Restoring a Top Hat

[Dave Mann]

If they can't help then I should try the Waverley Route Heritage Association about 9 miles south of Hawick on the Austin Seven friendly B6399, on the right as you start the descent from Whitrope summit. That's one of my routes to/from Doune, Scone & Guildtown, the climb from Hawick to Whitrope can be a bit slow if you don't get it into top leaving Hawick.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Are you coming back to Guildtown this year Dave?

[Parazine]

A brief lull in the festivities has me out in the garage again. At least this job is warm!

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A brief lull in the festivities has me out in the garage again. At least this job is warm!

[Parazine]

Well, it's the last day of the Christmas holiday, work tomorrow   

However, I have produced a pair of replica early chassis rails this holiday.....


   


A number of people were concerned about the engine mounting washers (they're gone) and extra holes (all filled with weld).

The rear end shape isn't quite right but it's close enough to pass a cursory inspection. The chassis rails are about 1/8" higher along the last 1/3 of their length, I will have to be careful when the extensions are added to lake sure the top of the chassis is quite flat and I had to cut the slots a little deeper to ensure the spring is clamped properly by the U bolt.
The other giveaway is, of course that the upturn continues in front of the front crossmember. I think that this is actually desirable; my '27 Chummy chassis flexes noticeably over rough ground and I think this one will be stiffer.
Front crossmember has been straightened, it was unbelievably bent - into an "S" shape, putting the ball about 1/4" out of place.

   


Final shot is the mocked up chassis, just bolted together at this stage. Next job is to add the extensions and then strip again and get everything blast cleaned before we start hot riveting, which is scheduled for February.

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Nice work Tim.

[Parazine]

Thanks Ruairidh, lot of hours gone in  !

[Parazine]

The Chassis has now been blast cleaned and painted prior to assembly. I had a "Hot riveting party" in the garage last weekend, we actually rivetted two chassis, my '26 Top Hat (in red lead) and a 1929 chummy (posing in grey etch primer). Once we had perfected the technique, one chassis took about 3 hours to rivet together.

Here is the "A Team" placing the cross-shaft brackets on the '26 chassis:

   

The technique we used was:

1) Place rivet into hole, with plenty of bolts to secure alignment of the pieces being rivetted. Put the head of the rivet securely on the lower snap, holding the chassis in alignment as necessary.

2) Heat the rivet with the oxy-acetylene until orange hot. Getting the lower part of the rivet, where it goes through the chassis hot enough was the challenge.

3) Hammer with an SDS drill with a specially made bit as the top snap to form the head. 

4) Reheat rivet and repeat. The rivets cool quickly although the snaps get mighty hot!

5) Finally, finish with a reheat and a hand snap wielded with a 4lb lump hammer to finally form the head and close the joint.

Step 2 above:


   


And step 3:



   


Next job is to weld some bracing onto the top of the cross shaft brackets (back to the front crossmember) and then wire brush the areas of burnt paint and apply some more red oxide, finally finishing in black chassis paint.

[Reckless Rat]

Cool!

(no pun intended - well not much)

[AllAlloyCup]

Hi there

I like the use of the adapted SDS drill pure genius!

My 1925 chassis has small bracing tubes riveted on
to chassis from one of the cross members.

Regards

Bill G

[Davemayle]

Now that is party I would have liked to be invited to! I would have even brought along a bottle or two...... of oxygen and a chassis.

Nice work chaps.