A bit of shite - Austin Seven update

[horriblemercedes]

50 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Brilliant, I didn't know you could get an estate one of these, and a TTiD. 

Interesting that the chassis number starts with YSCF where as Saab 9-3s start with YS3F. 

Dougie from Once Driven Forever Smitten has or had one of these on his You Tube channel albeit in saloon petrol V6 guise. He hasn't updated it in a long time though.

I'd love to find one although they do all seem to be a tad out my price range.

I don't think they're terribly valuable - they're just rare.

This one has been properly well maintained, is in really good condition, reasonable mileage, good spec, long MOT etc and was £1100. I didn't want it enough to buy it at any price, but the stars all aligned. I happened to have the perfect lift right past it the next day, the price was right, the car was right.

[Bear]

There was a Bacon Lettuce Sandwich down the road from me, but a boring saloon - they do look interesting. If this were a petrol one I'd be envious!

[horriblemercedes]

Austin Seven update.

 

I took it out for lunch on Sunday and realised it wasn't running well. It had that "phut, phut, phut" sound of a compression leak on every stroke. I looked under the bonnet and realised that part of the head gasket was poking out of the head. The head and block are fine, luckily.

 

I've realised how this happened. When I bought the car, the seller showed me that he had replaced the coolant inlet branch with a new one. I don't think he realised that the studs that attach it are actually head bolts. They were finger-tight. Anyway, here are the pictures. It was a 25 minute head gasket change from start to finish, using only one spanner. It's the first time I've ever done that job. As I was leaving work, with the intention of doing this job as I got home, I pulled out behind this. What are the chances?:

 

 

 

 

It turns out that the head gasket was really bad. I'm surprised that cylinder one could run at all:

 

Anyway, a lovely, warm evening tinkering with the car. It's running sweetly now.

 

[horriblemercedes]

I didn't get a handbook with this car, but I got a full (or nearly full) tool kit. The tool kit contains everything you need to remove the head or adjust the tappets or do anything you would need to do.

I found an original handbook on ebay for £7 including postage. It doesn't have a chapter for replacing the head gasket, but it does have one for adjusting the valves. That means removing the head. That is something you should do every 5000-6000 miles, according to the handbook.

It's a wonderful book, honestly. And covers any part of maintenance you'd have to do, including clutch changes.

 

[Mally]

9 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

I didn't get a handbook with this car, but I got a full (or nearly full) tool kit. The tool kit contains everything you need to remove the head or adjust the tappets or do anything you would need to do.

I found an original handbook on ebay for £7 including postage. It doesn't have a chapter for replacing the head gasket, but it does have one for adjusting the valves. That means removing the head. That is something you should do every 5000-6000 miles, according to the handbook.

It's a wonderful book, honestly. And covers any part of maintenance you'd have to do, including clutch changes.

Am I reading you right here?

Adjusting the valves means removing the head?   Why? or is that not what you mean.

Grinding them in needs head removal but I think/thought you adjust tappet clearance from the side. With the head on or off. 

 

 

[horriblemercedes]

16 hours ago, Mally said:

Am I reading you right here?

Adjusting the valves means removing the head?   Why? or is that not what you mean.

Grinding them in needs head removal but I think/thought you adjust tappet clearance from the side. With the head on or off. 

 

 

Sorry, valve cleaning. Tappet adjustment is from the side. It was part of a big paragraph I wrote and then edited wrong 

[RayMK]

1 hour ago, Mally said:

Am I reading you right here?

Adjusting the valves means removing the head?   Why? or is that not what you mean.

Grinding them in needs head removal but I think/thought you adjust tappet clearance from the side. With the head on or off. 

 

 

True. My Reliant MKVI 748cc sidevalve engine shares DNA with the late Austin 7 Ruby unit (3 main bearing crank).  Although Reliant changed quite a few details e.g. distributor and oil pump drive, coolant manifold position on head and dynamo drive, the valve clearances are checked and adjusted via a removable side plate on the block.  The exhaust downpipe and the exhaust/inlet manifold tend to be in the way, so either remove the manifold or ignore the task if the engine is running ok. No need to remove the head for valve clearance tasks. 

Edit: As per @horriblemercedes post which just pipped me to it.

[Mally]

11 hours ago, RayMK said:

True. My Reliant MKVI 748cc sidevalve engine shares DNA with the late Austin 7 Ruby unit (3 main bearing crank).  Although Reliant changed quite a few details e.g. distributor and oil pump drive, coolant manifold position on head and dynamo drive, the valve clearances are checked and adjusted via a removable side plate on the block.  The exhaust downpipe and the exhaust/inlet manifold tend to be in the way, so either remove the manifold or ignore the task if the engine is running ok. No need to remove the head for valve clearance tasks. 

Edit: As per @horriblemercedes post which just pipped me to it.

I had a Reliant 750. There was more smoke coming out of the side plate on mine than out of the exhaust.

[comfortablynumb]

That's absolutely cracking 👍