Progress with the Restoration of PK2613

Update No 11

(1928 Trojan 3 Door Tourer ex Joe Pidgeon)

2018 was a game changing year for the Trojan as in August it started and ran for the

first time since 1952; for 66 years it has been languishing in assorted garages and a

barn, rusting and gathering dust and missing a number of minor though essential

parts. Following my retirement in 2008 I had been gradually working my way towards

From May onwards the outstanding wiring was completed, the fabricated starter

motor bracket modified for the second time. Phil, John and Steve paid a visit to

Steeple Morden and decided that starting the engine would be easier with the

distributor restored to its original Delco Remy format and a Trojan AMAC carburettor

and primer fitted in place of the later AMAC carburettor and separate primer fitted

previously.

The Trojan takes a look outside in December 2017

After starting the engine for the first time for 66 years on the 14th August 2018 thanks

installing the seats which had been stored in the roof of the garage for the past ten

years without any inspection, Fitting the transmission chain and adjusting the axle

position and brake, floor boards were required and some were missing from the

original set. Fuel and oil leaks to be rectified if possible or at least mitigated and a

cover provided for over-night protection as we had no hood.

We both set to work John giving up many hours of his personal time to work on the

Trojan. On Friday 31st July the trailer agent telephoned to say that delivery would be

delayed two weeks; in a panic I rang round trailer hire companies and found a four-

wheel vehicle trailer in Kimbolton some 30 miles distant. By the Wednesday before

the Saturday departure date most of the items were complete, one of the stored seats

Rover from e-bay arrived and protected the car from overnight rain. On Saturday we

loaded the essential items for fuelling and servicing a Trojan including 15 litres of

petrol, two grades of oil in plastic containers and a brass syringe found on e-bay and

looking like an item from a veterinary surgery. A tool bag, socket set, wheel brace and

jack completed the collection.

Saturday dawned dry and overcast and we set off for Defford at mid-day stopping to

adjust the tie down straps and wheel chocks at frequent intervals due to the pot holes

and roundabouts encountered crossing Milton Keynes. For once we paid strict

attention to advisory speed limits on bends and hills as we descended the Cotswold

scarp, the trailer wheels tending to lock up alarmingly under braking. We arrived at

It was pushed back and a block of wood inserted to retain it in place. Two bystanders

pointed out that petrol was leaking from under the car. With the floor boards removed

Phil quickly diagnosed the problem as a leaking carburettor float which had sunk

allowing petrol to discharge from the tank continuously. After blaming ethanol as the

likely culprit the cry went up for a spare float and John Wilton miraculously appeared

with a suitable spare, the float was quickly installed and the leak cured. At this point

John noticed that the chain was too loose, the nuts on the axle straps were backed off

and using a metal bar from the workshop adjustments were made to the axle and once

On climbing into the car the owner/driver announced that he had never driven his

laps of the rally field with Phil, I was considered fit to go and Celia Potter an

experienced Trojan passenger volunteered to accompany me. We proceeded down

Glebe Farm drive to the main road and set off towards Evesham. After the first mile

or two I was beginning to enjoy the experience when after a rather poor re-start from a

road junction the axle slipped and the chain began to jump sprocket teeth under load.

A lay-by appeared and Celia suggested a stop was in order to consider options; at this

point Phil appeared driving a modern car having been obliged to abandon his own

Trojan earlier due to the engine running “tight”. He volunteered to see if he could

coax PK 2613 to our destination.

Once under way we rolled along smoothly until a gear band spring detached and a

Shortly after this as we were negotiating a parked car when the chain jumped off the

sprocket completely. At this point a police car appeared and a young PC jumped out

and helped us push the car to the side of the road and to re-engage the chain. He then

drove off without asking any questions regarding ownership or legality. From here we

were in spitting distance of the Royal Oak and we clattered into the car park, stopped

the engine and adjourned to the bar and lunch.

were returned to me and the missing door handle was picked up in the rally field.

During 2019 the restoration will concentrate on the upholstery of the doors and side

panels the seats and finally weather equipment. Based on an alarmingly expensive

quotation I received for the hood, bag, side screens and tonneau cover these items will

have to be acquired in stages. Driver confidence and vehicle reliability will I hope be

built up with a series of local runs on rural roads this coming spring. For now, the car

is in winter hibernation and the open road awaits.

For those recipients of the Updates on the Restoration of PK2613 this is likely to be

the last of the series – thank you for sticking with me. I will however endeavour to