What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Tony Griffiths]

The photo of annealing the ali strip, temperature guided by the soot, is interesting as I will be putting ali J  strip along Chummy bodywork to secure the top of the liners and door cards in the next day or so. Does the tecnique have a name, does anyone other than Tony use it? The forum can reveal how we can use former skills on our Sevens. Reading people's thoughts on what to do with the steering wheel reminded me that last time I put cord on a wheel, I just did as I would have done whipping the end of a big splice in rigging. There is no evidence of the use of any aluminium in Chatham Dockyard in 1797.

There are a few things to get right: the J-section aluminium strip from Woollies is slightly domed across the top surface - but should, as Mike Hobday pointed to me out, be flat. So, lots of work with a file and sanding paper. Next, mark out the door profile (or use the original strip if you have one) against a piece of suitable wood. Bandsaw or otherwise cut it out, checking that correct against the door edge. Anneal the aluminium, using the preferred soap/candle system; let it cool and, using multiple small clamps, bend it against the wooden former. I've no idea if it can spring back slightly if the clamps are released straight away, but I left mine overnight just in case.  I reckon it's possible to mark out and drill the side-screen socket holes against the ones in the door, but I'd leave drilling and countersinking the screw holes until you have a trial fit against the finished door cards. You probably know that the U-shaped, steel side-screen sockets (that fit over the door wood and under the top face of the door skin) sit proud of the surface a little. The strip, of course, has to butt up against the outer face of these, this leaving enough room for the door panel to fit under the turned-over edge. To get a neat fit, I bevelled the top edge of the door cards a little. I'm sure that a forum member must have done this job in a different and perhaps better way - or can pass on some useful tips?