Hi everyone, there seem to be several special rebuilds/newbuilds etc on here so I thought I'd thrown mine into the mix.

I have a basic understanding of mechanics though very little experience - but hopefully I'll pick it up as things progress. I've been looking after various vintage vehicles from my families collection for a few years but dismantling and putting back together a whole car is new challenge.

The car in question was originally built in 1927 and it appears to have a Hamblin body kit on it, though I'm not 100% on that. My late grandfather purchased it a good number of years ago, used it a bit and eventually laid it up. 

I pulled it out of his garage late last year and got it running briefly before starting to take it apart. Overall it appears to be in good order, but I'd like piece of mind and it appears to be a fairly straightforward project. 

There are various things on it that are very 'special', the end of a micrometre used as one end the windscreen mounting, an old satellite dish for a grill, a shed hinge and bit of apple box for an accelerator pedal. Most instruments appear to have come from a Ford 100E, and it is in places fairly rustic. 

The plan is to go through it mechanically and fully repaint it whilst trying to retain the oddities and rough edges that make it what it is. I don't imagine special building was always the pinnacle of engineering and that a degree of bodging is part of the fun. It isn't ever going to be concours, or 'original' spec - just an honest special, most importantly it needs to be a lot of fun. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

Having just purchased a 38 Ruby I am thinking of changing to electronic ignition.There is nothing wrong with the original Dizzy and it starts ok,I intend to use the car on a regular basis for fun and want to cut down the possible problem areas.I admire 'purists' and their desire to keep things as is.Iam interested in sensible comments/pitfalls on the subject----any takers? Cheers.

I've been following Cesar ever since I got the Singer 660A1 up and running and slowed it down to something useful from its demonic production speed.
He copied my method, his video being far more professional looking, as are all of his.
A talented man indeed.



Something else to add to my never ending To-Do list.

Geoff - Back on bl@@dy antibiotics.

This relates to the thread "They are still out there !" showing why some cars take longer to restore than others.....

Things are moving slow but steady on the various components of my Seven. I am pleased to say that one of the rear wings is now finished and restored, with work started on the other.

Both were severely trimmed (dare I say butchered?) to remove corrosion on the inside to the extent that there was no lip and only remnants of the rear plate and plenty of extra bolt holes for good measure.
   

I made a heavy form jig to hold everything square and made up the repair section and welded it into the wing.

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Once this was done I made up the back panel by forming a wired edge and spot welding it to the wing.
   

One wing down, one to go.

Cheers,
Stephen

I've started a new thread to separate this from the thread Ian Williams has for his rebuild.  Unlike Ian, I have little idea what I'm doing, and yet I work on the principle that if someone else can do something then I ought to have a go and see if I can achieve something too.

I started with a bare chassis and V5 that had lived in the loft of a shed in Pershore.  It had last seen the light of day about 40 years before and was surrounded by spares from perhaps 5 broken cars.  There was enough to build one car and the chassis was in reasonable condition.

I looked through Ebay, Youtube and Google for tips on how to build a body and bought numerous books on the subject.  I elected to use a little ash, lots of Ali sheet and some forming tools to add a skin over a steel tube frame.  the following pics hopefully will give some inspiration to anyone else trying to achieve the same result.

The engine seemed to be working with zero effort expended on fettling it.  I stuffed it onto the chassis to start jigging up a body.  A small steel frame gave me a starting point to form some structured pressed and beaten over MDF templates.  I added some Ash to give a solid mount for the door hinges and side skirts.  The rest of the bulkhead was formed from Ali sheet rivetted or bolted together.

The side skirts lowered the vehicle, cosmetically and covered the exhaust pie which then came through a hole in the skirt.  This was formed by whacking the sheet with a rounded mallet over the end of a piece of drain pipe.  Looked quite good.  The rear deck and floor are Plywood but on reflection I really should have made it from steel to add more rigidity.  Off the rear deck I hung the rear wings (£50 each) and then skinned the sides in Ali after adding a tubular steel frame.  Wraping the edges over the steel frame was a fun job (not!) and I had to add some curvature in various places to keep it looking 'right'.

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I recently came across the book Fists of Steel about the rearmament of Germany. Included a photo of mock tanks mounted on presumably Rosengarts practising tactics  off road. The photo may have appeared here but I do not recall.

All proud of their Brit ancestry must see the excellent current Churchill film. It is sobering to reflect that the tactics which swept aside the armies in France were learned in Sevens!

Assuming they handle like Austins I wonder if the cars were also used to sharpen the reactions of pilots?

Hi
What is available to stop the end of the brake cable from fraying ?
Thanks everyone

Although not original, I thought I would show you the threaded core plugs I made for my '29 cylinder block.
   

The correct plugs are the domed disc plugs you insert and expand with a dent in the center but sometime in the past  the previous owner had elected to tap these holes for 5/8" BPT plugs which had to be drilled out in order to gain access to the corrosion plugged cooling channels in the block. I got about a cup of rust out of the block.
   
I modified two modern plugs to resemble the large core plugs already in the block so that they would not look out of place.
   
   

Fiddly work but I am pleased at how they turned out.
Stephen

Friend of mine went to this and sent me this picture. Whose is the green single seater? Looks a lovely job.

   

Many years ago I remember seeing a very fast/sporty green SWB box saloon - had cycle wings and smaller wheels at the front.

Does anyone remember this car and have photos of it please?