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Yes, understood, Barrie. I jack the car up, using a position that the leaves separate to some degree, then use graphite grease and push between the leaves using a palette knife. The gaiters are then used to cover again and keep out the dirt, grit, salt etc.

Greyhound mascots were a common design in the 1920/30's, representing speed, sleekness and grace - a natural choice for Lincoln Motor Co in the mid-20's, then later their parent company Ford. Accessory companies also manufactured and sold the greyhound. One design, by Casimir Brau, was expensive then and still is today, now an Art Deco collectors' piece. Lalique designed a car mascot showing the greyhound intaglio.

I believe the AC design was first sold as an accessory by Lejeune. The early ones are nickel. They seemed to have been adopted by AC owners. These show the 'AEL' logo of Augustine and Emile Lejeune. A greyhound mascot with AEL stamping, and the AC logo next to it, presumably was a factory order noting customers' likes.

The Lejeune company was under the control of their son, Louis, in 1933. These mascots have a stamped 'LL' but the lettering itself changed in style later becoming more simpler, the LL using straight lines.

In 1933, under the Hurlock management, AC cars were again at the London Motor Show and the brochure for 1933 shows an Ace model with a greyhound adorning the radiator. This greyhound has the front legs extending forwards. The later AC Greyhound model was also illustrated with a mascot. The mascot was not standard, across the range, though most likely offered as an optional extra. The later mascot has the dog's legs tucked-up. These are chrome.

Lejeune continued making this greyhound design (they had others) and it was still being offered only a few years back. These have the LL letters in a circle. Another consideration is that a current member (of long-standing) had a batch of mascots made for the club, many years ago, by Lejeune and these I understand had the AC logo and were numbered. I do not know if any were numbered in the 1930's though there was no reason then, unless possibly to recognise a 'batch' being produced.

I've used Wefco gaiters on a few cars. They were available not only for 'high-end' cars but offered for Austin Sevens.

In my view, they are excellent, in design, manufacture and appearance. They are made-to-measure for both quarter or semi-elliptic. Their design involves leather with an inner lining (felt-like) that holds the lubricant - some cars have oilers and grease nipples within the leather design, some use automatic greasing. The latter came from a company called Jeavons, who not only made the gaiters but supplied special grease guns (company now long gone).

The more well-known company for spring gaiters is Wefco, who were part of the Wilcot company. Wefco gaiters, I think, do look excellent and last 'half-a-lifetime' (photo below on a Rolls). The Wefco design uses strong, waxed(?)laces, which cross over to fit around flattened metal 'hooks', plus straps with buckles. You may find difficulty in tracking down Wefco but they still were supplying as recently as mid-summer this year.

And is the LL in a circle, or not?

Can you tell me please what stampings are on the original mascot, and where positioned?

Thanks!

Copied from Vintage, PVT and 2-litre Forum:

Quote from: administrator on August 31, 2024, 09:28:39
I guess they didn't survive the rebuild of the Forum - apologies but not much I can do.

Disappointing, a great shame to lose those many photos of AC cars and those showing the broader early history of the marque. Over many years, I have posted hundreds of photos in the forum, many of important historical significance that had not been published nor held elsewhere. For example, dozens of unique shots of the AC works in the 1920's, showing the various departments. I remember the postings on the Sports (Montlhery) model that was privately entered in the Monte Carlo rally - a great car - I had never seen those photos before. Then there were the photos of dozens of 1920's and 30's cars, against chassis numbers, by another member. A lot of effort there, and a retrievable archive. In Jonto's case it was a valuable record of a chassis-up restoration of a vintage car. There are many more examples where this single line above doesn't recognise the wasted effort, nor the loss of such valuable material in one place.
In my collection I have dozens of AC related items, sales catalogues (I have them for every year of the vintage period and earlier), press releases, magazine articles, letters and more. When I go 'to the great car park up there' these will go to the National Motor Museum library - they will not be going to the ACOC archive...

I guess they didn't survive the rebuild of the Forum - apologies but not much I can do.

Disappointing, a great shame to lose those many photos of AC cars and those showing the broader early history of the marque. Over many years, I have posted hundreds of photos in the forum, many of important historical significance that had not been published nor held elsewhere. For example, dozens of unique shots of the AC works in the 1920's, showing the various departments. I remember the postings on the Sports (Montlhery) model that was privately entered in the Monte Carlo rally - a great car - I had never seen those photos before. Then there were the photos of dozens of 1920's and 30's cars, against chassis numbers, by another member. A lot of effort there, and a retrievable archive. In Jonto's case it was a valuable record of a chassis-up restoration of a vintage car. There are many more examples where this single line above doesn't recognise the wasted effort, nor the loss of such valuable material in one place. 
In my collection I have dozens of AC related items, sales catalogues (I have them for every year of the vintage period and earlier), press releases, magazine articles, letters and more. When I go 'to the great car park up there' these will go to the National Motor Museum library - they will not be going to the ACOC archive...

It is worth remembering the eligibility rules within the Vintage Sport Car Club.

....the aims of the VSCC is to promote amateur competition for its members using cars constructed either before 1931, or, in certain cases, before 1961; or,, with permission of the Committee, using a conglomeration of components from specified cars built before 1941.

Yes, it is really odd.

I remember this car being on Ebay in 2016. Apparently, some years earlier the chassis, with transaxle, was removed from under wrecks in a scrapyard. The new owner, working in the restoration business, started to build a body from drawings but stopped due to ill-health. The engine was not AC, it was from a Nissan, and there are many other things not right e.g. wheels, dashboard, electrics, steering wheel. The body is wrong in places e.g. windscreen design but there was, at the time, the possibility of either having a usable car or restoring this to being more original. I don't believe it had a V5, so chassis number would have been important for the DVLA.

First couple of photos, below, taken from the video and third photo the car as advertised in 2016.

Didn't meet reserve. Highest bid of £40,000. It's worth more than that. A few years back, I supplied a new and unused original cylinder head for this car.....

Hello Jock

No, not any modification that I'm aware of. That is a known leaking place as there is a leather seal there, Being leather at some point the oil will get through, even by saturation (or conversely lack of use and the seal dries and cracks). The part is no longer available and if, at some time in the future, you remove the axle it is very easily made, to pattern. I have made this seal for my own car but after a season or so it was back to leaking - now I live with it...but it is getting worse again.

For interest which car is it that you are working on, can you advise the Reg or Chassis Number?

Big Col ,the gearbox Jock refers to is on a vintage car, not a PVT, and he correctly describes it as a transaxle.

Jock, you are correct, there are two drain plugs - one for the axle, the other the gearbox. There is one filler which is on the rear axle diff casing. You have drained both units. The method is to fill the back axle to overflow point. You then have to take the car out (or raise it and run it, on axle stands or ramp, so that the axle is in use and back wheels are turning). The crown wheel works a bit like a water-wheel in scooping oil and depositing it in the gearbox top, it goes through a bush filling up the gearbox which has holes for overflowing and return to the axle when filled. It will take about 2-3 more pints.

I know it seems odd to be running the car with no oil in the gearbox but this is the method described by AC in the 1920's. If the car is on stands you can monitor the oil going into the box and top up as the level goes down. If taking the car out, take an oil pourer with you and I would suggest stop, firstly after say 3 or 4 miles and top up (so, some oil now in there), next stop say another 6-7 miles. This method normally requires c.3 stops to ensure the axle reaches overflow and the gearbox is full. The oil has to also travel down the half-shafts to the hubs and also down the torque tube (axle casing to universal joint, meeting the propshaft) - so a final top up could be required. Usually, the total oil is about 6+ pints for the transaxle unit. 

It's 10 years since the last one! What's the chance of another issue???

It's coming along Jonto!

Hi Jonto and Jam2

December 1927, the Bruce's returned from Montlhéry to much acclaim. They had broken the 10,000-mile record and had driven 15,000 miles at an average speed of 68 mph.
The original Montlhéry record car was sold to A J Mollart, who was the toolroom manager (correction to my earlier posting) at AC, Thames Ditton. He trialled PK6322 extensively throughout 1928 and 1929 before the body was removed for a lighter, fabric design in readiness for the Brooklands Double Twelve. This was the link above to the photo of PK6322, now carrying a tourer body.

In 1929 Ray Morley heard of the liquidation of AC and rushed over to buy a car and he purchased the old coachwork of the Bruce's car, mating the two together. His new AC Six was registered as PH 8013, and Ray and the car continued to collect an outstanding number of awards, including on the first RAC Rally in 1932. Ray Morley subsequently traded PH 8013 back to the factory for £25 against an ex-works 16/80.

So, in summary, the Montlhéry car was PK6322. The body was removed and PK6322 then competed with a lightweight tourer body. The original body of the Montlhéry car was fitted to PH8013, competed by Ray Morley, now owned by David Hescroff who has had the car for more than 40 years.

Final part of the story is the original chassis from the Montlhéry car was used to construct a special in the 1950's by John Vessey, a Lancia man, and was likely scrapped around 1960.