Ha ha that made me chuckle...was a time when I drove more or less everywhere on battery alone! If your battery's in reasonable shape you should be OK for modest trips (as you say, no lights). Not ideal as a longer term situation of course. I seem to remember surviving trips of 250 miles or so. I spent one night on the forecourt of Wolvey Motors in the Nippy waiting for enough daylight to continue my journey...
I am presently running a car with a non-charging dynamo; I regularly do daylight runs of 100 miles plus (160kms) and have no qualms about a 40 mile round trip in darkness using all lights and wiper motor, with plenty of battery charge left to start instantly next morning. I really must get round to sorting the dynamo, but there's no urgency !
14-05-2018, 07:00 PM (This post was last modified: 14-05-2018, 07:03 PM by AustinWood.)
With a good battery you can drive all day. Make sure it's charged before you start.
In August I drove the Scottish Austin Seven Club run around Blairgowrie and next day 100 miles down to Melrose. All with no charge from the dynamo. Starter motor still worked at the end.
The battery will be 50 to 80 ampere hours so as the running ign current is only about 2 amps can go a long way. Do not attempt in your modern. But best to avoid deep discharges as very hard on battery. And repeat recharges at trickle amps also reckoned not good fro battery.
It is more or less normal for Seven armatures to have been cooked with solder flung from the commutator, but it would be interesting to know just exactly what was diagnosed as the faults. Commutators worn/turned very thin to the extent that the petals bend out or will is the ultimate end. Does anyone know if reconditoners have a source of replacement commutators?
15-05-2018, 07:24 AM (This post was last modified: 15-05-2018, 07:26 AM by 1938austin7.
Edit Reason: Typos
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Thanks for the replies. I had the armatures checked by an auto electrician using a Growler. I will put the generator back together and enjoy driving the car again. I bought a new battery recently so should be fine. I can put some black tape over the warning light.
For what it's worth I finally invested in a professional dynamo rebuild which was quite costly at the time but it has never missed a beat since. One of those cases where it's worth spending a few bob to get it done properly. I'd pass on the details but they are no longer in business I'm afraid.
If you are thinking of a professional re-build of the dynamo, perhaps consider the new "Fake dynamo" with an in-built alternator. When my Dynamo packed up a couple of days from home, I bought a 6volt lantern dry battery, but never needed it in the end.
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6 Location: The far North East of England
Car type: 1934 Austin 7 AVH Van (in bits & incomplete!), 1936 Morris 8 Series I Tourer
I've a feeling you may be based in Australia ? Here's a link to the Accuspark site in the UK and a link to Vince Leek's excellent fitting instructions. The Dynamators are a direct replacement for the Lucas C35A and the C35M (and the earlier DEL) so will definitely fit your 1938 Seven. Yours shown above could be either a C35A or C35M, the model number will be stamped into the steel casing under the silver paint - my 1935 C35A is identical to yours. Note the Dynamators are available in 6v or 12v - negative or positive earth.
