Restoring a Top Hat

[Hedd_Jones]

The slightly later short chassis are almost exactly 6 inches shorter. They dont have the extra length behind the rear spring mount

[Tony Press]

Managed to get away from all the seasonal festivities for a few hours today and do some work on the car. Chassis is now in bits, you can really see the "wonk" on the N/S chassis member now!

I have received the side members and started mocking up the chassis to see where alterations must be made. It seems that, if the datum is taken from the rearmost rivets on the front casting, everything is in the correct place except the front most rivet holes that will have to be filled and re-drilled.

Here's the chassis looking much straighter. I spent most of the afternoon, straightening the front crossmember, which was all out of shape, with the ball heavily bent to the N/S. It's now about 98% better so should be OK.

Might get another afternoon this week, before the family arrives at the weekend...…….

With such an original car I would seriously look to repair the original rails or get another early short chassis. The engine mount washers are not right and you will have holes all over the place - plus the deeper rails will look wrong.

The original chassis looks to have had the later extensions added but set parallel instead of in line with the rails.

Please try and keep this lovely car 'original'.

Regarding the windscreen wiper - I would have thought a rubber blade insert would be correct - but if it looks original then it might be correct with felt.

[Parazine]

I would like to have kept the original side members but they had both broken at the crossmember and had heavy plates gas welded over the sides for 3 or 4 inches along the chassis. Straightening them with over 1/4 inch thickness of metal on each side would have been difficult - the patch would have to be stretched with heat, probably opening up the original break and then shrunk on the other side.
Cannot see why the original repairer in 1930 or so, didn't replace the chassis! There would have been plenty of rotten Austin and Gordon England fabric saloons in the scrapyards at that time and a new chassis from Austin was £5.

We'll see how the side members look with a few hours work, I could probably source another chassis eventually but unfortunately, in the UK, a replacement SWB chassis is a very expensive option assuming you can lay hands on the right one; as Hedd points out, there are at least 3 different variants.

[Zetomagneto]

I would like to have kept the original side members but they had both broken at the crossmember and had heavy plates gas welded over the sides for 3 or 4 inches along the chassis. Straightening them with over 1/4 inch thickness of metal on each side would have been difficult - the patch would have to be stretched with heat, probably opening up the original break and then shrunk on the other side.
Cannot see why the original repairer in 1930 or so, didn't replace the chassis! There would have been plenty of rotten Austin and Gordon England fabric saloons in the scrapyards at that time and a new chassis from Austin was £5.

We'll see how the side members look with a few hours work, I could probably source another chassis eventually but unfortunately, in the UK, a replacement SWB chassis is a very expensive option assuming you can lay hands on the right one; as Hedd points out, there are at least 3 different variants.

Skillful use with a 1mm blade in the angle grider would soon see those patches away.
If you are going to throw these rails away can you throw them my way please, if I had time I would offer to repair them for you.Best Wishes

[Dave Mann]

For years I struggled fitting the front axle assembly to the chassis, then after painting the chassis for it's last rebuild I was coming back up the stairs from the cellar to the garage and my eyes looked down the length of the chassis and I could see a nice hump in the offside longitudinal. I pondered it for a while then contacted the Moseley Railway Trust who kindly lent me a Jim Crow (rail bender), it took a while to clean and lubricate it but I was surprised how easy it was to straighten the member without marking the paint. The Moseley Railway Trust even thanked me for making their Jim Crow operational.

[Chris KC]

For years I struggled fitting the front axle assembly to the chassis, then after painting the chassis for it's last rebuild I was coming back up the stairs from the cellar to the garage and my eyes looked down the length of the chassis and I could see a nice hump in the offside longitudinal. I pondered it for a while then contacted the Moseley Railway Trust who kindly lent me a Jim Crow (rail bender), it took a while to clean and lubricate it but I was surprised how easy it was to straighten the member without marking the paint. The Moseley Railway Trust even thanked me for making their Jim Crow operational.

Now that's what I call a tool!

[AustinWood]

Dave, I suspect my Fabric saloon could could do with one of those. The bonnet to scuttle joint widens towards the bottom.
Very soon I plan to do a light restoration. I've had the car 10 years and use it all year round and in all weather so it's getting a bit crusty in places.
It was restored a couple of years before I bought it with a new floor plan. Unfortunately it was painted with what I suspect is acrylic aerosol paint - it's soluble in petrol.
I plan to remove the wings for remedial work and the body from the chassis so that an appropriate paint finish can be applied.
When the body's off I can check the chassis.
Fortunately there is a very friendly engineering shop in Galashiels. They have been responsible for keeping ancient looms going for years and are happy to do unusual work.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Awesome tool Dave  - proper job!

After nearly half a million miles of abuse the chassis on my father's chummy is starting to bend upwards just forward of the front cross member, as Jim mentions the ill-fitting bonnet is a tell-tail sign things are starting to slip!!

1973 (I am in my mother's arms - 5 days old)

   

A few years ago - bonnet line lifting...


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[Ian Dunford]

Perhaps if you have a spare half hour over the festive season you could pop back down to Bristol (borrowing the Jim Crow from Dave on the way down) and sort this out for me.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Of course!