Building my first Austin Seven car

[Malcolm Parker]

Wonderful stuff, Daisy.   You are doing in a day work that us old fogies take a week to do!

[Daisy Dunford]

Dad was away last weekend with his friends so I could not do anything on the engine.  He did make the clutch and flywheel up so it could be balanced, I was at school the day he did that but he showed me what he'd done.  It was too heavy for for me to lift.

He also cleaned the crankcase, it was very dirty and took him a long time, we still needed to check the oilways and they were still dirty!

   

We inside the oilwats with a camera and they were still dirty so we put them in his hot clenaing machine again.

   

While that was working I blast cleaned the gears, the gloves are quite large!

   

   

After that we looked inside the crankcase again with the camera and it was much cleaner.

   

We checked the gears had the right amount of space between them using feeler gauges.

   

Then we fitted the big gear to the camshaft, dad had got this ground and it was really smooth.

   

We fitted the brass bush so it slid in and out easily and then tapped it to take a bolt, so it would not move about.

   

[Alan]

You know, Daisy, you need to keep all these pictures and notes and when you are finished, publish it. It will sell millions. (Well thousands, probably)

[Daisy Dunford]

I fitted the key and then we used the feeler gauges again to check the gap, it was tiny!

   

   

Then wwe needed to make sure the steel ring was a smoth fit in the back of the crankcase, this took quite a long time.

   

I put all the bolts back in the oil ways and the spring and ball back in.  Thien I built up the oil pump and made sure the blocks were in the right way round.

   

   

Putting the crankshaft in was a bit of a puzzle!  I helped to pull the bearings on but it was quite hard so dad did most of that.

   

I put the bearing on th eback and then slid the steel ring in, it all lined up really nicely.

   

The camshaft was realy tricky but dad helped me get it all lined up and grease kept the rollers in the right place.

   

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I put the studs in and used a tool to make them tight

   

We made sure everything was really clean and put the white gasket on

   

Then we put the block on and tightened down the nuts.  Dad was not happ with one of these so we took it all apart and put in a new thread. 
   

At last it was on and I could do the "tap, tap, tap" I was so excited.

https://youtube.com/shorts/PNBVOALpej8?feature=share

I had to make the tool click and then we knew it was tight enough.

   

   

   

We are off to have another bath!

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

If I am permitted to share another side of Daisy, I am very proud of her musical talents too.

She is a Highland Piper, a guitarist and also plays the Clarsach by ear, this is a festive tune from last year...

https://youtu.be/wnuaDOWod4I

She is very determined to see the car project through, not all that we do is exciting or of huge interest but she sticks at it. It's getting cold too!

[Duncan Grimmond]

Excellent stuff Daisy! There is a large group of admirers out here, keep at it!

[Bob Olive]

As an octogenarian who has struggled for 45 years to do even the simplest of tasks on my Sevens, and for over 60 years to play guitar and ukulele, I am genuinely envious Daisy of your prodigious musical talent, and your promise as a budding mechanic. All power to your elbow, you set an example to the rest of us.
Keep it up.

[Steve Jones]

Oh Daisy, tremendous stuff. With such talent and interests at your age, you're making me feel quite old. However, if you ask him, your Dad will confirm I am quite old!! In time, this will become the definitive record of how to build an engine and whatever you build next.

Steve

[Ivor Hawkins]

Absolutely brilliant Daisy, that engine will be solid and reliable, the way you are building it.

Your clarsach playing has now inspired me to learn walking in the air on my 5 string banjo!

[Reckless Rat]

Wonderful stuff! The staff at Rekkers Castle are well impressed. Keep it up.