Mr Pastry

It doesn't seem any further forward. The only things you can deduce safely from the photo are that the wheels are 15" diameter and the wheelbase is about 78". This makes it a very small car (a Sprite is 80" wheelbase) and rules out the most common donor vehicle/kit car chassis of the time. It is also unlikely that such a low- slung car would be built on an ex-saloon chassis if the job was done properly, as the chassis rails would intrude too much on the cockpit space. The photo can be dated quite accurately to 1962 from the buses. Incidentally if trying to scale from the leading bus, it is an RTW which is 96" wide. And the photo predates the book by several years so probably wasn't taken specially, but found in a photo library somewhere. There is some obvious retouching under and around the car, so it is quite likely that the car itself has been retouched. Anything else is guesswork.

I think that's a Standard Flying 12 (or 14), about 1938.

@LightBulbFunI was looking up some other Fiat stuff and thought of this, and the final drive ratio for the 1967 Fiat 500F is 5.125:1. There may of course be variations, but probably only slight. HTH.

Why is this supposed to be a good idea? I know the A series and the FIRE though admittedly have never compared them side to side. Even if the bore spacings are the same, which they might be more or less: To start with the head bolts are all going to be in different places. Then you would have to convert the block/sump to accept a belt drive for the camshaft and water pump. Then you will need a modified oil feed to the overhead cam. Then the Fiat is a crossflow head so you will need a different exhaust system as well. And so on. Yep, easy couple of evening's work! Even if it fitted straight on, it is still an 8 valve head so surely there can't be much potential for extra power over a normal A series, which is already quite an efficient design.

Early Ford Taunus?

You say there is plenty of meat on the pads, but you could try a new set which would force the piston to work in a slightly different position in the caliper, which sometimes helps. Plus of course retracting the piston to fit the new pads will tend to free it off anyway.

A couple of hay fever tips which you may or may not know - but it was many years before anybody told me, and I've had it all my life. Don't blow your nose too much as it causes more inflammation. Of course it's not nice sniffling all the time, but actually if you do the irritation will reduce. Snort some lukewarm water up your nose to clear it. Takes practice but works really well - one nostril at a time, just a splash of water in the palm of your hand. I don't take antihistamines as I don't like them, but I find a couple of paracetamol helps calm things down when I start sneezing. HTH.

Unipower GT. 1966 - 69. Mid engined, Mini based, but unlike most such things it was not a kit car.

IIRC it was just a regular Dauphine, built under licence or badge engineered by Alfa.

Yeah but would you buy it on Ebay on those terms? "£7k, should sail through an mot, doesn't drive, might be fuel pump, but no probs M8 bring yr own tools and parts and you can try and fix it in my driveway." I don't think so.

I can't help feeling that for £7k the seller ought to change the fuel pump and get it running properly, not expect the buyer to do it.

I think you can worry too much about rustproofing. Life's too short and there are other more interesting things to do. Realistically if you have a 30 to 40 year old car that was probably designed to last 10 years, you are doing very well if you can make it last another 10 years, and are you really going to keep it that long? So I feel, just do a sensible minimum of rustproofing, and don't leave it out in the rain too much. That said my 2cv was rustproofed when new in 1981 by Tuff Cote Dinol which was for Citroen's 6 year anti-corrosion warranty at the time, and it is still on its original chassis, although both body and chassis are now rusting in the usual places. So it can work well, but only delays the inevitable.

Definitely put something more than body paint on the inside. Old skool underseal, brushed on. is probably simplest and will resist stone chips well. Waxoyl is not tough enough for that location, although better waxes are available. Are these genuine wings or pattern, and if pattern how well do they fit? Have to do the same job on mine shortly.

Spitfire Mk 3 is the other possibility.

Either that, or you could buy the rolling chassis/scuttle without paying Purchase Tax then get a body built for it.

Have you checked the dynamo itself in isolation from the rest of the system? Don't do the following unless you understand it, but this is the procedure for a Lucas dynamo, taken from a BMC manual. The voltages for yours may be slightly different. In effect it bypasses the control box and runs the dynamo at full power, so it needs care: Disconnect both wires from the dynamo, and secure them safely where they will not make contact with anything. Connect the two dynamo terminals with a short length of wire. Connect a voltmeter with a 20 volt range, between either of the two terminals and a good earth on the dynamo casing, such as a mounting point. Start the engine and increase the speed slowly. Watch the voltage. The voltage should rise rapidly and without fluctuation. Do not let it rise to more than 20 volts and do not let the dynamo run faster than 1000rpm. Do not race the engine to try and increase the voltage. If there is no reading, check the brush gear. If the reading is low , around 1 volt, the field winding may be faulty. If the reading is around 5 volts the armature winding may be faulty. It is worth checking the brush gear as a first step anyway, as a bad contact here could cause the light to stay on. HTH.

I do actually like French stuff and have 2 French cars, but they are a nation of poseurs and that's an example. See also various other Citroen inventions.

It seems to be based on the 5cv chassis so I think rear wheel steering is unlikely. As Yoss says the steering is possible, I was thinking much the same. The pedals would require quite a lot of linkage but it's not so hard if you think about it. Daft idea though.

@Dyslexic Viking This is more complicated than your system as it has a current regulator in addition to the voltage regulator and cutout, but the working principle is exactly the same. The Dynamo Control-box (mgb-stuff.org.uk)

You are quite correct, but where are you measuring the voltage? If the warning light is on, you may be seeing an output voltage at the dynamo but it won't be getting to the battery if the regulator or cutout are faulty. I will try and find a detailed description and post it later, As said it is worth checking the wattage of the warning lamp.

You need to check the voltage regulator, item 6. Possibly just dirty contacts in there, or a bad earth.

There should be some original colour paint left under the scuttle behind the dashboard, also inside the gearbox tunnel - even though it is totally enclosed they were fairly thoroughly painted in there. It's unlikely a colour change would have been taken that far.

Yes, a sort of French Beetle, ancestor of the Dauphine. Dubious handling with the straight 4 engine hanging out the back, 6 volt electrics, and rust as well. What's not to like?

The Goodwood Revival is always looking for new attractions....why not?