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Help Identify My Spares
#1
The 31 RN Saloon came with a few spares, a lot just detritus, but some potentially useful...if I can identify them. First, my lamps.

The car currently has chromed headlamps on it, which seem to correspond to the handbook as to their servicing (ie, a screw at bottom of lamp which allows access to the innards. Those lamps do not have pilot bulbs in them that I can see, and have fluted glasses:

   

I am happy enough with these lamps, assuming they work, as I think these are dipping-beam lamps (?), and may be genuine Seven lamps, perhaps from a later or sportier model? Is this switch on the side of the steering column for dipping the beam?

   

All RN photos I've seen that look fairly original in their details (like I really know, to be fair) have black-finished lamps. I do have a set of black-finished lamps in tough cosmetic condition in my spares, but they have pilot lights and I cannot figure out how you're supposed to gain access to the innards, the rim seemingly riveted in place. I tried to turn the rims while giving some gentle pressure inwards, but they don't seem to move.

   
   

Are these the "right" lamps for this car? Are they even lamps from a Seven? They have "pebbled" glass rather than fluted glass. I have a pair of new reflectors with pilot lights in the spares as well which would seemingly fit these.

I obviously have better things to do on the car but am curious.

The next mystery is this bunch of bits.

   

The second item in from the lower left is a window winder which matches on the one that is installed in the car, and the handle in the plastic matches the pull handle in the door cap that is also already installed (please excuse my nomenclature if I get misname things!), so those I think I can sort.

The larger window winder and what looks like an interior door handle, either side of the winder identified in previous graph I suspect may not be from this car, but maybe?

The smaller chrome pieces at lower right are mysteries at the moment. My sunroof has no hardware on it (neither handle nor locking mechanism) but unless the item at far-right is the handle, I don't know what any of these bits are.

The grubby bits at upper right are the cover panels for the transmission tunnel, I think (there is a piece with the remains of a handbrake gaiter on it out of frame, as well).

The painted brackets upper left are also mysterious.
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#2
Good morning, the lamps currently on your car appear to be Lucas LB 130 (and might be of my manufacture). They weren’t introduced until the RP in 1933. The black lamps are Lucas R47 and were fitted to RN’s when the model was first introduced but were fitted with the excellent Lucas-Graves twin filament dipping bulbs (why Austin’s stopped using this system goodness only knows). Late in 1931/early 1932 Lucas 35/32 lamps were introduced still with the Lucas-Graves dipping bulbs. Both lamps used ‘reeded’ glasses to ‘restrict the glare of oncoming headlamps’!!
The column mounted dip switch is correct for your car.
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#3
Thank you, Stuart! How does one gain access to innards of the R47 lamp? Perhaps I am not applying enough "gronk" in my efforts to rotate the rim? Or is there a secret bit of knowledge I'm missing?

Is the original finish enamel paint, or were they "Japaned" or ?
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#4
(23-03-2025, 10:01 AM)Maxwelton Wrote: Thank you, Stuart! How does one gain access to innards of the R47 lamp? Perhaps I am not applying enough "gronk" in my efforts to rotate the rim? Or is there a secret bit of knowledge I'm missing?

Push the rim in evenly and turn about 3/4” anti clockwise
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#5
To remove the rim I place the lamp face down on a flat surface covered with the non slip matting which is sold for tool drawer lining or motor home applications. This grips the rim/glass whilst pressing down and rotating the lamp body. They can be difficult though!!
I would post a pic but this site defeats me!

The paint finish was indeed a very thin japanned coating. I did find the recipe for this once in an old motoring book which I showed to a chemistry colleague. He warned me off it commenting that it was almost as lethal as plutonium!! I use an aerosol can of black Plastic-Kote not plastic coating but an excellent finish.
The RN sunroof has a unique pull handle I’m sure that David Mann a correspondent of these pages could furnish pictures as he is the go to RN guru.
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#6
That's a good idea. I never thought of doing it that way.
The R47s on our car have single filament bulbs.
Jim
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#7
The first chrome window winder and the door handle are not from a Seven.

I think the painted bracket top left is the starter switch mounting. Edit: or more correctly, the shield which fits under the starter switch to protect the electrical connections.


.jpg   Early RN starter switch.JPG (Size: 78.26 KB / Downloads: 324)
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#8
Just to add to what Mike has said above regarding the painted bracket top left on your parts photo - here's an image showing the floor mounted starter switch attached to the folded steel bracket you have.


.png   Screenshot 2025-03-23 at 10.43.30.png (Size: 688.05 KB / Downloads: 320)
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#9
That's my car Mike. This is the cover over the flywheel      in situ, top right in your photo. This is the sun roof stop      . The sunshine roof clamp      available from the Seven Workshop and Austin 7 Components. Here's the elusive sunshine roof pull      these are like hen's teeth I borrowed one and copied it.
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#10
Wow, thanks for the great reference shots. My car seems to be missing the front piece of trim that the interior mirror is attached to. I'm guessing whatever pile the roof bits and upper trim bits were in (including the mirror) did not make it into the car when it was sold. That estate also had a Seven Swallow in tougher condition than this car, a real Project. I tried to buy that car but the family had an "advisor" who insisted that machine was worth "millions" or some equally unlikely number and my offer of a few thousand (which I felt was fair enough, given the state of the car and uncertainty surrounding how complete it actually was) was turned down flat. My offer was about $100 for each live mouse living in the sad old thing! Last year I ran into a fellow here on the island who says he now owns that Swallow, and he paid them like $700 for it. Way it goes, sometimes. I have a couple of crappy photos of that Swallow, a 1932 example, if anyone wants to see them.
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