Hello all,

I've recently joined the forum having acquired my Grandfather's first car, a 1934 RP Saloon. I've previously owned Westfields (the most recent of which I have just sold to fund this) and other sports cars but this is my first foray into classic or pre-war.

I'm not sure quite when he stopped using the Seven (and he's no longer around to ask) but I guess at some time in the late 50s or 60s. Since then, it has sat forlornly under their car port.
It was sent for restoration sometime in the 80s but I believe the garage may have gone bust, but whatever the reason, it wasn't completed and what was done wasn't to a very good standard. It was returned in kit form, and was pushed back under the car port, where it has remained ever since. I remember sitting in it pretending to drive when I was a kid.

It passed to my grandmother when he died and then she passed away 18 months ago. 
Following an extended probate process, it is now available for me to rescue.

Their house was sadly like something off a hoarding programme on the TV, so the first task was to find it, and all the bits.

This is where it lived:

It was buried under, between and on top of an assortment of rubbish:






I managed to find almost all of the major parts in various states of repair (mostly poor!):



Engine was just sat on the frame. It (unsurprisingly) is seized.


Rear of the front bulkhead, it's not survived too badly, but unfortunately, the front was sat under a hole in the roof and has suffered as a result.

Much digging, two abandoned cars dragged off to the breakers, and one twelve yard skip filled, I was able to see it and clear a path to get it out.


After a few weeks, I was able to reach agreement with the estate executor and one of the chaps from the Westfield club kindly agreed to drive over and collect it for me with his trailer. 

This was the day when ACE 198 first emerged back into the world a couple of weeks ago:





Its (now cleared) home for the last decades:

Hello

Guidance and opinions please.

1937 Ruby. It will start on the handle or button cold or hot but has a large flat spot on initial press of the accelerator pedal which will stall the engine unless extreme clutch and throttle feathering takes place. If I pull out the choke the flat spot almost disappears pointing me to fuel mixture issues.

Using carb cleaner on manifold joints or carb body/ spindle does not change engine note so no apparent air leaks.

The air screw on the professionally overhauled Zenith has no effect on either the idle or running of the engine.

Underneath the carb I removed the blanking screw and find that the compensating jet looks a tad mangled, i.e. the majority of it is missing albeit there still appears to be a small drilling at the bottom. See attached image.

On top of this I also fitted a fresh dynamo and have found there to be excessive float/lash between the cam gear and dynamo which is also excessively noisy.

My questions are;

1. Does the air compensation jet need the be completely intact for it to function correctly?

2. Why does the air screw not change running conditions?

3. The excessive play in the dynamo must cause play at the distributor end. Is it possible this is where the flat spot emanates from? 

4. Will lapping the cam gear remove the lash between dynamo and cam gear ?

Apologies for so many questions. Still.learning.

Cheers in advance.

Dave

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Finding my speedometer not working I used a drill in reverse and proved the speedometer and cable  from the gearbox was all working.
The gear fitted has 8 teeth, on a spare gearbox I found one with 9 teeth, neither appeared to turn when rotating the drive shaft by hand.
The worm wheel on the gearbox output was not visible, the one on the spare box was far more visible.
Does anyone know how many teeth there should be, it is a 4 speed synchro box in a 1933 RP.

Roger

Has anyone ever changed the steering column in a Chummy? I’d like to know the best way to proceed. Will it come out from below in one piece, or will I have to remove it in bits. I don’t particularly want to take the body off!

Hi, I am new to the forum and I would be interested to know if anyone knows of anywhere that will insure me as a 17 year old on an Austin 7 Ruby?

I have searched around and most insurance companies who will insure Austin 7's wont go near anyone under 25.

Thank you very much
Regards, Jake

I ordered and received a new rear main oil seal and cover plate. I've Speedi-sleeved the flywheel boss already for the seal to run on. 

The new rear cover plate doesn't have the half circle cut outs in it's flange like the original scroll type and it looks like the flange on the new one will block the drain hole in the crankcase.

Do I need to file a cutout into it? 

With that fitted I want to do a test run of the oil pump to check the jets are correctly pointed and that oil is getting to all the right places.

Simon

After 10 years of email, phone and Friends post we have met Reckless Rat in person, at last!

Rekkers and Mrs R have welcomed us into their spectacular home for a few days in Gard region of France.

I was able to make some brake and steering adjustments on the Pearl ready for our journey towards the Tarn and then Toulouse.  Thankfully he has an air conditioned workshop as the heat is exceptional.

We met through this Forum - great stuff!

Rekkers and me indulging in a little Pastis before moule frites...

   

He has the largest bidet I have ever seen!!

   

Thank you to our exceptional hosts.

   

Having built a special in the past I now want to build another but this one will not be roadgoing, built from various parts left over from the first so not breaking an existing car.

I have a chassis, 19” wheels, early steering box/col, gearbox, axles etc already sitting. 

I want it to be lightweight with an air-cooled engine and have chased both a Coventry Victor and Wisconsin V4 engines on Ebay with no success.

I wonder if anyone can suggest a suitable engine (and even better a source for one)?

I am travelling to the Beaulieu Autojumble at the start of September in the hope that I might pick up something there, and am happy to put in a few miles thereafter to source an engine and save on carriage etc. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Good morning.

Having read many a horror story on various forums (fora? - never sure) about difficulties dealing with DVLA, I was pleasantly surprised with my dealings.

I bought a Ruby chassis and V5c recently, but found that the number on the chassis and the V5c differed by one digit. I sent of the V5c with the corrected number, a photograph of the clearly original chassis plate and number plate together with a print of an entry from the A7 register showing that the numbers on the car were together at least up until 2000.

Three weeks later, and one simple phone call, and duly amended V5c arrived.

Regards,

Jamie.

Usually non synthetic 20/50 from the local motor factor, but I spotted this on the shelves at Waitrose. Any use perhaps?