Sold 1972 Austin 1100 - SOLD

[vulgalour]

The new clutch hose for the 1100 arrived. Brand new part rather than NOS and about £25 delivered. Hopefully this will sort out the clutch hydraulic issues on the little purple monster. I'd quite like to take a little video of it being driven at some point for you all.

20180317-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

I'll still be doing this job at least, even if I don't get the welding done soon, because if it's actually driveable it's loads easier for someone to load and unload it.

[SiC]

Do it, SiC. You're the perfect custodian for this car. And what better way to learn how to weld than on a car that would otherwise be scrap?

 

Take this on, and I'll lend you my trusty Liqui-techniq drill-operated vehicle tilter so you can fettle the underside.

The biggest problem I'm facing is getting it here down south without turning it into an expensive 1100 that needs quite a bit of welding. 580 mile round trip is quite a long journey whatever way you looking at it and will require a fair bit of expensive fuel. Also as I have a post 1997 licence and no tow car, so won't be able to tow anything myself.

 

Don't do it SiC.

It's not a beginners car, and knowing your fastidious nature it will never meet your expectations.

Get a bonnet from the scrapyard and learn to weld on that.

What bits do you reckon makes this one a difficult project? I was hoping/expecting it to be not that difficult as the ADO16 are often said to be rather easy cars to work on.

 

I do like a good challenge though! Just got to make sure that optimism doesn't get past achievability. The only really difficult bit I worry about is getting panels. It appears Earlpart have gone into liquidation and there aren't many other suppliers of ado16 panels. I should be able to manage welding but panel fabrication is possibly a bit beyond my current skills.

 

You'll never start if you're still intent on polishing that turd [of a welder]

 

Just buy a Portamig and crack on.

I was hoping to get something a bit better but the Civic getting written off and having to spend a bit to get a new daily is likely to eat into some disposable income and savings irritatingly. Plus I'm waiting for the electrian to get a free slot to put in a proper mains feed into the garage.

 

I'd want something inverter based too if I'm buying decent and spending that sort of money. I personally don't see the point on spending a lot of money for something that isn't much more advanced than I have already. Which essentially is a big fat transformer, a wire feed mechanism and a torch. The inverter stuff is substantially smaller, lighter, can handle long power feed runs and often better control of the output power under varying load. Which is why inverter technology exists.

[captain_70s]

What bits do you reckon makes this one a difficult project? I was hoping/expecting it to be not that difficult as the ADO16 are often said to be rather easy cars to work on.

I think they've got some interestingly* shaped/construed/layered structural bits due to being a monocoque as well as being crafted from naff, thin steel. If you're going to learn to a weld on a car something with a big, square, chunky separate chassis would be far easier.

[vulgalour]

The bits that need replacing aren't that bad.  I'd suggest replacing the floor/sill edges in the cabin first which are all flat pieces, or flat pieces with a single bend in them.  None of that is too difficult.  Then get the driver's floor pan in (which comes with the car) once it's trimmed to shape and that gives you  a solid enough floor and both inner sills to chop the outers off safely.  With the outer sills off, clean up the intermediate panels, which are essentially big flat rectangles, and weld in some fresh big flat rectangles.  The put the outer sill on, which come with the car.  Then put the closing panel on, which comes with the car.  Do the driver's side first as that's weakest, then the passenger side which needs much less attention.

 

Then you can go around the rest of it and decide what to do and what to leave.  Once the floor and sills are replaced it puts it in the structural category of most ADO16s that sit at around the £1000 mark, it might even push £1200 since you'll have proof of the work done, which many don't.

 

Remember also this car is MoT exempt very soon (May, I think?) and already tax exempt.  Insurance is sub-£100 fully comp, even for me.

 

The scary thing with these cars is you can go out and spend £2k plus on a really nice example only to find it's just as bad as this one was when I first got it.  It's not pretty, but it is cheap and it is honest... bit like me, really.

[Scruffy Bodger]

The biggest problem I'm facing is getting it here down south without turning it into an expensive 1100 that needs quite a bit of welding. 580 mile round trip is quite a long journey whatever way you looking at it and will require a fair bit of expensive fuel. Also as I have a post 1997 licence and no tow car, so won't be able to tow anything myself.

 

What bits do you reckon makes this one a difficult project? I was hoping/expecting it to be not that difficult as the ADO16 are often said to be rather easy cars to work on.

 

I do like a good challenge though! Just got to make sure that optimism doesn't get past achievability. The only really difficult bit I worry about is getting panels. It appears Earlpart have gone into liquidation and there aren't many other suppliers of ado16 panels. I should be able to manage welding but panel fabrication is possibly a bit beyond my current skills.

 

I was hoping to get something a bit better but the Civic getting written off and having to spend a bit to get a new daily is likely to eat into some disposable income and savings irritatingly. Plus I'm waiting for the electrian to get a free slot to put in a proper mains feed into the garage.

 

I'd want something inverter based too if I'm buying decent and spending that sort of money. I personally don't see the point on spending a lot of money for something that isn't much more advanced than I have already. Which essentially is a big fat transformer, a wire feed mechanism and a torch. The inverter stuff is substantially smaller, lighter, can handle long power feed runs and often better control of the output power under varying load. Which is why inverter technology exists.

 

That's all well and good but unless you are shelling out some serious wedge all you're going to end up with is a metal box full of cheap Chinese components. If you're welding tat all you'll be doing is spot, spot, spot infinitum.

I'd love one of those new 3 in 1 units but out of my price range so I went the opposite way and bought a 20 year old welder with a decent transformer in it in as good a condition as I could find. It's mint and I personally think it was worth every penny of the £150 it cost.

 

 

That works fine off an extension lead on 0.6mm wire but I will admit it does weigh a bit when chucking it in and out of a car. If you haven't done it maybe just start out cheap? It can be a particularly unpleasant experience with fumes etc as well as bloody painful, you might not enjoy it?

[vulgalour]

+1 on that.  Second-hand welders are perfectly fine and if they're not, you can usually get the bits to make them perfectly fine easily enough.  You don't need superduperfancypants welder for this, any reasonable Mig will do.

[purplebargeken]

Sic, I have a metal folder.

 

Sorry

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Have Earlpart gone down the tubes? Flippin heck that's a blow for old BMC botherers.

[trigger]

Someone said last week they had gone tits up, that is a shame.

[Eddie Honda]

Have Earlpart gone down the tubes?

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2987015

[vulgalour]

Good news and odd news today. Good news is that the new clutch hose was in fact correct this time and by the time I'd done my errands and got to the unit, Mike had already fitted it. The other good news is that the new hose made bleeding the clutch hydraulics much easier, lending credence to the theory that the old hose was knackered.

20180321-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

The odd news is the clutch. I'm going to break this down into a little list to hopefully explain it a bit better, there might be something obvious I'm missing.

 

Gear selection with engine running - No gears will select. Fourth is the only one that makes an audible protest with a grinding noise, 1-3 and reverse won't even let you put the stick in the gate.

Gear selection with engine off - perfectly fine.

Starting car in gear - perfectly fine, in all gears. This was done just with the gear selected and a flick of the key, I didn't try to drive it like this.

Pedal feel - positive and like a clutch should feel. Pumping the pedal makes it very firm and difficult to push, as you'd expect of a healthy system.

From the information in the various manuals we've got with the car, Mike and I suspect either something in the clutch is stuck or the clutch itself is worn out. I don't especially want to pull it apart and do a clutch change at the moment, especially if it's a big or expensive job.

Clutch arm operation - as described in the book with no adjustment left to make and no obvious signs of excessive wear that might reduce travel. Even operating the arm manually (big pry bar) to force maximum mechanical travel and thus remove the hydraulics from the equation resulted in the same lack of gear selection when engine was running. This is why I don't think it's hydraulics related or air trapped in the system.

 

I'm actually annoyed about my mixed feelings about this car at the moment too. I did find if I sit on only half the driver's seat with my bum nearly on the handbrake, I can actually use all the controls comfortably. That's not ideal for actually driving the thing. It started up on the first flick of the key, even after being left alone outside for ages in all weathers. It's such a willing and charming little thing I'm disproportionately sentimentally attached to it! I am really fond of this little car and while realistically it is going to have to go before I move house this year, I really don't want it to go to someone that's just going to pull it to bits or worse. This is stupid because it is just a car, obviously, but I have the feels and like the Princess, there's something about this little car that makes me want to persist with it.

[Slowsilver]

 

Pedal feel - positive and like a clutch should feel. Pumping the pedal makes it very firm and difficult to push, as you'd expect of a healthy system.

 

I don't think you would expect this. Pumping the clutch pedal mulitple times should simply operate the clutch multiple times with the same travel and pressure.

If you can't get it into gear with the engine running it sounds like the clutch is not disengaging, but this doesn't explain why you can start it in gear without it trying to move.

If it does not clear even when you lever the arm out manually this points to a problem with the mechanical bits within the clutch. Maybe a damaged clutch thrust bearing not pushing the spring in far enough.

Is the clutch dragging and trying to move the car when you start it in gear?

Does the clutch engage if you start it in gear then release the pedal?

Clutch replacement on these is an easy* DIY job, but you need a 1 1/2 inch spanner for the crank pulley nut and a three-hole bolt-through puller to get the flywheel off.

 

 

[vulgalour]

If you start in gear, it moves in the relevant direction.  If you press the clutch pedal and release normally it doesn't firm up, it only does it when you pump it.  There's probably still some air in there.

 

I guess it's going to be a clutch job which, honestly, I'm not keen on doing.  I'm getting closer and closer to the point that I'm just going to wang this on eBay in all honesty.  I like it a lot obviously, but I doubt I'm going to get into a clutch job given the time I've available.

[vulgalour]

Minor update in that I've had a couple of suggestions of potential causes of the problem.  It could just be the friction plate is stuck, if so it's a case of opening everything up and unsticking it before putting it all back together.  It could also be a different adjustment - for which instructions have been provided - that we didn't make that could be required.

 

Here's hoping it's just a stuck clutch or bad adjustment so that it doesn't require a clutch change.

[vulgalour]

A little 1100 news. I had a few minutes left that weren't enough to do Princess welding but were enough to tinker with the little purple monster. There is *some* progress on the clutch front, but not a lot. You can now put it into reverse with the car running, as I found out by accident at the same time that I went for the brakes and stabbed the accelerator. Well done me! Nothing hit, no harm done, thankfully. First you can almost select with the engine running too, just not quite. I did put the car into gear, and with the handbrake on you can start it in gear, it will move, but it then won't come out of gear. If you try and start the car in gear with the handbrake and foot brake applied, it hasn't the strength in the starter motor to do it. With some persistence I can probably get this freed off. Unless I've misunderstood the directions, of course, and what's happening indicates a more different problem.

[DodgeRover]

It just sounds like air in the system somewhere that is compressing so you aren't getting the full range of movement to completely release the clutch.

This is back up by the fact the peddle feel changes when pumped up - it should stay exactly the same.

[vulgalour]

First, the good news.

 

 

That's Mike sniggering behind the camera.  If you're wondering, the clutch is a bit stuck on at the moment so driving it around the yard is an interesting experience.  I managed to get a first-to-neutral gear change and a first-to-second (surprisingly scary speed change in the space!) gear change while the car was running which is an improvement.  I can *almost* select all gears when the car is idling now, but still have to select first before starting the car.  Once driving around you can take your feet off all the pedals and just steer, it chugs around as if it's an automatic.  I  would have chugged about for longer had I more free time and I reckon with persistence this clutch will free off properly just chugging about and attempting to change gears.

 

Now the bad news.  This tiny little drive has highlighted that my fears about the driving position are valid.  The seats and suspension make it more comfortable than a Mini, but only just.  The other issue is the offset is so bad, when I went  for the brakes in the video so I didn't hit the Vauxhall, I stabbed the accelerator at the same time, which was particularly alarming.  I am completely the wrong shape for this car and so it is with some regret that I can categorically say the 1100 is not a car for me.  Just driving it in circles in the yard left me in some back pain that I've been free of completely since piloting the Princess and 414 about daily over the last year or so and I have no desire to inflaming that particular issue.

 

Still, you can now see it drives, runs and stops quite happily, even with a sticky clutch.  Now just to find it someone who can take all the parts I've bought for it and get it back together again.

[purplebargeken]

How much will it be to purchase a small purple 1100?

[vulgalour]

I would like £500.  It comes with at least £250 worth of brand spanking new panels to sort the sills, etc. out, so this is a bit of a barg.  Price is mostly to cover the rebuild work I've already done and the fettling Mike and I have done with the electrics and hydraulics.  It also has many, MANY, keys, all the history Catsinthewelder and Co. provided, several manuals (some courtesy of shiters, thanking you!) and instant beige page fame.

 

I'm actually a tiny bit devastated that it's so uncomfortable for me because I really love this car, it's got bags and bags of charm and is a one tough little machine that certainly deserves to live on.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

How much will it be to purchase a small purple 1100?

 

 

 

You're moist for this aren't you? 

[Supernaut]

It's not a barge, but it's definitely purple!

[MikeKnight]

Don't know if Vulg has mentioned this already (and don't feel like slogging through previous posts) but I can delivery this anywhere in the country no problem whatsoever.

 

The Rover 75 is an excellent towing vehicle being diesel and all and gets good MPG on the motorway.

 

Depending on distance, price for delivery varies and would cover the cost of fuel and car trailer hire. The place I go for trailers is around £45 a day and they're superbly maintained. The main chunk of the cost is in diesel to get there and back.

[KruJoe]

Vulg - maybe if you drove around the yard in the opposite direction, it would straighten out your spine a bit. Win-win!

[Squire_Dawson]

Will be a good reliable and economical car, plus it's the nicer 2-door.

[vulgalour]

Officially for sale now.

 

Location: TS17, Stockon-on-Tees

Price: £500

 

Delivery can be arranged at your cost - Mike with a trailer, he's pretty affordable.

Collection an option if you prefer.

 

It's sad that I shan't complete this one, but I can't drive it because of the seating position and I'd rather focus on the house move and my other two cars.  This one has to go.  It is a charming little car and I shall definitely miss it.  I'd like it to remain in the fold if possible, I'd love to see it make it back onto the road with someone who appreciates it for what it is.

 

Best way to contact me if interested is through messages on here.  My working hours preclude doing this by phone and I'm not on Facebook, so please don't request that I do anything through those avenues.

[purplebargeken]

Calling SiC........ SiC to the beige/purple velour courtesy phone please.

[Cavcraft]

That's a shame Vulga Corbett, you put a lot of time and effort into the car, but you can't win them all. Hope you get the quick and painless sale you and the car deserve.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Hope this 1100 stays amongst the massive; I don't care much for BMC products usually but the 2 doorness and purpleness add a bit of joie de vivre to the old bus.

[sloth]

fugnambit. im not uk based till this time next year or id have had this off you. been following this since you bought it. love me an ado16. 

 

 

*mutters into cocoa.

[vulgalour]

LAST CALL

 

£500 ono

Delivery available

Many shiny spares

INSTANT forum fame (terms and conditions apply)

 

As of the 1st of May this will be up for grabs to the General Public and I will be pushing the sale much harder.  I desperately don't want to deal with the General Public so serious offers are entertained.  It will be available through the 1100 club, advertised on Twitter, and eventually on one of the myriad online auction sites.

 

You all know the car's story, you know what it needs, any questions you might have likely have already been answered.

 

Delivery within Mainland UK is available at a cost of roughly £1 per mile (ie: if you're 300 miles away, it'll be about £300 to deliver it to you) on top of the purchase price.

 

I'd like it gone by JUNE.

 

If you're interested, send me a message here, leave a comment or e-mail me at volksangyl at hotmail dot com

 

I'm not interested in acquiring more vehicles, so I cannot entertain swaps.