Like most older sevens the starting handle sits at six o'clock.
Is it much of a job to get it to stay in the proper nine o'clock place.
I understand that it is meant to prevent an oil leak at the front of the engine.
It's not the end of the world but I'd like mine to be as 'correct' as I can get it - you can probably running out of must do's!
Buy an Austin 7 they said, It's easy to work on they said !
I too would be interested if there is a reasonably simple fix for this. My starting handle remains at 9 o'clock when the car is stationary, but quickly escapes it's moorings when driven. As a temporary fix, I have secured it to the offside front flasher lamp with a redundant small dog collar bought for the Motoring Dog when he was a puppy and which he (most inconsiderately) quickly outgrew.
I haven't had the nose off an engine for some considerable time, but I seem to recall that there were two dog teeth cast into the inner end of the casing to support the pin on the end of the starting handle shaft in the correct position but they wear away over the years.
Hi David
I guessed that there would be something like that in there, after giving the engine a cursory look over last winter whilst sorting out clutch/gearbox problems I've decided that next winters project is a full engine overhaul so it might just get sorted then.
Buy an Austin 7 they said, It's easy to work on they said !
Given that I seem to recall that you can't get the timing cover off without raising the engine clear of the front of the chassis, that sounds like a good plan. For my own part, given that, when I last had the engine apart to cure the block to crankcase oil leak, everything looked in good order and the car is running well (now I have replaced the fuel line), I can't see that I shall be taking my engine out any time soon. In the meantime, the dog collar is doing a sterling job and adds a certain jaunty 'je ne sais quoi' to the look of the car.
I gather the earlier engines had a leather washer but not the lates. The handle is a place for water to enter. Fixing the housing lugs is awkward. There may be scope fro an O ring. My car when parked outside had a rag wrapped around.
On my RK I fitted a small swivelling arm to the radiator bolt under the cowl. It can be turned forward to support the handle and pushed back for starting. A bit like the leather strap you see on many vintage cars.
On the Brookfields special I had an old starter dog which I drilled through and fitted back to front in the nose cone. It is supported by three 1/4” bolts drilled and tapped through the casing. I then filled the gaps with liquid metal. Remembering to drill a small oil return hole.
Work holding will be a bit of a challenge and I'm not sure of the best tooling to remove the old aluminium to create a counterbore. I'd be interested to hear the details from anyone on here who has actually done this job. As a lathe operator I am very much the enthusiastic amateur.
