Well my RN drips oil. Not an earth shattering thing to admit.

When I bought the car a few year ago I removed the sump and replaced the gauze. I replaced most of the fixing bolts and washers, applying a new gasket with the blue stuff seal.

       

You can see that 2 of the bolts (one each side) have had a problem in the past. I was loathe to fiddle much as I was new to A7’s. I think something like an 6/8mm bolt has been tapped in and a nut used to apply pressure to the sump plate.

On the assumption that the original bolts were meant to be tightened as much as a spanner would allow I hoped that was good enough. No torque settings of course.

Do you have any advice as to how I should proceed with the “funny” bolts or just leave alone?

I tighten the others now and then. Are there any suggested torque settings?

Hi guys

My cousin is working on a ruby 1937 for a friend. He had it running well. Then the next day fired it up and it was terrible. On investigation the valves were all varnished and sticking.   He de coked and replaced all the valve springs. Noting there was a bit of play in the pistons.   After this it was running like a sewing machine. So he returned it.(10mins drive). The owner started it up. Drove 10 meters and it conked out. 

The valves are all varnished again and sticking. 

Any idea what would cause this ?


Sugar in the oil!!??

Hi Everyone

I was wondering if anyone has an original Lucas New Alto HF722 6V horn?

I'm just interested to see a picture of the internals and also to find out the Lucas Service Number for that model version/voltage.

Thanks

Matthew

This splendid shot of Arthur Waite and Alf Depper during the 1924 Swiss Grand Prix was submitted by Robin Boyce:

   

I have bought some new pistons for my Ruby. They are old stock and hence could be more than one decade old. The gudgeon pins are so tight in the pistons that they can't be pushed out by hand. They can be shifted a little using hammer and brass drift.

Is that normal for new pistons?

I guess that I can get the pins out easily after heating the pistons. But as the pins will be so tight after reinstalling, how can they be lubricated ready for starting the engine?

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Supercharged Super Sport - sealed away for many decades.....

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Two lovely photographs of England in summertime. 
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Hi,

Over the years, I have noticed that the tailpipe on a Ruby always sticks out a long way – as shown by this totally original one.  It goes way past the rear bumper.


  Ruby tailpipe.jpg (Size: 118.62 KB / Downloads: 249)

Is this really necessary?  Perhaps it’s to ensure fumes don’t get sucked back into the car? 

Wondering about air quality inside the car, I put a carbon monoxide (CO) detector in my Ruby glovebox.  This life-saving device had been tested by holding it in the car’s exhaust smoke and, as there is no catalyst on a Seven, it went off almost straight away.  What a racket – about 90 decibels – and it wouldn’t switch off until I took the batteries out – it must have really over-dosed on CO. 

But since then the detector hasn’t ever gone off whilst driving - even when travelling with all the doors and windows tight shut in a following wind or at the traffic lights – therefore, I am pretty sure exhaust fumes don’t generally get inside the Ruby. 

So, I decided to do a cunning test to see if such a long exhaust is really needed.  I cut two inches off my tailpipe with a hacksaw, so it stuck out only 4” from the rear bodywork.  Then drove five miles against the wind and five miles back (with the wind behind me) – with all the doors and windows shut.  The CO monitor did not go off – not one peep, though I did get a bit of a headache.

So, I cut another 2” off the tailpipe and drove the same ten miles there and back.  No CO alarm, though I did have a headache and double vision for a while afterwards.

So, off came another 2”, meaning that the exhaust tailpipe was now flush with the body.  Another run still gave no CO alarm, though whilst driving I had a headache, blurred vision and trouble staying awake.

I didn’t want to cut off another 2” because access was getting hard – so I gave up hacksawing, loosened the clamp at the rear of the silencer and pushed the tailpipe forward 2” so the end was now 2” under the body.  Ten miles later, the alarm still hadn’t gone off – so far as I know – I had a worse headache, tunnel vision and I seemed to black out on and off on the way back, but I can’t really remember.  (Good job the car knew the way back by then.) 

So, my question is – why do we have such a long tailpipe fitted on the Ruby if it is not needed?  Austin weren’t ones to waste one iota of steel – they would even drill out a drain plug to weigh-in the scrap!  Is this one that got away from them?

Colin

Help again please !
Getting a loud bang when first lifting the clutch appears to be coming from the joint  in between the seats.
Looking in the inspection hole the joint seems badly out of line.
What is the purpose of the long nose which points down ?
Is it to set the orientation of the joint ?
See picture.
Regards
             Tim                

Having trouble locating a couple of lifting eyes suitable to use the spark plug holes in the head of Ruby to lift the engine complete with gearbox back into the car.

A local '37 Austin A10 owner has been kind enough to loan me his hoist for reinstallation, but only has long heavy nylon strops, which if located under the gearbox and front long timing cover the rear strop will foul the bulk head and so am looking to locate a couple suitable eyes to fit the plugs.
I do have M14 sized eyes but these are coarse thread M14 x 1.5mm, whereas I believe the 14mm plug holes are fine thread, 14mm x 1.25 (please correct me I am wrong) either way the ones I have don't fit!!
Any known suppliers out there please??
Cheers Denis S