Sold 1981 Austin Princess - [expletives removed]

[Lankytim]

There has GOT to be a displacer out there somewhere. Will crab ones fit? If so I know to some..

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It is a problem, but I don’t think its an unsolveable one. I see there is someone on the bay now who can re-gas the nitrogen spheres on the top of these hydragas units. I’d love to drive a wedge that had had all its spheres re-gassed, I bet the ride quality is extraordinary, I would be prepared to bet that all the wedges I’ve driven have had tired hydragas units but they still rode amazingly.

 

I think it needs someone to come up with a custom-made V-band clamp that will replace the crimp that holds the units together. Then you could open up the displacer, replace the split diaphragm or whatever (could easy get a moulding tool made for these, I bet they are common to all hydragas units), check the valves and so on, clamp it back together, re-gas the sphere, and the thing would be good as new! Actually if anyone has a busted displacer I’d be interested in it just to slice open in the interests of researching this problem a bit further, just for fun like.

 

The hydrolastic ones would be trickier I reckon as the rubber spring is moulded to the casing and if it perishes or splits, or the rubber hose connection (which is vulcanised to the rubber spring) lets go then it really is game over for that unit I think.

[dollywobbler]

I'm pretty sure my Metro had sod all nitrogen left in it. It would explain why the ride was really quite crap - albeit not quite as crap as a rubber Mini.

[Lankytim]

The brake chambers on lorries use big clip things to hold the two halves together, I bet they could be used.

[jonny69]

I just want to point out that £300 + £345 for that stupidly expensive eBay displacer is mightily cheap for a 1970's BL wedgebarge. Shame someone is going to have their Christmas paid for by sitting on parts until they can prey on desperate enthusiasts, but sometimes that's life. If it makes anyone feel any better I just got properly stitched up on some TCAs loaded up with LOLFORDTAX but, sadly, that's just what they cost

[philibusmo]

Just called about the Princess on car and classic, it's gone so I'm still without one, the search continues.

 

Bol, if you want then if I get a new displacer then I can send the kippered one to you to piss about with.

[Lankytim]

Crab displacer?

[dollywobbler]

Crab displacer?

 

Different suspension innit? Late Maxis used Hydragas though...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Talking of crabs I have been reading some pretty hardcore crab horror this weekend.

 

[vulgalour]

FOUND ONE!

 

There were two on the shelf after all, but one was hibernating under a brake drum and I hadn't seen it.  What a relief.  PM with delivery costs &c. incoming, Mr Phil.

[Anglevan]

Yeah thank flip for that. Great news Mr V

[cort16]

Has anyone successfully sprung a hydrogas car like a Princess with conventional springs and dampers?

[vulgalour]

I knew about some Allegros on coilovers, then I found this: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/36505/1977-austin-allegro-sleeper-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz?page=8

 

Someone has actually done it, actually fitted coilovers to a Hydragas car.

 

At the back

 

At the front

 

I'm not sure how you'd do the front suspension on the Princess as the displacers aren't mounted vertically like they are on the Allegro, instead living in a pocket in the bulkhead, but it should be possible now I've actually seen the above rather than just read about it.

[Noel Tidybeard]

air-ride FTW

 

paging gas monkey garage- gmg to the beige phone

[philibusmo]

Looks like I'm back in the game thanks to Vulgalour who's better at saving Princesses than Mario. Whether he is better at karting is yet to be found out.

 

The displacer should be with me before the end of the week so we should be up and going again this weekend.

 

YIPEE!

[vulgalour]

Air ride is also possible, but not without difficulties.  You've got no springs and shocks to replace and therefore none of the strong points on the body so you've got to fabricate EVERYTHING to make it work.  You've also got to find an outfit willing to do it if, like me, you haven't the relevant skills and knowledge to safely DIY the job.... and then there's insurance.

 

@Phil:  amazingly, I have never karted, but I do want to.  I'll probably end up spinning out, rolling over and exploding a la every 70s car chase ever.

[Asimo]

Has that Allegro got a Honda V6 as well as steel springs?

[vulgalour]

engine came from a Rover 827.

[fordperv]

Looks like I'm back in the game thanks to Vulgalour who's better at saving Princesses than Mario. Whether he is better at karting is yet to be found out.

 

The displacer should be with me before the end of the week so we should be up and going again this weekend.

 

YIPEE!

 

 vulg needs to attend shitefest 2015 in his beige princess dressed in this fancy dress costume

 

[Asimo]

From the Africar book: bush repair of a Hydragas unit with a split diaphragm using puncture repair materials.

 

 

 The Tony Best referred to below was the Hydragas suspension engineer who assisted with the Africars' suspension design.

 

 

The repair was a success and lasted the rest of the trip.

 

 

[Jon]

Glad this has been sorted. I asked a guy selling bits of a Princess over here on Trademe whether he had the displacers but they'd already gone. They probably hadn't, I reckon he just CBA to get them off and posted, as it's hundreds of miles away from me.

 

Oh and I can heartily recommend the Guy N. Smith 'Crab' series of books (I had no idea it was a series!), if Night of the Crabs is anything to go by. Horrendously horrendous sex scene writing and lots of reference to the clicking of the crabs claws. Essentially, it's a book written in the narrative of Alan Partridge.

[vulgalour]

I'm sure Philibusmo will be along shortly with full details.  It now has a replaced functioning sphere, has been pumped up, has all the MoT you could need and is ready to go to a new home.  You won't be disappointed**.

 

£500 for an MoT'd, structurally sound, fully functioning Princess is a bit of a bargain.  Patina is in this season so you'll be the envy of all the showgoers and you will never see another when you're out and about.

 

**this is not a legally binding statement.

[pandamonium]

SWAPZ 4 ACCLAIM?

[vulgalour]

Sale only on this one.  Phil's clearing the majority of his fleet before going off to foreign climes.

[Mr Livered]

I was thinking of going for this. I have a Saab in parking space no. 1 and a Minx in parking space no. 3 but parking space no. 2 would be ideal for a Princess.

 

However, unfortunately the other two cars aren't keen on the idea. They think I'm just trying to drive a wedge between them.

[eddyramrod]

It must be time for some up-to-date snaps of this beauty, surely?

[vulgalour]

Here you go, Eddy, from Phil's Twitter for sale post.

 

[phil_lihp]

Oh come on, that's clearly just been taken out of a 1981 sales brochure.

[phil_lihp]

Actually, I'm hoping this doesn't sell too soon, I'm due to pick up Phil's Y10 at the end of December and have been promised a test drive in the wedge if it's still around and working.  Somehow I've managed never to drive a BL product before and this seems like a good place to start.  I have high expectations of the experience.

[twosmoke300]

I was thinking of going for this. I have a Saab in parking space no. 1 and a Minx in parking space no. 3 but parking space no. 2 would be ideal for a Princess.

 

However, unfortunately the other two cars aren't keen on the idea. They think I'm just trying to drive a wedge between them.

Groan !