Le Mans tools and tool deck

[DarcyG]

For more details on early jacks see. http://www.classic-british-car-jacks.uk/Prima_jacks.htm

[DarcyG]

For more details on early jacks see. http://www.classic-british-car-jacks.uk/Prima_jacks.htm

Attached from this site

[Phillip]

I have a few of these Primas from the 30 40's. They were used post-war on the A-Series Roadster until the spiral jack was introduced on the 4A. The post-war Prima looks the same except it had a hole drilled in the base to mount the jack to a bracket on the tool deck.

I also have a replica Prima that actually works! I had a number made in Australia through a contact of the late Bill Haverly. We offered them through an ad in NASOC NEWS for a while but had few takers. They were expensive! I have one, Paul Bouchard has one, and so does Mike Rambour in California.

I will try to post a few photos.

[mikeyr]

uh...no, I don't have one.

[Phillip]

OK Mike...thought you had bought one, as well as the alloy brake drums...

Never mind!

[casadecabra]

Last June in this forum David (cdk84) suggested that it would be useful if I supplied more detailed information about the dimensions of the tool deck and fittings of the front tool deck of my 9hp Le Mans 2-seater (registered in May 1934), to which in a fit of altruism I naively agreed. My original plan was to supply fully dimensioned drawings but after a couple of attempts with a CAD programme I realised that much of my ability with this tool had evaporated over the 12 years or so since I last used it in anger and that the time it would take me to re-learn it would be far better spent in continuing the restoration of my own car.

I am therefore offering some photos of the tool decks with a few key dimensions put in, together with photos and dimensioned sketches of the blocks and clips. By scaling up these images it should be possible to get a pretty accurate picture of the original layout. If anyone needs better resolution images, or more details of any specific dimensions or parts, please contact me and I will try to help.

Photo 1: The original tool deck from my car. I have Photo shopped out the many holes which were not original.

Photo 2: An original, wider tool deck complete with the original blocks and clips. I have no definitive information on the origin of this deck but it was probably from a later Le Mans or Sports so for convenience I have referred to it henceforth as the ‘1935 deck’.

Photo 3: My replica tool deck. I made new blocks except for the rear block for the grease gun which I removed from the 1935 deck in good condition. All the clips are from the 1935 deck but many are in poor (corroded) condition. I am confident that this deck is a fair reproduction of the original.

Photo 4: The replica deck with tools fitted. See notes on tools below.

Starting handle: The original starting handle was in very poor condition but good enough to give the dimensions to make an accurate replica. I used the claw from the original handle but everything else is new. The handle of the handle (i.e. hand grip) was definitely chrome plated brass tube but I am not sure of the original finish on the steel parts. Can anyone help? If not, satin chrome seems a good option.

Grease gun: This is very problematic. In David Swann’s very helpful contribution to the topic, he shows the original grease gun as a being a Romac. Unfortunately the diameter of the filler cap of this gun is 1⅞ in diameter and is too big to fit in the 1¾ in diameter recess in the block from the 1935 deck. Either the block on the 1934 car had a larger counterbore or alternative guns were supplied as original equipment. I am reluctant to enlarge the recess unless I have more definite information. I have found a Tecalmit gun that will fit but with a cap diameter of ⅝ in it is rather sloppy. Any ideas anyone?

Tyre pump: After searching for some time without success for the correct pump I purchased a longer Shelley pump and cut it down. I’m not sure how accurate it is – the barrel diameter is 1⅜ in and the tube length is now 14 in. I also suspect that the original had the threaded boss for the connector facing upwards whereas mine is normal to the barrel.

Jack handle: I eventually found a Prima jack designed for the Ford model Y which has many similarities to the jack included in the early Le Mans tool kit. It was fairly easy to modify it to the Singer specification by shortening the two arms and the piston, cutting the hinge off the platform on top of the piston and filing it to a rectangular shape, and cutting and brazing the (folding) handle to make it into a one piece design. I worked out the dimensions by scaling up various pictures of the tool deck. It looks ok (and still works) but I don't know how accurate it is.

Hammer: I believe the head of the hammer for removing and refitting the knock on hub caps was made of lead. I’ve never come across one but I’ve worked out the dimensions from pictures in the maker’s manual and from the original blocks on the tool deck which supported the hammer. So far I’ve made a wooden pattern of the head and I plan to attempt casting it in lead in the not too distant future.

As I have mentioned before, I have very little information on the rear section of the tool deck beyond the knowledge that it was fitted with a clip for the tyre pump handle, a strap for the tool roll, and had a T-shaped cut out for the base of the jack. As I hope you can appreciate preparing this contribution did not take 5 minutes and I would be grateful to anyone who could take time to reciprocate with photos or sketches showing locations and dimensions, especially of the T-slot.

Finally, I know from the very poor reproduction in the Brooklands book ‘Singer Sports Cars 1933-1954’ that there was a photo of the Singer 9 Sports tool deck in The Light Car dated September 29, 1933. If anyone has the original publication and could supply me with a decent scan of this picture, or any other similar pictures from contemporary publications, it would be much appreciated.

Dave Bayliss (aka ‘Casadecabra’)

In case anyone is wondering, casa de cabra is Spanish for goat house – my workshop was originally a goat shed, complete with a foot layer of old straw and goat droppings.

[DarcyG]

Great job, thanks.

[DarcyG]

While not all parts are there this looks the original

[DarcyG]

Sorry try again

[Peter McKercher]

Dave,
Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the forum. This will be of tremendous value to many of our members.

[Phillip]

Hey Dave B...awesome work...

And many thanks to all of the others who have contributed valuable insight to this thread - and will no doubt continue to...

The last shot reposted by Darcy is my '34 with the original tool deck and I will measure out the slot for the Prima so Dave B can come up with a complete template for future reference.

Will also try to photograph my Prima collection over the weekend and post...

[Phillip]

Meanwhile, here's a photo I took when evaluating a 1935 Le Mans 4 seater for purchase by a friend, showing a very original tool deck, bar the additions like the stove and kettle!

1935 LM_Tool Deck_Right.jpg (171.01 KiB) Viewed 4983 times

Of interest is the rather mashed knock-off hammer that has a metal handle - not wood.

The Prima is also painted black, as was the original on my 1936 LM. My '46 A-Series Roadster Prima was painted a medium shade of green.

I have shots of the other side of this tool deck as well on my archive drive and will get them up over the weekend...

[Phillip]

@Dave B:

I have a couple of copies of "Singer Sports Cars" and for many years it was one of the few references on these cars and useful in that it was all in-period reprints. On the down-side, the quality of printing was one notch above photocopying and even that varied from edition to edition. Still very grateful to Brookland Books for printing it though!

Here's a photo taken with my phone and enhanced in Photoshop as much a I could as it is very hard to flatten out the book without destroying the binding, especially as these copies are old and dried out. The original is pretty dire quality:

1934 Le Mans Tooll Deck_Light Car.jpg (351.88 KiB) Viewed 4976 times

Even so, some interesting points can be made out:

- There are no tools! The clips are there, and what looks like the tool roll, but the rest are missing.
- The engine appears to be painted all-black, but the dynamo and starter appear unpainted. The valve cover is natural alloy.
- The strange 'fold and lock' radiator hose clamps are the same as seen in the 1395 Sportcar handbook. I have only seen these on Singer engines.

There were other books of period reprints if you are interested:

- "Pre-War Singer Cars - and to 1949" by Transport Source Books, compiled by Trevor Alder
- "Singer Cars of the 1930's" by Unique Motoring Porfolios, compiled by Colin Pitt

Again, the quality of these is about the same as the Brookland Books and there is a lot of overlap in content.

[DarcyG]

Tyre Pump:
Was the original branded?
How long was it?
Brass or steel?
Polished or painted black?

Or did it, like other parts, vary from car to car?

[Phillip]

Hey Darcy,

The 1935 parts catalogue lists the pump as "14 inch". It has two folding feet and was painted black. The one with my '36 has Shelley cast into the feet. I have seen the wooden handle in both natural wood and painted black. The barrel may be brass, the screw-on top certainly is. Dunlop made a very similar unit.

Here's the photo of the other side of the1935 Le Mans 4 seater tool deck:

Tool deck_LH_1935 LM.jpg (349.25 KiB) Viewed 4968 times

Some notes to mention:

- The tool bag is obviously not correct
- The tyre pump with its two folding feet can be seen quite clearly
- A Lucas accessory spare bulb kit has been added
- The grease gun is missing and the click for the nozzle has been used for an adjustable spanner
- The original starting handle has what appears to be a nickel plated end cap.

Otherwise very authentic and to the pattern Dave B has posted...