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<\/a>Jim Stokes has been specialising for more than 30 years in restoring, rebuilding, and caring for priceless vintage cars, in particular Alfa Romeo 8Cs from the 1930s.<\/p><\/div>\nWhat no one really knew when young Jim first began his fettling and restoration activities, was that the 8C\u2019s scarcity and illustrious history would eventually make it one of the most sought after vintage cars in the world (auction houses love them for the 7- and 8-figure prices they command).
\nIn the intervening years, JSW Group has built a reputation around the world for 8C expertise, as well as in-depth knowledge for similarly rare and exotic Aston Martins, Ferraris, Jaguars, Lancias, Mercedes, and Rolls-Royces, which pass through for repairs, pre- and post-race TLC and, occasionally, full restorations.
\nFamously, the company has also built six, painstaking recreations of Lancia D50s, and a diminutive yellow Ferrari 156 Sharknose: classic monoposto F1 cars from the 1950s and 60s, respectively. The detail and authenticity of the cars is such that they qualify for FIA passports, allowing them to compete in strictly controlled events reserved for thoroughbred classics.
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<\/a>Of the three Haas CNC machine tools on site, the VF-5 has a 10,000-rpm spindle, while the VF-2 and the VF-6 have a 7500-rpm spindle. Two of the machines have a fourth-axis Haas rotary table.<\/p><\/div>\nToday, the JSW Group has four divisions: Triple M<\/em> focuses on part manufacturing operations; South Shore<\/em> specialises in bodywork and fabrication; Classics by JSW <\/em>is more \u201ceveryday\u201d vehicles; and Jim Stokes Workshops Ltd, which is the group\u2019s best known business. To recreate engines and engine components the company has invested in three Haas CNC vertical machining centres, VF-2, VF-5 and VF-6<\/p><\/div>\n\u201cI knew I needed to upgrade the machines we had,\u201d Jim recalls, \u201cand I knew if I invested in Haas, Tony would consider coming back. I already knew a lot of people using Haas machines, so I had no reservations about buying them.\u201d He had a long-term plan to do as much machining as possible within the business. \u201cIn the early days, my philosophy was to do everything myself,\u201d he says. \u201cBut after five years of working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, I realised I couldn\u2019t do it. However, you give it to subcontractors and quickly realise that they don\u2019t do what you want.\u201d Triple M focuses on part manufacturing and the Haas machines allows them to produce one-offs or batches of better-than-new components, such as cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, valves, crankcases,carburettors, oil and water pumps, and plenty more besides.<\/p><\/div>\n\u201cWe also get a lot of commissions and projects from high net worth individuals around the world. It\u2019s not unusual for customers to ask if there\u2019s anywhere nearby to land a helicopter. Sometimes we need to go to the car if the car cannot come to us; we\u2019re happy to send employees all over the world if necessary.\u201d From its origins more than 30 years ago as a backyard business, Jim Stokes Workshops Ltd (JSW Group) has grown steadily over the years, and now easily fills five spacious units on an industrial estate in Waterlooville, Hampshire, UK. The company employs a team of 50, many of whom are specialist technicians in one of<\/p>\n
\nTriple M<\/em> owns three Haas CNC vertical machining centres: a VF-2, a VF-5, and a VF-6.
\nThe \u201cV8s\u201d, as Jim calls them, allow Triple M to produce one-offs or batches of better-than-new components, such as cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, valves, crankcases, carburettors, oil and water pumps, and plenty more besides.
\n\u201cI like the American engineering, and I like the way Haas machines work,\u201d he says \u201cThey\u2019ve proven themselves as hard working, reliable machines, and they\u2019ve allowed us to bring so much more of our part manufacturing back in-house.\u201d
\nThe story of how the company opted for Haas machines is interesting. Tony Fairbairn, one of the JSW Group\u2019s long-serving machinists, had left the firm to pursue an opportunity at another local company \u2013 in a completely different industry sector, where he was running several Haas machines. JSW missed him, so a plan was hatched to lure him back.
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\nRecreated engines
\n<\/strong>On any particular weekday, The JSW Group garage may contain several Alfa 8Cs, usually owned by media-shy big name collectors or well-known, very successful business people. A frequent visitor to the shop is the 1932 Le Mans 24-hour race winner.
\n\u201cThe owner of that car, like many others, would not race it with the original engine; it\u2019s too valuable from a historic point of view. Instead, we manufacture a replacement engine to his specification. We can do that with engines, gearboxes, and axles, whatever. So if you want to race these things hard, you can do it without damaging the original vehicle. All of the component machining is done on the Haas machines.\u201d
\nOf the three Haas CNC machine tools on site, the VF-5 has a 10,000-rpm spindle, while the VF-2 and the VF-6 have a 7500-rpm spindle. Two of the machines have a fourth-axis Haas rotary table.
\n\u201cWe currently have most of the machine performance and capacity we need. We have to machine very large crankcases for AC engines, and so we need something with 1.6 m of travel, which means the VF-6 is perfect. It has plenty of tools [24 + 1], and we also have a fourth-axis on it, which we use when we run the machine overnight for making parts like stub axles. During the day, we use the rest of the bed for other jobs. For instance, at the moment we\u2019re running cylinder blocks, which we make in two identical halves. We can produce 95 percent of our engine parts using four axes, as the port work is not particularly sophisticated.\u201d
\nA very small part of the JSW Group business produces parts for film companies. For example, the company recently recreated the rear section of the Ford Mustang used in Fast & Furious 6<\/em>, a film that took $788 million at the box office. \u201cWe were asked to make the tail in aluminium,\u201d says Jim, \u201cbecause the film company wanted it to crush on impact like a beer can. We ended up making five versions.
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\nThe Haas machines also produce parts for the group\u2019s Classics by JSW<\/em> division. This is where the company restores, repairs, and rebuilds more \u201caffordable\u201d classic cars, including Porsche 911s, MGs, and even humble Morris Minors. The Haas machines are used to make components that are simply no longer available.
\nJim Stokes is unequivocal and outspoken about the usefulness and versatility of Haas machine tools. \u201cI can take a job, put it on any of the Haas machines, and get the same result in terms of quality and repeatability,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cThe CNC of each machine is exactly the same as the others. The added advantage is, if you can use one Haas, you can use them all.\u201d
\nTony Fairbairn\u2019s insistence JSW invest in Haas machines was well founded. \u201cHe came back to the company and is now machine shop manager,\u201d says Jim. \u201cIn the fullness of time, we intend to upgrade every machine in our workshop to Haas, including, perhaps, some 5-axis machines. Ultimately, the potential in our business is definitely in the machine shop. We have several projects lined up, and if they all come to fruition, the next two or three years could be mind blowing!\u201d
\nThis story also has a video to accompany it.\u00a0 You can find it here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"