What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Reckless Rat]

The Solex died out with the advent of the Mobylettes which had better performance. A Solex is only good for about 20mph and doesn't like hills, but the Mobylettes and then the Japanese mopeds cornered the market. I have to admit that mine diesn't get much use as I also have a Honda Melody wwhich is light years ahead of the Solex but if you live in a city where its flat they can be quite useful, if archaic. Just like a Seven.

[Duncan Grimmond]

I have one I bought 20years ago, still use it occasionally. I made a local splash at the Tour de France in Yorkshire in a Breton T-shirt and beret.

I found a new diaphragm in the fuel pump made an enormous difference to the "performance".

[David Stepney]

For some years I possessed a 1948 James Autocycle. This was basically a heavy framed 'butchers bicycle fitted with a single speed 98cc Villiers Junior engine giving 1 3/4 hp. I found it in a shed at the cottage I bought at Sellattyn near Oswestry in 1986 and restored it. The engine was seized, and, judging from the state of the bore, it had seized whilst running. Wrexham Motorcycles (as they were then) provided me with a new barrel head and piston. It went enthusiastically at about 20 mph on the flat, but, given the many hills in the Welsh hinterland, the way to get it up such hills was to walk by the side of it as it would happily pull its own weight up, but not with my 9 stone attached!

I have photos of it somewhere, but, after the grand (and disastrous) computer crash of last month, I am still ploughing through all the recovered data and can't find the photos. I sold it in 2008 to an Irish collector.

[Tony Griffiths]

VE Day - the village is dressed with flags and bunting so we have put the Opal on the drive. Loads of people stopping to take photos and chat - from a distance.

The sign says 'I was around for VE Day (the car, not the owner!).

Our car saw VE day - but so did it's present custodians, though both were only at the "mewling and pucking in the nurse's arms" stage.

[Terry McGrath]

I use my 1948 Brockhouse Corgi every 2nd day to fetch the milk and the bread in urban Birmingham.  I have a basket attached to the (foldable) handlebars, and always park on the pavement. Folded down, it is light and small enough to drop into the boot of a car.  Insurance £23 p.a.

[flywheel1935]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSpagdmE8NI

try this one Adstock VSCC about 2008/9 ???

[Alan]

I liked the races that followed. Was just wondering...........

[Dave Mann]

Tony the pin is set 0.170" from the end of the shaft which is counter bored 0.120" which leaves 0.050" between the conter bore and the pin. These are the average of the 4 RP shafts i have.

[David Stepney]

Those of you who have been following this thread will be aware that, when I posted on 10th April, I had reported that I had suffered from vapour lock problems climbing up from Lake Vyrnwy over to home. Except that it wasn't vapour lock! The problem began to become increasingly apparent on any long hill that required an extended period in second or third gear. I rebuilt the fuel pump (twice! Once on the side of the road!). I even tried a couple of 'long shots' swapping the coil for a new one and trying a known good condenser, remembering that often, what appears to be a fuel problem can be electrical. All to no avail.



As far as I was aware, there was nothing to account for the problem. The tank had been professionally cleaned  shortly after I bought the car, the fuel pump was new and there was nothing at all in the fuel filter. In desperation therefore. and it being the only bit of the fuel system that hadn't either been refurbished or renewed, yesterday I fitted a new fuel line right from the tank through to the pump.




An online plumbers merchant supplied the requisite amount of 1/4 in copper piping and I managed to remove and re-solder the fittings for the tank and pump. It looked to be a fairly straightforward job. In fact it proved anything but! Getting the pipe clips off proved to be a headache. The little bolts were all seized (who on earth thought it would be a good idea to fit cheese headed bolts with the slotted head inside the chassis?) but I didn't want to simply saw them off. I could be very pious and say it was for reasons of originality, but the real reason was I hadn't got any 2BA bolts , not just of the right length, but at all! If the new pipe was trial fitted once, it was fitted half a dozen times whilst i struggled to get it to be the right shape. Eventually, having started at 2 pm. by 7.30 or so, it was on, the right shape, even down to the expansion loop under the rear seat and all the little clips refitted despite all the furniture under the car (mostly the exhaust system) determined to get in the way. My back, however, protested, whilst my thumbs and wrists have been really painful today. Old age creeps on!




However, today I decided to see if there was any improvement, so I took the little car over to Berwyns to to my horses and back and the car seemed to run much better. So, this afternoon, I thought to take the car on a proper test: up to Bwlch-y-Groes (incidentally, the highest pass in North Wales), over to Lake Vyrnwy and back to Rhosygwaiau over Foel Goch, where the problem first reared it's ugly head. The little car performed stunningly well! I can only imagine that the original fuel line must have become furred up inside over its 87 year life, but it was a bit of an obscure fault




Pictures of the test run:





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On the way up to Bwlch-Y-Groes. That 'Cofiwch Drywerin ' sign gets everywhere!





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View from Bwlch-Y-Groes looking back down Cwm Cynllwyd





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It appears from the tourist blurb, that Austin test drivers used this road to test the cars
The Englsh is a bit obscure, but the Welsh reads: " If you were standing her in the 20's or 30's, you would have been in danger of being struck by an Austin car, because this road was used by Austin drivers to test the cars."




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View of the top of Cwm Dyfi





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Llyn Efyrnwy from the far end.





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From the top of Foel Goch, looking down Cwm Hirnant (and on the road home!)



PS Sorry about the pargraph spacing. The website appears to insert them on its own and every time i try to get rid of them, they come back!

[Dave Mann]

It's really satisfying to solve a long running problem.