Project “will it go again..?” 1961 Austin Seven Deluxe Restoration

[gs.davies]

So, things always look worse before they get better (apparently)!

Lots of cutting happened today and it'll go on tomorrow too. Here's some pictures. Look away if you don't like too much gore..

[gs.davies]

There's nothing more pleasing to the eye than a load of new metal going in is there?





Starting to make progress now

[swifty]

Yes that's looking good .. Ken

[Th4neuk]

Wow. That looks ace.

Looking forward to getting mine like that (not looking forward to the big hole bit though )

cheers

Alan

[gs.davies]

Thanks Ken and Alan. I think the worst bit is opening the wallet for this sort of job!

Boot floor is getting done this weekend I think.

[gs.davies]

They got busy with the spot welder this morning. Look! No clamps!

[gs.davies]

More progress today..

Boot floor has been chopped out and what a state it's in...



I did have designs on repairing this..!







The rear panel at it's lower extremity looks pretty grotty from the inside - I suspect it's got a lovely skim of filler on the outside making it look good. Two options on the repair here; either the full width repair or the three separate sections. Has anyone got any recommendations here as there's an unusually wide gulf in the prices (£175 for the full width or about £30 for the three repair sections) The change buys bodyshop time...

Here's the car waiting to receive a full boot floor, detailed to Mk1 spec - these M-Machine panels are really nice bits of kit..



In other news the floor's been welded in to the toeboard now - an invisible repair that as someone on here mentions in their signature, will go unnoticed. I can't praise the workmanship here highly enough..

[GraemeC]

Did they chop that boot floor out with an axe?!

[gs.davies]

Did they chop that boot floor out with an axe?!

Yes. An air axe!

[swifty]

I would go with the full width hinge / lower rear panel . It's a nice panel . It's not only easier to fit but also quicker making good the welds . I use a air joggler on the bits underneath the lights so as it has a nice overlap , instead of a but weld . It is more expensive but worth it . .... Ken

[gs.davies]

Trial fitting of the boot floor..





Thanks for the tip on the full panel - will talk it through with the guys at the workshop in the morning. The old saying about a ha'porth of tar is coming to mind..

[swifty]

It looks like there making a proper job of it and I hope this doesn't come across wrongly or as if I'm telling anyone how to suck eggs etc , but it's worth mentioning that the subframe needs to be bolted to the boot floor panel before it's welded in. If you don't there's a danger that the boot floor can be welded in pissed and what you end up doing is struggling to fit the rear mounts without re- drilling / filing the holes out . I would clamp the boot floor and subframe up and level the shell and drop some plumb lines and measure diagonally . .... Ken

[gs.davies]

Well, that's a good point. As the brackets between the wheel arches and the floor haven't moved I presume that's the datum point.

It's not really for me to get involved in; they're the professionals and any fitment tweaking is up to them I suppose. My car is probably the least exotic thing to go through that workshop recently!

[gs.davies]

Well, a load more progress to report. The air chisel has been working over time and Mick's been working his magic, charming panels which should really fit better into position and generally making a lovely job of things.

The boot floor I am told is now in but awaits the replacement of the lower section of the rear panel before that can be finished off. The latest piece of work was to remove all the patches that constituted the inner wing but not before Jason gave the floor a degrease and a lick of etch primer.







And so, the inner wing was duly put out of it's oxidised misery and consigned to the scrap heap..



A little repair section let into the screen surround on the dashboard side (that little bit of rot there always annoyed me when I was using this on the road..





A post..



More 'repairs' from less enlightened times. I think the previous owner welded ships..







Anyway, all nicely tidied up ready for fresh metal - I've a feeling Mick has fabricated a repair section here..





As it looked before after I'd drilled out the spot welds, surely can't be the same bit of steel, can it?!



Anyway.. more metal going in;



Clamping up to get an idea of what's what or not





Getting the inner wing in place











Next up it's the a-panels, and these appeared to give some problems despite being heritage items. Someone on here was asking about them..

First, the inner, look at the reshaping that had to take place in the bottom corner, wouldn't fancy that myself!





For some reason he's taken the scuttle closer off, sure he's got his reasons..



Looks like the outer a-panel was a whole lot more compliant though





Letting a little repair to the lower edge of the original doorstep



And finally, before packing up, there's a teaser of what it will look like when it gets it's wing back..





Front panel is to be replaced with a new one, this one's knackered. After today, I thing this car is going on the back burner for a little while at the bodyshop whilst they focus on some other work, but I expect more bodywork updates in the new year. In the meantime I'm turning my attention to running gear and the engine.

That's all for now, hope you enjoy seeing the progress, I know I'm busting to see this in paint!!

[java gt]

Looking at the amount of work on that A post make me sick when I think of the work that will have to go into mine.

[coop12g295]

A post is easier if you use an M Machine a post and a panel combined and it ties in to the
step and up the windscreen pillar

[gs.davies]

This was an M-machine supplied panel, however the door aperture and step were sound on my car. It will get the inner a-panel stiffener that runs from the bottom of the inner sill, picking up the check strap and running to the base of the windscreen pillar.

I've also decided to go for new heritage doors, I'm sure Mick can make those fit no problem. This does mean that there's a pair for repair coming up soon if anyone's interested..

[gs.davies]

Had quite a busy day in the garage yesterday, finally got round to splitting the engine and box and stripping the rear subframe down.

Quite an oddball of a gearbox on the car so I discovered. The casing is a 22G846 with the original early magic wand change grafted to the back of it. Seems that this was originally a remote box which was used in various applications, from Elfs to Coopers. 22G927 Laygear which suggests it's a typical set of small bore engine ratios but it's definitely a four synch baulk ring box which is good because I was fearing A type gears with cones. Should therefore be an easy one to sort out - was never much wrong with it save for a non existent second and weak third gear synchro. I've emailed Guessworks for a quote on it, pulling gearboxes apart is beyond my abilities.

As for the crank, it's definitely the early oil fed type and has some rather brutal machining on some of the webs. Huge chunks taken out of it, doesn't look at all pretty so I think given all the other issues with the oil fed primary gear and coil spring clutch, it's time to say goodbye to it. I'll either recrank with a later 850, later primary and a new flywheel and clutch or I'll look at a 1098 conversion, haven't really decided on which yet. Provided the pistons which are +40 check out OK, I'll probably stick with the 850 and have cam bearings fitted to take the 948 (Cooper 997) camshaft along with a skimmed 202. Any more machining work and the 850 is looking like a goner.

As for the rear subframe, that really didn't want to let me have the radius arms back! All that's left on it now it the front trunnions and they'll need some persuasion (possibly in the shape of a grinder) to remove!

Has anyone got any tips on seperating the rubber cone from the strut? These are stuck solid after however long of being installed..

[woodypup59]

I don't want to teach my grandma ......

But I hope you've trial fitted doors and hinges into the door hole, bolted to A panels, complete with door rubbers, while its just tacked together.

Many door apertures need a bit of squeezing with a porta-power or WHY to get the gaps right before full welding .

[gs.davies]

I don't want to teach my grandma ......

But I hope you've trial fitted doors and hinges into the door hole, bolted to A panels, complete with door rubbers, while its just tacked together.

Many door apertures need a bit of squeezing with a porta-power or WHY to get the gaps right before full welding .

Well, personally I've done nothing! This is all way beyond my skills, so I've left it people who have been doing this sort of thing for years and years. We've had a long discussion about doors.. The doors that are with the car at the moment are fairly knackered and so will require either extensive work or replacing with something else, possibly Heritage. Doesn't matter really which way as it all comes to an amount; I either spend money on bodyshop hours rebuilding these ones or go with a pair of Heritage doors (and be really picky if they're not up to scratch)

The apertures themselves are sound and haven't been touched, nor have they moved during these repairs and so I can be fairly confident that any fit issues should be remediated in the doors. That said, they've been using the old doors as a reference. Some will disagree but I see it this way; the cars went down the track at Longbridge and got whatever doors happened to meet the shell along the way. They were made to fit.

Having seen this shop's work I have no doubt that they'll get this right. Incidentally, the outers are not fixed yet, this was left over from a trial lining up. The car's at the back of the workshop now as they've had a couple of E-Types rock up wanting the works doing.. And I've got to supply them some more panels as well!

Expensive lark this innit?