What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[andrew34ruby]

Steve kay pid='21522' dateline='1546538822']

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Oh dear how has the car fallen over, or is it the image, sorry not sure how to correct it.

[jansens]

I chopped 1/2 an inch out of my bonnet length to make the radiator surround perpendicular with the ground. Doesn't seem much but made a huge difference. The top of the surround was angled out slightly which just looked wrong. I also flushed (with hydrochloric acid) the radiator and made sure there were no leaks. I straightened any bent bits with thin needle nose pliers and I also cut the overflow pipe short so I can run a catch tank from it. Today it will all get a coat of paint. I cleaned and painted the radiator support brackets and made new back plates for them too since the old ones were pretty rusty. 

Then I watched this, pretty old now but still good: 



Some nice shots of Brooklands at about 17 minutes in. 

Simon

[Steve kay]

Brilliant Andrew, many thanks. Can you tell us how to do it, or is it a secret, that after serving  ten years apprenticeship  you swore never to reveal trade skills to the untrained?

[Biddlecombe]

PM sent re dampers.

Sent you a PM update today 05/01/19

[Tony Press]

I chopped 1/2 an inch out of my bonnet length to make the radiator surround perpendicular with the ground. Doesn't seem much but made a huge difference. The top of the surround was angled out slightly which just looked wrong. I also flushed (with hydrochloric acid) the radiator and made sure there were no leaks. I straightened any bent bits with thin needle nose pliers and I also cut the overflow pipe short so I can run a catch tank from it. Today it will all get a coat of paint. I cleaned and painted the radiator support brackets and made new back plates for them too since the old ones were pretty rusty. 

Then I watched this, pretty old now but still good: 



Some nice shots of Brooklands at about 17 minutes in. 

Simon

What a brilliant collection of race films- and lovely to see Bill Boddy !

What an amazing development at Mercedes just before the war - a 2 litre car designed and built in 6 months.

Thank you for this Simon !

Tony P.

[jansens]

Last day of christmas leave s today I put my engine/gearbox in. Then took it out again to add the clutch pedal. THEN put it in again. 

Can't run it yet, waiting for sump, inlet manifold, oil piping and so on but still a milestone. Everything fits!



Simon

[Chris KC]

Last day of christmas leave s today I put my engine/gearbox in. Then took it out again to add the clutch pedal. THEN put it in again. 

Can't run it yet, waiting for sump, inlet manifold, oil piping and so on but still a milestone. Everything fits!

Simon

Well done Simon, that looks very purposeful!

[Reckless Rat]

It is customary, on the first Sunday of the month for there to be an ad hoc assembly of classic cars at the "Pôle Mecanique" the Alès race circuit. After morning coffee I dusted off the RP and made my way there to find only two cars, a 2CV and a Renault Dauphine and a handful of stalwarts also as perplexed as I was. After a quick chat I set off back home. On the way I decided to pass up and over the climb to Laval Pradel out of Alès to give the RP something to do. On arrival I stoppped off at "Ets Jouvert", a haulage and civil engineering contractor at the entry to the village. Old Mr Jouvert died a few years ago but his son who now runs the company decided to create something in his memory. His dad has salted away a number of wartime military vehicles, which were just gathering dust in the back of their hangar. The son parked them all outside and created a memorial to the French Resistance (of which his father was part) and here it is. There are 11 vehicles in total, a Citroen 11BL "traction" a Jeep and a collection of american heavier trucks of various sorts.



which reads " In August 1944 the FFI (French Interior Forces) and the 1st Division of the Free French Army passed here along the Regordane Way on route to Paris during the liberation of France"






As far as I can tell, none of the vehicle have been restored and are still in their original condition. Sadly over the past few years a degree of pilfering has occured on anything not bolted down... the Citroen's engine and gearbox disappeared one night.

I also took a "Little and Large photo parked next to a huge Caterpillar dumper...

[bob46320]

Took the RN (late 1932) out for a spin after adjusting the clutch.  Engine / gearbox out (it was only -4 deg C)  made a thicker spacer ring which fits between the clutch fingers and the bearing pressure plate, all back in and the run was OK. There are several anomalies with my setup -
The clutch withdrawal collar is for a 1933  and the gearbox top is marked
2   R
3   1       However the gears  are 

R    2
1    3  
I can now engage 1st without a 'graunch'.  I'll give it a longer run before the floor panels / carpets are replaced.
BobH

[AustinWood]

The earlier gearboxes had the layout as marked on the lid. The later ones are as as your gearbox actually is.
You have an earlier lid on a later gearbox.