What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[GrahamW]

Dave Dye is the man for the nose piece.

[Reckless Rat]

Just been for a run around the block. It was nice and sunny, but a bit "bracing".
Apparently someone discovered the effects of Newton's first law of motion...

[Ivor Hawkins]

Go on Bruce, admit it, you got out and started directing traffic...

[Reckless Rat]

Actually I didn't. The numpty walking towards me tried to tell me that I had no right to take a photo so I just drove off, once the wrecker was out of the way.

[JonE]

Tried to assemble rear axle and chassis today, but had a feeling there is the slightest of bend detectable in the O/S tube. Did the N/S spring pin first, then could not get the spring pin into the final hub locator on the O/S, despite everything being slack.(pin fits in fine when spring not there, and fits fine through spring!) Was going to take a heavy duty ratchet strap tomorrow to see if I could pull something to get the last mm or so. Or disassemble everything and try and get the O/S done first. Any advice?

[Howard Wright]

Hi Jon

I find you need to jack up each spring slightly. I think this stretches and widens the distance between the two spring eyes.  I tighten two nuts against each other on the damper thread of the pin and judiciously tap (hammer) the pin in it also gives you leverage to wrist the pin to get the cotter in.  I’ve heard others taper the end of the pin slightly but so far I haven’t needed to do that.

Cheers

Howard

[Hedd_Jones]

Jon

Again just done this

File/grind a lead on the 2nd pin. You can work out how much by peering down the hole with a torch/mirror. Dont go to far up the pin with the lead as it needs to have full diameter at the cotter.

Don't have your springs tight, just have them just looser than a nip as you can waggle them sideways

Mark the spring pins pins with a scribe line where they need to be for the cotter to go in (dry fitted on the bench), against a scribe line on the axle ear.

I find once the second spring is between the axle ears your not usually far away. Lube up the pin and tap it in, the lead will make it self align. It might need a couple of good thumps to get it to go in the axle nearer the hub. If you have the sympathy neccassary for a hammer, you can feel when it is aligning, vs when it has come up to a dead stop (the flat end of the pin is catching the flat side of the axle).

I have on occasion had to put a shifter on the spring to twist it a little. I have choice of 24 of 30inch for this.

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today has been a day for fitting interior and replacing the speedo. The balls fell out of the old one some 15years ago. I have been guessing speed since.

Also tried out the new LED rear lamps. I'm not a fan generally of LED, but they are passable behind a red lense. Incandesant everywhere else for me. Corrosion and poor materials had done for the original guts of these lamps.



Yes, I know the digits for the mileometer didnt get replaced. I was mightily annoyed. But it was 5 years ago, and it didn't cost a lot of money.



I do have rebuilt with new chrome SM5 and oil gauge. I might fit them, but then I might not. No rechromed clock though.



also swapped out the dicky stop light switch. Now all the rear lights work

https://www.facebook.com/1069529276/vide...7234663326

[Dave Wortley]

Hedd, your speedo doesn't need the balls. My PA speedo has been working accurately for decades. I have tightened the bearing cups to give a running clearance between them and the driveshaft.

[Hedd_Jones]

Well, it might not need the balls, but it was generally pretty scabby so its now in the spares department with the others.

[JonE]

surely if its got balls then it works exactly the same but thinks it's working better than anything else?