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Hi all, I am now starting to collect bits and do odds and sods on this, my Austin 7 Cambridge Special. The chassis is at my son's place for the Winter, but I've plenty to be getting on with! Martin
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Side view:- This is the engine, a Coventry Climax FWM of 745cc. It has been given to me for nothing! That could NOT be passed over! Recently picked up the wheels and tyres for a good price. Speedex original alloys from about 1958, same age as the body and engine. Martin
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bazzateer
Posted a lot
Imping along sans Vogue
Posts: 3,653
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Hmmm.........that looks familiar Martin, Oh yes! It's here waiting for you to collect it on Saturday! Text/call when you're 10 mins away and I'll put the kettle on. Baz
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1968 Singer Chamois Sport 1972 Sunbeam Imp Sport 1976 Datsun 260Z 2+2 1998 Peugeot Boxer Pilote motorhome 2003 Rover 75 1.8 Club SE (daily) 2006 MG ZT 190+ (another daily) 2007 BMW 530d Touring M Sport (tow car)
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ToolsnTrack
Posted a lot
Homebrew Raconteur
Posts: 4,117
Club RR Member Number: 134
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Well this promises to be different! Looking forward to the progress....
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Haha, Hi Baz. You can't fart in this game without everybody smelling it, eh?
Look forward to seeing you on Saturday.
Cheers, Martin
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Work on the body began a while back, by smoothing all the dents and bumps out of the back panel and scuttle on a friend's English Wheel. What a fabulous bit of kit that is! The flanges were re-instated with a selection of bits of iron, including a flatiron and hammers bought for pennies from the Sunday Market. I got a great selection of body tools AND a nice wooden box to put them all in for £20! Got some nice new ash from the sawmill and made a start on the rear framing, using some posh joints. Have sharp chisels, will travel sorta thing. All assembled The mucky hole will be covered by a rivetted patch, a la the period. Proper rivets, not pop rivets. Martin
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village
Part of things
Always carries a toolbox. Because Volkswagen.......
Posts: 567
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I know we like our cars low, but this is ridonculous......
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"The White Van is strong with this one...."
Chris "Chesney" Allen 1976-2005 RIP
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,524
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Ooh, this has some yummy ingredients.
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Looks like this could be a really cool vintage looking hunk of metal! - But i'm struggling to get a decent sense of scale.... is it a car for tiny people or is it just the angle the photograph was taken at? lol!
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Looks like this could be a really cool vintage looking hunk of metal! - But I'm struggling to get a decent sense of scale.... is it a car for tiny people or is it just the angle the photograph was taken at? lol! I think you will find, sir, that the Austin 7 is a tiny, tiny little car to begin with - hacking it down into a special takes it up (down?) a notch! Spectacular looking little project, please keep this thread updated!
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The Austin 7 basis is small. It has a WB of only 6'-9". The reason for using the A7 is because I've always loved the Cambridge body style and I didn't want all that IVA curse word. Plus no tax or even MoT! Although I will be getting it effectively MoT'd, but that's a long way off yet. Here's the chassis, now sans its front suspension and rear springs. It sits here in a Renault Trafic standard size van. I have a 1958 and unused Bowdenex twin transverse spring font end for it, using Mini telescopic dampers. The cross members are now off and being repaired, straightened and flap disced to get the rust off and I will probably use D-OXC rust remover. For £12 a pot to make 20 litres, it sounds too good to miss. Then it'll be a LOT of paint. So it'll be a slow job, chaps, but I will update regularly. Meanwhile tomorrow I pick up the engine. Cheers, Martin
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Fabulous!
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,743
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This is going to be fantastic. Make sure you keep us updated! I'll be watching this one for sure, thanks for sharing
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Frankenhealey
Club Retro Rides Member
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death
Posts: 3,877
Club RR Member Number: 15
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I've always wanted an Ulster so will be watching with a lot of interest.
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Tales of the Volcano Lair hereFrankenBug - Vulcan Power hereThe Frankenhealey here
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,792
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The Austin 7 basis is small. It has a WB of only 6'-9". The reason for using the A7 is because I've always loved the Cambridge body style and I didn't want all that IVA curse word. Plus no tax or even MoT! Although I will be getting it effectively MoT'd, but that's a long way off yet. Here's the chassis, now sans its front suspension and rear springs. It sits here in a Renault Trafic standard size van. I have a 1958 and unused Bowdenex twin transverse spring font end for it, using Mini telescopic dampers. The cross members are now off and being repaired, straightened and flap disced to get the rust off and I will probably use D-OXC rust remover. For £12 a pot to make 20 litres, it sounds too good to miss. Then it'll be a LOT of paint. So it'll be a slow job, chaps, but I will update regularly. Meanwhile tomorrow I pick up the engine. Cheers, Martin The B I love that!!!!!,You must think along the same lines as me, I brought my body home in the back of a Sprinter, wanted these sprintex wheels, and looked seriously at buying this front end on EBay, went for £65 in the end, I am going a slightly different way now, and a very different way from you, but still very much in the way of A7 special,
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Atmo V8 Power . No slicks , No gas + No bits missing . Doing it in style. Austin A35van, very different------- but still doing it in style, going to be a funmoble
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Nice project and some tasty parts for it! I wondered what those alloy wheels were from, as several drag racers used them back in the 70's for front wheels.
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Thanks for your interest and encouragement, guys. Means a lot. I know it isn't the typical project for this forum, but I thought I might find people here who just do stuff, no matter how difficult or unlikely and I knew you lot were hardly originality fans!
V8ian, howbout dat? Both going similarish ways. The Speedex wheels are gorgeous. I'm 61 and I fell in love with Speedex when I was 7! Always been a fast worker <G>. Don't suppose those pics show Tony Betts' back yard do they by any chance? I know he had two more Speedex wheels when I was there buying mine a couple of weeks ago.
You'll find the track rod ends are annoyingly taper-fit Ford sidevalve era items and don't come close to fitting the Austin 7 steering arms! Also, most Bowdenex front ends are more often 5" wider than the normal track of an A7.
So, guys and gals. I today picked up my gorgeous little Coventry Climax FWM engine. It appears to have had little use, but does lack some items. Does anyone know of a forum or site where I might learn something more about them? I really don't want to pester the gent who gave me the engine. One thing I wasn't expecting was a flywheel with a ring gear already on it! But that flywheel is just 8 1/2" diameter!! Is there a clutch out there of about 7" diameter that'll fit? And I can't see anywhere a starter motor would fit or ever did. All part of the fun, eh?
Cheers, Martin
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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Fantastic, watching with keen interest. The skin repair, insertion patch or scab patch?
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,792
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Thanks for your interest and encouragement, guys. Means a lot. I know it isn't the typical project for this forum, but I thought I might find people here who just do stuff, no matter how difficult or unlikely and I knew you lot were hardly originality fans! V8ian, howbout dat? Both going similarish ways. The Speedex wheels are gorgeous. I'm 61 and I fell in love with Speedex when I was 7! Always been a fast worker <G>. Don't suppose those pics show Tony Betts' back yard do they by any chance? I know he had two more Speedex wheels when I was there buying mine a couple of weeks ago. You'll find the track rod ends are annoyingly taper-fit Ford sidevalve era items and don't come close to fitting the Austin 7 steering arms! Also, most Bowdenex front ends are more often 5" wider than the normal track of an A7. So, guys and gals. I today picked up my gorgeous little Coventry Climax FWM engine. It appears to have had little use, but does lack some items. Does anyone know of a forum or site where I might learn something more about them? I really don't want to pester the gent who gave me the engine. One thing I wasn't expecting was a flywheel with a ring gear already on it! But that flywheel is just 8 1/2" diameter!! Is there a clutch out there of about 7" diameter that'll fit? And I can't see anywhere a starter motor would fit or ever did. All part of the fun, eh? Cheers, Martin Martin, Sent you a PM, I was brought up in Lewisham about 5 mins from Super Accessories and I'm not much younger than you, So I remember a few of their "old Specials" that still knocked about, There was a batch of Speedex repro wheels made a while ago, don't think they sold very well, Shame cos they are stunning, Clutch wont be a problem, assuming your gearbox dosent have some really obscure spline, A company I have used to make me some top quality HD clutches in the past are Helix Clutches, Bespoke is not a problem either, www.helix-autosport.com/home/
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Atmo V8 Power . No slicks , No gas + No bits missing . Doing it in style. Austin A35van, very different------- but still doing it in style, going to be a funmoble
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Smiler, patches will have to be over the dodgy area, but proper dome head rivets at least. That particular patch will end up behind the fuel tank anyway. Other patches needed will be where the internal corners have cracked. More of a re-inforcement. I want as much original body as possible. And I don't want it to look absolutely new, just well kept.
V8ian, thanks for the help. Already I'm getting info from "doers"! Off to check your PM. Sorry, as I work for myself from home, I was in the workshop doing the wing rib tapes on a Dragon Rapide kit pattern! Oh and starting to clean up the water outlet on the FWM.
Cheers, Martin
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