MGapr11 Bulletin no 60 - The Triple-M Register

Spare Wheel Carrier - Apparently trouble with the qualitycontrol of the chrome plating, meant that later cars had onlythe obviously visible parts plated, the rest being painted bodycolour.Headlamps - “All J2s had Rotax headlamps” is probablymythical, as far as the author is aware. The Rotax lights hadflat bottomed bases to fit the early support brackets. The laterones had recesses in them to suit the the rounded bottoms ofthe Lucas lamps. Lucas owned Rotax by this stage, later onlyusing the name on aircraft equipment, and marketed theirL140 and L150 lamps under the Rotax name, having fittedRotax badges where “King of the Road” badges rightly havebelonged. Sometimes these had Rotax stamped on the base,sometimes nothing, and sometimes Lucas! They also marketedthe PLC lighting/ignition switch with “Rotax” on the bezel,but “Lucas” moulded into the Bakelite body. Did they everbadge their sidelights as Rotax?Horn - Another possible myth is that all J2s had a Klaxonhorn. At this time the L2 used a Lucas Altette horn; possiblemany J2s did as well. However only one horn exists in theParts List.Door Locks - The Parts List has two types of locks, latchesand handles – “Mulliners” and “Carbodies”; the latter havinghandles that are handed. These are never seen these days,so presumably only the early cars had Carbodies equipment.Rear Axle - The Parts List notes that there are two typesof crown wheel and pinion housing – one steel and the otherin aluminium. These may have been fitted randomly, but it islikely that the early cars had the aluminium variety, which wasreplaced by steel as the ali was found not to be strong enough(as the trials drivers soon found out). The change may havecoincided with the change of hub seal and retaining ring. Theold type finished on axle 72/1500 and the new was introducedon 117/1. Could this change in numbering system imply achange of axle manufacturer, or was this done in house byMorris?