Battered old Austin

[scruff]

Just fabulous Dicky. Love both of them. 

[mercrocker]

Top stuff, AD!    How small does that 35 look in the petrol station!  

 

There is something about an Austin, rather than a Morris, that seems to attract daily use and lack of concern over paint glossiness.   The Minor brigade around here (apart from a couple of young lads) have got them all under blankets already.   How do you cope with keeping moisture out of the Somerset?   I imagine some of those window rubbers might be a bit porous now, its the one reason I try and keep the Cowley as dry as possible - I don't mind wet roads but persistent rain is a bit of a problem.

[tooSavvy]

My boss, many moons ago, bought one as his first car....

 

Woman sold it cos it was running $hite and hubby couldnt fix it.

 

Boss settled a figure, swapped cash, grabbed keys - popped bonnet, took off air filter 'quality street tin lid', whacked it out to flat again - refitted and razzed off!!

 

Allegedly it collapses and strangles the carb..???

 

His story, aneehow.

 

 

TS

[Lord Sterling]

Great story Rich, nice to see a proper old car being used as a daily. I'd dearly love to try one of these out.

[Angrydicky]

How do you cope with keeping moisture out of the Somerset?   I imagine some of those window rubbers might be a bit porous now, its the one reason I try and keep the Cowley as dry as possible - I don't mind wet roads but persistent rain is a bit of a problem.

It's funny you say that. It doesn't leak too badly just stood in the rain, but it really pours in through the bottom corners of the windscreen when you drive along in heavy rain. When I drove back from Manchester, the weather was appalling and a lot of rain got in. It obviously took its toll because it suddenly started to smell really damp inside I pulled back the drivers carpet and mopped out the water that was there, then installed one of those damp traps from Wilkinsons, which so far doesn't seem to have done anything. I'll need to pull out and properly dry the horizontal carpets, then perhaps try some of that Captain Tolleys stuff on the windscreen. The seal doesn't look too bad, but someone's obviously been at it with the silicone sealant, so it must have been leaking for years.

[RobT]

My first car was a Mini and I gave up trying to stop the rain coming in, despite many attempts to do so. In the winter I'd whip the front carpets out and the rubber gromets in the floors, not ideal but atleast it meant the water wouldn't collect and it added life to the floorpans!

[JohnK]

What a great thread. There's a guy not far from me who has a blue A40 that is a daily as well, always nice to see it out and about. I will try and get a picture of it next time I see it.

[Angrydicky]

Mo, let me know the next time you're down this way and you can take it for a spin. It's good fun to drive!

 

I made a short video yesterday with my new camera, hopefully this works!

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

My abiding memory of Zumerzetz is that in the 1970's and early 80's, there was a black one parked outside the Halfway House Inn on the main road through Pitney (in Somerset) between Somerton and Langport. It never moved and the last time I saw it around 1983, the sills had fallen off. I suspect it ended up at Badgers Cross scrapyard, but I still recall sitting in it with a couple of mates one hot day in 1977 when we were nippers. It did get cleaned and polished every now and then as for a car that sat idle for 10 years it didn't really deteriorate visibly.

[Taff]

what a great thread. I live in Trowbridge, need any help with it's history?