Austin Woodworm

[Al]

Wasnt sure how this would be received but i am very pleasantly surprised that you like it.

Taffus


Not owned by Herman Munster by any chance?

Dont think so Mark it's too weird for him.
It started out in Scotland near Stirling and then moved to Petworth Sussex back to Scotland for a while i think and at some point was owned by the Dimbelby brothers (TV news pundits)
It finished its working life in a timber yard lugging trees around somewhere.
There are a couple of pictures of the Dimblebys with the car in the lates sixties / very early seventies with what look like afro hair do's.

Jimmock all this talk about wood and no fatty soft??

Couple of bits i missed.

The head of the robot from Lost in space perhaps?
Special low profile bulbs for narrow spaces.



Inner rears were shot so... you get the drill;



Rear outers after major surgery.







The engine is arranged from centre front to left rear. An angle of about 15 degrees. Absolutely no idea why and cant see the justification for it because it brings with it a whole host of problems.

In order to build the weight of the body and panels onto the chassis is needs to be deflected down to at least simulate the load.
So i placed the crankcase and box in and re-arranged the jacking points. If you dont, the progressive adding of weight will give false body lines and shuts when the car goes on the floor.



Yes that is correct crankcases. Its a lower and upper half bolted together with the crank somewhere in between.

The crank is not on the same centre line as the drive train and i think its driving the clutch through a pair of gears with this the mother of all HYVO's




In case you wondered the cut out in the front seats is for the gear lever and for the handbrake which is bolted to a pivot mounted on the side of the gearbox.





Off to get the splinters out of my hands and arms now.

AL

[Z1parR]

Great skills and a fantastic project Al

[GUYZED]

I remember you showing me pics of this two or so years ago AL...havn't you finished it yet

[davejames]

What a brilliant thread, fascinating to see it progress from a rusty wreck. Keep those pics and text coming Al

[Rich]

Very nice - one thing I would love is and English wheel.

[paul doran]

awesome restoration
Al You have a gift with sheet steel

[PJ]

superb - absolutely superb!!

[sanderz]

Brilliant!!! Shear craftmanship in both wood and metal.

A hell of a lot of hours work gone into it - always simplified by "so we knocked another up" easier said than done. Respect

English wheel - tell that to the kids of today - proper sheetmetal work.

Best let yer crack on, the clocks tickin' an yer on a deadline!!

Look forward to the Antill Mob updates

[HARRY4448]

So playing with motorbikes is childs play really then Al !!!!!!

What a stunning transformation.

I too recall looking at the photos you had and I have to say I am really impressed.

[Al]

Just looked at the prices for English Wheels and even a rubbish DIY one is £600. £2,000 for the makings of an Edwards or similar!!!! Luckily my mate bought his from the traction company when they closed down.

paul doran
PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject:
awesome restoration
Al You have a ift with sheet steel

Dont know about that Paully. I have worked with some real craftsmen who make me look very silly indeed.

One place i used to work at for a bit.



Done some research
Sir (Alexander) Kay Muir (Bart) the original owner made his fortune in tea. Married twice with no children he used to rattle around in this place.



He had a reputation for his hospitality and was famouse for his weekend parties for hunting etc. Ironic that the estate has become a Safari / adventure park.
His obituary in the times; 'The marriage was a very happy one and Lady Nadejda Muir's cosmopolitan background, united with Sir Kay's hospitality and his sporting interests made Blair Drumnmnd the scene of notable house parties. One obituary in The Times (8 June 1951) was almost entirely devoted to this aspect of Sir Kay's career and to 'hospitable Blair Drummond [and] those sparkling gatherings where sport and international politics blended so harmoniously'. Blair Drummond was transformed in both World Wars into a convalescent Hospital, run in 1939-45 by Lady Muir'

He had a pair of Bentley's in the garage but i like to think that he used the Austin between hunting parties to bring wounded soldiers from the train station and hopefully take them back too. I am guessing that there isnt a local bus service thereabouts.

Some early 'shooting brakes' had drinks cabinets in them and gun racks. Some had holes to shoot from too (like Jones's meat van in Dads Army) so you could blast away at anything that came at you from out of the woods without leaving the comfort of youre seat.
This one has a flat floor and benches down both sides. The idea being that you could drag up youre kill and sit admiring it on the journey back to the house.

Next job is to remove the jacks to get them refurbed.
There is one here from an early picture to the right of the diff.
There is one on each corner and they are hydraulic and controlled by a manual pump below the floor which you access by removing a small triangular panel and inserting a handle.



Normally people take them off because they have a reputation for dropping down when youre going along the road but they would be a real benefit if you get a puncture.

The cylinder in the middle that looks like a silencer is the hydraulic tank i think. Just in front of it is the manual pump.

HARRY4448
PostPosted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:07 pm Post subject: Austin Woodworm
So playing with motorbikes is childs play really then Al !!!!!!

It's just like everything else; follow the basic rules and if you turn the handle out comes the result. I hate cars myself but have always seen them as a challenge. A three dimensional puzzle if you like and a test of stamina when it gets really gutty. My mate who owns the workshop was my apprentice master. He is hopelessly dyslexic but his particular form of dyslexia allows him to see things in 3D really clearly. Difficult to describe but i learnt what i picked up from him.

AL

[chrisNI]

Proper thread this bit of everything... History, metalwork, woodwork...

[z650freak]

When I saw the first pics I thought "no way" weigh the rest in for scrap and be done.

Hats off to you and the old fella.

[gray]

Truly impressive work there. I live near Blair Drummond , and before it was a safari park , they had a Motor Museum , with all the exhibits being genuine runners. It all got sold off except for 1 1920's open Bentley about 20 years ago. His Lordship the Earl of Moray used to run around in it , I came across him at the little chef in Dunblane one afternoon , as he'd run out of petrol .I offered to help with some fuel from my Zed , but he said someone was coming with some petrol. He said he'd got further than expected , as it did 6mpg!

[Gyesdad]

This is brilliant!
What a fantastic job by both of you.

[DavidZ1R]

Now that is a labour of love man's expertise and creative ability never cease to amaze me, skills that in many cases may never be passed on, because no keyboards are involved, fantastic!!!!