SUBS ARE DUE
This
is the last newsletter you will
receive if you have not
renewed your subscription. Subs are £3.00 excluding assoc. mag. Or £4.75
if you want the association mag as well.
Please send your money now to the treasurer, Lawrence Rideal, 36 Diprose Rd., Corfe Mullen, Broadstone.
NEXT MONTHS COMMITTEE MEETING – 3rd January The Tyrrells Ford at 8.30pm
EDITORS DELIBERATE MISTAKE
It was stated in last
month’s editorial that we were looking for a
Pub in the WAREHAM area for our
meetings. Sorry, this of course
should have read WIMBORNE area.
TRIP TO FRANCE AT EASTER
The SOLENT Austin Seven Club are once again
organising a trip to
France leaving Southampton
for Cherbourg on April 3rd 1980. The
return trip can be any time after the Easter weekend but not during the
weekend. Price for an Austin Seven, £28
return and for adults and
children £3.50 return. 1st night to be spent at a site 15 miles
from Cherbourg and from there on to Mont St. Michael 100 miles from Cherbourg.
You can either camp or 4 berth caravans are available at £9 a
day for 4 people. There are already four
cars going from the Dorset A7 Club. If
anyone is interested in joining us please let John Page (Christchurch 473207)
know by the 1st January at the latest. Our programme in Franco may
not be exactly the same as the Solent.
THE
AUTOJUMBLE AT ALEXANDER PALACE
NOVEMBER
11th
Bernard and Phil arranged to meet Gary and I at our
house at 6 am on Sunday, the day of the Autojumble. I remember the time as Gary
mentioned it on and off for about five days beforehand, probably because
getting up early isn’t one of my major attributes.
Came the big day and the first I knew about it was
the usual kick in the ribs by Jane and the comment that the front
door bell was ringing! Yes, 6 o'clock on a dark and cold morning, I couldn't
imagine that Bernard and Phil were on the doorstep looking as if they did every
day of the week. Gary poked his head out of his room and we managed to leave by
6.20 in Bernard’s car with Phil’s trailer full of goodies trundling along
behind.
It was a lovely run to Ally Pally and we arrived
there at 8.20
with plenty of
time to set up the stall and then to snap up a few bits
before the public came in. Gary's first buys were two half shafts for the Chummy, both
perfect, at £5 each. We all made some decent buys during the course of the day
including a complete mag. engine at a fairly reasonable price. One very nice
thing about this autojumble is that it is under cover, with central heating would
you believe! We all walked about without
our coats when outside temperature was near zero. There was even a cafeteria serving meals.
After a very interesting and
enjoyable day we left for home with Phil's trailer groaning under the weight of
the stuff he had bought, “In case it was needed”. The weather was OK until about
half way home and then the rain and wind started, a real storm for the rest of
the trip. How Bernard drove through it I don't know, he's certainly a damned
good driver!
Gary and I would like to
thank Phil for the use of the trailer and Bernard for the lift, also for their company,
it made a marvelous
day out. I would recommend it to our members for next
year, it’s well
worth it.
DEREK
EXTRACT
FROM THE SCOTTISH AUSTIN 7 NEWSLETTER OCT.79
SUBJECT
– BEAULIEU AUTOJUMBLE
Big Daddy - our leader,
related a strange talk of an anonymous tip-off about a yard containing 6 or 7
Austin Sevens. So after having cleaned ourselves up and BEFORE we had eaten we
set off in search of the dreaded Baby 7s.
A journey of Jackie Stewart
driving through the winding roads of the (New Forest) and initiative navigating
that would have put a blind man to shame, and we had found a group of
ramshackle buildings, looking as if they could contain anything from dead human
beings to dead Austin Sevens. Some precarious acrobatics with human ladders and
voila! half a dozen Austin Sevens in various states of repair. Straining to see
better, teeter, teeter, CRASH! I never realised brambles could be so
uncomfortable.
We immediately
proceeded to rouse the next door neighbour from his
evening meal in order to ask to whom the cars belonged. We were
directed to a
'Noddy train'. Rushing to time Law-mobile we took off in
a cloud of dust.
You should try, at some time
in your life, asking someone in England at 9.30 p.m. where you could find the ‘Noddy
Train'. The looks ranging from startled astonishment to amused tolerance were
well worth the embarrassment. Anyway, we found the Noddy Train, the driver -
Jeff told us he was in the process of restoring the Austins, and that he did not
really want to sell any of them.
On hearing that the three of
us were going to sleep in a three-man tent in a car park overnight, this
hospitable gentleman offered us his holiday chalet on the beach and proceeded
to run us up there - for free - on the Noddy Train. To this gentleman may we
proffer our thanks for a very comfortable night.
With acknowledgement to the
Scottish A7 Club. – They even come all the way from Scotland to find Austin Sevens
in our area! – ED.
RESTORATION OF WL 1133 –
1926 CHUMMY (cont. from last month)
Since last month, restoration
has been progressing surely but expensively!! I have now painted the front axle
assembly and fitted it back to the chassis, overhauled the steering box and
striped painted and rebuilt the rear axle.
The first nightmare with the
latter occurred when I found a broken pinion tooth.
Having received quotes for £56+ for a new crown wheel and pinion, dad managed
to get Sabre Marine of Ferndown Industrial Estate
To build the
tooth up and temper it for a mere £6.
Having reassembled the axle with the correct mesh I found that on replacing
the hubs, all the backlash was lost. Eventually after 3 nights work I cured the
problem by fitting another rear hub, and subsequently refitted the axle to the
chassis much relieved!! The lest job this month was to
strip the engine and now I have just sent off another large order to Austin Seven Services. GARY
(To be
continued next month)
RESTORATION OF OW 3654 – 1932 BOX SALOON
I found
the car in Portsmouth, and with
John Bramwell’s help, and
the use of his van we
got it back to my home safely. The next job
was to
completely dismantle it. It is surprising
how quickly one can
tear a car apart. So, with the
body off, I decided to start by welding new metal into the any holes that
should not have been in the floor and inner wings. After the underside of the
body had been welded and repainted, I started or the chassis. I renewed the kingpins and bushes, spring
shackles and pins, I fitted two new rear springs and had the front spring reset. I decided to have new brake cross shaft bearings made, and they are now fitted,
I also had the brake pedal bushed and the fulcrum pin turned down to fit.
The whole chassis was
given 5 coats of paint and re-assembled. The next stage is to refit the body, hopefully this weekend. In the
3 years since I finished the Ruby
I estimate that the cost of restoring Sevens has trebled.
GLYN
TECHNICAL TIPS
To clean headlamp
reflectors, use Jewellers Rouge applied with a piece
of soft chamois leather NEVER
metal polish.
When assembling the front spring to the axle, first
undo the bolt in the centre or the spring and allow
the leaves to separate, this makes it easier to fit the spring shackles to the
axle, then, cramp the leaves together and refit the centre bolt.
ANNUAL SKITTLES
EVENING 9th FEB 1980 7.30pm
We are once again
holding our Skittles evening at the Monmouth Ash at Verwood. This is always a
very popular event and is being
organised this year by Elizabeth Wragg. The cost
this year is only very slightly more
than last year and
includes chicken in a basket £1.50 each or with a ploughman’s 75p. each. It will be a great help if you will reserve your ticket as soon as
possible. Cash with reservation please.
