David Reilly wrote: ↑Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:23 pm
Glyn,
Great stuff!
To archive it, how about an article on battery 'originality' for the Newsletter.
The original Lucas battery in my car keft it so long ago that I cannot really remember it.
I do know that 'back itn the day' they did not have that garish 'Lucas' label.
Cheers,
David
Hi David ~ I don't know if I know enough about battery originality over S Type production to produce a worthwhile article. Does anyone? There is method in my madness. I'm about to decal my car & Dave was asking questions. I'm sticking what I have witnessed around the world during my long winded rebuild, due to an expat global job, out there for comment. I'm not suggesting it is definitive & go to pains to explain that. Push back/alternative experience from others allows me to decide on what I will do & we all help one another & learn in the process. Remember I decided to rebuild an SA CKD car (No 4 numerically built at CDA) to British spec so I've had to try & research every item & then decide what I would do. e.g the bonnet latch & lock was pre assembled & sprayed over by Browns Lane. In SA they were fitted in their plated form afterwards. Rebuilding back to SA standard is impossible as too many of the "local content" materials are simply no longer available. You can't even get a Silverton period, look alike radiator.
What Lucas battery style did your car come with? I remember a black raised Lucas moulded into the casing of a family car. That's all. The "garish 'Lucas' label" seems to be accepted by many Jag clubs around the globe on concours cars but that does not make it right. It might just be expedient due to availability of the decal. I am told that this Lucas branding started in the 1960's. Lucas used some garish branding on the S range of batteries in the late 50's.
As I said to Alan Wiedie who has helped me with numerous items (a kindred spirit) ~ I have been closely studying the S Type for the past 30 years. While some things never changed it is extremely difficult to restore to any single standard as no such thing exists. Because somebody took delivery of a car new from Browns Lane & have owned it ever since is no guarantee that a car produced 3 weeks later would be identical. It likely won't be. Bring the South African assembled S Types from both the CDA Plant in East London & Cape Town Plant in Blackheath into the equation and the water is further muddied. All one can do is one's best & try to have a photographic record of new production at one time close to your production date to back up your decision as to what is "standard". Books from James Taylor, Andrew Whyte et al are full of errors. Taylor has attempted to rectify some of that in his latest book but sadly much by total omission.
I'm extremely reluctant to archive anything because then the learning tends to cease & that crystallization is considered definitive ~ even when later information might come to light & prove it partially or totally incorrect. Even this little exercise has convinced me that I won't be attaching a polarisation decal to the regulator. I think it is likely that they were only attached to RB340's sold as a spare part. I will apply the yellow crayon marking. This might change with further research.
It is why I enjoy generating discussion on this great & sadly underutilised resource.
So I'll pass on a definitive battery article for now ~ If I ever feel bold enough to consider that I have all the info I will let you know. I certainly don't now.
We do know that the first 1961 Series 1 E Type flat floor's came with this Lucas battery.
- Lucas bat.JPG (76.83 KiB) Viewed 1587 times
I will continue to research batteries in S Types.
