Restoring a Top Hat

[Parazine]

Lost shoe leather!

After dosing the radiator with RadWeld, I took the Top Hat out on the road for the first time in nearly 90 years early on Sunday morning, and after putting in about 10 miles, the engine started spluttering and missing. It finally ground to a halt at the Rec in our village and wouldn’t start again. Had to walk home and recover the car with the van. Took the magneto apart (again), substituting the original coil for one which had been rewound at some stage in the past.
I also took the opportunity to rebuild the carburettor (Zenith 22FZ) which was full of “mud” and corrosion. Ran the engine in the drive for a bit, all appeared OK
Set off again yesterday evening, made it to the next village (3 miles), engine cut out. Managed to get it restarted, bolted for home, got as far as the Rec and it failed completely again. Another mile to walk. Got the car back home with the van, stripped the magneto for a third time. There could only be one culprit…….
 
And here it is!



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Fortunately SR4 spares are readily available, so I used a spare I had to hand and ordered another via eBay. It was late and almost dark by the time I could test it on the road again last night but the engine starts readily and pulls much more smoothly.
 
One condenser, lots of shoe leather lost!

[David Stepney]

Condensers and the problems associated therewith seem to be a current topic ! I presume that such problems come under the heading of "teething troubles". It looks as if the car is 99% there, though and looking good.

[Parazine]

It's about 80% there, all the trim needs doing and I am incompetent with a needle and thread!

[Parazine]

Trimming has started!

I have to admit it. I hit a roadblock this summer. The inside of the car was completely bare, all the trim had been "restored" in the 1980's but it was a poor job, not from an appearance point of view but in that the materials used were just plain wrong. 

I realised that the seats were way beyond my very limited competence level so these were dispatched to Nightingale Coachtrim in Corsham and I received them back this week, beautifully reupholstered in a material that was as "art deco" as I could find.


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I enlisted the help of a friend who has some experience in headlinings to help me with this aspect and here are the results of the first day's work on the main roof. It was tricky because the headlining is very large compared to the later cars with sun roofs and the support pieces had to be in exactly the right place. However, it doesn't look too bad I think. On to the back curtain....

   

Here are the tools of the job, magnetic tack hammer is a delight to use, thoroughly recommended.

   

The sewing machine is a 1911 Singer 66K, bought from a junk shop for a few quid forty years ago. I restored the machine and used it extensively in the eighties and nineties to restore a succession of Ruby and Box models but it hasn't been used much since. It needed a good oil up and a new belt as well as converting from a back clamp to a side clamp machine so that I can use a zipper foot to produce piping.

   

I'll be on to the door panels and window surrounds later in September, as soon as I get the latest bout of teaching out of the way!

[Ivor Hawkins]

I think that is an excellent choice of material and the headlining looks great, I am just about to start exactly the same thing with the box saloon.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

The material for the seats is superb and David's work first class, of course!

[Howard Wright]

Hi Parazine

Just first class material choice and workmanship.

Cheers

Howard

[Chris Garner]

Excellent on both counts, Tim. Great choice of material. The last time I attempted a headlining was forty years ago on my RF saloon. I think I've forpotten how to do it now!

[Renaud]

Splendid seats indeed. I love your choice of art nearly déco pattern.
May I ask the price of material and workmanship?

[Parazine]

Hi Renaud,

It wasn't cheap! The steel front seat backs were stripped bare before they went to the trimmer and I welded them up, however, the wooden parts that were uncovered (rear seat, base and back plus front seat bases) were badly infested with woodworm and had to be remade from scratch. A lot of extra hours of work. The material was a roll end from eBay, 10 metres but that wasn't cheap either. I will be using the remainder of the material for the door panels etc.