For those interested in old cars.

[New Haven Neil]

I've just watched a recording of the Goodwood revival programme, with Austin A30/35 racing!  Never in a million years would I have thought of racing an A30, but there you go.  It was quite funny to watch.

[Kickstart]

Forget all this recent discussion about Minis, as they're monsters compared to the Midget car. Do any survive, or were they, and their drivers, all crushed by drivers of normal sized vehicles who didn't notice them?

http://www.vintag.es/2013/05/old-photos-of-midget-cars.html

Ever seen the 1980s Gag bikes? Half size road legal bikes, mainly made for the Japanese market.

 

Mine, in front of more normal sized bikes.

 

 

All the best

 

Katy

[Judge Dread]

I've just watched a recording of the Goodwood revival programme, with Austin A30/35 racing!  Never in a million years would I have thought of racing an A30, but there you go.  It was quite funny to watch.

I believe Pat Moss, Sir Stirling Moss's sister rallied an A30. Also there is at least one publication on race tuning the A series engine which went into both cars and the likes of the Morris Minor.

[Rugd1022]

I went over to my parents this morning with my engine crane to put the engine and gearbox back in my Mum's MGB. The engine and gearbox are the original fitted to the car which has done 300,000 miles (although it has had other engines and gearboxes in during part of that time)

 

To create room the garage had to be emptied of other cars first out the 1970 Midget:

 

 WP_20161008_09_27_47_Pro.jpg

 

This car is lucky to be on the road and owes it's survival to a front end smash in 1984. My dad bought it for spares but on stripping down the front end found the damage to be mostly cosmetic and bodywise it was reasonably sound bar outer sills and wings. It was therefore rebuilt out of bits in the garage and his previous Midget sold. It was originally intended for racing and had some mods including fibreglass bonnet and stripped out interior but my Dad never returned to racing after getting it on the road and it has been gradually returned to standard.

 

Next out was the 1949 MG TC:

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Bought in the 1960's for £35, My dad has owned it ever since and has had a couple of rebuilds over the years. We both used it to take our respective wives from the church on our wedding day so definitely some sentimental attachments with this.

 

Last out was 1955 Sunbeam MK III:

 

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This was out on the road last weekend on a rally hence the mud and was only restored in 2015, having been off the road since 1986. Always behind the MG's on the list to be done, it was only in 2012 that work started in ernest when my Dad retired.

 

Withe the garage emptied and my crane assembled it was on to the job of the day:

WP_20161008_09_34_01_Pro.jpg

 

My Mum has had this car since 1980 as her everyday car hence the high mileage. It has had a number of rebuilds over the years to keep it on the road but as it gets less use now, it has had a bit more work this time for the "final" rebuild. A few hours later the engine was in:

 

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Great stuff Rob, very nice - the B GT looks to be Harvest Gold, always a favourite colour of mine on these fine cars and the same as my mate's  '72 B GT which he misses terribly.

 

Looks like I've got a buyer for the velour Mayfair seats and trim in the green Mini when I replace them, a neighbour stopped by this afternoon who also has a Mini project on the go and he's got first dibs on them. I've only had the car a week and plans are coming together nicely.... onwards and upwards...!   

[New Haven Neil]

I believe Pat Moss, Sir Stirling Moss's sister rallied an A30. Also there is at least one publication on race tuning the A series engine which went into both cars and the likes of the Morris Minor.

 

It was a good race, in the wet, exciting sideways action and the drivers were top class - several touring car names I recognised.  It's just......A30's......  

[PhilJ W]

Forget all this recent discussion about Minis, as they're monsters compared to the Midget car. Do any survive, or were they, and their drivers, all crushed by drivers of normal sized vehicles who didn't notice them?

http://www.vintag.es/2013/05/old-photos-of-midget-cars.html

 

I wouldn't advise spending too much time on this site, as there are a lot of interesting old vehicles on there!

When I was at junior school a classmate had one (sans engine) we used to play on in his back garden. It disappeared a few years later, probably for scrap. It would have made an ideal restoration project as IIRC they were powered by a 50 cc villiers 2 stroke. They were made by a compny called Rytecraft. There are replica miniature classic car bodies made to fit on to those electric buggies that you see a lot of nowadays that look very like them.

[Jol Wilkinson]

I've just watched a recording of the Goodwood revival programme, with Austin A30/35 racing!  Never in a million years would I have thought of racing an A30, but there you go.  It was quite funny to watch.

Graham Hill used to race one, I believe.

[russ p]

James Hunt's daily driver was an A35 van which he kept to the end

[keefr2]

It was a good race, in the wet, exciting sideways action and the drivers were top class - several touring car names I recognised.  It's just......A30's......  

 

It's a starter class for Historic racing with 'identical' cars using sealed engines etc. 

 

http://www.hrdc.eu/academy.html

 

Keith

[Wolseley]

I believe Pat Moss, Sir Stirling Moss's sister rallied an A30. Also there is at least one publication on race tuning the A series engine which went into both cars and the likes of the Morris Minor.

 

 

Australian racing driver, the late Peter Brock, once raced an Austin A30 that was powered by a 6 cylinder Holden engine:

 

[edcayton]

I do wonder why they put big engines into the Oxbridge when they already had the big Farinas (Austin Westminster/Wolseley 6/110 etc) which were much nicer cars and handled better. Certainly the UK Police liked them.

 

#Ed

[Rugd1022]

Graham Hill used to race one, I believe.

 

I think during his early days as a mechanic for Lotus the little Austin was his daily driver. Next month it will be forty one years since Graham passed away, amazing to think it was that long ago really.

 

Another street scene from the archive... the E-Type looks tiny, nice private reg' on it, 'JC 7', I wonder if it still exists...

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2016 by Rugd1022

[Wolseley]

I do wonder why they put big engines into the Oxbridge when they already had the big Farinas (Austin Westminster/Wolseley 6/110 etc) which were much nicer cars and handled better. Certainly the UK Police liked them.

 

#Ed

 

 

If you're referring to the Australian 6 cylinder B series, it was because the cars were to be locally built, as BMC's assault on the market share held by Holden and Ford for the six cylinder family car market.  The cars would not be competitively priced unless a sizeable amount of their content was locally produced.  BMC Australia was already manufacturing the 1489 and 1622cc B series from scratch.  It was possible to alter the production line to produce both 4 and 6 cylinder versions of the B series engines, but it would not have been possible to also produce C series engines - the Zetland factory did not have the capacity to do this - and importing complete or even short C series engines would have resulted in the imported engines attracting additional tax and pricing the cars out of the market they were aimed at (from memory I think that the formula for calculating the tax was based on the weight of the imported parts, and a C series engine is pretty heavy).

 

BMC's market research showed that they needed their family car to be a 6 and not a 4 cylinder car.  In those days there was an attitude in the Australian car buying public that, for a car to be suited for Australian conditions, it had to have 6 cylinders.  The 4 cylinder B series Farinas were selling, but not very well.  BMC Australia saw the Freeway as potentially the big seller, with the Wolseley selling to a niche market for luxury cars.  Although Freeway sales got off to a good start, they started to flag somewhat after a year or so, and the car was dropped in 1965 after a rather disappointing sales run.  The Wolseley, by contrast, was one of BMC Australia's successes of the 1960s and outsold the Freeway by a considerable margin.

[PatB]

If you're referring to the Australian 6 cylinder B series, it was because the cars were to be locally built, as BMC's assault on the market share held by Holden and Ford for the six cylinder family car market.  The cars would not be competitively priced unless a sizeable amount of their content was locally produced.  BMC Australia was already manufacturing the 1489 and 1622cc B series from scratch.  It was possible to alter the production line to produce both 4 and 6 cylinder versions of the B series engines, but it would not have been possible to also produce C series engines - the Zetland factory did not have the capacity to do this - and importing complete or even short C series engines would have resulted in the imported engines attracting additional tax and pricing the cars out of the market they were aimed at (from memory I think that the formula for calculating the tax was based on the weight of the imported parts, and a C series engine is pretty heavy).

 

BMC's market research showed that they needed their family car to be a 6 and not a 4 cylinder car.  In those days there was an attitude in the Australian car buying public that, for a car to be suited for Australian conditions, it had to have 6 cylinders.  The 4 cylinder B series Farinas were selling, but not very well.  BMC Australia saw the Freeway as potentially the big seller, with the Wolseley selling to a niche market for luxury cars.  Although Freeway sales got off to a good start, they started to flag somewhat after a year or so, and the car was dropped in 1965 after a rather disappointing sales run.  The Wolseley, by contrast, was one of BMC Australia's successes of the 1960s and outsold the Freeway by a considerable margin.

 

It's certainly the case that I see more 24/80s than I do Freeeways, not that either is hugely common these days.

 

As far as 6-pots are concerned, where does the 2912cc six that BL used in the MGC and the Austin 3-Litre fit? I've always been under the impression that this was an Australian engine adopted by BL to replace the C-series. I take it that it was a later development for the P76 family.

 

As far as Farina handling goes, I'll concede that ours may have been better had they not been shod with the very cheapest remoulds available at the time, which had a distressing tendency to shed their treads and herniate their sidewalls on a regular basis, particularly when subjected to a 19 year old who really wants a TR5 . I will say, in my defence, that I didn't drive it as hard as did the testers for Motoring Which? magazine. They managed to ground the front crossmember of every Farina they ever tested, a feat I never managed however hard I tried to yump the thing over assorted humpback bridges .

[Wolseley]

It's certainly the case that I see more 24/80s than I do Freeeways, not that either is hugely common these days.

 

As far as 6-pots are concerned, where does the 2912cc six that BL used in the MGC and the Austin 3-Litre fit? I've always been under the impression that this was an Australian engine adopted by BL to replace the C-series. I take it that it was a later development for the P76 family.

 

As far as Farina handling goes, I'll concede that ours may have been better had they not been shod with the very cheapest remoulds available at the time, which had a distressing tendency to shed their treads and herniate their sidewalls on a regular basis, particularly when subjected to a 19 year old who really wants a TR5 . I will say, in my defence, that I didn't drive it as hard as did the testers for Motoring Which? magazine. They managed to ground the front crossmember of every Farina they ever tested, a feat I never managed however hard I tried to yump the thing over assorted humpback bridges .

 

 

As far as I am aware (and perhaps someone who knows these cars better might have more to say on this) the 2912cc six that BL used in the MGC and the Austin 3-Litre was a 7-bearing modification of the BMC C-Series.

 

The 2.6 litre six used in the P76 was a development of the 2.2 litre E6 as used in the Austin Tasman and Kimberley, but mounted longitudinally rather than transversely.  The Kimberley/Tasman engine was, in turn, developed from the E series 4 cylinder engine used in the Australian produced Marinas and the Morris 1500.  The long term plan of Leyland Australia was to replace the E6 with a V6 version of the P76 V8 which, being an alloy block, would have been considerably lighter - the 2.6 litre E6 weighed almost the same as the 4.4 litre Rover derived V8.

Edited October 9, 2016 by Wolseley

[phil_sutters]

Three photos from our family albums - more specifically those of the the Pritchards, my maternal grandmother's family, who lived in Hereford and thereabouts.

 

 

They were also motorbike enthusiasts in the 1920s, but that wouldn't be of interest in an 'old cars' thread, would it?

[edcayton]

And BL developed a transverse 6 which went into the Land Crab and the Wedge Princess. AFAIK no other models used this engine, but I think it was a development of the Maxi unit.

 

Ed

[PatB]

And BL developed a transverse 6 which went into the Land Crab and the Wedge Princess. AFAIK no other models used this engine, but I think it was a development of the Maxi unit.

 

Ed

 

Dad had a Wolseley 6 flavoured 'Crab and he engine certainly bore a strong cosmetic resemblance to the Maxi/Allegro family of engines. It was a b@$*4%d to work on as well, filling the engine bay in all directions. This was particularly irksome as it had a habit of regularly seizing its speedos, which would then shear a small, but eyewateringly expensive, angle-drive doohickey that lived on the back of the gearbox, buried under carbs, exhaust manifold and alternator. Being young and stupid at the time and, critically, not being fully grown, guess whose arms got used to reach down into the noisome, spiky depths to unscrew the dead unit and spin on a new one. I think I've still got a scar or two.

 

As an engine, though, I remember it as being smooth, torquey and sufficiently powerful to propel what was a fairly bulky and heavy car to surprising speeds. Nothing really went wrong with the basic engineering at any point either.

 

It eventually donated one of its big SU carbs to our Forward Control SIIa Landy, where it saw service for another decade or so.

[russ p]

The E6 in the 2200/princess is the same engine that was used inline in Australia as well as in the SD1 in south Africa. One was for sale recently in the UK

[alastairq]

Nothing strange in racing an Austin A30.  [unless one is of a young age, where such things would be deemed unfeasible?}......Very sound handling, very stable cars....whose mechanicals spawned more genuine [proper] sports cars like the Austin Healey Sprite, MG Midget...not forgetting things like Turners, Fairthorpes, and stuffs.

 

Certainly no stranger than racing a Jaguar saloon, or a Ford Falcon?

 

And there may be  more than one BMC A-series tuning manual out there [Vizard's being probably the ultimate manual, probably the latest one written?]..I have at least 3 in my possession.

 

But then, Ford sidevalve engines were raced right up until the 1970's....and still are today...

 

I have recently discovered yet another reason for producing one type of car from a multitude of parts from other pre-existing models....aside from costs, proven parts, etc..and that was/is, a distinct reduction in the time needed to re-train production line operatives, since they will already be used to handling those specific parts.  The sort of thing Ford would consider important?

[alastairq]

Three photos from our family albums - more specifically those of the the Pritchards, my maternal grandmother's family, who lived in Hereford and thereabouts.

 

 

 

They were also motorbike enthusiasts in the 1920s, but that wouldn't be of interest in an 'old cars' thread, would it?

The Ford Prefect is fairly easy to identify....but I'm not certain of the others....the headlamps actually located on the wings is an identifying feature I recognize, but memory fails me [like, finding my way home again?}

 

Are they ACs by any chance?

[phil_sutters]

The Ford Prefect is fairly easy to identify....but I'm not certain of the others....the headlamps actually located on the wings is an identifying feature I recognize, but memory fails me [like, finding my way home again?}

 

Are they ACs by any chance?

I haven't been able to identify the rest, but the Ford seems more likely to be the pre-war predecessor of the Prefect, the Ford 7W 10hp. I had a conversation in my photo-sharing site 'ipernity' and this was the relevant paragraph ' Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Ford's. However I think it is more likely to be the pre-war Ford 7W 10hp as in www.simoncars.co.uk/ford/prefect07w.html . Its later versions became the Ford Prefect. The Popular only had two windows, each side, as far as I can see. The photo is with others from the 1930s so the pre-war date is more likely. Thanks for your interest David.'

[alastairq]

Yup, you're right, it's a 7W....

[PhilJ W]

The Ford Prefect is fairly easy to identify....but I'm not certain of the others....the headlamps actually located on the wings is an identifying feature I recognize, but memory fails me [like, finding my way home again?}

 

Are they ACs by any chance?

CJ 5865 is not an AC, that company liked to put its name in large art deco lettering on the radiator grill. Its one of the many 'cyclecars' that appeared in the 20's and disappeared after a year or two. One possibility is a Stonefield but that is just one of the many. The car with the headlamps on top of the wings is a Rhode, produced by a company called Meade & Deakin in Birmingham from 1923 to 1927. It was quite a sophisticated vehicle for the period featuring an OHC 9.5 hp engine, but it had no differential!

EDIT could CJ 5865 be a Jowett? The bulge at the bottom of the bonnet sides suggests a flat twin (or four) engine and the radiator is very like the Jowetts of the period.

Edited October 9, 2016 by PhilJ W

[phil_sutters]

Depends a bit what you call old - I belong to a photosharing group that thinks pre-2000 is old - but in a railway site this one might appeal