Jump to content

New Acquisition: Austin Maxi


Recommended Posts

Posted

Harvest Gold and HL for maximum plushness and velouriness

 

Lovely.

  • Like 3
Posted

There's just nothing not to like there. How did you get it home?

  • Like 2
Posted

Thanks guys. I was reckless and bought it on e-bay unseen. Mainly because it was 200+ miles away and I couldn't be arsed to go and view it before end of auction  :-D

 

It has 8 months MOT but the tester must have been blind because there's holes in the sills, the exhaust is blowing, various bulbs didn't work, etc 

 

I attempted to drive it home because the seller insisted it was running well, but after a few miles it conked out, refusing to rev up. Once back in my garage I believe the reason is the float chambers/jets are all gummed up with sludge.

post-5681-0-66482000-1506020294_thumb.jpg

Posted

That's a stunning opening statement to the rest of the forum! Respect and welcome!

 

It looks pretty good in the pics, what's wrong with it??

  • Like 2
Posted

 It was described by the seller as being in good condition and running well. It was located over 200 miles away so I couldn't be arsed to go and view and paid the price because it was in fact in poor condition and barely running.

 

I can see you've grasped the forum perfectly almost straight away.

 

Excellent purchase!

Posted

And on the plus side, that was the last MOT you'll ever have to worry about on it.

 

That is some serious carb sludge there mind.  Restecp.

Posted

That's a stunning opening statement to the rest of the forum! Respect and welcome!

It looks pretty good in the pics, what's wrong with it??

It's a maxi.

Posted

And on the plus side, that was the last MOT you'll ever have to worry about on it.

 

That is some serious carb sludge there mind.  Restecp.

 

Yeah I noticed I probably won't need another MOT. I have mixed feelings about that. Its great that I won't have to get the sills welded and exhaust fixed to a deadline. Of course, I will sort them, it just means I can take my time. OTOH, there are probably other issues lurking that I won't know about...

Posted

That's a stunning opening statement to the rest of the forum! Respect and welcome!

 

It looks pretty good in the pics, what's wrong with it??

 

Thanks! Main problem is that it doesn't currently drive. It will idle, but won't rev up. I'm hoping that's down to the carb sludge, but until I put the carbs back together and refit them I won't know. If that doesn't fix it then I'm guessing it must be loss of compression in the tired E-series  :?

 

I'll post another update once Carbs have been fettled and are back on the car :)

Posted

What a little hunny, I bet once you've got the mechanical issues sorted that will be a ace thing to own. RATED.

  • Like 3
Posted

3 spoke sports steering wheel?

Vinyl dash?

 

Nostalgia for Dads '76 1750HL now, even though it was a bit of a heap and at the time I would ask him to drop me off around the corner.

Posted

I passed my driving test in my old man's 1750HL.

 

With hindsight, it's a fucking miracle I managed to select enough gears to look competent.

  • Like 3
Posted

Looks lovely from the pics. Apart from the sills, how is the rest of the body?

 

The upper panels are ok, apart from the odd micro blister here and there. Its the lower bodywork that needs TLC

Posted

3 spoke sports steering wheel?

Vinyl dash?

 

Nostalgia for Dads '76 1750HL now, even though it was a bit of a heap and at the time I would ask him to drop me off around the corner.

 

Yeah it's got the sporty HL steering wheel and Vinyl Dash. That was part of the appeal as it was a bit different to the average Maxi I've seen before

Posted

Massive soft spot for a Maxi (it was my first car and was brilliant) Respect for taking one on, esp. bought unseen, though I think they're solid, reliable motors and once you have the running issue sorted, it'll turn out to be a honey.

 

Welcome!

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

Posted

a strange thing with these kwaidee BL gearbags is after a suggestion by my mate i put a larger (1980's) gearknob on my mini which made it easier to select the actual gear requested this was also successful on my dads allegro 1500 5 speed!

 

exhibit i, post-17711-0-15060000-1506121858_thumb.jpg

was replaced with exhibit B, post-17711-0-34172100-1506121897_thumb.jpg

and the late mini one was similar to exhibit 3 post-17711-0-87751900-1506121968_thumb.jpg

Posted

I passed my driving test in my old man's 1750HL.

 

With hindsight, it's a fucking miracle I managed to select enough gears to look competent.

Young lass at my office, at Swan Hunters, passed her test and we were all doing the congrats and musing on her choice of wheels, now she could go out alone....

 

Aneehoo, a week or so later, she was mobile (courtesy Bank of Dad) and gave me a lift.

 

She had learned in a Metro... So bought a Metro :(

 

She was 'into 1st, biting point, handbrake ready' at junctions >> swiftly put her right on that one!! ;)

 

 

TS

Posted

a strange thing with these kwaidee BL gearbags is after a suggestion by my mate i put a larger (1980's) gearknob on my mini which made it easier to select the actual gear requested this was also successful on my dads allegro 1500 5 speed!

 

exhibit i, attachicon.gifmaxi nob.jpg

was replaced with exhibit B, attachicon.gifmetro nob.jpg

and the late mini one was similar to exhibit 3 attachicon.gifmaestro nob.JPG

This probably deserves a thread of its own, but many years ago I was told something very similar by a bloke called Tim Bishop. The greater the weight of the knob, the easier gear selection became. He told me that old Jaguar sports cars knobs are ludicrously heavy. To this end, my T2 with its fourteen foot long gear linkage is now fitted with the original tiny plastic knob which has been packed with lead, sealed in place with epoxy. It weighs four times as much as it did. And are the gears easier to select, I hear you all cry.

No idea since it's been so long since I drove an unmolested version.

  • Like 2
Posted

Morning All, latest update is now with the sludge cleared from the carbs, a new jet fitted to replace the leaking one it now drives again. Yipee  :mrgreen: Although its not perfect seems to chug a bit at part throttle, but pulls like a train if you floor it. Carbs probably aren't setup right and being twin carb seems I need rev counters, balance meters and the patience of a saint to do that!

 

However, as with all steps forward: Starter motor solenoid has started sticking  :mad: So next job is to replace that!

 

RE: gear change. I know Maxi/Allegros have a bad rep for gears being difficult to select, but the gearbox on this one seems sweet. Its a bit awkward to select Reverse, and 5th -> 4th is also a bit awkward, but I can live with that  :-D

  • Like 3
Posted

My 5 speed 1500 allegro was the same,was only really fifth that was awkward,1-4 were fine.

Posted

Latest Update: Starter motor changed in 20 mins  :-D I tested it by starting the car, stopped it again after a few seconds as I had to rush off to meet some friends

 

Came out to start it today and now battery seems to be foobarred  :mad: Tried charging it but after a few hours only seems to reach 0.5 charge, which is just enough to spin the motor a couple of turns; which isn't quite enough to start it :-( The annoying thing is the next chance I'll have to go to the Motor Factors and buy a new one will be Friday as its shut now, and I've got to work Monday - Thursday  :-(

Posted

Beige, and BL, what is not to like?

Posted

Carbs are easy to balance. You want a bit of washer hose small enough to get in your ear. Put the other end across the mouth of the carb with the engine idling. You'll hear one hissing and the other chugging if they're out of balance. Simply twiddle the balance bar until they both sound the same. Job jobbed.

  • Like 2
Posted

... Just ensure you don't get a 'back pop'* out of the throat....

 

TS

 

* 'I heard that, pardon?'

Posted

My next door neighbour has a 1750 Automatic Maxi when I was about 5 and I remember sitting in the back watching for the gear lever to move when the car changed gear! :oops:

Guest Lord Sward
Posted

Re; the weight of the gear knob improving the change.  BartonMG (Longbridge) used to trick to improve the selection of the MG6 box of cogs.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...