Trials Austin

[3W7]

As this is my first post, I feel I should say I bought my first car, a TC MG, in 1964 (I am a NEWcomer!) and now run a 1939 TB.
For some time, I have looked at the trials on Youtube and I find really amazing how all  seem to enjoy themselves and how well these little Sevens perform, even the standard (looking ?) ones.
I have decided to find one and hope I can benefit from your experience.
I am not interested in the trilals only specials, mine must look like a real car: windscreen, possibility I make a hood, a door on wife's side and be open although I am not an anorak. From looking at the ads, my 3 first questions are :
1 - Where do you find the chassis number and the body letters (I printed their list from the Austin Seven's Club Association) ? Is there an other way to find what the car first was ? 
2 - Some re-bores, + 0.070 for instance, seem important, are they ? How much can you go to safely (without shirts) ? What others part wear out  and how to check it ?
3 - Others fitted a Reliant 858 ohv engine, more powerful of course . Does an organization recognize them ? Trials cars must have a little more power than standard , I presume, how do you get it ?

Anything else I should have asked  for a start ?
Remember my only knowledge on Sevens comes from Chris Harvey's book I received yesterday. It'll get better with your help.
Thanks,
Jean from SW France
PS : Is there a website/forum/seller Seven Trials oriented ?

[Jeff Taylor]

Hi Jean, welcome to the forum.

If you haven't already found it, this A7CA pdf explains, depending upon the age of the Seven, where to find the chassis, car and engine numbers. Remember that if stamped on the chassis rail, you may have to remove numerous layers of paint and wire brush the area to discover it.

http://a7ca.org/downloads/QuoteThisNumber.pdf

Certainly on post July 1934 Sevens up until July 1936 the 'Car Number' if it can be found should tell you what it was originally i.e. ARQ, ARR, AAK, AEB, APE, AVH etc. If the car number's missing (which it probably will be if it has a 'special' body) but the vehicle has an original registration number - and assuming the issuing authorities registration record cards still exist - some do but many have been destroyed, then you may be lucky in finding out from the record cards the cars original body style. If in existence, the registration record cards are mainly held in the county archive departments of the original issuing authority, who charge around £20 for a copy - though some record cards are also held by the Kithead Trust - see link below.

http://kitheadtrust.org.uk/vehicle_records_5.html

A long time friend of mine Christopher Oliver is a dealer in Austin Sevens and occasionally has cars in stock that may fit the bill - probably his most recent, now sold, was a 1928 Austin 7 Taylor - it's engine was apparently built by Don Rawson - see link to his carandclassic web page.

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/user/ccts2231

[Roger Goldthorpe]

It all depends on what you want from trialling.
The ATCT are the organisation that administer ‘Classic Trials’ and have specifications for each of their 8 classes. A standard Austin 7 I believe would be class 2, ‘Production cars originally manufactured prior to 1941’ and a Reliant engined Austin 7 would be class 7 ‘Production cars modified beyond permitted limits’. Class 7 has some very competitive cars and the modified Austin 7 may struggle. That said I run in class 7 with a Reliant engined Liege but the Liege although referred to, as ‘a modern Austin 7’ is quite a different animal. Class 8 is for non-production cars, including homebuilt one offs and is beyond a Reliant engined car as some very special machinery dominates this class.
Classic Trials are not just for classic cars as such but cater for cars from all ages; it is the format of the trial that is ‘Classic’.
The MSA (Motor Sport Association) set out the rules and regulations relating to Trials and the Cars.
The Vintage Sports Car Club run trials for ‘vintage cars’ as the name implies but accommodate Austin 7’s up to 1934, pre Ruby. Again the Club have specifications to which the Austin 7 must comply.
Both the 750 Motor Club and the Pre War Austin 7 Club run trials and again will have a specification to which the car will have to comply.
The MCC (Motor Cycling Club) run three classic trials that include night driving that adds yet another dimension.
All these trials follow a similar format and even though you may find that you are uncompetitive it is tremendous fun trying to beat Nature let alone the other competitors.
E-mail me if you want to discuss any particular aspect. I should however point out I am not an expert and stand to be corrected on what I have written I just enjoy the challenge of trialling.

Hear are some links.

www.classictrials.co.uk

http://www.actc.org.uk/

http://www.vscc.co.uk/vsccMedia/1944.pdf

Cheers, Roger

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Jean,

I forgot to say how amazing the Austin 7’s performance is and it is always an embarrassment to be beaten by them!

Roger

[Nick Salmon]

Welcome Jean. You will be made very welcome here on the Forum and equally welcome if you take up trialling.

You may have seen this from previous threads but I would guide you to the 750 Motor Club site where we have put lots of information about Austin 7 trialling.

You could quite easily take part using a standard production car or an A7 special with reasonable ground clearance.

http://www.750mc.co.uk/trials/production-trials.htm

[Austin in the Shed]

As Roger says it all depends what you want out of trialling as to what sort of car to buy.
I always think a Reliant engine is a bit of a cop out and maybe go for a Liege and get the modern running gear to go with it. Changing the engine may limit what events/classes you can enter.
Building a good reliable and strong 7 won't be cheap either,and if you take it seriously its hard on the car.
However they are great fun and hold their own against much more modern cars,I won a production car trial outright once,it was all down to one particular section being very narrow and slippy.With The 7 being  only 4 feet wide I managed to get a line though without sliding out or loosing forward motion.
Isn't it a long way to travel from SW France to compete ?

[3W7]

Thanks to you for your answers, I am afraid I have mislaid you with my first message.

My TB is ok for rallyes and I feel I am too old now to turn around the 4 sides of a village and believe I am a racer.
Looking at Austin 7 on trials on Youtube, everybody seems happy and I want to try it but trials do not exist in France (but for motorbikes).
Living in a remote country, there are plenty of small lanes and woods where I can drive with pleasure. I'll be alone first, I have already talked about it to friends and they wait to see what happens and, hopefully, they will join me. Nothing more.
There are so many different Sevens, my question is what is better suited for purely amateur trialling ? : short or long chassis, 3 or 4 speed gearbox, etc ..
I have all winter to find a special I like. If not, the Chummy is great looking;

Jeff : thanks for Quotethisnumber I printed. I had seen the Taylor Seven, nice but missing its windscreeen and probably heavy ?
Roger and Nick, thanks for the VSCC ruling and the Austin 7 Production Cars Trials, they look great. I like vintage cars and have no taste for "classical" trials (ii.e. with post-war cars).
As you see, I look for an "Austin in my shed" but the right one.
Some years ago, I went as north as Leeds friom close to the Spanish border with a trailer to buy a Morgan 3-wheeler and it was not as I thought so I came back empty after 3 days of driving, 2 nights in the ferry, great cost and I want to avoid doing it again.
Thanks,
Jean in rainy SW France

[Nick Salmon]

Jean - Where are you in SW France? The Friends on this forum might know A7 enthusiasts resident in your part of the country who might be able to help you get started. And if you see a car in England that you want to buy you might get offers from Friends to look at it on your behalf before you travel over here.

[Roger Goldthorpe]

Jean,
We went with a group of five Liege to Spain and drove through the Picos Europa and the French Pyrenees. We travelled on several unmetalled roads that any Austin 7 would cope with but didn’t venture into the ‘rough stuff’ so I don’t know what the lesser tracks are like.

I don’t know which Austin 7 you should go for as I don’t have any experience of what makes a good Austin 7 trials car, others on this forum will be able to advise you better than I can. My only observations and thoughts however from watching them is that those with a projecting tail, like the Ulster, can get into trouble as they are vulnerable to grounding as are the long wheel based cars with their rear petrol tanks.

Perhaps I should point out that ‘Classic Trials’ as well as the 8 car classes have classes for motorcycles so why not persuade your local club to include a class for Austin 7s. You may attract some of us lot to come over there and join in the fun!

Cheers,
Roger