For now, I lumped all the pre-war cars together, I would LOVE for there to be enough demand to split it into groups (hint...hint, post here about your pre-war Singer)
I travelled hopefully to Wales yesterday to pick up the new radiator surround. The arrival was a little disappointing as, although the basic shape of the surround is OK although slightly corrugated, the quality of the plating is very poor. As it has been made by a friend I smiled and took it away but I will have to fix the defects as they are exactly where they catch your eye. I realise that Dick had quite a problem making this and the plater should have given it a good coat of copper to fill the various defects before the nickel and chrome, but he obviously did a quick job and omitted the full preparation. Oh dear - it rather dented my mojo especially after a 9 hour round trip to pick it up.
Never mind. Moving on, a real plus is discovering Woolies who are just 30 minutes down the road from me. They stock leathercloth, linings, mouldings and other trim and are happy to let you have a look at products on the premises. They have some black leathercloth in 54" width which is wide enough for the roof. They also stock hessian (burlap) and padding in similar widths.
Last edited by ColinB on Fri Nov 16, 2018 7:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
What a disappointment! But it looks considerably better than it did!!!
Plating is always a nightmare and unless you find a really good set-up, I have discovered that the results are always dodgy.
I used to use Derby plating, but although their work is impressive to say the least, the bill is too!!
Recently I've been using a little outfit just north of Carlisle and their work is superb as they use a ton or two of copper on every job....
Woolies have been one of my regular suppliers for many years; I can recommend them without hesitation.
Progress has been slow on the 9/14hp recently but I'm gradually getting there
kind regards
Bill
I went to Stafford yesterday to pick up a windscreen I obtained on eBay for very little money. I don't want the screen itself but it has the same fittings as the one on the Six and they are both complete and in far better condition than the ones that came with the car which I have laid out on the left for comparison. I don't know what the screen itself fits but I would be happy to pass it on if someone has a need.
Painting of components continues - two coats of primer, three coats of undercoat and two top coats for these parts as they fit low down on the chassis and need protection. At one coat per day its a bit like making bread - short burst of activity followed by a lot of waiting!
Last edited by ColinB on Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yes indeed Bill, and for just £25! I was glad I went to pick it up even though it was a 5 hour round trip - Lawrence the seller had a huge garage full of car stuff which he showed me. It ranged from a Lotus Elan which had been off the road for 15 years waiting for a bit of welding, to two Austin Sevens in pieces including a spare racing chassis. The very large building was so packed with car stuff you couldn't actually get in the door! I feel sorry for his children as one day all that stuff will be theirs (to sort out...…)
I have stripped the scuttle today and will give it a coat of etch primer tomorrow. I have still got a couple of bits of woodwork to do at the rear but I just fancied getting some paint on the main body.
As usual, your work, rate of progress, and number of tasks completed make me reel. Well done!
Might I offer what I hope to be a modest suggestion? As you've mentioned there are places where original paint remain, albeit in something of a slopped on character. Is there one place --or more-- where you might leave a little 'sampler swatch' of the original pigments?
Others may not take things to the absurd extent that I 'tilt at', but when I owned a significant historical property years ago, the previous owners did a wonderful service when renovating the house. In an obscure but visible place in each room, they had paint cleaned off to reveal the colour history of that particular surface, down to the base material, whether wood or plaster. This was presented in tidy, step-wise swatches. This information was invaluable, preserving the trajectory of each room's decorative history in high relief for anyone interested to see. That the subsequent keeper blithely painted over this evidence proves that this sensibility is just not for everyone.
What I like almost as much as the factual bit, is the respect this represents for the object and its past path to the present. It's widely thought ( and promoted by restorer / owner / stewards (perhaps self-servingly?)) that changing the colour(s) of a car is a completely acceptable endeavour while restoring. I don't disagree. What I do feel passionately, is that any effort made to document that originality is both respectful of the object's history and mindful that one is a keeper of these works of art, for a time, but not for all time.
Stepping down now, from my soap box, I will say that I've had a personal epiphany as a result of owning BMX 7. After taking this largely unrestored car ( one respray from original, as far as we can determine ) to 'British Invasion' at Stowe, Vermont last summer, my vision has been powerfully altered.
This became clear at the next sizeable car show I attended. Nancy and I came late, so we watched the parade of cars leave the show field. The one that shifted things for me was a 'woody wagon', a late 1940s Ford estate with external timber trim. Considerable effort and, one assumes, expense were invested to preserve the wood trim ( showing discoloration from corroded fasteners, for example ) while curiously no such sensibility was invested in the application of paint on the scuttle and forward body panels, which were painted in base/clear to a very modern level of finish. My objection to this technique was that the front part of the car, its metal, in modern 'clothing', seemed to clash with the material and finish of the wood trimmed rear portion of the car.
In previous years this might not have stood out to me, but this year the car looked a fright --to my eyes. I can't now look at a car like that, despite the effort taken to preserve its history, without a strong reaction to choices made along the way to completion.
What matters, more than anything, is that the car's condition has been stabilised and that it is being driven. We all know what happens when a car sits, let alone languishes. Beyond that, there are thousands of these vehicles remaining, so at some level a keeper is at liberty to 'do as they will' with the car. It just seems respectful to put aside for posterity some small testament to the original history of the vehicle's cosmetic history for keepers yet to come.
And yes, you could easily say I lied: I'm only now getting off the soap box. It's just that I believe these old wonders bear witness to the moment in time when they were designed and created. Though not everyone is interested in that moment, and its corresponding historical and cultural context, those are what gave rise to these wonderful works of art and the way they originally appeared.
I believe there is room for restoration, preservation and personalisation. When the object is rare or has a particularly important history, I would, however, lobby strongly for living with it for a considerable time before deciding what course of action to adopt with the way the object is conceived of, seen and (re-)presented. BMX 7, for example, will remain unrestored for the forseeable future. And this is something of a sacrifice, as the relentless and unremitting perfectionist part of me would like nothing better to return the car to its former colour scheme and cosmetic beauty, largely as a ( paradoxical? ) testament to its original time and elegant appearance.
Colin, to be clear, I am delighted with everything you have and are doing with your gorgeous project. Were I to become the next keeper, I would revel in being able to see, somewhere, a little snippet showing the original cosmetics, were that possible. Hope you don't feel I'm dragging you out in public to take you over the coals, as that's not the case.
Your progress makes me reel too!! And...it looks amazing! I always find trial fits a necessary evil and hate "going backwards" afterwards - but they need to be done. In this case I would think it will give you huge encouragement.
I'm continuing with my project, but there have been several household jobs to see to - to say nothing of Christmas preparations. Liz is very good at taking the lead and leaving me with as much time as possible for the car; but definitely at a slower rate.
Sam is still very enthusiastic about his '34 sports. Front axle completed and ready to fit; front springs bushed and prepared for paint; many minor parts cleaned up and painted and we have enjoyed making some smaller parts on the lathe too. We're itching to get started on the chassis but it will have to wait. We are making a list of missing pieces. It isn't too long thanks to eBay (and the lathe!). If anyone has '34 bits for sale I'd be interested to hear - or I could note them on here if that's OK. Incidentally its registration number is BEV 859 - he came up with Barely Even Viable... not bad for 13 year old. Any other suggestions anyone?
Best wishes to all of you and thanks for your encouragement; where would I be without it? (probably in front of a log fire with my feet up come to think of it!!!!)
Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year to everybody
Bill & Liz of course
I have completed the repairs to the door bottoms and started stripping the aluminium. I kicked the Series One out of its garage so I can leave the stripper to do its work without risking one of our pets getting it on its paws. I'm using Paramose which is quite like old fashioned Nitromors and does a pretty good job.
I have also managed to unscrew the top rails and reattach them with new screws which will permit me to insert the glass later in the project. One small detail that I found interesting was that on the front doors, which are angled at the top, the top rail has a compensating angle permitting the use of a square pane in the non-square door.
Engine issues continue to haunt the project. Now the radiator is plumbed in I have been able to run her for longer periods so she warms up. Although the engine is free when cold it stiffens up when hot. Oil pressure is OK - very high at first then dropping when warm showing oil is getting through. The most likely source seems to be inadequate gaps in the piston rings which close up when hot and then shrink back when they cool down. The engine was re-built in around 1980 by a garage owner Wayne Kerr, so it is a surprising mistake if this is indeed the cause. Any other ideas before I remove the head and sump and extract a piston to have a look?
Hi Colin, I've been following your posts with interest. The only time I have had a 'tight' engine was in my old mini when the infamous bipass hose burst and emptied the water out of the engine. It over heated and became very stiff - although luckily it didn't sieze. You haven't got an air lock in your engine have you allowing the block to overheat? Just a thought. I'm clutching at straws but your explanation sounds more plausable. Good luck!
Brian
You have a good point Brian - there was a bit of running on occurring as the ignition was way too far advanced so it could be overheating. I'm pretty sure the water is not airlocked as its top-fed into the side-valve's head and then straight into the block, but over-advanced timing and/or lean mixture could make it run very hot. I will top up the antifreeze, retard the timing and ensure a richer mixture before I start her up again. Thanks for the idea.
regards
Colin
