Battered old Austin

[Angrydicky]

I thought I'd make a thread about my much-loved Somerset, and perhaps regale you all with some of the trials and tribulations I've been through in running the thing as daily transport. I appreciate it's perhaps a little old for some tastes on here, but hopefully the condition makes it suitable, and it provides a decent contrast to Hirst's Alfa for example.

 

A bit of background - when I was seven in 1998, my dad bought a very ropey old 1953 Somerset which was just sat outside a dodgy rundown pub in Southend (the Invisible Man, where McDonalds now is by Garons for the locals). It had a sign that simply said "4 SALE" with no other details, and was hand painted black with maroon wings on one side and white on the other, but was originally Windsor Grey with the blue interior. It had brand new plates on it, we suspected the seller had just bought it for the original numberplate. Dad went in and asked about it, and ended up handing over £250. It was MoTd as well, despite it being a non-runner. That included the geezer dropping it off on his truck, which he did a few days later. When he turned up he explained he'd lost the MoT, but had simply dropped in at a place on the way down and got a fresh one! Which he had, as he brandished a fresh certificate with ink that was still wet on it...

 

Anyway, UYJ 494 turned out to have a blown head gasket. Dad made a start welding it up before losing interest due to the poor state of the car, plus it needed fully rewiring plus the engine work. And they were extremely worthless then. So it just sat in the garage until 2002, when we just happened to be driving past an antiques shop in Leigh, and what should be sat outside but another Somerset for sale. This was a much more original example in black with the brown interior, and actually looked half decent, if a little worn in places. At the time, it carried the registration BYC 91B, but the antique dealer was in the process of removing that registration (goodness knows why, it obviously wasn't the original), and so we had to wait a couple of months for the paperwork to be finalised before we could collect it! As an 11 year old it was very frustrating, and every day when I got back from school I asked my dad if he'd heard anything from the "Somerset man".

Eventually we got hold of it, got some plates made up with the new registration (MAS 901) and started using it regularly. It did the London to Southend car run a few times, and the only casualties were a core plug, a water pump and I seem to remember the starter motor used to jam on a fairly regular basis. It also went up to Southwold in Suffolk, in 2005, five up and towing a trailer tent!

UYJ was then stripped of anything useful and the rolling shell was sadly scrapped. If it was now the car would be restored, but they were worth even less then

Anyway, around 2007 dad decided to sell it, so it went first in the local paper, then on Ebay, where it sold for a fairly pitiful £1000. It went off to Devon on the back of a recovery truck, and I never heard any more of it. It was taxed last time I checked so appears to still be around though.

 

So, fast forward to 2013, and I decided to start looking for a Somerset. I sold my very low mileage and very nice A35 to fund it, so with money in my pocket I began searching. I really wanted a black one as it reminded me of Maisie (MAS901), so the first one I spotted was a very nice looking example up in Burton on Trent. It had had a bare metal, body off resto, which included major work on the engine, new wiring loom and so on, but the interior was a well preserved original. I agreed a price over the phone with the seller and arranged to go up there on the Sunday with the cash. Unfortunately he then decided he wanted more money and went back on the deal, which I was not happy with. 

 

Now, prior to this I had been talking to this chap about my age in the Austin Counties club who owned a black '53 Somerset. It was very similar to Maisie in appearance and he'd done a lot of work to it, including new brakes all round, new tyres and wiring loom, and the best of all, a low mileage ex Wolseley 1500 B series engine, mated to the original column change gearbox. I had asked him for first refusal a few months previously, and he agreed to although at the time he wasn't ready to sell. But after I put a wanted ad in the club for a roadworthy Somerset, he decided he was ready to sell and put the money towards finishing some more of his projects. So, I got my dad to give me a lift down to Somerset, and after a quick test drive and handing over an envelope of cash, we set off home in convoy. It was the furthest I've been for a car (180 miles) and also the second oldest car I've owned. It made it back, and it wasn't for another week I had the first breakdown (of many).

 

It took roughly a year to get it reliable. Since I bought it from George in Feb 2014 I've done 14,000 miles in it, all over the country. From Essex to Kent and back, up to the Lake District (where it broke down and had to be recovered back 300 miles), Wales twice, Yorkshire and just last week to the Manchester classic car show, where it attracted a lot of attention. It's visited Longbridge, and this weekend it was on display at the Margate retro show. And in November it's pencilled in to appear at the NEC show.

 

Sadly, there isn't much history with the car. It's an Essex registration, and one of the first things I did when I bought it is to drive it to the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford where they keep all the pre DVLA registration records in old handwritten ledgers. I found the original record for the car, which showed it was supplied by F.G. Smith Motors in Romford to its first owner in Gidea Park, Romford on 18th September 1953. Then there's a big gap in its history until it turned up in the hands of Don Penny, who was a very early member of the Austin Counties Car Club in Wiltshire. Don regularly wrote into the club mag with little anecdotes but as far as I can see, he didn't use the car much, at least not in more recent years, where it averaged about 200 miles a year between MoTs. I've spoken to several people in the club who remember the car at rallies, and a chap who remembers seeing it just parked on the street and never moving when he lived in Trowbridge in 1984. I spoke to Don on the phone, the impression I got was that he didn't really want to sell but was forced to by ill health and old age, quite sad really. He sold it to a local chap in Wiltshire who didn't have it long (I have vague recollections of it being on ebay, back in early 2013) and my friend George bought it from him. 

 

Have some pictures taken today, which show the general state of things. As you can see, the paintwork is incredibly ropey - it's mainly aerosol with a few bits of original paint, such as the two nearside doors, the bonnet and front nosecone, and one of the back wings. It's getting a bit scabby in places - that passenger side door skin will need attention soon, and I'd like to eventually replace the sills and rear inner arches (cut a pair from a scrap car) as mine are mostly filler. I'll probably add to this thread at some point with some more pictures showing the adventures I've had with it. It's probably the best car I've ever bought

 

[chaseracer]

Nice.  That heater wotsit is a thing of joy!

[BorniteIdentity]

Lovely story. Thanks for taking the time to share it. As you get older, you appreciate connections like this to your childhood all the more.

 

Looking forward to updates.

[dugong]

Nice to see a Counties Austin enjoyed and properly used. Do you get a lot of stick off the polish and plastic tyres brigade at shows?

[outlaw118]

Nice one Mr Angreh, all that needs is a silly V8 

[anonymous user]

I love Somersets, having learned the basics on a Fergie tractor the first car I drove was a Somerset given to my brother and myself by a friend of our father. Sadly despite me wanting it as my first car it was too far gone. It was never quite the same after the incident where it set my brother's hair on fire.

I have had a few Counties Austin's since

[John F]

Angrydicky, on 29 Sept 2015 - 2:26 PM, said:

In an attempt to stem the flow of rubbish threads on the forum...

 

No need to see it that way, it's just part of the normal flow of things.

 

Also, there will always be self-entitled litle dickheads complaining that the world isn't how they demand it to be... the worst thing to do is give them what they want, though, because then they know they can always get their own way by stamping their foot and throwing a tantrum. And all too frequenty, these people seem to also rarely contribute much more than criticism and discord to the mix, even the ones that were perhaps constructive contributors in the past. They've clearly forgotten the old adage that you're as good as your last battle. Or spanner-wielding / chod-papping session, in our case.

 

One option is to ignore them. Alternatively you can mock them mercilessly wherever you find them.

 

Nice write-up btw. I quite like the pre-1970s Austins.

[320touring]

Just right! looks mechanically sound, yet carries its story inside and out.

 

Lovely!

[hairnet]

daily driving something that almost looks like a barn find

 

love it

[Tickman]

That is just lovely.

14,000 miles is some going. well bought and well used!

 

John

[danthecapriman]

Lovely car, and a nice story. Nice to see old classics with a bit of old age on show still and not just immaculate restored show cars.

 

There used to be one the spit of yours sat in a side street in Portsmouth. I used to see it all the time for years but it's recently disappeared, sadly. I always wanted to leave a note on it as it looked giffer owned and in a good state (just like yours) but never did. Missed my chance for that one.

[vulgalour]

One of my favourite cars on here for being so fundamentally Autoshite.  I look forward to seeing words and pictures added to this thread.

[Angrydicky]

Nice to see a Counties Austin enjoyed and properly used. Do you get a lot of stick off the polish and plastic tyres brigade at shows?

Surprisingly not, although to be fair I don't go to many shows, and those I do I tend to wander off and look at the other cars instead of sitting behind mine and listening to comments. At Manchester, it got an overwhelmingly positive reception, most people love the fact that it shows its history. I think times are changing, where in the 1980s everything had to be over restored and shiny, now people appreciate patina more. You've got all these patinated vintage cars and hotrods, and no one bats an eyelid. The people in the Austin Counties Club seem thoroughly supportive as well, I suppose it's not like I'm slamming it and sanding the paint off.

 

I've only had two people tell me it needs restoring/repainting, and both were random members of the public (one old giffer at a boot sale, then some loudmouth in a petrol station). And did either of them even own any old cars? Nope. I just told them it's my car and I'll do what I like with it, thanks.

 

You might notice in the side pictures a load of scratches down the side. The one towards the bottom of the wing I did, but I spotted the others when I was at Margate, and I couldn't for the life of me work out how they'd happened. I thought someone had keyed it for a minute, but they're not that deep and I worked out it must have happened the day before, when I went for a trundle around the lanes and encountered a car coming the other way, so had to pull into the hedge to let them by. Now most classic owners would be distraught, and messing around with T-cut/getting bodyshop quotes. The beauty of a car like this is that I just don't need to worry. I use it in all weathers and it doesn't matter. She's a tough old girl.

[xtriple]

The car is beautiful and so is the story. I am jealous. There used to be a chap in Torquay with one that he used as a daily, often saw it parked up in the main shopping street, it was incredibly ropey and I was always amazed that it ran! But it did and seemed to always be around in different bits of the town but I never got the opportunity to talk to the owner.

 

Haven't seen it for a while, hope it's still going.

 

Those always make me thing of the Austin J40 that I was promised when I was a little lad but never got, I still long for one but they are expensive now. I need you to come to Devon for a holiday so I can be driven around in it.

 

I think it's wonderful that you use her everyday and 14000 miles in a year is good going for any classic, fair play chap!

 

I have never had a great longing for for a car of that era but I love older shite and tried several times to buy a 30s Austin but the woman was a bit of a dealer and wanted silly numbers for it.

[Cavcraft]

I can actually smell that interior from here. Fab stuff, look forward to reading more about it.

[Asimo]

This is Excellant. A used car is infinitely more interesting than any number of shiny trailer queens.

 

Do not restore, maintain!

[chaseracer]

You should see what scaryoldcortina can do with one of these... 

[RobT]

It's great to see some proper old stuff on here, I never used to be into 50s stuff but i can see the appeal now. Lovely!

[chaseracer]

You should see what scaryoldcortina can do with one of these... 

 

Found it!

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/39982/mayday-thread-car

 

[mercrocker]

Great story AD, really shows the love you have for the old girl and the reasons why.   Goes way beyond the steel and rubber - these old motors are a living memory of the people who have owned them.   That Somerset is just about perfect as far as I am concerned and I am hugely impressed by your use of it.   Really must use the Cowley more often - it will be lucky to top 3000 miles this year.   Cars like yours are what really floats my boat, daily users in the true sense of the word and all the better for it.  

 

Just Bloody Lovely!  

[strangeangel]

An epic story with a great car at the end of it. I'll take a piece of living history like that over some overcooked resto anyday

[Justin Case]

Superb car and story; I really love the period details like the spotlights and the umbrella handbrake . It looks as one must have done in the late 60s, nicely patinated and with a few battle scars, but all the better for it. I'd love to see it in a film set in the 60s instead of the trailer queens, look at any british film from that period is full of cars just like yours in the street scenes.

[alf892]

Impressive mileage there! Also makes the point that a properly maintained old car is perfectly capable of providing reliable transport.

 

Looking forward to seeing future updates of normal life with this old motor...........show these lovers of modern shite how easy they have it with 'maintenance'

[phil_lihp]

Excellent stuff, good to see cars like this being used properly.  For some reason I'd always thought the Austin looked tiny when you've posted photos of it before, I'd assumed it was about the size of a Ford Popular, but seeing that image from the side it's actually much larger than I'd expected. 

[seth]

It is really good to see a car like this in such regular use.  I'm pretty sure there are fewer and fewer old vehicles actually being used for anything other than sunny Sunday trips to classic car shows, which is a real shame.

[Angrydicky]

That's sadly true Seth. I think the ageing ownership demographic of these cars doesn't help either. Younger enthusiasts, those more willing and able to use their cars on a regular basis, tend to be more interested in 70s/80s cars.

 

Today, I went to the Austin Counties Car Club autumn rally at Tenterden in Kent, where I found a friendly, and very patinated, A50 Cambridge to park next to.

 

 

There were some more battered old Austins there.

 

 

 

Then, I went to visit my little A35, which has been parked in my lockup garage since May or something. It had started to get buried under junk, sadly.

 

]

I firstly spent about an hour clearing out rubbish from my Somerset. It seems I like having two gloveboxes, as both were full of absolute shit like receipts for petrol from last year, change for the Dartford toll (it's cashless now) and random tools. The boot was an absolute disgrace, old clothes/crisp packets/empty oil containers, you name it it was in there. I carry a lot of tools with me, the metal toolbox on the right is jammed full of spanners, screwdrivers and little odds and ends like jubillee clips, tape, points/condenser etc. The plastic box on the left has a towrope, jumpleads, socket set, screwdriver set, molegrips, a complete distributor and all sorts of other useful stuff. I've then got a couple of cans of oil, trolley jack and wheelbrace, and my big Halfords socket set. And of course the spare wheel, which takes up a lot of space in the boot!

 

 

I'll be taking the baby Austin to Tenterden tomorrow (25 miles each way) so that'll be a good run for it, and also one of the last runs it'll get this year, I think. The Somerset will of course be on the road throughout the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

[EssDeeWon]

Was it 640 TMP that used to pass me on the Ashingdon Rd in the mornings several years ago, I guess you were going to six form then?

[Angrydicky]

Yes it was! I've owned it for nearly ten years now, makes me feel old.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. Missed this thread. I really enjoyed by spell at the wheel of the Somerset last year. So much character and much better to drive than you might expect (though having owned a Westminster, I guess I was already tuned into 'old Austin' perhaps!). It looks absolutely fantastic.

[RobT]

Sounds like you've had a good day Richard, pottering about with old Austins. The Counties club looks a good one to be involved with too if there's other patinated motors in it, rather than just the usual minters you see at shows.