I have a friend with a 1931 boat tailed tourer which he has used as everyday transport since the 1950s. He relined the brakes in the summer and soon after when he brakes the brakes grab there is no gentle braking. So he relined the brakes again with linings from another of our cherished suppliers, these have now developed the same problem and with winter approaching and possible icy roads he needs to find an answer. His car has coupled brakes and 1.25" brake shoes and drums. I've gone through the usual loose brake shoe pivots, broken brake shoe springs, oval drums, worn king pin bushes and or shackles. Help, have any of you got any ideas as to the cause.

Good evening, assembled gurus,

What, if any, is the recommended end float for big ends on a re-ground crank with re-metalled rods?

3 of the rods move back and forth a little, the fourth not at all, though not tight, since the engine turns by hand.

I have yet to remove the block and see if they have been "barrelled" - or whatever it is called.

Thanks

Simon

Does anyone have a brown leather rear seat squab for a 37 Ruby in restorable condition ?  I'm in south Lincolnshire.  Thanks.

Please  contact Peter Smith on   01778 560565  or   73pgsmith@gmail.com

    Started cleaning up all the clutch bits for the AllAlloyCup.
All seems OK but the early type release bearing may not be quite right ?
There’s a fair bit of slackness in the part that the levers bear on? It spins ok but
I can move it a few mm?

Is this normal or should it spin quietly like a wheel, or engine bearing?.
It also seems hard to find a replacement?
Only one supplier lists it but at £125!

I’m new to Austin’s so please pardon my ingnorance

Bill G

I have resumed work on the Hillclimb car project and this week mounted the rear axle.  By means of drop links on the axle and reverse camber springs the chassis is very low, the top face of the side members being approx. 10" above the ground.
My next job is to fit the torque tube anchor.  I am using a Ruby type axle and the anchor is of the Silentbloc bush type.
With the anchor positioned such that the torque tube is level (the car unladen), the prop-shaft will follow a nice level line to the back of the gearbox.  I am concerned that when the car is finished and laden, the rear suspension will deflect and this will result in the torque tube sloping down slightly at the front.  I know this can cause the axle oil to drain out at the front end of the torque tube.   With a slight inclination is this likely to occur?
If I raise the torque tube anchor to give the torque tube a slight upward slope the line of the transmission does not look quite right.   I do not want particularly to have to raise the engine and box in the chassis as there is sufficient ground clearance as it is.

Sorry to be boring, but on the old site there was a thread which I cannot now find, and someone in Wales said he had trim samples which showed how the interior should look on a tourer AH or (so called) AJ.  I would like to get in contact unless anyone else can help me on the main area - what does the door look like?  Is it like an RP with carpet and pockets, or is it plain?

Ok, not Austin 7 related, but I know there are people here who are well versed in the ways of the SU carburettor and I'm hoping someone may be able to help.

As well as Sevens, I have a 1932 Riley Nine fitted with twin 1" OM SUs running GG needles. OMs do not require and never had a spring fitted in the dashpot to temper the behaviour of the piston. Over the winter, I built a new engine for it, after running in, had it set up on a rolling road and embarked on a 2000 mile tour of Scotland. Apart from a mag crying 'enough' in the damp and me changing it for the spare, I had trouble free trip. I've used the car a bit since I returned home at the end of June. The other evening, I went out in it and, all of a sudden, it has developed a fault whereby the engine wont rev. When changing up through the gears, the engine dies when accelerating in the new gear (with your foot hard on the throttle) and will also show the same symptoms when the throttle is blipped to change down.

I have had the inlet manifold off and replaced the gasket as there was a sign of a leak. No change. I have had the filters out of the carbs and the pump and cleaned them, I have checked the flow of fuel from the pump. I have also fitted new plugs and changed the mag as part of my trouble shooting. All to no avail.

A pal came the other day who used to be a motor mechanic and he did a test whereby he removed the caps from the dash pots, dropped a screwdriver down each one, applied downward pressure with his hand and asked me to blip the throttle. The fault immediately disappeared. So, problem is caused by the pistons rising too quickly, basically letting too much air in, weakening the mixture and the engine dies.

The questions for my learned friends are as follows:

What could have suddenly changed to cause the symptoms? and

What might the solution be? I have fitted a couple of lightweight springs today, that has made a small improvement, but not enough. But the carbs are not designed to have springs anyway, so am I just curing the symptom and masking the fault?

Your thoughts, no matter how random or obscure would be welcomed...

Hugh

In April 2018, I will be standing down from the position of Association Secretary, along with the Editor and Registrar. We have good candidates for the position of Editor and Registrar but have yet to receive any positive interest for position of Secretary. I have been advertising the post through your Club Secretaries and in the Minutes of Association meetings, but it is possible that some person or people here have missed that but have an interest in the position. 

May I remind you that, under the terms of the new Constitution, the appointment will be for a term of 3 years, with the possibility of serving a second 3 year term. ie, you won't be stuck for a job for life, nor can you serve more than 6 years, even if you wish to.

If anyone might be interested and would like an informal chat, please drop me a note including your telephone number and I'll get in touch..

many thanks in advance...

Hugh

I thought  you all might be interested in how I saved an original Eversure oil filler that I bought from Tony B. It had two broken sides of the cone that fits in the crankcase.

Carefully clamped in the mill I removed the other two and machined the bottom flat leaving a witness mark. 0.008" removed.

  I then carefully bored the filler to make the cast hole round, machined up a stepped ring and Loctited it in place 
   
A plate was made to fit inside the crankcase which will be retained by two small countersunk screws.

Finally a new clip to replace the broken plated brass item, made from a stainless steel strip used to fix road signs to the post.
  
This will enable the Eversure filler to be fitted or the original cover, or even a latter style filler a la  Ulster.
  
The only deviation from original is two 3mm holes in the crankcase which are masked by any of the covers. 
 I hasten to say that I am highly delighted with saving a 80+year old accessory.

Hello friends
I dont post much on here, I mainly use TwitFace, but need a little knowledge please.
I have got a sample of Egyptian cotton for my fabric body, but it seems a little thin. How many threads per inch, or Grams/m2  is correct for a fabric body?

Is pre-dyed cloth a good idea? i want the final colour to be black.

I have been reading about irish linen used on early aircraft. This was shrunk with size, boiled flour and water. Has anyone tried this?

As weight isn't such a big issue, can cotton be shrunk with water, then painted with synthetic paints?.....I am a little worried about dope being flammable.

Cheers for any replies
Andrew



P.S. here is the progress so far:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/22719913@N04/E6e611