What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Reckless Rat]

Still hot down here in deepest Rekkersland but the worst of the heatwave seems to be over, with storms forecast tonight and tomorrow. Having (fingers crossed) managed to stem the oil leaks from the valve chest and the oil filler cap I decided to make the most of the slightly cooler (32°) weather and stick a few more miles on the rebuilt engine. Still taking things "steady" but all seems good. Pulling well uphill even in top gear. 260 miles completed. I want to get at least 1000 miles of running in before I tackle my next expedition...
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[AustinWood]

I've been using my 1929 fabric saloon all week, and covered about 250 miles.

I had taken the engine to bits some time ago to fix oil leaks and it was hardly used at all for a long time. It's now all back together and for some reason going better than it ever has. Quite happy cruising at 50mph.
I wanted to make sure all was all OK before the Scottish Austin Seven Club rally at Guildtown tomorrow and it's much improved.

I had trouble with starting after reassembly, the throttle linkage was wrong and there were induction leaks.
I had been using an Accuspark electronic distributor and reverted back to the DK4 distributor because it won't start on the starter with the Accuspark.
That was tedious when diagnosing starting issues. The starter drops the voltage too much - I probably need a new battery.
Once the starting was fixed I went back to the Accuspark because the car runs much more smoothly.

I've now got a fix for the dropped voltage with the starter. The engine starts first swing on the handle but it's awkward if it stalls in traffic!
I got a small (4"x2"x1") 6V sealed lead-acid battery. I have fitted a switch so I select which battery to use to power the ignition when starting. The main battery operates the starter. This seems to work well but I have to remember to switch back, as the small (1.2Ah) battery won't like charging at 4A.
I've ordered a 6V change-over relay which I can wire in so that when the starter's operating it switches to only the small battery and back when the starter's released.
The batteries will be in parallel normally once the relay is in place. That means both batteries will get charged.

I hope I get the best of both worlds.

[Nick Salmon]

Took the Opal to Tesco yesterday afternoon and as I got out an elderly gentleman stopped and said 'Cor smashing. I used to work on them...'.

He then regaled me with a tale of years ago working in a garage on the North Circular when the boss told him and two mates to go and get a car from about a mile away that was not roadworthy and needed to be pushed in. When they got to the house it turned out to be an A7. They tried pushing it but soon ran out of puff - so they tried starting it, and it went. My new friend drove it while his two mates stood on the running boards and hung on. Part way along the North Circular they passed a copper on a bicycle - who instantly gave chase. He didn't catch them...

'Happy days' said he. 'You wouldn't get away with that these days, would you...' And off he went, with a big smile on his face. 

I love it when people take such pleasure from seeing our cars.

[Alan]

Yes, this morning I parked the Chummy in town and was approached by a lady of a certain age and ended up taking her photograph behind the wheel. Then this afternoon I was at Morrison’s investing in some wine and met a Polish chap with whom I had very few words in common, but we both liked cars. Again a photo session and we both went with smiles on our faces.

[bob46320]

Austin W.
Will that work charging the 2 batteries in parallel? How will you prevent over charging the smaller battery ?

[Dave Mann]

I was caught out with a carburettor which had lost the original brass split pins for the float weights and was fitted with steel split pins which were over length. These would rotate and lock up the mechanism occasionally.

[AustinWood]

How will you prevent over charging the smaller battery?
Whichever battery has the lower voltage will draw more current and the voltages will even out.
My son (BSc Electronic & Electrical Engineering) assures me this is the case!
How does one prevent overcharging with only one battery?

[bob46320]

The 7's charging circuit is pretty crude relying upon the driver to regulate over charging (Summer / Winter). Would this mean that if the small battery were the lower voltage, that it would draw the maximum current of say 10 amps or will the smaller battery only draw its maximum allowed current - I don't know the answer to that one.
In a similar situation, I came home on a dry 6 volt "Lantern" battery when the dynamo packed in and the Lead acid was getting very low, but they were not in circuit at the same time.

[AustinWood]

I have all LEDs so my maximum charge is 4A. Less on 1/2 charge. I'll keep an eye on the voltages initially. Would be interesting to know the internal resistance I think.

[Hedd_Jones]

Jim. What a ball ache. Wouldn't it be easier to buy a new battery or put a mechanical dizzy back on?

Tonight I spent 5 minuites fiddling with my bronze carb. Upon close inspection it looks like when the carb was made the core for the bowl is offset towards the body of the carb, and thus to get the lid to fit (lid is numbered as the carb) it has a section filed out of the knurled edge. The lip being tight in the mouth of the bowl. Pushing down the tickler with my finger (dry), sort of flicking it, every now and again it would stick down. Which seems to be my problem. It didn't do it predictably. But every 20 or 30 flicks it would stick. Sometimes just a little stuck. Sometimes really stuck.

I spent some time filing the lip of the lid, and while the notch prevents the lid rotating freely, the lid now drops easily into place, actually with a bit of clearance. And by flicking the tickler I cannot make it stick. I hope the bastard is now fixed.