Progress with the Restoration of PK2613

Update No 13

(1928 Trojan 3 Door Tourer ex Joe Pidgeon)

The secretary has continued with what might loosely be called the

“commissioning phase” of the rebuild of his three-door tourer. Having emerged

Covid free from the second lock down I entered the car for the second Defford

Rally with renewed confidence and after the previous tribulations, what could

possibly could go wrong? Accompanied by Peter a lifelong friend with

extensive experience of vintage and classic vehicles we set out for the Drum

and Monkey. With blue sky and sunshine and light traffic we had just overtaken

a lycra clad cyclist when the gremlins struck again; the engine coughed and died

and we rolled to a stop in a layby beside the B4080 with petrol spilling from the

carburettor – but why; our initial investigation showed that a bolt had dropped

out of the base of the carburettor. We searched the road but failed to find it. At

this point our Archivists stopped and offered to take me back to Defford to fetch

the trailer; with little chance of being able to effect a repair beside the road I

gratefully accepted their kind offer. On my return with the trailer, I found Peter

with three large American tourists admiring the Trojan. Between us we pushed

the car onto the trailer and secured it. They departed wishing us “a great day

with your cute little car”. After getting lost on the wrong side of Defford

aerodrome we found ourselves a cream tea at the air museum. The following

day back in Cambridgeshire we discovered that a sediment bowl had detached

itself from the base of the carburettor. Before returning to Surrey, we discussed

the performance of the Trojan and what improvements were required to make

driving both comfortable and enjoyable. The following items were identified:

 rectify non-functioning battery charging system

 improve engine starting

 carburettor loaned by PP to be returned and a replacement sourced

 top gear not locking in - check gear change mechanism

 front seat back not adjustable – rectify

 steering heavy – investigate and adjust.

The battery charging system seemed to be the key to progress and I was

fortunate to be recommended a retired time-served, vehicle electrician who had

an original Lucas test bench where the dynamo driven by a slave motor could be

set up and run with the battery and regulator. This demonstrated that the diode-

based regulator had failed. I was able to obtain a replica 6 Volt Lucas RB108

Dynamo Regulator and to have the system tested before installation. (Supplied

by Holden Vintage and Classic)

At this point Phil Potter and John Wilton intervened and offered to take the car

to Portchester where the Trojan PH carburettor has been replaced by one

incorporating an integral primer and an isolating ball valve added to the fuel

feed. The front axle castor angle has been adjusted and the front seat

adjustment restored.

On return from the south coast, it was road tested in a torrential down pour Phil

and I ended up being soaked to the skin but the Trojan performed remarkably

well.

The 6V battery which has had little use during the restoration also failed and

has been replaced by one with slightly greater ampere-hour capacity.

Restoration of the six side screens is on- going and a company prepared to make

a new hood to match the original has at last been identified.

Driver confidence and vehicle reliability will I hope be built up with a series of

local runs on rural roads where the open road awaits.

Christopher Tordoff

Steeple Morden,

August 2022