Steering Arm routine bring up

[Bob Culver]

I have recounted before how my father broke a steer arm about 1950. He was uncommonly late home and I can still recall my mothers concern. He was rounding a sweeping suburban corner at a brisk 30 mph when the car went straight ahead, struck the generous gutter at an angle and continued until the car stopped violently at a crossing bridge. The engine was running flat out and the horn sounding. The free drop arm had cut the wire and opened the throttle. It was the biggest thrill of his life (no desert war service)! Just afterwards the Comet incidents brought metal fatigue to general attention. Although a small country town a local engineer had an early machine. He ran earthworking machinery and reckoned the testing paid for itself many times over during overhauls.We became very crack conscious and had a lot of parts tested subsequently. I later acquired a quantity of fluid which with a magnet works on small local polished areas. I have since detected cracks in several Seven arms, stub axles, front axles, axle keyways, cranks. And on other cars; arms, kingpins, gearbox thrust washers, conrods. And stubs on several trailers. The latter a worry. A lost trailer wheel is a huge danger and often the trailer overturns and crashes the car.

I suspect most who have experienced and survived promptly quit Sevens, even if the car remained serviceable.