What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Barry Townsend]

Is it a simple fit as the idea sounds great and once installed looks after itself. I’ve been toying with radiator blinds but don’t like them, taking the fan belt off doesn’t appeal either

[Bob Culver]

With so many using exotic oils presumably with the aim of 200,000 wear free miles, I am surprised there has been so little about thermostats which contribute enormously to reducing wear rate. Must be a generous bypass of some sort or very strange effects can result. Even humble Bradfords with no fan had a thermostat.

[AustinWood]

Yes Ruiaridh, I think that's the on. Mine was for a renault 5.

It is too large for the Austin hose, but its OD is the same as the OD of the Austin Hose.
I use a small piece of Austin size hose at each end as a spacer between the new hose and the water outlets on radiator and cylinder head. A short length of copper central heating pipe is used to support the smaller hose where it is attached inside the larger. There is insufficient clearance with the header tank to take the large hose all the way up.
I drilled two small holes in the flange of the thermostat to avoid iarlock as there is no bypass.
Picture attached to shoe the installation. The click on the hose closer to the head secures the thermostat in the hose.
I use silicone hose as its more accommodating. I couldn't find black silicone hose at a sensible price in short lengths.

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Thank you Jim.

[AustinWood]

I'm very pleased with the thermostat.
The engine warms up much more quickly and there is no detrimental effect in hot weather.
Its been in use nearly 5 years.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Well, I turned up at the Punch Bowl this morning and there was no sign of a classic car, in fact the car park was almost empty... Perhaps I should have hung around a bit longer but I had things to do so I went back to the workshop.

[andrew34ruby]

Today I put petrol in the tank, poured some into the float chamber, a squirt into the air intake, turned the ignition on, and pulled the starter. After rebuilding this engine thirty years ago...... Today it fired and ran straight away!

[Greig Smith]

Excellent news Andrew, well done !!

Cheers
Greig

[Zetomagneto]

Well done Andrew, presumably that's the Short version.
I always crank a new engine on the starter, no plugs fitted, until I see oil pressure, also a couple of shots of oil into the bores.

[andrew34ruby]

Well done Andrew, presumably that's the Short version.
I always crank a new engine on the starter, no plugs fitted, until I see oil pressure, also a couple of shots of oil into the bores.

Well presumed!  The bores have been re-oiled many times during it's 30 year stand, to such an extent that I had to drain some oil out of the sump.

And yes, cranked with plugs out to get oil pressure.  Then started.