Once we get the temperature back into the double digits again, I'll have to get the engine out of the Senior to get the bearing done so I can 'burn some gravel' on my driveway with my 'vintage' Singer too!
Hello
Re: Hello
I'm very jealous Colin...it's early April...everything is nice and green in your photos and you can actually go outside to 'burn gravel' with your Singer. We're still buried in snow in my area and I suspect it will be a few weeks before the old Le Mans peeps her nose out of the garage!
Once we get the temperature back into the double digits again, I'll have to get the engine out of the Senior to get the bearing done so I can 'burn some gravel' on my driveway with my 'vintage' Singer too!
Once we get the temperature back into the double digits again, I'll have to get the engine out of the Senior to get the bearing done so I can 'burn some gravel' on my driveway with my 'vintage' Singer too!
Your Friendly Canadian Pre-War Singer Specialist, Collector & Historian,
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
Re: Hello
The British spring has slowed me down Phillip as I have taken time away from Singers to build a small summerhouse (particularly loved by my wife!). Back on the job today however taking off the rotten sills ready for Dick to fabricate new ones. I also stripped the scuttle with a wire brush on the angle grinder and gave it a quick coat of anti corrosion primer. The woodwork is absolutely perfect on this car - I can't quite believe my luck as it was wet enough to rot the steel away!
Re: Hello
I took the seats in to Brockwells in King's Lynne today.Really nice small firm. We agreed that it would be better for me to repair the woodwork and he would then upholster them with around a 3 week turnaround. Here they are in the back of the car - they are actually better than they look as it is only the plywood which has rotted.
In case Canada has not yet had its spring I also attach a picture of Little Bea's garage under a Malus Floribunda which is lovely for about a week every year.
In case Canada has not yet had its spring I also attach a picture of Little Bea's garage under a Malus Floribunda which is lovely for about a week every year.
Re: Hello
I had to turn Little Bea over so my friend Dick can mend the sills. to stiffen her up I bolted two pieces of 4x2 through the exiting holes in the scuttle for the windscreen and in the rear of the body where the side screens go. Three of us lifted her over tonight with no problem (we were suitably lubricated of course).
Hopefully Dick will come next week and do the small amount of steelwork required.
Re: Hello
I treated the wood with preservative today and sanded off the rear sections before giving it a coat of etch primer. The rear quarters are aluminium while the rest of the bodywork is steel so the etch primer should ensure the paint sticks to the aluminium. Quite a lot of surface filling to do 
.
When the preservative has dried I'll give the woodwork a coat of black paint. I plan to use Sadolin which is an exterior stain-cum-paint which is very durable and has a good low-shine finish.
.When the preservative has dried I'll give the woodwork a coat of black paint. I plan to use Sadolin which is an exterior stain-cum-paint which is very durable and has a good low-shine finish.
Re: Hello
Rotten day here today although the garden needs the rain. I painted Little Bea's bottom (that sounds so wrong 
) with two coats of Sadolin to keep her protected. That needs to dry off before I do a bit of rubbing down around the rear of the body.
) with two coats of Sadolin to keep her protected. That needs to dry off before I do a bit of rubbing down around the rear of the body.
Re: Hello
I attacked one of the seats today. Took off what was left of the upholstery and separated the two halves with the angle grinder. (At the risk of teaching you all how to suck eggs its best to cut down through the nut when you are cutting seized bolts rather than trying to cut across the bolt as you reduce the risk of damaging the host material.) The metal was wire brushed with the angle grinder and then painted with Hamerite. I made up replacement pieces for the base from odds and ends as I never throw wood away and it seems to have come together OK. The back requires new wing pieces to be made up from plywood and then faired into the base before I reattach the steel back piece. Quite a nice day! I'll do the second seat next weekend as I kept one untouched in case I needed to see where I had gone wrong!
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mikeyr
- Site Admin
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Re: Hello
you are having way too much fun !!! I am jealous !
Mike Rambour. Site Administrator
1953 Singer 4ADT (sold), 1934 Singer 9 Le Mans, 1934 Singer 1 1/2 4-Seater Sports (sold), 2009 BMW K1300GT
1953 Singer 4ADT (sold), 1934 Singer 9 Le Mans, 1934 Singer 1 1/2 4-Seater Sports (sold), 2009 BMW K1300GT
Re: Hello
I keep telling my wife its work not fun Mike ! I made up four side pieces for the seats and bolted them together for finishing. You can see one of the rotten pieces next to them that I used as a pattern. I planed off the edges, fixed them with glue and screws to the original seat back and trial fitted the steel back which looks fine. The final shot shows the repaired frame assembled with its friend waiting for attention. I have subsequently painted the repaired seat frame with black paint and repaired the base of the second one which is also painted. Tomorrow I'll finish off the second seat back and hopefully assemble the steel back to pull it all together.
One thing that puzzles me: Little Bea is a four seater with four doors yet these seats pivot as if to permit access to the rear. Is this how they were all made or have I got seats from a different model? I don't mind if they aren't original, its just a bit of a talking point!
! I made up four side pieces for the seats and bolted them together for finishing. You can see one of the rotten pieces next to them that I used as a pattern. I planed off the edges, fixed them with glue and screws to the original seat back and trial fitted the steel back which looks fine. The final shot shows the repaired frame assembled with its friend waiting for attention. I have subsequently painted the repaired seat frame with black paint and repaired the base of the second one which is also painted. Tomorrow I'll finish off the second seat back and hopefully assemble the steel back to pull it all together.One thing that puzzles me: Little Bea is a four seater with four doors yet these seats pivot as if to permit access to the rear. Is this how they were all made or have I got seats from a different model? I don't mind if they aren't original, its just a bit of a talking point!
Re: Hello
Frames generally finished. Just the seat retainer at the front to cut out of some mild steel and the over-long bolts to trim back. It looks to me as if the back is upholstered but that the base has a loose fitted seat so you can lift it out to adjust the position.
Re: Hello
I took the seats in to Brockwells in King's Lynn who should deliver them back in about 3 weeks. Dick came round this morning and in about 4 hours he had formed the new sills which I fitted this afternoon after painting the inside with galvafroid paint. I also stripped off the doors and gave them a coat of etch primer ready for some knifing putty to fill the pits. I did this in my other workshop so I had to take my Series One Land Rover out for a run to clear the space - not a hardship as the weather was lovely today and the landy is topless for the summer. The sills are now nailed and screwed into place ready for paint.
Re: Hello
Thanks David, it's nice to get a bit of feedback. Little Bea is back the right way up and I plan to reunite her with her chassis very soon. It's all filler and sandpaper as I look forward to getting some colour on the body. William, the previous owner for many years, is going to visit us in mid-June to see how she is going so that is an incentive to keep working! We haven't met before and he hasn't seen Bea other than in pictures since he sold her to me after 50 years in his shed in Cornwall.
Re: Hello
I sprayed the primer for the first time this weekend rather than brush it on as I strive for a decent finish. Slow work but good for me as I can be a little cavalier (so my wife tells me!). Actually I enjoy learning new skills and I have learned that the trick with the corrosion pitting and blemishes is to use knifing putty and a very light touch with 400 grit so you don't go back to the metal but take the filler back to the level of the base primer coat. I had hoped to get some colour on this weekend but I am making myself be patient (to my wife's surprise!).