Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 424 Threads: 30
Reputation:
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Location: Wellington, NZ
I had an interesting seat failure. I am still waiting to hear if I am even allowed to try VINing my special so the other day I was driving it round and round the garden to fiddle with the tune and test the brakes. I did a hard stop on the driveway and the brakes worked great but my seat suffered. I am using a Ruby seat modified to fit in the special using the original seat mounting rails so I had some adjustment. The rails themselves were unmodified I just welded some 3mm strap across them so I could bolt the seat to the floor through holes in the strap. The strap had bent on the hard braking (but not broken) so I beefed that up and tried again but as soon as I sat in the seat it went PING! and felt very wobbly.
It turns out the failure was on the seat rail itself. The left hand side rail attached to the base of the seat has split all along where it folds to form the lip that fits into a matching folded lip on the base to allow it to slide. It has fractured nearly it's entire length. Looking at the crack the first inch or so looks like it was cracked some time in the past as the metal there isn't shiny. The rest of it split from there. I imagine that is quite a stress point as the steel if folded through quite an angle to provide the lip.
That rail is riveted to the seat as well as spot welded through. Replacing it would be tricky and my only replacement would be the other seats rails which are likely to be the same age.
In the end I ground off the folded over lips and made a new frame from 5mm steel strap. The seat base is welded to this in many places so it should be secure. The frame has mounting holes drilled in it to bolt it directly to the floor of the special. There is a series of holes so I can get 3 inches or so adjustment if needed. It's much more solid now and also has the advantage of making the seat sit slightly lower.
Was an interesting failure though and I wonder how many others cars suffer it.
![[Image: 20210801153555-d3282e02.jpg]](http://www.asciimation.co.nz/photos/upload/2021/08/01/20210801153555-d3282e02.jpg)
Simon
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 2,933 Threads: 161
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35
Location: Sherwood Forest
Car type: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Just uploaded a short piece on last weekend's Derbyshire Run; my first attempt at Youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrseEur6MGQ
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,535 Threads: 90
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Location: Monmouthshire
What I have done today is say some very rude words indeed whilst crouched over the wings of the Ruby. Dreadful oil leakage made sorting out the seal, or lack thereof, between block and crankcase unavoidable. Having been assured by various folk that splitting block from crankcase whilst still in the car was dead easy, and having a less than mobile project under the chain block in the workshop, work started. So the question is, how on earth is the back nut removed from behind the block? Yes, the slightly fuzzy snap shows one of the other nuts brining the stud with it.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 853 Threads: 22
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9
Location: Near Cambridge, UK
Car type: 1928 tourer (mag type), short chassis Gould Ulster
03-08-2021, 11:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-08-2021, 11:23 AM by Robert Leigh.)
Many years ago I had a similar seat runner failure on a standard Ruby saloon, so I detached the offending member and welded along the crack using oxy-acetylene. The late Ray Walker, the Cambridge A7 guru, said it could not be done, but I decided nothing ventured etc. The repair was totally satisfactory during the time I retained the car.
Yesterday I decided to excercise my Gould Ulster for the first time since 2019. I checked the oil, water and petrol and put some air in the tyres. I had kept the battery topped up. I got in, pulled the choke, turned on and pressed the button. The engine came to life instantly and performed in its usual satisfactory manner once it had warmed up. Also it was first test of the new field coils in the dynamo which had failed at Montlhery in 2019. The 12 volt charging system is now operating as it should with an AO regulator. All in all a very satisfactory test run on a car which had not run for more than 18 months, and is still on the aged petrol.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 3,221 Threads: 101
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Location: Darkest Bedfordshire
03-08-2021, 01:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-08-2021, 02:40 PM by Chris KC.)
Robert has modestly omitted to mention the hour he spent on the 'phone yesterday discussing various aspects of my current engine build - to which he contributed several helpful observations and suggestions. (For which my thanks!)
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,230 Threads: 33
Reputation:
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Location: Salop
Car type: '28 GE Cup. '28 AD Chummy '30 RL Saloon. '34 RP Saloon. Too Many toys!
Steve, you will need to doctor a spanner, perhaps thin a ring spanner. Perhaps put a kink in it also. Or drill a couple of holes in a socket to use for a lever. An angle grinder and/or oxy/acet or propane will be very useful to you here.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 772 Threads: 26
Reputation:
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Location: On a hill in Wiltshire
Easily(!) accessible over the top of the flywheel, from inside the car.
I used my second best short ring spanner, ground off two thirds of the circumference to as thin as I dared - and then took a bit more off.
Worked fine.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 424 Threads: 30
Reputation:
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Location: Wellington, NZ
Robert, I did briefly consider welding it but then decided my welding skills weren't up to it for something where I would be relying on a single weld to keep me in the car! Welding the new frame and attaching it was different since I could MIG it in many places and be sure it was up to the job although nowhere near as pretty.
Simon
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 2,256 Threads: 33
Reputation:
35
Location: Deepest Frogland 30960
Car type: 1933 RP Standard Saloon
The valley where I live in southern France was part of the Ales coal mining area a long time ago. The coal mines disappeared in the 1970s although there are still a few miners still about and the politics remain. In 1921, the village of Le Martinet separated from St Florent sur Auzonnet and became the first ever communist commune in France. This year is their centenary and it's still communist. The architecture is reminiscent of downtown Beirut.
Our local car club has been invited to participate in the celebrations and I have been asked today if I will bring the Austin. This will be on Sunday 29th, with breakfast and lunch provided by the commune. It should be an interesting day. I doubt if I will be able to make the UK centenary so this one will have to do.
I will have to think of something and somewhere to go to mark next year's event....
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 887 Threads: 71
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Location: Essex
(02-08-2021, 02:35 PM)Steve kay Wrote: What I have done today is say some very rude words indeed whilst crouched over the wings of the Ruby. Dreadful oil leakage made sorting out the seal, or lack thereof, between block and crankcase unavoidable. Having been assured by various folk that splitting block from crankcase whilst still in the car was dead easy, and having a less than mobile project under the chain block in the workshop, work started. So the question is, how on earth is the back nut removed from behind the block? Yes, the slightly fuzzy snap shows one of the other nuts brining the stud with it.
From inside the car with the gearbox cover removed
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