J40
Toy Car
How
did the J40 come to be produced
It was in 1943 that Parliament passed an act that recognised that
many miners were been struck down with what the miners called "The
Dust" (pneumoconiosis’s). The Government decided to encourage
employers to give ex-miners employment. Leonard Lords had taken
this to heart and decided that those (in this case South Wales
miners) who had been cut down by this respiratory condition could
still earn a wage. It was stated that in 1945 there were over 5,000
miners suffering from this disease. The plan was that they would
build a Toy Pedal Car based on the current models. To keep the cost
down, it would use metal off-cuts.
It was Leonard Lord, Chairman of the Austin Motor Co who in April
1946 summoned Rod Phillips who was an Artist attached with the Post
War Planning whose brief was to look into the future of how the
factory would look in the Post War period. He was joined by Jim
Blaikie who had join him after serving in the war, (it was a
government directive that any person who was employed before the
war, his employer would have to offer them their old job back on
returning to civilian life.
Both Rod and Jim had no experience of body design and the tooling
needed. This is where a third member Alf Ash joined the team who
had the expertise.
The team were given a disused workshop in South Works in which to
set up a design office and experimental build. So it was down to
looking at the specification.
a)
Suitable for children in the age range four to nine.
b) Most be able to have room in the front for a smaller brother or
sister.
c) Bonnet and boot to open.
d) Lights that work along with a dummy engine
So
starting from the bottom, the first think was to look at what was
the smallest tyres available. This turn out to be Dunlop 12 inch
cord tyres which were fitted on 8 inch wheels. The body had to
mirror the range of full size models with the alligator bonnets,
chrome grilles along with the characteristic
headlamps.
Producing
a full size car is easy as all the tools and processes are in
place. The main problem, how do you produce a car for children, so
it was necessary to take measurements of a child. Alf Ash was the
only one of the team of three who had children. So his eight years
child Marcia was measured that very night. From these measurement
next day a full size 2D template was made. Now the engineering
drawing can be worked on.
Leonard Lord who started the ball rolling made frequent visits to
the workshop to see how things were progressing. He often made
suggestions which were not always taken up. The launch date which
had been planned for the Austin Progress Convention in June was
getting closer, so it was decided that more staff were needed. This
hole was plugged when two sheet-metal workers joined the team. The
next thing was to design the facia, which had two dials, one the
speedometer and the other split into three, Fuel, Oil pressure and
Ammeter. An engraved plate, which said ‘This Car was built In The
Austin Works By Disabled Men.’ This statement was incorrect as the
cars would not be made at Longbridge.
The
seats were constructed on a plywood frame to which springs were
attached, this was then covered by brown leathercloth then the full
length pleats were stuffed with horse hair, this work was carried
out in the trim shop.
Various other items were needed before the Pedal Car was ready to
show to the public. A final coat of deep maroon paint was applied,
a colour suggested by George Harriman.
So what was still missing, a number plate, but what shall we call
the car, although various suggestion were put forward, at the end
of the day, Leonard Lord finally came up with JOY 1, because he
said “This car is going to give joy to many
children”
Photo
call for Marcia in Joy 1
The
next stage was to take the official works photographs, so the
services of Alf’s daughter Marcia was needed yet again.
I referred to the Austin Progress Convention earlier, this was a
mile stone in the history of The Austin Motor Company celebrating
the One Million Car (Austin 16) produced at Longbridge, the date 25
June 1946. As Leonard Lord was coming to the end of his speech
about the achievements made by the company over the 41 years. He
said “ I have a little surprise”, where upon he unveiled JOY 1 and
then went on to explain to the guests where they would be
made.
Longbridge
Old Showroom
So
now it was on to the next prototype, JOY 2, this had to be made a
lot lighter and be capable of been manufactured. Various changes
were made, the main change was to improve the pedal system, by
converting from bicycle motion to the forward backward system. With
these changes made, the car was loaned out to management families
to see how it would coup with the real world of children.
The next chapter was to look at a complete change of direction. Jim
Blakie decided it would be nice to build a model based on the
pre-war Twin-Cam racers, so from memory (no pictures available) the
project was started and called Joy III. A lot of the mechanical
components could be used, the wheels were the same, but instead of
the large hub caps a Austin 8 petrol filler cap was used. As it was
a single-seater it was necessary to reduce both track measurements,
with the rear shorter that the front. It was finished in white with
Red wheels and trim and brown leather straps holding the engine
cover in place, a decal displaying the number 3 giving it a racing
image and also showing that it was the third prototype
made.
JOY
III (Pathfinder)
It
was at this junction that the team moved from South Works to East
Works, known to most of the workforce as the Aero Factory into a
new workshop which they christened Joy Car Department East Works.
It was around this point that George Harriman, Works Manager asked
Jim to take JOY III down to Selfridges in London to find out first
hand if they would be willing to sell them.
Unknown to the team the Austin Experimental Department had been
given the task of producing a wooden mock up of a pedal car, using
the rear end of JOY 1. The front end would be based on the A40
Devon which had not been announced yet. Jim’s first reactions on
seeing the model, was we will never sell that, it's a
monster.
It was time to start on the next phase, JOY IV which would have a
front end like the new A40 Devon. This meant that they needed
access to the full size drawings, which were not forthcoming, but
were allowed drawings of the Devon Grille.
Although having seen the full size prototype, it was a case of
memorising what they saw and transferring it on to the JOY
IV.
Soon it was time to show it to management, so an appointment with
George Harriman was arranged. The unveiling ceremony was well
received, its metallic blue body must have looked quite stunning
along with the light fawn leather trim.
B/W
Photo Re-coloured
Production
Stage
Leonard
Lord had got his concept made, so the small team was disbanded and
no further prototypes were made. Jim Blaikie job now was to get new
members for this team who could turn the two prototypes into a
production model. The first task was to break down the body into
separate panels that could be pressed out and then spot welded
together. It was now that tooling and production of JOY III &
JOY IV had to take place. It was around this time it was decided to
call JOY III by the name Pathfinder and JOY IV would now be called
JOY 40, this was soon changed to J40, with the J standing for
Junior.
The tooling was ordered for both models, it was then that various
supplier’s, such as Dunlop and Lucas were asked to quote. One
interesting contract was with Champion to supply sparking plugs
which were actually faulty, so they probable came free. Every item
would have to receive a part number, with some parts common to both
models, like wheels and tyres.
Although the original idea was to use up scrap sheet metal from
Longbridge, this was only possible for small parts, the larger
panels would be produced from fresh steel strip. The Government
were willing to pay for a new factory, so it was decided to build
the factory at Bargoed in Wales. To set the factory up second hand
presses a total of nine were send down from Longbridge. The Body
Sides needed a larger capacity press and so these panels were
pressed in West Works Longbridge
Whilst this was going on the prototype team were disbanded, each
one going back to there original jobs, Jim Blaikie actually leaving
the Company in the early part of 1949.
The factory in Bargoed was starting to take shape, and covered an
area of 24,500 sq ft. This included a production area along with
stores, offices and canteen. An up to date medical centre was
essential for the work force who would be employed, and staffed
with nurse and a part time Doctor. Twice a year the hospital in
Cardiff would send a team along with a mobile X-Ray machine, to
check on the workforce.
Junior
Car Factory Bargoed
Although
the Government funded the factory, Austin still had to pay rates,
but this was reduced to 50% because only disabled staff were been
employed on the production side. It was decided to get the plant up
and running by Christmas 1948, in fact things were slipping badly
and the factory was not finished till January 1949. With a manager
installed and various staff from Longbridge arriving to install the
necessary equipment. One interesting piece of new equipment was a
process supplied by Carrier Engineering for the preparation prior
to painting of the bodies. The process was called the Rotodip which
the company were hoping to get Austin to installed at Longbridge.
The process involves putting the welded body on to a shaft that
rotates as it goes through baths of metal preparation chemicals.
The management at Longbridge must have been impressed as the
process was later installed in West Works.
A40
Farina's going through the Rotodip in West Works
It
was decided in the early stages to make the Pathfinder version
first, the main reason for this is that the main body was only two
pressings, and these were been made at Longbridge. With less parts
than the saloon version it was easier to bring it out first. The
first public advert for the cars was by Selfridges in June 1949
although the company had contacted their dealers in mid May stating
that “Delivery of Pathfinders will commence almost immediately, and
the ‘Joy Roaster’ will be in production in about three months
time.” Supplies were slowly been built up, ready for the official
opening of the Factory in July 1949. The press were quite intrigued
by the cars and gave the company much valuable publicity, although
I don’t think there were any free samples given away. It appears
that the Pathfinder was joined by the Roaster at the end of 1949,
which was just right for the Christmas period. The cost of the
Pathfinder was £25. 4s with the Roaster at £20. Production figures
for the two models is unknown, as no figures were kept before
1955.
In the early years the workforce was around the 110 mark, but in
1953 suddenly increased to just under 150. From then on it rose
nearly every year until it reached a peak in 1965 employing 514.
The reason for this increase was that over the years the factory
had the presses and welding equipment to produce other small
components needed by other factories in the BMC empire. Parts such
as rocker covers, timing covers and number plates were the main
items,
The miners having worked in different pits, were now doing work
that meant learning new skills. It must have been quite alien
working in a factory, if you had only ever worked in a mine. One
thing that some found hard to except were the hours starting at 8
am and finishing at 5 pm, because they were used to working from 6
am to 2 pm.
It was on the 12th
January
1962 when disaster hit the factory, the night shift around 10pm
were aware of the smell of gas and reported it to the foreman.
Minutes later there was a loud bang and the whole roof was blown
off in the paint section. A temporary partition was erected closing
of the paint section so that the rest of the factory could
continue. Although the workforce were shaken no injures were
recorded, and everyone carried on, as there were orders to get out
even though it was very cold,
Later that year an additional factory unit was built to produce the
door pockets for Mini and 1100 models. But in 1971 it was decided
to close it down because the glue that was used was effecting the
health of the workers.
On the 15th
September
1971 the last of the Joy Car were made all of them going to UK
customers. At this point the production total from 1955 to 1971 was
32,098, it is believed that the figure from 1949 to 1955 was about
1,500 Joy Roaster and over 3,100
Pathfinders.
Assemble
Process
As
stated earlier, the Pathfinder were the first to go into
production. The main components were the body, trim, front and rear
axles, pedal assembles and wheels and tyres.
With the Pathfinder it only had two main pressings which were
supplied from Longbridge. The pressings were spot welded together
along with the facia and seat panels. As you can see from the
picture below, after having a pre-treatment via the Rotodip and
primer it passes to the paint spray booth. It would be hand sprayed
and as can be seen in the picture the bonnet travels separately.
They were available in Cream with Red Trim and also Wheels and
Grille, the other option was Red body with Beige/Tan Trim and
Silver/White wheels and grille.
Paint
Department
Assemble
of the Pedal Mechanism
This
shows assemble of the various items, including the parking brake
which when operated pulls a band round a drum on the rear axle. The
body is supported by a jig.
All
in line just waiting for the wheels
Welding
Line
There
we see both Pathfinder and Saloons
Assemble
of the saloon on jigs which can be turned over to work on the
underside
Packing
the J 40 for export
Photo
call for the last one made
Although
the factory stopped making the J40 in 1971 it did continue to
produce small metal pressings for Longbridge under the Austin Rover
and then for Rover Group, but closed down on the 30th April
1999.
Your
never to early to start
__________________________
The Pedal Cars were also used mainly at fair grounds
This
show's a ride that was built in 1955 by Hayes Fabrications of
London, it includes 10 cars that are connected together to form a
train. Number one and number six cars have a 110 Volt electric
motor driving the rear wheels. This actual ride was restored to it
former glory by john Carter
GENERAL
SPECIFICATION:-
Treadle
operation with pedals adjustable for leg reach. Drive taken through
right-hand rear wheel only to give differential action. Three
position adjustable handbrake, operating asbestos lined brakes.
Pressed steel hubs revolving on roller bearings. Pressed steel
wheels fitted with Dunlop 12.5in x 2.5in pneumatic tyres. Spring
spoke steering wheel with easy direct action. Pressed steel
bodywork with felt-padded seating and leather cloth upholstery.
Dummy OHV engine complete with sparking plugs and leads, under
bonnet. Chromium bumpers front and rear. Brilliant overall finish.
Two 4.5 volt batteries to operate horn and twin build-in
headlamps.
DIMENSIONS
Lenght 5ft 3in
Width 2ft 3.5in
Height 1ft 10in
Weight 95 lbs