • Broadford at Easter was such a success had much wear problem in various areas. I things is illustrated by the following story it seems certain to become a regular Easter then went back to a castor oil, Castrol R40, from sometime crewmember John Wright, event, with air-cooled cars part of the show which was great - no more oil-related wear who also assisted with this article. amongst the classic bikes. This year’s problems. After some engine work by the legendary event was the first time since the very early However the bean counters at Castrol Charlie Ogden, Roy re-assembled the 1960s that Lex Davison’s two Australian here deemed “R’’ to be a slow seller I gath- Surtees JAP the weekend before a hillclimb Hillclimb Championship-winning Coopers er, and it was no longer available, although and wanted to give it a start. When cousin – Garry Simkin’s Mk4 and Neal Videan’s Derry Greeneklee told me it was still Cecil arrived, on a Sunday drive from Mk5 – have appeared together. obtainable in SA some time back. I then Sydney, Ray thought, “Just the man I • The Walkem Vincent, built in Tasmania got on to Shell Advance Racing M, a cas- need.” by Jock Walkem in the mid-1950s and tor/synthetic oil which is down as SAE 30, Roy’s backyard was no good, because raced with a Manx Norton and later with a but a knowledgeable tech guy at Shell told the wheels just skidded on the grass, so out Vincent twin, was found and restored for me some years ago ‘’it’s nearer 40, but as on the road they go, in a residential street Historic racing by Jeff Hodges in the 1980s it’s not really 40 we can’t call it that.” in Long Jetty.