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

[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?

[Andrew1967]

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

Some WD40, a block of wood (to support the strut), a thin, wide, cold chisel and a hammer.

Spray plenty of WD40 around the cone to strut joint and carefully tap the cold chisel around the joint and they will separate. Don't hit too hard as it could split the strut to cone flange.

[mk1]

Or you could also try holding the strut & doughnut like a medieval mace a whacking the ground with it repeatedly until it gives up. But if you do, make sure the donught doesn't bounce off the ground & nearly remove your nose.

I won't tell you how I know this

On second thoughts, use the WD40 & Cold Chisel method, it works much better.

[hanlminiman]

I saw a strut barbequed to loosen it at the IMM in 2009!

[gs.davies]

Or you could also try holding the strut & doughnut like a medieval mace a whacking the ground with it repeatedly until it gives up. But if you do, make sure the donught doesn't bounce off the ground & nearly remove your nose.

I won't tell you how I know this

On second thoughts, use the WD40 & Cold Chisel method, it works much better.

Hahahaha!

I am the person that nearly cold chiseled my thumb off trying to remove the radius arm bracket so I'm well versed in this sort of thing. I'll give a try and report back..

[gs.davies]

So, a bit more work today. Finally stripped the old subframe down, salvaging the trunnions and fuel pump bracket, new heritage frame arrived so after getting he components cleaned up and painted reassembly can start.

Also started stripping the engine down as I've obtained a spare engine from which I'll pull the crank and flywheel and primary gear set up. Got stuck at the cam nut, it's done up extremely tight and isn't giving up. Had a similar problem with the head studs, unfortunately one sheared off in the block so that'll need some attention.

[JC T ONE]

Nice work

Jens Christian

[gs.davies]

Another half an hour cursing at the camshaft pulley retaining nut. Stuck fast and heat and/or brute force (club mallet) won't shock it free. Am I able to undo the engine end cover and withdraw the camshaft complete with the nut and pulley? I'm not planning on reusing it and I'm swapping the crank for another 850 item.

Any thoughts? Apart from the useful advice hat his would have been a while lot easier with the engine still upright on the box with a flywheel on it!

Gary

[gs.davies]

Well, a cup of coffee, getting the 'MOVE YOU GIT' hammer out and some fresh resolution to get the damn thing done prevailed.

Whoever built this engine had no idea what a torque wrench is for!

[Chalkie]

I get help off somone I wedge the block under my work bench big bar and right size socket with 6 sides get my mate to push with there feet against the bar and socket then I pull it either cones undone or socket rounds or braker bar snaps

Normally rounding happens but out the lot I've done only used an angle grinder once.

[gs.davies]

Part of the problem is that the nut is quite shallow and there's not a lot to keep the socket on the nut while you heave/hammer away at it. I'd almost got to the point where I'd decided enough was enough and the grinder was coming out! Would have been a good candidate for a air impact driver.

Anyway, it's apart now.

Thoughts turn to what to do about the head stud that sheared in the block (yeah, they were all as tight as gnats whatsits as well) Has anyone managed to get a machine shop to drill these out without damaging the original threads?