Mummy says I'm Special - Heron Austin Seven

[dollywobbler]

Thing is, it looks quite sporty but is presumably just as wayward as a standard Seven - in which you discover that actually, driving in a straight like can be exhausting!

I do have person experience of a Seven with an SU carb on it. Terrifying. Especially as it had uncoupled brakes!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

just get a bathroom scale under each wheel

[forddeliveryboy]

Good and slippery through the air, anyway. It'll make a very lovely car, the sort I really enjoy. How much power is relatively cheaply available from a Seven's lump? Would think it might need gearing up for road use?

[HMC]

Lovely! If the budget could stretch a supercharged austin 7 unit would be fantastic in this, I love the styling, as you say a mini 250 TDF. Your on a hell of a roll at the moment Barrett!!!

[barrett]

A close-ratio four speed box should provide a high enough cruising speed. You can make a Seven engine as fast as you'd ever need with relative ease I think, though we'd like to keep the mods 1950s/60s-period if possible (Speedex head, big SUs, that sort of thing). I suppose the ultimate goal is to supercharge it but I'm not going to lose any sleep if we can't find a supercharger straight away.

 

Dollywobbler, I think Sevens all have sloppy steering, but the copious suspension mods should mean it handles a little better, plus the ultra-low CoG will help. It'll be like driving a prewar car, not a 1960s one, but I don't have any problem with that.

[chaseracer]

You could use a Reliant engine.  Aren't they fairly closely related to the Seven motor?  And very tuneable... 

[wuvvum]

I have to say that is an unusually elegant design for a '50s special.  Needs SLAMMIN YO by a couple of inches at the front, but then dropping an engine in will probably do that anyway.  Otherwise it's a nicely proportioned little thing.

 

That 2CV looks like an early one...?

[trigger]

Ford Mondeo lights aren't they?.

 

That's a sweet looking car, I know nothing about them but I look forwards to reading about the progress on it.

[Matt]

I should probably just do a general 'cars in my life' thread really and stick all this shite in one place

 

Yes please.

[Pete-M]

That is class.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Such a pretty little car.

[garethj]

That looks epic, much better than the dodgy red Heron saloon that's been doing the rounds on ebay for the last 3 years, the one that looks like a hunchback.

 

Like most kit cars the designers could often draw a nice front, but they lost interest or talent when it came to the rear.  But it's a lovely thing, you should be very proud.

 

What are the suspension mods?  I remember reading about a demon modification where the Austin 7 front axle would be cut in half and made into 2 swing axles for racers.  In fact I think it was Colin Chapman who came up with it.

[Guest Gasballoon]

I see Heron ran an advert in June 1960 issue of 750 Motor Club Bulletin. ( But not in July, August...)

 

 

Also in the same issue... a nice reminder of how things were done in 1960....

 

 

....and the classified adverts make good reading -

 

[scruff]

Just brilliant 

[jonny69]

Cool as. A special was another of those things on my shopping list if one ever popped up. You normally find them in bad condition and partially finished, presumably after the owner found out that it wasn't straightforward to put it together to any kind of satisfactory standard. This one looks really well thought-out and the Dymo stickers on the wheel say it's actually been used in the past. May even have been used originally, laid up for a bit and then put back on the road later, hence the newer rev counter. Interesting history.

[Station]

That looks really nice from the front, the blue suits it.

[gallondrunk]

I'd really love to know how it handles once its on the road - I imagine it as tremendous fun flecked with brief moments of absolute terror.

 

Brilliant purchase.

 

 

 

 

[oldcars]

Very cool, not heard of them before so great to see one.

[hairnet]

[NERD]

 

 

FTFY

 

[/NERD]

 

 

haha it was meant as a joke

[anonymous user]

Much more kudos if you say the rear lights are off a Bristol

[hairnet]

what no pair

 

[chaseracer]

Such a pretty little car.

 

NO!!

 

 

[mercrocker]

I think I would have been more  upset if they had tipped a Special over the cliff.....

 

Anybody into this kind of motor would do well to read (apart from 1950s Motor Sports) a book called "One Off" by NT Havart. 

 

The author describes the build of a Ford special during the Festival of Britain year 1951.    He intersperses the story with visits to Battersea Pleasure Gardens, the Festival site, theatres, cinemas and so on.  Its a great bite of early 1950s Britain but the nitty gritty of special building is not overlooked.   Kind of John Haynes meets the Archers.  Its illustrated, too..... Well recommended!

[barrett]

That sounds great! Don't suppose you have a spare copyfloating about do you?

[mercrocker]

Not a spare I am afraid, although there are some listed on Abebooks and Amazon at the mo....Priced around a tenner - good value.

[Sudsprint]

Gorgeous.

 

Do you know the make of the steering wheel?

[messerschmitt owner]

Austin 7, you say!

 

look here!

 

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/richard-edmonds-auctions/catalogue-id-ibri10021?page=3

 

it's a whole sale of Austin 7 bits - 450 lots - and it's tomorrow

[barrett]

Bump! You have probably seen this little horror on ebay

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-7-special-/262980142913?hash=item3d3ad68741%3Ag%3AAYgAAOSw5cRZFJG~&_trkparms=pageci%253Ac37da871-39b7-11e7-9045-74dbd180d2a0%257Cparentrq%253A0e126e5515c0aa415d818f3cfff9b580%257Ciid%253A3

 

 

Which goes a long way to demonstrate just how important fit and finish is on a car like this. The black one looks like it's been screwed together by a drunk St Dunstan's student. Anyway, I had no idea there was another saloon about so I got in touch with the owner, who rejoices in the name Wayne Horn, and he says Beaulieu supplied a load of documents probing only three were ever built and his was the first one (which explains why it looks so wonky, I guess). I've been on to a contact at the NMM and am awaiting a reply, hopefully with a load of hitherto unseen Heron info.

 

We also managed to source, through a 'shiter, a Ford 1172 engine. It needs a full rebuild - it's been stripped and us awaiting various assessments from an engineer about condition of crank, cam etc, but it came with a load of unused Aquaplane bits: valve cover, finned manifold with twin 1 1/4-inch SUs, oil cooler and a few other bits. Should make a pretty hot motor when it's built. Now trying to decide whether we should attempt to mate it to a four speed Austin box (which we have in stock) or find a Ford box instead. Did late 100Es have a four-speeder??

 

So, a bit of progress at last. Hopefully things will start picking up when the engine starts going back together, but that's all in the hands of somebody who actually know wtf they are doing.

[cros]

100e never was 4 speed, but there were some overdrive conversions sold in an attempt to make the miserable thing a bit more palatable. Morris 8 box might be easiest fit.

[garethj]

I'd flog the Ford engine for massive coin and keep hunting for a 7 engine, or even a Reliant one.  They at least give you 4 gears, although the 1172 would let you rig up some vacuum operated wipers for added misery.