Lifespan of refurbished Austin 7 engine

[David Stepney]

I have reason to believe that the mileage on my own car, an RP saloon in standard trim now standing at (1)12500 miles is genuine. When I bought the car in 2018, the indicated mileage was 94000, so I have covered about 18500 miles in 3 1/2 years. Shortly after I had the car, I fitted a new rear main bearing. Subsequently, the engine developed a little end knock, so the engine was more thoroughly overhauled. It was found that it had been rebored to 20 thou, and that the bores were in good condition, requiring only sufficient honing to deglaze them. The bottom end was in excellent condition, the crank being the original (it has the engine number stamped on it) and not reground. A quick check with a micrometer showed minimal wear, and the big end bearings were in excellent condition. The engine was reassembled with new gaskets, new pistons and the valves were ground in. Since then, the car has covered about 12500 miles and has been totally dependable. Oil consumption is about 500 miles per pint, but I suspect that it leaks most of this from the tappet cover.

I use a good quality 10W 40 semi-synthetic motor oil, changed every 2500 miles.

It appears that, with care, these engines can be very long lived!