New Ruby owner - an introduction

[Ruby728]

Hi!

I've just bought a 1936 Ruby and I'm looking forward to getting involved in the forum! This is my first Austin 7.

It seems pretty good so far, definitely usable and even quite nice. I certainly won't be restoring it, but I plan to repair the minor faults it has. They should all be pretty simple when I really look into it. I'm not asking for answers here, but if anyone has any particular thoughts, I welcome ideas from those with more experience of these cars.

They include:

• Carb adjustment. The idle setting needs constant fiddling to keep it running when you come to a stop or to get it to actually move without bogging and stalling. If the plunger is pushed all the way in, it will sometimes idle but it'll start to stall as soon as it's under load.
  
• Battery drain. I left the battery plugged in overnight and it was completely flat the next morning. So far, I'm just disconnecting it when I leave it. 
  
• Small coolant leak. Maybe from the bottom of the radiator by the hose there. Nothing major
  
• Oil drips. Seems to drip off the sump plug mostly, but I think it's just coming from all around the sump
  
• Wiper - motor seems to run fine, but only moves the arm about half an inch. Also the wiper is parked hanging down the screen
  
• Fuel gauge is permanently on empty.
  
• Speedometer is very inaccurate - reading about a third higher than it should. When it shows 40, that's a true 30, for example.
  

But overall, not much to complain about! I am really enjoying the car so far and really want to make the most of the weather and enjoy it.

I will have plenty of questions as I go. My car is not exactly a concours one, but it's in lovely condition and I'm looking forward to getting to know it better and hopefully contribute to the forum when I have a bit more experience.

Thanks for reading!

[Dean Waller]

Welcome!

I too have a 36 Ruby. Best advice - join your local club. So much knowledge and help available. Most of your issues are common, especially the oil leak so get used to it! Battery is a problem and suggests a short somewhere. I’m by no means an expert so I’ll leave it to others to offer advice on individual items. Several websites offer lots of help with technical issues - ours in Cornwall is good www.austin7.org.

Enjoy! I’m sure you’ll find a world of people who will offer help, advice and friendship - I certainly have.

Good luck
Dean

[Tony Griffiths]

Welcome to the mad world of the Austin 7. You'll find this forum of great use with many helpful and very experienced subscribers ready with sage advice.
As you are new to the car, here's some background that I hope you'll find useful - there is, of course, even more to be found if you search online:
A summary of most A7 models with specification details (though some minor ones are incorrect) http://archive.a7ca.org/wp-content/uploa...ooklet.pdf
CLUBS:
There are so many Austin 7 clubs that, in 1969, an association of them was formed - and this is now the go-to place that hosts a mass of important data: https://a7ca.org/ It's a huge site with lists of clubs, a superb archive of historical data, reproduction handbooks, chassis and car registers, A7 history, A7 model identification, events, etc, - to find all this data, explore the A7CA website: https://a7ca.org
The page that links to the most important sections is: https://archive.a7ca.org/
DIRECT LINKS to HANDBOOKS, PARTS MANUALS, and SALES CATALOGUES
A comprehensive collection can be downloaded as PDFs: https://archive.a7ca.org/collections/han...rts-lists/
Sales brochures can be found here: https://archive.a7ca.org/collections/show-brochures/
The Pre-War A7 club has a handy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pwa7c .... with other enthusiasts forming groups for specific models or regional interests.
As a club member, you will receive not only the club's full-colour magazine but also the wonderful Association Magazine, published quarterly since 1970 https://a7ca.org/about-us/magazine/
BACKGROUND and BOOKS:
To read the fascinating background to the car - with reproductions of the notebook by Stanley Edge the design draftsman see: https://a7ca.org/austin-seven/the-people/
Austin 7 books can be bought from: http://www.pwa7c.co.uk/bookshop.php This is a collection of material including historial and technical literature and material on specific models such as the Type 65 and Nippy, Grasshopper and Ulster, etc.
For engine, other mechanical work and restorations one highly recommended business with personal attention and much helpful advice is: http://www.albaaustins.co.uk
IS YOUR CAR ALREADY LISTED?
To see if your car is listed or to add it (that would be very useful) the A7CA provides a list of known vehicles: https://a7ca.org/chassis-register/  It includes versions by English Austin, American Austin and Bantam, German Dixi and BMW, and French Rosengart. You can search by Model Type as well as chassis, car, and registration numbers.
For new Austin 7 parts try these links (which I hasten to add are in a random order)
David Cochraine at: https://www.a7c.co.uk/aboutus.php
Jamie Rogerson at: https://www.theaustinsevenworkshop.com/
http://austinrepro.com/ This company offers standard and also beautifully made, difficult-to-find reproductions of headlamps, speedometers, rev counters and various items for standard cars and also the Swallow, Nippy, Ulster, etc:
For both new and a wide collection of used parts try: Tony Betts at http://www.7ca.co.uk/ and http://www.southernsevens.co.uk
Another link with details of restorers, gearbox, suspension and bodywork experts, etc: https://oldcarservices.co.uk/austin-seven-specialists/
If you want to know about 'Technical Data & Specifications', thread sizes, etc, this page will help: https://www.austin7.org/Data%20Pages/Tech%20Data/
INTERESTING ODDS and ENDS
Three websites in development concentrate on the originality and exact details of particular models: Austin 7 Saloons and Tourers 1923 to 1931 including Gordan England and Swallow versions: https://sevenrk.wordpress.com/
Austin Seven Sports Sports 1927 to 1931: https://ulster7.wordpress.com/
Gordon England models - racing, sports, saloon and vans: https://gordonenglandregister.wordpress.com/
For 25+ pages of digitally restored, interesting Austin illustrations (many of which are of the high-resolution, clickable-to-download type): http://www.lathes.co.uk/austin7
Fitting indicators, a guide is here: http://www.lathes.co.uk/austin-7-indicators
Improving the lights: http://www.lathes.co.uk/austin7-2/page18.html
For the 100th anniversary of the Seven's introduction in 2022, which a thousand cars attended, watch the event's film here: https://a7centenary.com/

[Ruby728]

Thank you Tony, this is great! I will be sure to look into it all. It might take me a few evenings!

[John Cornforth]

Hi Ruby 728

To answer your points:

Carb adjustment. The idle setting needs constant fiddling to keep it running when you come to a stop or to get it to actually move without bogging and stalling. If the plunger is pushed all the way in, it will sometimes idle but it'll start to stall as soon as it's under load.

By plunger I guess you mean the choke used for cold starting. The first part of its movement also raises the idling speed. Once the engine is warm and the choke is fully in, idling speed is set instead by the idling speed screw (throttle stop) on the carb. Try screwing this clockwise a little to open the throttle disc slightly.

Battery drain. I left the battery plugged in overnight and it was completely flat the next morning. So far, I'm just disconnecting it when I leave it.

Something wrong here. Possibly the dynamo cutout (mounted on the bulkhead, driver's side) is at fault and not opening when the dynamo stops generating.

Small coolant leak. Maybe from the bottom of the radiator by the hose there. Nothing major

Discussed in your other post

Oil drips. Seems to drip off the sump plug mostly, but I think it's just coming from all around the sump.

A normal part of Seven life, and what stops the chassis rusting ! In the longer term, replace gaskets with modern silicone rubber ones.


Wiper - motor seems to run fine, but only moves the arm about half an inch. Also the wiper is parked hanging down the screen

Probably wear in the internals of the motor. Look out for a less worn one. For an idea of the internals, see this article https://www.austin7.org/Technical%20Arti...20Improve/


Fuel gauge is permanently on empty.

A common issue, most likely to be the sender in the tank. This is inacccessible without tank removal (major faff) or cutting a hole in the floor above (faff) which is why this fault is often not dealt with. Most people resort to a dipstick made of a long piece of slightly bendy plastic. The tank holds 5 gallons (23 litres). Dont fill it right up to the cutoff point of a modern pump or it will spill out of the breather tube, or the rubber section of the filler neck if that's not properly sealed.


Speedometer is very inaccurate - reading about a third higher than it should. When it shows 40, that's a true 30, for example.

The speedo typically over-reads a bit, but not by that much. On the speedo face it should say 1040 which is the revolutions per mile of the speedo cable. Possibly someone has substituted a speedo from a different car.

Good luck !

[Robert Leigh]

One thing that I have found on a few Sevens is that the final link from the cross-shaft arm to the throttle spindle is not in slight tension. It is desirable that this link is tensioned so that the carb throttle spindle always settles back to the same minimum position. It is a point which needs to be right if you are to get a consistent tickover speed.

[Chris KC]

Concerning the speedo, first thing to check (as John suggests) is that you have the right speedo, showing correct turns-per-mile figure.
If so, then pause to consider whether your car is currently as standard - for example do you have the correct rear axle ratio, gearbox and wheel / tyre size fitted? -as these can all affect speedo reading. The tyres are the most likely variable, but it was always thus.
Modern car makers are restrained by legislation, a speedo must read between dead accurate and 15% fast (i.e. erring on the "safe" side). I don't suppose that rule existed when A7's were built. And it may have been tempting for car makers of the 30's to allow customers to think their cars were somewhat faster than they actually were...
If it still troubles you, it is possible to:
(a) swap for another speedo, on the offchance that it might read closer - bit of a gamble
(b) construct or purchase a tiny intermediate gearbox which corrects the reading (obviously you have to calculate the necessary step up/down). Not the tidiest solution.
© Send it off to a specialist like Speedograph Richfield, who can re-calibrate it for you, for a price - they will require some basic measured data (turns of the wheel when pushing the car a certain distance).
(d) Just ignore it like most of us do :0)

[Reckless Rat]

If the car is 1st registered before 1938 it doesn't need a speedo anyway.

[Ruby728]

This is true, but I'd like it to be accurate for the odometer. It's not terribly important and not a priority to fix!

[David Stepney]

Usually its not the odometer that is inaccurate, provided the speedometer head is the correct one. My own speedometer reads slow and is about 5 mph pessimistic at 30 mph. The odomenter part merely counts revolutions of the speedo cable and is entirely mechanical. The speed indicator part has a rotating magnet inside an aluminium drum to generate eddy currents which tend to drag the needle (or drum itself if of the 'Magmo' variety) around the dial. Over the years, the magnetism fades and I suspect this is the cause of the inaccuracy of speed indication.