Sold A35 in black.

[Uncle Jimmy]

It's a sodding racing car that.

[scruff]

 

No kolkexchon fred I'm afraid as its a easy 40 min cross country trundle. Huge thanks to Cros, it is a flipping brilliant little car and I love it already!! More tomorrow. Woo hoo

[Christine]

Does it do 11's ?

[scruff]

Obviously I wouldn't subject a vintage vehicle to such treatment! (Yes it does)

[warninglight]

Top work there Kev! My girlfriend has a very similar one, they're great fun!

[scruff]

Funny you should say that mate, last night Munkie reminded me he had acquired a couple of issues of Spotlight when he stalked her spoke to her at the NEC a few years back.

 

I'm doing magazine work today but the cute bum of the A35 is teasing me through the kitchen window, will pop out and get some pics in a bit.

 

[warninglight]

This one even made the cover car in the 80s when it did the occasional hillclimb!

 

I really like those drilled steelies, very smart!

[anonymous user]

One of my favourite cars and yours is probably a lot more driveable than my old one, I hope you enjoy it. Also just to say I bet your kitchen window is as draughty as mine.

[scruff]

 

Not had much time to play today but I took the Austin for a run out to the garage to check the tyres and stuff. It's a hoot to drive, it sounds just like our old Mini but goes better, surprising how willing it is to rev. 

 

 

As pointed out the paintwork is pretty grim but it is quite a good story behind it and I think a polish will smarten it up. I threw a sponge and some Lidl wash and wax stuff over it which made quite a difference already. 

 

The interior is bloody great, I sat in there drinking a cuppa this morning listening to Radio 4 and enjoying that fab "50s car" smell, my grandad has an A40 Cambridge and this smells just the same. 

 

 

It needs a few bits and bobs straight off, I've ordered a master cylinder seal kit for £9.99 from an a30/A35 specialist and will give it a service as a matter of course. Pondering if to get a full electronic dizzy, I put a simonbbc one on the Mini and it transformed it and no more dicking around with points, though to be fair the dizzy is easier to get to on the A35. I've also found two big cans of Waxoyl and some "Bilt Hamber" spray gunk left over from when I did my series IIA up so it's going to get all that up it's undercrackers PDQ.

 

The wife loves it and already talking about where to head off to in europe in it, it's going to feel like going on holiday in a Jaguar after the old Series one Landy. 

 

[scruff]

One of my favourite cars and yours is probably a lot more driveable than my old one, I hope you enjoy it. Also just to say I bet your kitchen window is as draughty as mine.

 

I thought you would like it. And you're right about the window! 

[trigger]

That's bloody brilliant! What a great motor for pottering about in. I wishing I'd gone for it now but I'm glad you've got it Kev as it sounds like it's gone to the perfect home.

[anonymous user]

 

I really like those drilled steelies, very smart!

They look like Frogeye Sprite steel wheels to me, if anyone needs a set I have some in my cellar.

[warninglight]

Go on, how much for them?

 

They'd find a home on either Rosie's A35, or my (and Kev's!) friend Calum's A40 Farina - he's talked about getting a set of them for years!

[Angrydicky]

This is mine, a '59 Island Blue Deluxe. Really must get it back on the road, it doesn't need very much but I fell out with some people in the owners club and lost interest in the club scene for them. Oh, and the Somerset is far more relaxing to drive long journeys. Round town though, the Peanut is ridiculously nippy! For modifications, mine has a 1098 Minor engine with a 1 1/4" SU, electric fuel pump, negative earth, 4:2 diff and radial tyres.

 

 

I've owned it nearly ten years now, my first car and the one I will never sell.

 

I also owned this '58 4dr until two years ago, three local owners and 30k from new, and amazingly original, even down to the original unused toolkit in the boot!

 

 

[scruff]

Austin chumz!

 

Yours is a real beauty Dicky. I get where you are with clubs.

[scruff]

Goodies AND the V5 here already!!

 

Top work from "Bull Motif Spares" would use again

 

[Angrydicky]

Hopefully the seal kit does the job! As long as the bore isn't too pitted/scored it should be ok.

 

In the end, I went for all new resleeved, stainless lined cylinders on mine - it got to the point that they just kept leaking, the brakes were pulling, and no amount of seal changing would do the job anymore. It was quite an investment but once it's done, it'll never need doing again.

 

Past Parts would resleeve the M/C if you need to have it done, or BM but PP is probably cheaper. Lots of people moan about the quality of BM repro parts, but the only thing I can complain about is the rubber seal that goes around the filler neck in the rear panel. It split within weeks!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Bonney looking little '35, and a bargain at £1500 I'd say. Intrigued into the back story about the paint job though...

[scruff]

Hopefully the seal kit does the job! As long as the bore isn't too pitted/scored it should be ok.

 

In the end, I went for all new resleeved, stainless lined cylinders on mine - it got to the point that they just kept leaking, the brakes were pulling, and no amount of seal changing would do the job anymore. It was quite an investment but once it's done, it'll never need doing again.

 

Past Parts would resleeve the M/C if you need to have it done, or BM but PP is probably cheaper. Lots of people moan about the quality of BM repro parts, but the only thing I can complain about is the rubber seal that goes around the filler neck in the rear panel. It split within weeks!

 

Good call, I had the master and wheel cylinders done at Past Pasts on my S1 Landy. I'll get the cylinder off and see what's what. 

[cros]

Bonney looking little '35, and a bargain at £1500 I'd say. Intrigued into the back story about the paint job though...

Happy to oblige, I am to vehicle refinishing what Beverly Allitt is to childcare.

[scruff]

 

Gave into temptation!! Just got to find the time to fit it now, got a magazine to get to print this week, a JCB Fastrac to low load to Forfar and on holiday next week with the steam roller at Beamish!

[scruff]

Nothing much to report at all on the Austin. I have been using it every day with no problems whatsoever, though to be honest the furthest it has had to go is 20 miles to my mate's in Peterborough when we got DUGONG's 306 last week. It has had a hot date with the grease gun on the many, many lubricatable bits and I've changed the engine oil... that's it so far.

 

The paint was looking increasingly shat so I had a crack at it with some T cut and turtle wax, not much into polishing but it does look a lot better.

 

 

 

Scratching my head a bit at the moment about putting the baby seat in, easiest* seems to be to put inertia reels in the back. Would be nice to take the little dude out in it.

 

[seth]

You don't have to put inertia reels in to fit a child seat. Nothing wrong with properly adjusted static seat belts. I can imagine inertia reels being rather difficult in the back of an A35 what with the near non-existant parcel shelf.   He looks small enough to still be in a rear facing seat?  Or if a front facing, one with its own harness.  I should think greatest problem might be having enough room without taking the front passenger seat out but then at least that's just two little spring clips.

[Christine]

The old way was ok  ... when i was a kid we didn't have seat belts

 

[scruff]

Yeah yeah I know, I was ratchet strapped into a HA van in my buggy but I have to keep the wife happy.

 

It's got statics in the front but they aren't long enough to fit around the seat he has at the moment, I assumed the same problem with statics in the back. Will investigate! Cheers seth

[Angrydicky]

Mine's got one inertia reel in the back. It's mounted inside the boot, hanging off the horizontal 'parcel shelf' at the top under the window. The belt comes through a slot cut in the metal shelf and then a slot cut in the top of the rear seat back. I hope that makes sense, it was done by my dad years ago for my child seat when I was the little chap's age.

[scruff]

Longest jolly thus far today, a mere 166 mile round trip with my mate Paul to a do near Redditch. The Austin absolutely lapped it up and we had immense fun bowling it along the M6 and M42. It'll happily sit at about 65 with plenty of oomph on offer for overtaking and you are able to have a conversation at a reasonable volume even with the windows and quarterlights open.

 

I moved the number plate for it's ride on the lorry last week (it would have been clouted on the ramps) but will move it back as it does seem to restrict airflow to the diddly radiator.

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Gosh. That last photo is bloody art mate!

[scruff]

Update on what has rapidly become my favourite motor that I have ownerficationised.

 

It has been totally reliable but I was never happy with my repaired master cylinder, it didn't leak but the brakes didn't feel quite right. A bloke I met through work turned out to be total a35 van nut job and in exchange for a crisp tenner provided me with a master cylinder with a mint bore and.a new seal kit!! Super

 

 

Bits

 

 

Easy little job, all back together and fitted. Thanks to the previous owner's care everything comes undone no sweat.

 

 

Apart from that I've just been using it as my car and it's brilliant. Particularly good is the yummy mummy appeal it has in town as my mate discovered when he borrowed it last week.

 

Here it is watching a Foden bowl past on Monday just gone...

 

[johngarty]

I love that little car. So evocative of a long lost era.