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+--- Thread: Keeping it original. (/showthread.php?tid=9873)
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Keeping it original. - Ray White - 01-03-2025
Can anyone help me keep the original look of my 1930 Swallow? Under the bonnet may not be immaculate but it is surprisingly original. To keep it that way I need to find some brown plastic covered HT cable. At the very least I need enough to replace the king lead but can't seem to find it anywhere. I have the original brown dist. cap but it looks wrong with a black king lead. The car is still 6 volts.
On another point of originality, I would like to find an original condenser; the type that fitted in the recess under the distributor. Even if it doesn't work, I would like to have one fitted in the original location.
Any helpful suggestions would be welcome.
Thank you.
RE: Keeping it original. - Tony Press - 02-03-2025
I thought that a 1930 Swallow might have had a Lucas DJ 4 manual advance with a black cap, mushroom cable ends and inside condenser (or would it be a DK4 Auto Advance - again with black cap with acorn cable ends and inside condenser).
RE: Keeping it original. - Ruairidh Dunford - 02-03-2025
I have some of the CAV condensers, Ray.
Ping me a message.
RE: Keeping it original. - stuartu - 02-03-2025
I don’t know of any Brown HT lead, Ray, but as second best could you use brown heat shrink tubing to cover a lead of a different colour?
Regards,
Stuart
RE: Keeping it original. - Howard Wright - 02-03-2025
Hi Ray
Rinsey Mills book doesn’t show a picture of the engine bay of a Swallow but does show a remarkably original 1930 AE. I can’t imagine Swallow changing the engine from a standard Austin one? The HT leads are fabric rather than hard plastic and ‘look’ brownish. However they were probably black originally and have faded. The dizzy in the photo is a DS with push fit HT leads.
The big external condenser can be hollowed out and a more modern one fitted inside.
Cheers
Anorak Howard
RE: Keeping it original. - Ray White - 02-03-2025
Thank you everyone. When I say "original" of course, what I really mean is how it has looked to me for the past 40 years. The distributor is a CAV DS4 - 2 . It should have an external condenser, a brown cap and rotor arm and brown push in leads. It only looks right if everything matches. Yes, of course I could change everything but what's the point?
Ray.
RE: Keeping it original. - Ruairidh Dunford - 05-03-2025
On its way to you, Ray.
RE: Keeping it original. - Ray White - 05-03-2025
That looks great, Ruairidh. Do you happen to know the small screws thread size please?
RE: Keeping it original. - Ruairidh Dunford - 05-03-2025
I don't, sorry.
RE: Keeping it original. - Tony Griffiths - 07-03-2025
(05-03-2025, 05:41 PM)Ray White Wrote: That looks great, Ruairidh. Do you happen to know the small screws thread size please?
The two screws that hold the condenser on are in steel with a 5BA thread and of a very rare type - they have a hex head and screwdriver slot.
You can buy them online here:
https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/product-category/fasteners-ba-screws-nuts-washers-studding-knobs/ba-steel-screws-bolts-nuts-washers-plus-studding/steel-hex-head-one-size-ba-bolts
and here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/maccmodelengineerssuppliesltd/BA-Nuts-and-Bolts/_i.html?store_cat=10&_ipg=72&_pgn=2&_tab=shop
amd here: https://www.ba-bolts.co.uk/steelba.html
You'll have to cut the screwdriver slot.....
This is an original: