What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Hedd_Jones]

I've been busy with Davids old car, plus a job or two on the grey saloon

Put some miles on TH since its engine transplant. Now done nearly 30miles. Goes well enough. It is a little smokey from the valve chest, but hey ho. At least its running and on the road while its proper engine is in bits. A breather pipe has already solved that problem. Will drop the oil in it next time I get it warm.



also fixed the puncture. There was an inch and a half gash in the tube!. Had to make my own patch



David, a question for you, ever since ive known the car, the bloody pedals have fallen off whilst driving. The cones are brazed to the pad, and have a rubber pad, so they eventually come undone and fall off. This is a thorough PITA



My grey car is pukka Austin and only very occasionally have I had this problem. However on the chummy I not long sold the pads were secured with nuts. That seemed to be the permanent cure. So have done this similar and sodded off the pedal rubbers to boot.



I noticed a drop of coolant on the head of the grey car the other day, looks like the joint under the water manifold was kaput, so took it off, cut a new one. refitted with a new fibre washer etc. Also noticed the hose wasn't the best so invested in a new one. Now back together and full of antifreeze again. So all 3 cars back on the road.







Next job is to take the chummy to bits!

[David Stepney]

Hedd,

TH4219 is looking good. I'm very glad it is such good hands. You appeared also pose a question, but only made a statement about the pedals. If the question concerned pedals, after the thick end of 50 years, I cannot remember having difficulty with the pedals unscrewing themselves. i certainly don't remember the conical nuts being brazed to the pads. Its not a solution I would adopt.

On FG, the clutch pedal had a habit of unscrewing itself after I had the engine out to fit a new rear main and reline the clutch. The clutch pad was a swine to get off, and I had used a stilson wrench on it to get it unscrewed. I quickly found out why it had been done up so tightly, so I have cured the problem by tightening it up with a (smaller) stilson wrench. Fortunately, if the conical nut is in contact with the pad, tightening the pad will drag the nut round with it (assuming the threads are OK.)

And, yes, I personally use pedal rubbers on my car as i prefer the feel of them. A rubber on the throttle also seems to make 'heel and toe' changes (I have the earlier crash box) easier.

Have I answered the question you had in mind?

David.

[Parazine]

I have cured the problem by tightening it up with a (smaller) stilson wrench. Fortunately, if the conical nut is in contact with the pad, tightening the pad will drag the nut round with it.

I have found this to be a cure for similar problems with pre 1935 clutch and brake pedals over the last forty years.

[David Cochrane]

Scrutineering at the VSCC Exmoor trial. Sadly we had to retire with a broken cowhorn which somehow was causing the throttle to stick open.

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

As the weight of the wing twists the unsupported flitch plate, it twists the floor pan which cockles the throttle linkage bar and stops the rod returning fully.

[Ivor Hawkins]

After all the recent hoo hah about the VSCC, it looks like the Exmoor has attracted some proper cars...I can’t say that in more than fifty years of sevenning I’ve ever come across a broken cow horn, maybe I’ve led a sheltered life!

[Austin in the Shed]

I had one break too when trialling.Also 2 hydraulic brake pipe fractures on O/S/F within 3 trials I think,when then realising the bolt on the cow horn supporting the front of the special body was missing.
A friends high mileage chummy has had the cowhorns repaired too.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

The break is reasonably common in my experience too.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Always wanted to visit Port Meirion but the first time we went (1983) it was closed and the next time (1985) it was peeing down. I drove past it in 1998 but had no time to stop as I was on a site visit. One day we'll get there...

[David Cochrane]

It happened on the RP as well in the same place: