29-10-2020, 06:07 AM
(This post was last modified: 29-10-2020, 06:16 AM by Ritchie Wilson.
Edit Reason: spelling
)
Quite a few years ago I got talking to an older man in Gavin Bain's Fazzaz Vintage motoring shop in Christchurch (long gone with earthquake damage) because he had an Austin lapel badge. He gave me his address and I visited his workshop where, I gathered, he worked on client's A7 racing cars. There was one there at the time which impressed me with its matching set of after-market head, tappet cover and inlet manifold all with the maker's name (whatever it was) cast on them and picked out in red. My sole contact with specials was PJ Stephen's book on his building of the "Stoneham 750" special, but the bloke thought I should resurrect my ARR as a special. His advice - sadly not taken - was to begin. Immediately!
The man's formula was to move the engine backwards quite a distance in a swb chassis and attach it to the lhs chassis rails as normal, so moving the engine to the left. A lwb back end was shortened on the left so that the driveshaft lined-up, giving a similar track front and rear. The driver's seat could then be lowered between the rhs chassis rail and the driveshaft. A passenger seat, if present, would have to be higher and somewhat back. I remember gaining the impression that a number of racing cars had been built to this general design. Sort of one-and-a-half seater, rather than single seater.
The man's formula was to move the engine backwards quite a distance in a swb chassis and attach it to the lhs chassis rails as normal, so moving the engine to the left. A lwb back end was shortened on the left so that the driveshaft lined-up, giving a similar track front and rear. The driver's seat could then be lowered between the rhs chassis rail and the driveshaft. A passenger seat, if present, would have to be higher and somewhat back. I remember gaining the impression that a number of racing cars had been built to this general design. Sort of one-and-a-half seater, rather than single seater.