[tonrag]

Vintagepoint, I will post a close up picture of my car''s carb. Having said that, while my car's carb works well, I believe that if it is best to replace old carbs with new ones, even if the prices are high. Burlen Fuel Systems have secured the rights for SU, Zenith and Amal carburettors and are making brand new ones to the old designs. They cost a packet, but they are well worth the trouble. Old metal gets warped, and the various apertures turn oval and they begin to leak. Old carburettors are a devil to restore and to tune.

I used to drive a 1933 Austin 10 in the late eighties as daily transport and back those days, I remember that the carb was replaced with a more modern Solex; probably one from a Fiat or a Herald. It ran well. What you will need to do is to make a purpose built flange for it, which can be done by carefully making a pattern. I find that with today's new manufacturing techniques, the best way to fabricate a flange is to laser cut it out of metal of appropriate thickness and TIG weld an appropriate length and shape of tube to it. If you are using a Solex downdraught carb as a replacement, be sure that it is held exactly vertical, so as to prevent the possibility of the float snagging, due to its inclination from the vertical.

The chassis was trued and straightened and plates welded onto the weak points to prevent it from bending in future. The outriggers were also straightened and the springs balanced and refitted. Soon, the chassis was back on its wheels, which is a milestone when one is doing a ground up restoration.

Goodies.

The feeling of buying parts for a restoration is a mixed one. On the one hand, there is the childish glee of looking through catalogues and ordering stuff off the net without a care in the world. On the other, is the pain of watching a rapidly diminishing bank balance, and the anxiety whether the parts will get delayed in the mail. Finally, when everything reaches, the dining table is occupied, everything spread out and all is forgotten.

Krishna suggested a list of parts that were needed for getting the car back to mechanical fitness and reliability. The brakes had long been a bugbear and locally made cables did not solve the problem. So we ordered a set of front and back cables, with the front ones being adjustable.

The car had a slight leak on the gasket, and a decoke was overdue. So a decoke set of gaskets was ordered. A set of 18 mm spark plugs completed my engine's requirement for refurbishing.

The friction plates for the shock absorbers were not inexpensive; they had completely crumbled and I needed a new set.

The petrol pump diaphragm was a necessity. The earlier series of Sevens had their petrol tanks under the scuttle, but mine was the version where a larger tank was fitted in the rear. That called for a strong and reliable fuel pump; I had suffered often due to unreliable, overheating pumps.

The U bolts to hold the rear springs to the square sections of the rearward facing chassis members could have been fabricated locally. But they did not cost much and I thought to myself; what the hell, and ordered them.

Finally, after a good search, I also found the rubber mats that cover the running boards and extend inward, to show an attractive Austin logo when the doors are opened. That would be a nice original touch.

[tonrag]

As work on the chassis progressed, we began work on the body. The Austin body is light enough to stand it up vertically to get at the underneath.

What of the colour? Originally, Sevens of the day sported a Royal Blue. However, the shade that passes off for that seemed too dull to me; I felt that it would not contrast well with the black wings. I opted therefore for a lighter, brighter blue shade.

[tonrag]

More painting and super detailing of the fittings, as the car comes together

And doing the dashboard is always a pleasure. The dash of the Austin seven underwent many variations throughout its manufactured life. But one thing that did not change, was the brass plate that listed out the patents on the Seven. Herbert Austin was a stickler for intellectual property protection, and what better place to put it all out there, than the dash?

My speedo is the one with a window and a moving plate behind, which reads out the speed. Unfortunately, the cog that goes into the gearbox is worn out and needs replacement. Till then, speed is based on guess work and mental arithmetic.

It does not matter how many vehicles one has restored; the day that the engine is started again, is an emotional one. After the crank to ensure that the petrol has flowed into the carburettor, it took just one crank to get the engine whirring. I stood there, soaking in the moment. Unfortunately, the videos can't be uploaded.

From there on, restoration was a breeze. Work continued late into the night, as Swami took shape again.

The petrol tank had worn gossamer thin. We had no option but to fabricate a new one, only using the neck, the filler cap and the float from the original.

[tonrag]

Finally, the car is ready. What else can one say? Of course, like all restorations, a few things remain to be done. But they will be attended to, in due course. For now, the pleasures of the open road beckon!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Superb. What a beauty!

[V.Narayan]

Hey @ tonrag, You can't be allowed to get away by posting just one photo. Popular demand , demands at least a dozen. So get your camera out:-)

Congratulations. I love the colour. Though I suspect it is not stock. Best of luck.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by tonrag

Finally, the car is ready. What else can one say? Of course, like all restorations, a few things remain to be done. But they will be attended to, in due course. For now, the pleasures of the open road beckon!

Whee! She's gorgeous! Congrats on a fantastic restore and thanks for sharing. More photos please!!

[tonrag]

Thanks, Narayan.

Yes, its not a stock colour. Austins of that period came in black, or in duotone, with either brown, dark green, cream or royal blue with black wings. I like cream, but did not fancy changing the colour completely from a dark to a light one. I felt I would be breaking the history of the car in some way. So it was blue for me. However, the Royal blue shade is actually much darker and duller than one might think; a navy blue, rather than what one might think royal blue might be. So I opted for this somewhat lighter shade, which in my view looks quite neat.

[KartikeyaL]

Great to see the car finally on the road and it looks great !

Here are some pictures from our forum posted by KPS, here

[tonrag]

Thanks, Karthikeya, for posting pictures of Swami's maiden post restoration run. He was on the road after seven years and it was natural that there were a few glitches. The fuel pump seemed to be stuttering, so a cold compress with a wet cloth was applied. But then, it seemed to improve and it now works well and does not overheat. I suppose the new diaphragm that I got from the UK might have taken a bit of time to loosen up and flex nicely. Other than that, the rear off side wheel is wobbling. Swami has very precise steering and though he is the oldest of my cars, he is very easy to drive. However, I noticed that he was wandering a bit this time, and a friend driving behind told me that the rear off side wheel wobbles. This may be a loose bearing, which I will get fixed.

But apart from that, he is ticking over nicely. He has a happy look on his face and I we are all set for some fresh adventures.

What better than a ride to the old railway station at Nandi! This is a picturesque old place, a pretty station built by the Mysore State Railway. The line was a lovely 2'6" narrow gauge line till the early eighties, when it was converted to broad gauge. Only two trains stop here, and the station still issues the old tickets, punched out in the heavy machine for the purpose. Travel there by train sometime; those tickets are collector's items now.

[travancore]

1932 Advertisement

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1933 Advertisement

[tonrag]

Swami Sallies Forth Again

It was not long after Swami’s ground up restoration, that thoughts began to turn to a long trip. There is nothing like a sustained drive over challenging roads to check if a restoration has been done well. But then, when and where? That was the question. The chance came when Dheep Caldeira, a good friend with an eclectic taste in old machinery, furniture and other bric a brac, organized an informal hang out for classic car enthusiasts in Goa. A drive to the coast would do old Swami a world of good, I reckoned. By all standards, he seemed to be in fine fettle; Bangalore drives, and a few short hops beyond, were all taken in his stride. His fuel pump tended to overheat, but that was all. It was a problem that one easily tackled, with a soaking wet cloth wrapped around it.

The last time Aditi, my wife, and I had gone for a long journey in Swami was nearly twenty years back. There was a world of difference between the roads then and now. Our son Ishaan, was just ten then and easily fitted in the back seat of the car. He was a grown man now and far away. So, here we were, two sixty year olds, aiming to hit the roads in an 87 year old car; two centuries of experience between the three of us.

The key to a long drive in a vintage car is to organize oneself for every eventuality that may arise. Here is how I went about it.

First, prepare a checklist.

Second, begin with picking up the jack, wheel spanner and jack handle from the Morris. Reflect how, in spite of having several cars, why there must only be one jack, wheel spanner and jack handle in one’s life.

Third, lose the checklist.

Fourth, curse fluently in several languages, prompting the wife to indulge in fits of unsympathetic laughter.

Fifth, frantically try to recall what was on the checklist, and discover a lot more things that ought to have been on it in the first place.

Sixth, prepare a second checklist.

Seventh, finish packing, stand back and admire one’s efforts.

Eighth, discover the first checklist; I had left it in the boot of the Morris, when one picked up the jack

Ninth, curse fluently again.

But then again, for the benefit of humanity, one must put down what goes into a vintage car before one chugs away from home. Here is what I can remember.

Jack, wheel spanner and jack handle
Spanners; from 8mm, to 19 mm, and one adjustable spanner too.
A pair of pliers, scissors, vice grips and a multitool, with both flat and Phillips screw driver heads.
Cotton waste, plenty of old cloth
A plastic pipe, Jerry can for petrol, A plastic funnel, bottles of water under the seat for the radiator,
Battery trickle charger,
Electric wire strands, insulation tape, Teflon tape, a blade,
A ball of strong twine,
Hose clamps,
Spare points, spare coil, spare headlamp and taillamp bulbs, emery sheet,
Face dust masks,
Some neoprene sheet,
Two cans of 20-50 multigrade oil

And finally, I used reflecting tape to fashion a large board to tie onto my spare tyre. The tiny single tail lamp cum number plate light, was hardly enough to warn any vehicle approaching me from behind.

On the evening of 15 January, 2020, we were all set to drive off. I could not wait to leave the clogged roads of Bangalore and head for the open countryside.

[tonrag]

16 January; Bangalore to Shimoga, 302 kilometers.

As a rule, I make early starts on my drives. Leaving cities at 4 AM or thereabouts ensures that one avoids horrendous traffic jams, and one arrives fresh at one’s destination. However, that calls for early bedtimes at well; no partying at all on days preceding the journey.

It was lovely to be back on the road with Aditi again, in an old car. Swami sprang to life on the first crank, eager to hit the road. An Austin Seven is narrower than a queen sized bed; so while it was cold and windy, the car was snug. Yet, in spite of our early start, traffic was already building up; Bangalore never sleeps these days. We passed our share of curious dogs; there is something in the Austin that seduces them to chasing us; its jolly good sport for all.

We had chosen a route that avoided too many tolls; given the messy transition from cash to fast tags, all toll gates tended to be crowded and slow. Dawn was breaking as we passed the toll at Kunigal and when we filled gas a short way beyond.

One can never tire of sunrise, when one is in a convertible. Aditi and I have a friendly tussle every time, as to when the hood needs to come down. She prefers it after sunrise, I like it before. This time, with the temperature around 15 degrees and the chill factor of the wind to boot, we deferred to her pragmatism. The sun was warming us when we stopped for breakfast; a round of still warm parathas, smeared with lip smacking mango pickle.

[tonrag]

It was indeed a long time since I had heard the burble of Swami’s engine and I soaked in the sensation. Cars sing differently, and Swami is a tenor. One would be hard put to say why, but Swami’s engine reminds me of a sewing machine. It has a busy sound to it, and a happy hum when at speed. The car does slow down on long slopes, and its third and fourth gears are not close ratios. Speed, therefore, is not possible, nor desirable. This is a car in which you are inside the scenery, and not just passing by it.

We turned off from the Mangalore highway at Yediyur and pointed our nose northward, towards Turuvekere. Karnataka’s rural landscape is pretty, but the Turuvekere road is special. For some unknown reason, the PWD has not cut down the magnificent banyans that line the road. These trees date back to the days of the Mysore Maharajah’s administration, and were a feature of south Karnataka. Sadly, on most of our highways, they were ruthlessly cut down to widen them, even though a more sensitive approach could have been taken and new carriageways built to skirt these lovely trees. We stopped frequently, beside the banyans and the lotus ponds. An early start meant that we could afford to be slow; I expected to be in Shimoga by lunch time, where friends were expecting us.

Swami was singing, Aditi was beside me, life was good.

[veldeep]

Hats-of to you and Aditi mam, it's a real inspiration to vintage car owners.