Ali sumps

[Tony Press]

I have a 1929 crankcase with a large alloy sump (1 gallon?) and use the standard 1929 dipstick.

Birmal is the trade name for Birmingham Aluminium - I believe the Austin 7 crankcases sand cast and later diecast were from Birmal.

[Parazine]

I think crankcase manufacture was sporadically brought back "in house". Some of the mag and early coil cases are really shockingly poor quality, sand cast with inclusions of brass and steel scrap! The mag case from the Top Hat has chunks of steel scrap poking out, these were obviously spotted on the line and someone has gone round the inclusions with a centre punch, presumably to "pin" them in! I have a 1928 early coil case which is just as bad and the 1929 case on my RK saloon is poor.

By comparison, the 1930's BIRMAL cases were a delight! Probably die cast and the aluminium was better quality, without the scrap.

[Tony Press]

I thought the 'plugs' in the early rough sandcast crankcases were inserts into faulty casting blowholes .

[Michael D]

this one is on Ebay at the moment,
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUSTIN-SEVEN-...0903.m5276

three bids untill now but will undoubtedly be picked up up by some sniper who's going to outbid others on February 14th at 19:33 pm
considered to put a bid in myself but seller refuses to ship outside UK.....

I'll order a new one from David Dye now....

[Parazine]

I thought the 'plugs' in the early rough sandcast crankcases were inserts into faulty casting blowholes .

Hmm, might be. One of my crankcases somewhere has an inclusion which was clearly a fragment of a bolt, with thread on! Maybe some were deliberately placed though......

[Derek Sheldon]

Am I being naive, isn’t the maximum level the same if you have the standard steel sump or a 5 gallon sump. The minimum level is determined by how long you extend the oil pick up. And I also believe that the stick is suspended by the ring at the top not by hitting the sump at the bottom.  ???????

[Steve kay]

Thank you for asking that question Derek, I was wondering if it was just me sitting here puzzling over that. I also thought that it was the upper range of levels that should not be exceeded or dropped below, what went on underneath was not important.

[Chris KC]

As noted above, I use a Ruby dipstick in a deep sump without trouble so I'd venture the max position is more or less the same. And you have the comfort of knowing there's still some left when the level falls below the min. The Ruby type is indeed suspended from its finger ring but I'm not sure the same can be said of the Nippy one in Ruairidh's photo, thus can't be certain the max is precisely the same - not that there is any great precision at play here...

[Chris Garner]

Sports dipstick do not have a ring, as per R's photo, therefore rest on the floor of the sump.

[Tony Press]

As I said-

I have a 1929 crankcase with a large alloy sump (1 gallon?) and use the standard 1929 dipstick.

My understanding is the dipstick in the early crankcase rests on a ledge above the floor of the sump so the deep sump doesn't affect the dipstick or its full reading.

I don't know about the sports dipsticks but from the picture they rest on the sump floor..