(19-10-2022, 09:08 AM)Steve kay Wrote: Howard, I should have made clear that I was just another 2CV strangler contributing. No matter what the date of the car, if you can find a single Seven used in trials that has connected brakes I would be most surprised.
Prepare to be most surprised. There are many others.
Today, the car has been in my possesion for 2 month.
I needed to clean out some stuff in the workshop, and it got out in the sun.
I am waiting for parts to get the engine running.
It was a wonderfull day in Aalborg, Denmark.
Having not used the Pytchley much of late, this afternoon I did some routine maintenance and took it out for a run in the November sunshine.
I had adjusted the brakes and wanted to check them, in the hope that they would be better than before. It has early brakes on the front and semi-Girlings at the rear.
First stop was at the top of Chapel Bank just outside the village, one of the best views in North Yorkshire.
Next I headed towards Sneck Yate, the fearsome 1 in 4 hill that leads to the top of the Cleveland Escarpment. This is a great hill for testing Austin 7's. I was confident that the car would climb the hill without any trouble with its 4 speed box and 5.25 axle but wasn't so confident about coming back down so I stopped at the Paradise Farm junction half way up the bank.
The brakes would probably hold the car on the steep gradient but Sneck Yate is not a hill to take chances with. So it was back down through Boltby and out the other side to the gates of Ravensthorpe Manor.
Back home the brakes were found to be hot on the offside wheels and cool on the nearside. Further adjustment is needed but they are better than before!
Just been preparing the RP for our regular monthly meeting next to the river in Alès this coming Sunday morning, which basically amounts to charging the battery and dusting off. Providing the weather stays fine, which hopefully it will.
Yesterday I took the Pytchley to our monthly meeting near Catterick in North Yorkshire. The weather was mixed but the Pytchley proved to be very comfortable for the 50 mile round trip, some of which was in the rain. Having set the brakes up again from scratch, I was very pleased with how good they now are, I don't think they could be any better. The rear brakes are binding slightly in reverse presumably due to the camber of the rear springs but I can live with that for the time being. The little Austin was in the company of some heavy metal including a straight 8 side valve Railton. an Armstrong Siddeley and a Triumph Roadster.
I bet that side valve straight eight is wonderfully smooth for long distance driving...alas, I imagine it’s not what you would describe as economical though!
It's a Hudson engine in the Railton. It sounds wonderfully smooth. I would think the cylinder head will weigh as much as the Austin 7 engine.
Nice to see something a bit different.