11-10-2018, 09:12 AM
Would anyone object to an Austin 10 question? It's just that I'm struggling to obtain information via the relevant club and forums, and feel that the Austin 7 folk are more inclined towards technical discussions, so might be better placed to advise. I do own a couple of Sevens, by the way!
The car is a 1934 10/4, a late chrome rad model. I'm nearing the end of a clutch rebuild, but there's one point of detail that isn't quite right and I don't want to put it all back together until I'm 100% happy with it all.
The three clutch toggle levers have hardened steel pins, similar to a 7, but of smaller diameter. The ones on my car are badly worn and must be replaced. These are tricky things to get hold of, but I did find one supplier. The original pins have a radius on each end, which ensures that there are no edges that would protrude from the toggle lever post. This is important, in order to prevent any possible fouling of the recesses of the pressure plate. However, the replacements lack the radius, although they do have a slight chamfer. I've tried putting one of the pins in my lathe and using a small sharpening stone to form a radius, but the metal is just too hard to make any real progress.
One suggestion is that I try making a set myself, out of silver steel. However, I'm not sure that my lathework skills are sufficient to get the pins just right, plus I've not worked with silver steel before. I presume that heat treatment would then need to follow, for hardening, but I have no prior experience of this.
Any advice, please? I've attached a couple of pictures, one showing the new and old pins, and the second illustrating how the edges of the pin-ends protrude slightly from the post.
Many thanks.
The car is a 1934 10/4, a late chrome rad model. I'm nearing the end of a clutch rebuild, but there's one point of detail that isn't quite right and I don't want to put it all back together until I'm 100% happy with it all.
The three clutch toggle levers have hardened steel pins, similar to a 7, but of smaller diameter. The ones on my car are badly worn and must be replaced. These are tricky things to get hold of, but I did find one supplier. The original pins have a radius on each end, which ensures that there are no edges that would protrude from the toggle lever post. This is important, in order to prevent any possible fouling of the recesses of the pressure plate. However, the replacements lack the radius, although they do have a slight chamfer. I've tried putting one of the pins in my lathe and using a small sharpening stone to form a radius, but the metal is just too hard to make any real progress.
One suggestion is that I try making a set myself, out of silver steel. However, I'm not sure that my lathework skills are sufficient to get the pins just right, plus I've not worked with silver steel before. I presume that heat treatment would then need to follow, for hardening, but I have no prior experience of this.
Any advice, please? I've attached a couple of pictures, one showing the new and old pins, and the second illustrating how the edges of the pin-ends protrude slightly from the post.
Many thanks.