What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Tony Griffiths]

I have been busy these last few weeks working out why this is stuck



No huge clues with the head off



Nor the sump



nor in the timing gears (which was missing the starter nut)



Turns out it was No4, probably a bit of moisture had stuck a ring. Now turns over, if a smidge tight where it was stuck. To paint or not to paint is the question?



But is the head cracked?

Ah! One disadvantage of knocked-in brass or bronze core plugs. Instead of ice being able to force them out - as often happens with the thin, press-in metal type, it cracks the cast iron. This leads one to ask, what if a core plug was moulded from one of the JB weld products?

[dickie65]

Hi Ian,
I have just dropped the engine back in.
So its going to carry on grumbling for a while, I was more concerned that it might have been a loose flywheel.
I have got all the gaskets and a set of new main bearings so I could have done the job but dont think it is bad enough to warrant a full strip down.

[Dave Mann]

Changing a rear main doesn't necessitate a full strip down, off with the flywheel, sump and gauze, out with the old bearing and in with the new.

[Bob Culver]

Taking great care not to fracture the front lip. i dont know the experience of those involved but rumble is very influenced by spark advance. Levering on the flywheel reveals bearing clearance. I dunno what the experienced ragard as reasonable . .005 excluding spring? i have several bearings my meticulous fathere replaced as slightly rumbly and all have small clearance even unmounted.

[dickie65]

Hi folks,
I first traveled in Austin Sevens in 1960s I rebuilt my first engine in 1976 and the EB65 has been in the family since 1982 at which point there were five Austin Sevens in the household. I have had it since 1991. So I know my way round the car and engine pretty well. which is why I was happy to re fit the engine with a grumbling rear main bearing.
I do know that the rear main inner is very tight on the crankshaft so it will not come apart without a fight.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Poppy and I drove up to the Lecht today - we had all seasons, including a lightning storm.  We drove flat out through torrential rain as we were feart the car would fill up before we got our jackets on, if we slowed or stopped!

We stormed Bridge of Brown in top gear, until the first hairpin, the cold air must have been working!

   

   

   

After a short wait we met my parents who came up from Bristol, it is the first time we have seen them since November 2019.

[andrew34ruby]

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Today we went to a display of 38 cars at the local church. The sun shone. It rained a little bit.

[Reckless Rat]

Bit more clement down here today than in the Cairngorms. 32°. Just had a run our to see the lavender fields which are at their best just now.

From Barjac looking towards the Cévennes:



Traffic was manic, again:

[Hedd_Jones]

While some of you were at Beaulieu and Ruairidh was trying not to fill his Cup with water, I had planned steaming my roller to test the safety valves. But the lack of cab meant I didn't fancy it, so I tried to tackle an oil leak on the RP.

The leak certainly comes from the bit between the dynamo and block and crankcase.

I replaced the square cam bolt a while ago with an allen key job, and this was again favourite. So I distmantled





Annealed the copper washer, some tape and some goo later I was confident that it wont leak in future. New joint under the dynamo and some goo, I was pretty happy with that also.



Reassembled without upsetting the timing and started fine.



A test drive (with the rad on), demonstrates the leak persists. But with the area clean (at least initially) bubbles could be seen from the crankcase to block joint, arse wish I'd have given the front nut a nip before reassembling!.

The block is sick, despite not many miles since a 'rebuild', (bad starter, lots of blowby, fouled plugs and oil consumption, and to top it oil in the water - but no water in the oil) so looks like I need to figure out which pistons the spare (bored) block was bored for. Procure some then give it a top end transplant.

Still goes like stink though!. Will sit at 45-50 3 up. Will use until the leak pisses me off.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I fitted a new engine into my father’s first car today, along with a repaired fuel tank and radiator.

I lined up the master spline and toggles only to find that it all mated first time - almost unheard of!

Ian tells me that Mike Costigan found the correct R47s for this car in the 1970s, thank Mike!

Test run, with Ian on board, went very well, no oil, water or fuel leaks for the first time in maybe half a century!!