What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Reckless Rat]

Yesterday actually. Rolled the RP out into the sunshine and had a 25 mile tootle around the block. I've just replaced a set of bearings in the FOS hub and treated it to a new pair of Longstones on the front axle. All good. Happy days.

[Ivor Hawkins]

Out in the RP today, bright blue winter skies, a little bit chilly for the hand signals, but the engine heat soon came through…noticed some drips of anti freeze underneath…leaking core plug, but not bad enough to be changed yet.

I need to whip the motor and box out to replace a noisy thrust bearing (that’s going to be fun with my full depth Nippy sump) so I’ll do the core plug then, but in meantime, I’ll continue to blast around the lanes of South Northants/ North Oxfordshire, as usual!

[John Mason]

Ivor, As a temporary fix have you thought about putting a little silicon seal around the plug when dry.

[Ivor Hawkins]

Thanks John, yes, I’ll give it a good clean around the leak and give it a smear!

I have three other cars to service and repair first, so it might just stop things from getting worse until I pull the motor.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I removed the engine form our Chummy and rebuilt the clutch as it has lost travel.

It is now ready for us all to use at the Forrestburn Production Car Trial in a few weeks time. It will be a first for Willow (15) and Poppy (12), Daisy (12) attended last year, in the Ulster.

There is quite a number of younger members coming along.

[Steve kay]

What I did was be reminded that it was on this day in 1896 that Walter Arnold became the first person to be fined for exceeding the speed limit, still 2 mph. On his Benz, Arnold was pursued through Paddock Wood by a policeman, who kept his unbreakable gas pipe police bike up to a calculated 8 mph. Tortuous legal arguments as to what laws applied to Mr Arnold and his motorised carriage went on for some time, ending with him being fined one shilling, though with costs. Arnold was just about to start selling Benz derived cars under his own name, and was probably a very happy man indeed to get a great deal of publicity for one shilling. The previous year, two Benz cars had taken part in the Paris-Bordeaux race, as our French forunmists will gleefully confirm, French authorities were perfectly happy with an average speed of 24 mph.

[PeterN]

Fitted the replacement dynamo, supplied by Vince Leek, with great difficulty as I lack a 7/16 box spanner. Had to grind down the diameter of a socket in order to get it in the gap for the rear bolt. Once I did that life got a lot easier. Next is to drill and tap the dynamo body ready for a helicoil to take the special shouldered plate retaining bolt. Recommend Vince by the way. Very helpful and understanding.

[Howard Wright]

Fitted the replacement dynamo, supplied by Vince Leek, with great difficulty as I lack a 7/16 box spanner. Had to grind down the diameter of a socket in order to get it in the gap for the rear bolt. Once I did that life got a lot easier. Next is to drill and tap the dynamo body ready for a helicoil to take the special shouldered plate retaining bolt. Recommend Vince by the way. Very helpful and understanding.

Hi Peter

I gave up using hex head bolts on the dynamo a while ago.  I use cap head, hex drive bolts.  No one can see the back bolts and it makes it so much easier to put a long Allen key round the back.

Coincidentally I spent an hour yesterday turning down the end of a 3/8 set screw and threading it for 1/4 BSF to use as the shoulder bolt on the distributor retaining plate.  A small lathe in the workshop is sooooo useful.

Cheers

Howard

[AustinWood]

Offset ring spanners reach the long dynamo housing bolt. I've had one for very many years and it is extremely useful.
https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/tools-and-ma...b8QAvD_BwE

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Long bolts, with a nut wound down to the point where the original bolt head would have been, stick out beyond the casing and allow a spanner to be used without difficulty.