JBA Models From 1982-2000.

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The JBA Models
From 1982 to Year 2001.

This page is to help anyone interested in buying a second hand JBA Falcon.

The first part deals with all the different models from 1982 to the present day and how to spot the differences.

The second part tells you how to read the chassis number and check the year it was manufactured.

The third part deals with buying a second hand JBA.

1982 The Roadster.

The first JBA Falcon was a two seater named The Roadster, which had an all aluminium body, including the doors and a rear sloping section to enclose the petrol tank, reminiscent of the 1930's style. The car was fitted with a vertical windscreen and fiberglass wings. The sidescreens were clip on far larger than the doors. Many people call this the Original Falcon. The car pictured above is a 1985 model.

The car was based on the Ford Cortina and had a lift up bonnet.

The Roadster was in production from 1982 till 1985 and did not have a model identification tag added to the end of the chassis number, as this was the first model.

You can easily spot a Roadster as the bottom of the windscreen frame curves backwards towards the door and is bolted to the side of the scuttle.

Also the doors are made from aluminium.

1985 The JBA Javelin

The JBA Javelin was introduced at the start of 1985 The car was based on the Ford Capri MKII and MKIII. Production run 1985 till 1989 The chassis no. did not have an end tag, instead it was given the prefix FJ

1985 The Plus 2.

Photo courtesy of Ceri Williams JBA Owners Club.

A new model was introduced and was called a Plus Two (Plus 2). This was much larger than the Roadster. The car was fitted with a rear bench seat, able to accommodate two children, up to the approximate age of eight, hence Plus 2.
The car had a steel body frame construction. Also introduced on this model for the first time, was a rear opening glassfibre boot.

The Quickest way to identify this model is to look at the windscreen frame.

It is level at the bottom and does not bolt to the side of the scuttle, instead, it sits on top and is bolted down through the top onto the scuttle.

Another indication is the wider doors, the sidescreens are bolted to the doors and are curved forward from the rear of the doors.

The Plus 2 Was Cortina based and was in production from 1985 till 1988 and was issued with a model identification tag (P2) at the end of the chassis number.

1988 The Sports.

Photo courtesy of John Skillen ex-JBA Owners Club.

Re-introduction of a two seater named The Sports 12feet 6inches long. This was smaller, lower and more sporty looking than the Plus 2 and had a smaller sloping windscreen bolted to the side of the scuttle. The Sports did not have a rear opening boot at this stage. However, a new central body unit was introduced made of glass reinforced fibre. This was the first JBA Falcon to have the cockpit made of Glassfibre called the central boy unit. (CBU). The boot area housed the fuel tank which was closed in using aluminium panels. The Cortina version has remained in production from 1988 to the present time, year 2001.
It is given the identification tag (S) at the end of the chassis number.

1990 The Tourer.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cushley.

The Tourer Cortina based 13feet 9inches long, was a direct replacement for the Plus 2. Owners had the option of having a larger two seater touring car or adding a rear bench seat same as the Plus 2. It can be identified by the sloping windscreen bolted to the side of the scuttle.
The identification letter is (T) at the end of the chassis number. Production run from 1990 to the present time year 2001.

Photo courtesy of Alex Sargent.

1991 The Sports SR.

JBA continued development of their cars using Ford components. Now they turned their attention to the Ford Sierra. The first Sierra based model The Sports was made in 1991.This was same shape as the Sports Cortina version, but involved designing a new chassis and central body unit. The windscreen is bolted to the side of the scuttle. Many improvements have been made to this model in the last nine years, these include a lockable boot, similar but slightly smaller, than the Tourer boot. A sloping radiator grill. Interior and exterior refinements to comply with the latest regulations.
The chassis identification letters are (SR)
The production run 1991 to the present day.

1994 Falcon TSR

Photo courtesy of Phil Whittaker. JBAOC.

The Tourer TSR The correct model name is " Falcon TSR". Had the same treatment as the Sports SR. A choice of a large two seater touring car or with an additional bench seat in the rear.
The TSR like the SR has had many improvements over the last seven years and production continues into 2001.
Model Identification letters are (TSR) at the end of the chassis number.

Shown below are two 1993 models a Tourer (Cortina based) and a Sports (Sierra based) These kits left the JBA Factory in 1993 and were built by their owners. The Tourer was on the road in April 1995 and the Sports in July 1995. These were fitted with the new stainless steel hood retaining bar, instead of studs.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cushley.

This photo shows the difference in height between the Sports & Tourer. The Tourer on the left is longer and higher with wider doors, than the Sports on the right. Both models and the TSR have a sloping windscreen bolted to the side of the scuttle.

Cortina or Sierra Based.

The Quickest way to identify one from the other is to look at the front leg of the chassis where the bumpers bolt on.

This is a Sierra model. The chassis leg is straight where it comes out to meet front flasher and bumper.

The Sierra can also be identified by the wishbone and thin damper and springs under the front wings plus the steering rack gaiters.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cushley.

This is a Cortina. The chassis leg drops downwards from the top to meet the front flasher and the bumper.

In this photo you can spot it with the cable ties fixed to it and the wide Cortina coil springs.

Cortina Font suspension set up is shown below. Note the blue chassis member dropping downwards from the top of the suspension to the front of the car.	Sierra suspension set up is shown below and is coil over dampers. Note the wishbone and the straight chassis leg coming out to meet the front of the car.
Photo courtesy of Mike Cushley.	Photo courtesy of JBA Engineering Ltd.

Sports or Tourer including TSR.

	The Rear of the Sports the wings come almost to the edge of the boot.
	The Rear of the Tourer the boot sticks further out than the wings. TSR model shown.

Other Indicators. The front tray butts against radiator shell on the Sports, but on the Tourer it slides underneath.

1995

The new style sports was introduced in 1995 and was fitted with a sloping radiator grill and rear boot similar to the Tourer TSR.
The difference being the Tourer TSR boot is larger than the Sports. The fuel tanks are different as well. The Tourer TSR is rectangular and the Sports slopes on one side.

Still retains model tag (SR).

The first new style Sports model was built by Derek Bintcliffe from Lancashire.

Remember Models given the SR tag, denotes that the car is Sierra based.
e.g. Sports SR: Sports SRi: and Falcon TSR (Tourer TSR) are all Sierra Based.

SRi denotes sports fitted with fuel injection engine. Retains model tag (SR).

All the models could be fitted with various types of engines. It was the owners builders choice.

Chassis Numbers

A vehicle identification plate bearing the chassis number is supplied by JBA and fixed by the builder in prominent position, usually in the engine bay. However this number is also stamped on the chassis.

How to read a chassis number.

FF95078605SR

Above is how a chassis number is stamped by JBA Engineering Ltd. The number above is an actual chassis number and belongs to the JBA Factory Demonstrator Sports SRi. Below is how to interpret it.

Prefix	Year of Manufacture	Number of Models made	Month Chassis built	Identity Model Type
FF	95	0786	05	SR

Normally a JBA takes from 1 - 2 years to build. However builders can take a lot longer, through a variety of personal reasons.

A chassis number depicting 1993 might not be on the road till 1995 or even longer.

JBA Retaining Donor Car Registration Number

The registration document (log book DVLC), although changed to show JBA Falcon takes its year of manufacture from the original donor. In my own case I used a 1983 Sierra and bought my kit in 1993. The log book states JBA Falcon year of first registration 1983. This is the date the Sierra was first registered. The JBA kit was purchased ten years later.

Q Plate JBA

A Q registered car takes it date from the second Registration. For example A 1975 registered Cortina is used as the donor car. The builder uses this car to build a JBA in 1985. The build is completed by 1987 and when presented for registration it is given a Q plate. The log book will show JBA date of first registration 1987.

Buying Secondhand.

Remember to allow for the build time when buying one. The advertised date given, could be the date the chassis was made, or the date when the car was finally built and first on the road. The chassis number will tell you this.

There are no rust problems with the JBA. The chassis is separate and is four inch by two inch steel section. The body is constructed of aluminium and glassfibre.

Check that the chassis has not received accident damage.

If buying from a dealer check the chassis number using the guide above. Dealers do not know a lot about these models and confuse the models, even to such an extent as saying it is Sierra based, when in fact it is Cortina based.

The Body.

There are very few problems with the body and those that do appear are easily rectified. The main problems that you may find are the glassfibre CBU flexing round the door areas at the door hinges or the door lock striker plate. This sometimes happens if the builder forgets to use mild steel plates or brackets in these areas, but they are easily made up.
The Roaster model 82-85 was fitted with a wooden floor, check the condition of the floor.

Spare Wheel & Boot.

On some builds the spare wheel can be a bit wobbly, but once again all it needs is mild steel brackets fitted behind on aluminium booted models and wooden backing on the glassfibre opening boots. Aluminium edging trim can be purchased from people such as Woolies.

Interior.

The interior can suffer from normal wear and tear, but as the panels are individual they can be recovered with material of your choice.

The Dashboard can also be rejuvenated using the existing instruments, by making up a new dash out of Marine Plywood or your great aunt's favourite wardrobe. Veneer and imitation veneer like on modern cars is available from outlets such as Europa.

Carpets can be changed quite easily.

Mechanical.

A normal check, as with any car, to make sure it is roadworthy.

Check the engine for wear and change the cambelt for a new one. Same with the fanbelt, oil & filters, fuel filters etc.

All JBA models are based on Ford cars and spares can be obtained quite cheaply from local motor factors and other outlets. Things like ball joints, steering parts, water pumps, hoses and belts etc.

Below is a list of dates of registration prefixes showing the year they were issued.

JBA 123A

A123 JBA

Jan 63-Dec 63	A	August 83-July 84	A
Jan 64-Dec 64	B	August 84-July 85	B
Jan 65-Dec 65	C	August 85-July 86	C
Jan 66-Dec 66	D	August 86-July 87	D
Jan 67-July 67	E	August 87-July 88	E
August 67-July 68	F	August 88-July 89	F
August 68-July 69	G	August 89-July90	G
August 69-July 70	H	August 90-July 91	H
August 70-July 71	J	August 91-July 92	J
August 71-July 72	K	August 92-July 93	K
August 72-July 73	L	August 93-July 94	L
August 73-July 74	M	August 94-July 95	M
August 74-July 75	N	August 95-July96	N
August 75-July 76	P	August 96-July97	P
August 76-July 77	R	August 97-July 98	R
August 77-July 78	S	August 98-Feb 99	S
August 78-July 79	T	Mar 99-July 99	T
August 79-July 80	V	Aug 99-Feb 2000	V
August 80-July 81	W	Mar2000-Aug2000	W
August 81-July 82	X	Aug2000-Feb2001	X
August 82-July 83	Y	Mar2001-Aug2001	Y

My Thanks to JBA Engineering Ltd. for their help in explaining all the different models and pointing out quick ways to Identify them, as with the chassis numbers. Also to the JBA Owners Club Members for Photographs of their beautiful cars. Not forgetting my mate Mike Cushley.

Use the Contents page to work your way round this site. Use the Site Map for the Build Pages.