New Project

[cdk84]

Seeing the chassis on wheels, with an engine and other ancillaries on board, is just as you say, real progress.

Thank you for keeping us in the loop. It's honestly an inspiration to watch you at it. It's also confidence inspiring to have the reports on how simple the early cars are.

With any luck a little of that hard-earned confidence will rub off on those less experienced.... like me.

Keep at it --as if you need encouragement. What an energy source you are!

[ColinB]

Thanks David - the Forum is a great resource.
I have been tackling some less than photogenic areas such as replacing grease nipples and washing out the old grease in the track rod ends before refilling them. I have cut the brake cables to a generous length and trial fitted them ready for my first experiment with soldering stainless steel. The key requirement is apparently high tin content in the solder and an aggressive flux based on phosphoric acid. I have both of these to hand and will try to 'tin' a spare piece of stainless wire before trying it out on the real thing. The rear cables run over guides bolted to the side of the chassis. They were completely fused but I got them freed up with a combination of soaking in Deox and heat.

On my Junior the rear drums have two sets of shoes serving the foot and hand brake separately. The Six has two cables to the lever on the rears but these are both operated by the foot and hand brake levers. I presume this is a safety back-up in the event that one cable fails.

.The bag around the running board support is just to remind me that it is there - there is nothing quite so painful as walking into one.

[Phillip]

Wow Colin...coming along nicely!

How strange that Singer went from rod brakes and a vacuum servo on the Senior to cable brakes right after on your car!

I would have thought this car would have Lockheed hydraulics by then...

[ColinB]

Yes I agree Phillip - it seems a bit of a Heath Robinson arrangement too. At least I have all the parts for this system and having wrestled with bleeding the hydraulics on my Land Rover this may be simpler to set up.

[ColinB]

By the way - my biggest challenge is finding a competent panel beater to repair the radiator surround. These were very poorly made with chrome applied directly to the steel pressing, but this one is far better than the one on my Junior, requiring only the lower corner to be re-made. After that I suspect it will need to be copper sprayed to fill in the pin holes before being nickel and then chrome plated. Any recommendations, hopefully within a couple of hours of Wisbech?

[telco.2]

Hi Colin,
Derby Plating (in Derby ...surprise!!) is the best in my view. They are expensive but recovered the rad on my car from a desperate condition. They use copper plating as a 'filler' then polish; rather than grinding away at the paper thin steel
regards
Bill

[Phillip]

Have to agree with you Colin that the radiator shells took a huge dip in quality from nickel and brass to thin steel in the late 20's.

Miy Senior shell is original and the same: the chrome is applied directly to the steel with no copper layer to bond it. Dreadfully cheap!

[ColinB]

Thanks Bill that sounds like a plan! Do you know if they will also make the missing bits?

[telco.2]

They used to, but I don't know these days; better be sitting down when the quote comes in!
attached is my rad before & after

[ColinB]

I'll give them a ring on Monday and find out.

[Danish]

Bill, it that a 6 cylinder engine?

[telco.2]

Yes it is! A 14hp with twin carbs etc. It fitted a treat and I'm real pleased with progress
Bill

[Phillip]

LOL! OMG...a 1.5L Nine Sports! Cool! Just like the Mark 1 1.5 Le Mans!

And with fore and aft steering??!!! What chassis have you got? That didn't come into play until 1936 and the Bantam-framed cars!

[Phillip]

AND alloy finned brake drums??!!!

[telco.2]

Ok guys, settle down & don't get carried away!!!!! I think it's the sort of car Singers should have built!