Practically Classics Forum

Is this the one?
https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/?_ ... 1546635887
Imperial threads no longer available? Utter boll@@@s .. pop along to forest fasteners and get any size shape you will ever need..as for computer's I feel your pain..

The mot is out on the austin....

GHT, yes, Rich Dick beat me to the posting of that link to the repository of embarrassing MOT test outcomes, a most useful resource when one is about to buy a vehicle from the private seller who claimed in their classified advert that the car had never seen a welding torch and was perfect and original.

A friend of mine has been a military re-enactor for as long as I can remember, he has always had military vehicles but recently he hankered after something different. After getting a very good price for his Willys Jeep, he looked around and found an amazing 1946 Plymouth. The young chap who had it before had turned it into a rat-rod, but not very convincing.
My mate and a second friend did a basic restoration, outside, on his drive, with no more than rattle can paint and a great deal of effort.

I quite fancy that....

There's an XJS (under a cover) now parked on our road .. the owner normally has this parked on his driveway but the builder's are in. Can't see much of it as it's under a partial cover!

Also spotted an Alfa Junior on the M40 last Sunday .. but very non-standard .. build by the team at Retropower .. https://retropower.net/2018/02/05/milli ... gt-junior/

A friend of mine has bought a Jaguar MK5. He tells me that there's a lot of work to do on it, read that as a basket case. I couldn't remember what the MK5 looked like. Looking it up I saw this one go for £28K at auction about 18 months ago. Given the amount of work there is to do, coupled with the car's relatively low market price, I couldn't help but wonder, is it worth it?

Mine!
Last used around mid-70s, this has been languishing in my Mother's garage ever since. Had an issue with the alternator (it blew the rectifier and a core plug in the block kept popping out!), so I went out and bought a Triumph 2.5PI Mk I Estate!

Anyway, Mum passed away in October so the house has to be cleared and sold, so I took that as the opportunity to bring the Austin home last weekend. It meant a couple of hours spent clearing the garage around the car (and the junk piled on it) and fitting four wheels/tyres that held air. AS the handbrake was never applied it moved fairly easily (also helped by the fact it has no brake shoes in the front drums! I found those in the boot!)

The plan is to rebuild it but first it needs to be completely stripped and the mice detritus removed from everywhere .. then the hunt for the dreaded tin worm can start in earnest. It needs two new sills and the bottom of the front wings where they meet the sills are shot. There is evidence of rust elsewhere! Then protect the rest as much as poss with stone chip underneath and a complete re-spray.

It will be bought up-to-date as much as poss with a 1330cc MG Midget engine, lower ratio diff, disc brakes up front and if possible telescopic shock conversion. It will go negative earth so I can fit a more standard alternator, and a full custom wiring loom .. better seats too!

^^ be sure to do a thread on the progress with lots of pics Good luck too.

That's a great colour on an A35, good luck with the project. One thing I don't get though; why would it need a lower ratio diff when the 1330 will endow it with so much more torque? A higher ratio would make it much better at the top end and acceleration would still be far better than that available from the original engine, plus a higher geared diff will save your future halfshaft replacement bill substantially!
When I replaced the o/e 950 in one of my A40s, I stayed with the diff that came with the car, a 4.55:1 unit that it seemed came from an A35 Countryman / van originally, but the upgrade (just from an incorrect MK1 spec 950 on its o/e downdraught carb to a 1275 sourced from a Midget with a single 1 1/2" SU from a Mini 1275GT and several other modern touches, such as decent compression figures and using less engine oil than it did petrol ) placed just enough extra torque on those already far too feeble halfshafts and broke two before I swapped out the 4:55 for a (much) higher 3.9:1 unit from a 1275cc Midget. This didn't blunt the acceleration to an annoying extent but top speed was more like 85mph+ than the low geared original's 75mph and 70 on a motorway was so much more relaxed that I could actually hear the car's radio at that speed.

Today, I have seen an Austin 1800 automatic that lives locally. I wanted to buy that back in the summer but the present owner eventually decided to keep it as it has sentimental value to him. It's the white one that appears in the first page of hits on image searches, and is rarely out as it stays under a thick layer of blankets with a waterproof outer cover most of the time, so this was a decent spot and as it seemed to be catching more wind than my 8 1/2 ft tall van, I reckon I made the right choice back then, even if he spends less on petrol at 119ppl than I do on van fuel at only 79ppl. Oh well, at least mine doesn't make smoke so every cloud, etc.


GHT: That Jaguar in your post looks lovely, but I'd be reluctant to give that much money - even though it's a retail price and a handsome car - when it's lost its original registration and carries one of these "look at me, I lost my real identity" so-called age related ones.