28-11-2024, 05:32 PM
Hello everyone. I'm Steve and I've just purchased a 1935 APD project to fix up over the winter and hopefully enjoy driving next summer!
I've had a string of 60s and 70s classics over the past decade, most of which were bought as wrecks and I spent many cold winter evenings welding them back together but, at more than twice as old as me, this Austin 7 is my first pre-war car!
That said, I'm not completely new to the realities of owning and using pre-war vehicles as I also own a 1934 BSA B2 motorcycle. Seeing how much support there is for the Austin 7, this should actually be easier to live with, as supply of parts and knowledge for pre-war BSA's is very limited!
Enough about me, what about the car!
It's an early 1935 APD in red, which was part restored several years ago and then the restoration halted sadly by the passing of the owner. I have purchased the car from a gentlemen who claimed to have bought it with the intention of finishing it off himself and then changed his mind. He was a bit vague about some of the details, and therefore so am I!
What drew me to it, aside from the fact that it was an affordable way to acquire a tourer (for me nothing beats driving with the roof down on a nice day), was the condition of the body. With young kids my hobby time is more limited now, and I didn't want to commit myself to another vehicle requiring endless welding and bodywork. I'm much happier working on mechanicals which can be done comparatively quietly and cleanly in the evenings when the kids are asleep!
I can find no rust in the body at all. It was claimed that the wood work was all replaced, some of it certainly looks new and everything else feels solid enough. And the paint is great, it's claimed it was resprayed as part of the restoration work. The bonnet and wings are not so shiny, with chipped old paint, but they are all solid enough and should I wish to make them as shiny as the main body it will not be a big task. I'm more a fan of the oily rag look if I'm honest so I wont be in a rush to paint them, I'd like to drive first!
Mechanically, it looks as if the chassis and running gear has all been cleaned and painted. I'm told it was all refurbished but having sat for several years, and I've no idea if thats 5 years or 20 years, then I will be sure to go through it all properly before hitting the road.
The engine claims to have been rebuilt, and looking down the plug holes I can see shiny pistons tops as if it's never run, but it's currently got no compression, I mean not even a whisper of air when I put my finger over the plug hole and turn the handle... I'm presuming valves are hung open, or even that there are internal bits missing!
The brakes appear to work (at least on some level!) but I'm sure would benefit from some careful set-up. It's got a bowdenex conversion up front, which I read on here have mixed reviews.
So there's lots for me to be getting on with, and I'll have lots of questions for you all I'm sure! I've got a copy of RJ Wyatts' and Bill William's books, and have been reading on the forum familiarising myself with the car prior to purchase, but there's no substitute for being able to ask someone about specific details!
Picking up someone else's project without knowing exactly where they left off is always a bit tricky to start with, but I'll start with a couple of (hopefully) easy questions!
1. Am I correct in assuming that the hardware would have been BSW or BSF threads originally? I am missing all of the mounting hardware for the wings, grill and various other components and, whilst I can of course start measuring up, having a starting point helps!
2. The car is currently painted red, but I noticed that a paint chip on the floor pan revealed some dark green, is there an easy way to know the original colour? Not a high priority, but just interesting to know.
3. Can anyone confirm the sill structure for a high frame Opal like mine? I can see a single skin steel sill, with two strips of ash on the inside running from the A pillar back to the seat boxes, but then just the single skin of metal from there back to the B pillar, is that correct, or am I missing some more ash here? Excuse the dirt and damp, I need to get it full tired out as the car got wet during delivery to me.
On the same topic, my running boards appear either home made (or reproductions?) that are a bit flimsy feeling, should there be some re-enforcement under for forward edge of them? They are pop riveted to the sill currently which I'm fairly sure isn't right! haha
Looking forward to finding out more about 'Little Red' as my girls have named it, and to being a part of the forum.
Thanks.
I've had a string of 60s and 70s classics over the past decade, most of which were bought as wrecks and I spent many cold winter evenings welding them back together but, at more than twice as old as me, this Austin 7 is my first pre-war car!
That said, I'm not completely new to the realities of owning and using pre-war vehicles as I also own a 1934 BSA B2 motorcycle. Seeing how much support there is for the Austin 7, this should actually be easier to live with, as supply of parts and knowledge for pre-war BSA's is very limited!
Enough about me, what about the car!
It's an early 1935 APD in red, which was part restored several years ago and then the restoration halted sadly by the passing of the owner. I have purchased the car from a gentlemen who claimed to have bought it with the intention of finishing it off himself and then changed his mind. He was a bit vague about some of the details, and therefore so am I!
What drew me to it, aside from the fact that it was an affordable way to acquire a tourer (for me nothing beats driving with the roof down on a nice day), was the condition of the body. With young kids my hobby time is more limited now, and I didn't want to commit myself to another vehicle requiring endless welding and bodywork. I'm much happier working on mechanicals which can be done comparatively quietly and cleanly in the evenings when the kids are asleep!
I can find no rust in the body at all. It was claimed that the wood work was all replaced, some of it certainly looks new and everything else feels solid enough. And the paint is great, it's claimed it was resprayed as part of the restoration work. The bonnet and wings are not so shiny, with chipped old paint, but they are all solid enough and should I wish to make them as shiny as the main body it will not be a big task. I'm more a fan of the oily rag look if I'm honest so I wont be in a rush to paint them, I'd like to drive first!
Mechanically, it looks as if the chassis and running gear has all been cleaned and painted. I'm told it was all refurbished but having sat for several years, and I've no idea if thats 5 years or 20 years, then I will be sure to go through it all properly before hitting the road.
The engine claims to have been rebuilt, and looking down the plug holes I can see shiny pistons tops as if it's never run, but it's currently got no compression, I mean not even a whisper of air when I put my finger over the plug hole and turn the handle... I'm presuming valves are hung open, or even that there are internal bits missing!
The brakes appear to work (at least on some level!) but I'm sure would benefit from some careful set-up. It's got a bowdenex conversion up front, which I read on here have mixed reviews.
So there's lots for me to be getting on with, and I'll have lots of questions for you all I'm sure! I've got a copy of RJ Wyatts' and Bill William's books, and have been reading on the forum familiarising myself with the car prior to purchase, but there's no substitute for being able to ask someone about specific details!
Picking up someone else's project without knowing exactly where they left off is always a bit tricky to start with, but I'll start with a couple of (hopefully) easy questions!
1. Am I correct in assuming that the hardware would have been BSW or BSF threads originally? I am missing all of the mounting hardware for the wings, grill and various other components and, whilst I can of course start measuring up, having a starting point helps!
2. The car is currently painted red, but I noticed that a paint chip on the floor pan revealed some dark green, is there an easy way to know the original colour? Not a high priority, but just interesting to know.
3. Can anyone confirm the sill structure for a high frame Opal like mine? I can see a single skin steel sill, with two strips of ash on the inside running from the A pillar back to the seat boxes, but then just the single skin of metal from there back to the B pillar, is that correct, or am I missing some more ash here? Excuse the dirt and damp, I need to get it full tired out as the car got wet during delivery to me.
On the same topic, my running boards appear either home made (or reproductions?) that are a bit flimsy feeling, should there be some re-enforcement under for forward edge of them? They are pop riveted to the sill currently which I'm fairly sure isn't right! haha
Looking forward to finding out more about 'Little Red' as my girls have named it, and to being a part of the forum.
Thanks.