Restoring a Top Hat

[Parazine]

I just couldn’t resist the advert – 1926 Austin 7, unused since 1931. The car had been rescued from a barn by the Previous Owner in the early 1960’s. A cosmetic restoration was carried out in the 1980’s together with a retrim but the car has not been driven on the road since the original owner (a farmers wife it seems), pushed it into the barn in the summer of 1931.

I acquired the car in February this year. Initial inspection showed a list to the nearside and considerable fatigue cracking around the body mountings. Some of the body support brackets were bent and broken as well. I decided the body had to come off.

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So today, the body was removed. It seems that the car has sustained a nasty piece of accident damage all those years ago - the chassis is ben about an inch to the nearside. The actual lean of the body is due to the chassis extensions (added as extras in 1926 remember) were badly fitted, pushing the body out of line. But how do I repair the chassis rails??

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Probably explains this as well - I noticed it earlier. Looks like the car was struck in the offside. May explain why the front wheels have odd rims as well, they were probably replaced at the same time. Body seems untouched.....