Web Forum for Singer Cars

Hi there !

I have just acquired the chassis of this 1928 Singer Senior Saloon and a donor body that was incorrectly grafted to a Singer Tourer,
Incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and will share progress.
I live about 5 minutes from my great friend and mentor Colin Borley and 40 minutes away from the talented Colin Britt whom I have yet to meet.
We have been preparing quite a few bits over the last few months, the work is being carried out in my factory unit, I run a sheet metal and fabrication workshop so quite useful for those bits that need to be remanufactured or repaired ( just a bit frustrating having work get in the way )
The plan is to restore Lilly'Mo to as near to factory finish as possible ( she came painted in LIlac & Mauve,hence the name ) in time for my eldest daughters wedding next September, but we will see how things go.

Warm regards

Rob Roan

Good to see you on here Rob! I must say she looks gorgeous - I can't wait to see the work progressing. There is more than a passing resemblance between her and my Light Six so I suspect we will have many common problems and solutions as the projects progress.

Hello Rob,

What a Brilliant project! That is one beautiful example of automotive history; grateful to see the body in what appears to be sound and strong condition. The frame bits you show seem almost too light to bear the apparent weight of that stately coachwork.

Look very much forward to watching your progress.

Best of Luck.

Thanks guys, lots to do and parts to source but will press on, going through all the spring bushings at present, lots of wear but I suppose the roads back in the 30s were quite bumpy !

Re: 'Bit of Wear' photo

While it looks to be an original part, which is informative and very cooI --I save every unstressed original fastener I can on my 1936 Nine Sports-- I find myself concerned over the machining of that fastener and the mechanical role it is asked to play. Can you imagine why?

It's fascinating that the part has survived what you are completely accurate (and astute) to designate as the rough service that would have been dished out by the roads of the 1930s and 40s. This may be the only time that I would celebrate the [otherwise performance-frustrating] fact that Singers weren't capable of truly high speed.

As you have the opportunity to switch out this fastener while the suspension is apart, I would respectfully submit you consider replacing the bolt because the sharp cut between the bolt shank and the threaded portion is a textbook example of a stress riser.

Given this Most Troubling design flaw and the fact that Singer's metallurgy is one of the maker's true shortcomings (what percent of Singers retain their original engine block?) please consider replacing the bolt and all similarly machined fasteners while you are renovating the car's suspension. Just the wear on the bushing should attest to the repetitive stresses which surely exceed the duty cycle of a car part in a vehicle that was not conceived to last 30, let alone 80+ years. These critical parts may be as much as 50 years beyond their duty cycle.

This leads me to ponder: if the bolt is only 35 instead of 50 years out of date, would that be much consolation if the bolt were to fail due to stress cracking?

The project seems really fantastic.

Please let us know your thoughts, and where you go from here.

I concur

Terrific to see another Vintage Singer saved!

Welcome to the exclusive club of 'Senior Citizens'..lol!

As Colin would say, "you've got yourself a proper Singer!"

I love mine...it's a wonderful old beast!

Thank you all for the words of wisdom & encouragement,

I learnt many years ago that 'wear begets wear' so we have elected to remanufacter all the critical parts with suitable steel of a known and certifiable quality. They will look to all intents and purposes as the originals.

Some parts have faired better than others in storage, we have one spring which has a reasonably preserved bracket one end and serious erosion the other, I may replace them all though, it's far easier at this stage to be thorough, and it's reassuring to know you've done all you can to prevent failure on critical parts.

http://forum.singerhttp://forum.singerc ... ew&id=1839 Glad to see another Senior being saved.This is my 1928 Singer Senior bodied in Western Australia. A lovely old girl with a very stylish body. Good luck with your restoration. Cheers Phil.

Thanks Phil,

She looks great ! Couldn't get the link to work, I'd like to see it sometime if you could check the posting ?

Cheers

Hmmmm...not sure about the link.Just posted photos and for some reason the link came up. I'm one of the guys who can operate an old Singer but not a computer!
Cheers Phil.

No problem Phil, I struggle with a lot of this myself !

We keep chipping away at various bits, had a bit of luck with the radiator cover as it turns out its brass and it not too shabby a condition.
I acquired a little 10 tonne bearing press and a small shot blast cabinet last year, they are really turning out to be very useful.
The spring bolts are nearly finished now, Jims putting grease grooves in next.