I know that this is not particularly relevant to Sevens but these babies always give me a warm glow. 
http://tricyclecaristes.forumr.net/t126p...a-cyclecar

Many thanks to the association TEAM.

Had a read of the association earlier, and see that our new add for 7 county Austins is in.

Check out all the adds in the association, most are now looking very much of the period.

[attachment=5320]

Also noticed some of these adds have spread to other club magazines.

LOOKING GOOD.

Well done the team.

Tony.

This might be opening a can of worms but I was wondering if anyone knows of anything that you can put on the radiator hoses to help with removing them at a later date?

Obviously there are lots of things you can use to help get the hoses on (grease, silicone, soap, spit, badger bile, etc). But is there anything that helps when removing them years later? If you search online you get all kinds of suggestions but no definitive answer. It leads me to think there isn't anything that actually works in the long run. 

The most sensible sounding suggestion I heard so far was a smear of Permatex gasket number 2, the sticky brown stuff that never fully sets. The other thought was a smear of brake cylinder assembly grease since it won't attack the rubber.

When looking into it I did decide to buy myself one of those hose removing pick like tools. Looks very handy. Like one of these: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/otc-4521/overview/

Simon

On page 122 of the Austin Seven Companion, G W Meakin wrote in 1964 about a change he made to the crankshaft bearings that he thought might reduce the possibility of a crankshaft breakage, while you all hurry to your copy of the A7C to read his comments, I will summarise:

Basically, G W Meakin was saying that he located the crankshaft at the rear using a heavy-duty ball race and then "pinched" this into place using a suitably thick shim between this and the flywheel. He then removed the front bearing fixings, so that the front pair of bearings were allowed to "float". 

G W Meakin said that the modification gives quieter, smoother running, but more power all up the rev range, especially at the top end.

In terms of reducing the prospect of a broken crankshaft, G W Meakin thought that clutch pressure was all concentrated at the rear end of the crankshaft only, now being fully supported, leaving the rest of the crankshaft less stressed, particularly, during whipping.

I thought that it was interesting post and wondered if anyone has ever taken this approach with their engines, and if so, were G W Meakin's results validated?

Responses please!

There are plenty of repro body parts available for Austin 7s, but one I've never encountered is the door check strap assembly for the Mk1 Ruby. As per my picture below, I possess the arm for one, but not the plate. I'd have thought that these are highly prone to failure, especially as much of it is exposed to the elements when the doors are closed.

I'd like to find a pair and am surprised that no one presently appears to be offering them. I'd have thought that the likely demand for such a thing might have been picked up by the producers of repro parts, but seemingly not. In the absence of any replacements, I might just have a stab at making a pair myself.

Attached Files

Thumbnail(s)
   

I've had a bit of a drama with the handbrake on my Chummy.

My car has a gearbox without a female thread in it, and so someone has made a mount for the ratchet mounted on the chassis.

I've had the car a while and it is possible to push the handbrake off so far so as to jam up the propshaft with the adjusting bolt. 

The other day the mole grips I have been using as a stop fell off and we had quite a calamity where the propshaft hit and bent the adjuster, buggered the handbrake catch, and snapped the rod from the handle to the catch. Handbrake now U/S.

I am fetching some spares from Stoke this evening to mend it all with.

What I need to know is what is the dimensions of the tang that should screw into the gearbox, I believe from looking at the shape of it, that it also form a stop for the handbrake lever, and would thus prevent a similar calamity. 

Knowing the dim will allow me to weld a similar stop to my chassis mounted bracket. 

I know it will be a bloody awful thing to measure on a car, but a measurement from the gearbox casing to the end of the stop would be all that I need.

Unfortunately my other uncoupled car is missing the same part. I can guess what the dim might be, but I'd sooner get it right

Many thanks in advance.

I  know I should be busy somewhere, but scanning the forum before descending to the workshop, my eye was caught by the references to the French ATF site. I'm not aware that anyone has posted about the Austin pictured at Monthlery so I've done a bit of work. This car, under the name of Austin Yacco Special, ran between 19th  April and 2nd May 1934, taking a number of records in the 3 to 5 litre class. Drivers were de Prescale, Bodecat and  Fortin, "Marchand" also drove but some sources suggest he built and/or entered the car, although I cannot immediately find whther this is Cesar Marchand or his brother Lucien. All these drivers seem to have been Monthlery professionals or almost residents as their names appear on other record breaking drives, of which Citroen's were by far the longest. Maybe the petrol head of the time, after a splendid meal at a famous bistro, or a wild night at a cabaret, could drive over to the circuit and drink coffee and watch the dawn come up over the banking whilst the Citroen continued to lap hour after hour. I have not been able to find more about the car, but since this site attracts researchers and historians of a far greater calibre than any other, no doubt when I emerge from the workshop the true meaning of "Yacco" will have been revealed.

I hope the French teacher is already in class, I can't find out how to add the correct accents.

Where could I find a new manifold flange for a 4 branch manifold?

I am 17 and would like a Austin seven project car, i have been saving up since i was 13 by buying and selling, gramophones, radios etc to buy a seven and i now have just shy of £5000 to spend on a seven, i was wondering if anyone has any potential cars for sale.

Thank you, regards Jake

I have read somewhere about the recommended maximum runout for the flywheel. I thought this was in Woodrow, but cannot now find it.

Measured mine this morning at .015", which I'm pretty sure is too much. Recommended fix is to lap it on the high side to straighten things up.

Can anyone tell me what the tolerance is supposed to be please?

Many thanks,
Colin