Introduction from a New Owner!

[Adrian Payne]

Others will be able to confirm or deny but I believe the felt retaining washer should be retained so the bearing is still clamped correctly.
Adrian.

[Leisureking]

In an attempt to cheer myself up and keep moving on, I thought I would turn my attention to the electrics, which I already know are shot to pieces and therefore cannot get any worse than I already know they are!

I am missing the much of the charging circuit, and it seems to have been replaced with a later relay, unless I am mistaken. I have decided to rewire the whole car rather than risk starting a fire and as I am also colourblind I am  using my own choice of wires. Sorry to any purists! Using 14/0.3 1mm wire for the basic rear light circuits (indicators, and single stop & brake above the number plate. Running separate earth wires to each as I am keeping the 6v system. I haven’t got to the other circuits yet though!

Unbodging someone else’s bodges takes a long time!

I wonder who BN was who decided to scratch his initials and date into the back of the main switch panel, or does it represent something else?

[Jeff Taylor]

As far as I'm aware 'BN' is the Lucas code for components destined for Austin vehicles - Morris for example was 'A' possibly because they may have been their first major car manufacturing customer. I believe other car manufacturers using Lucas equipment were similarly given one or two letter codes. I can't remember the code for Wolseley though I do have a Wolseley engine so will check the Lucas dynamo, starter and distributor which should all carry the code.

[Leisureking]

Thanks Jeff. That’s really interesting. I’m half way through the wiring now, but haven’t been able to give much time to the old beast recently.

I am however thinking of changing the name of this thread to “Everything I have found that’s been bodged on my car!”

This front spring hanger mechanism looks rather odd! Someone has gone to the trouble of tapping the front frame, as far as I can tell. It certainly doesn’t look right to me!

Nice to find the chassis number is still there though!

[Andy Bennett]

Looks like someone has made their own spring U bolts up. They should be a bent piece of rod in a U shape. The ends of which go through those (now) tapped holes and are held in place with a nut (usually now nyloc) screwed down from above and so clamping the spring in place. Unless massively oversize I would think can be rectified easily by removing and replacing with the correct parts, worst case I guess would be a strong washer added under the nut.

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Found the picture of my old and new when I replaced my front spring.
Available from our cherished suppliers.
   

[Leisureking]

Thanks Andy. That’s what I thought. I have a spare front chassis frame, so if needs must I can use that.

I have to remove the whole of the front suspension and steering anyway to rectify the hideous repair to the chassis where the steering box was. It is so poorly aligned that the offside is about 1” out of true by the time the chassis gets to the frame head. I am putting that off for as long as I can as I need to cut out about a 6” section, make up a new section and weld it all up together with some strengthening plates. Then I need to accept my welding is not up to scratch and give it to someone else to do it properly!!

[Greig Smith]

The '28 SWB chassis we used for our supercharged single seater had been bodged a bit with lots of additional holes, numerous cracks and an unhappy steering box mounting area. Plus both rails were banana shaped

I drilled the holes oversize to get clean edges, ran a cutting disc through all the cracks to open them up & get clean edges, then liberally slathered the inside of the chassis rail in Wurth's Zinc Rich Weld Thru primer before fitting a length of 38x38mm square tube under the chassis, clamped it into place with multiple clamps, This straightened everything up nicely. When I was satisfied that the chassis was no longer a banana in any direction, I then tack welded the tube to the underside of the chassis at 1 inch intervals plus plug welded all the holes and cracks to the top or sides of the tube as required. As this was to be an off-set engine in a single seater, the tube over the old engine mount holes didn't matter, but if I was doing this on a road car, I'd cut the bottom of the tube away so as to make an inverted U shape & weld that into the underside of the chassis.

Aye
Greig

[Leisureking]

I chickened out and have decided to let someone with some decent welding skills attack the chassis. It has instead gone to a company that make and repair lorry chassis sections. It was by far and away the smallest thing in their workshop. Even their forklift is larger!!!

[Leisureking]

Next problem…

Mr Bodger rears his ugly head once again!!

[Ivor Hawkins]

Brilliant! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t show any approval, but I’m always amazed how people have kept Sevens going over the years, their creativity can be sometimes be admirable, sometimes a little bit frightening…