Tommy's A-series Misery - No LeMans Trip 🥲

[Tommyboy12]

Sitting here on the ferry and realising I didn't post probably my favourite pic I took yesterday. Near to the bucket wheel excavator was this other wheel on display.

[Tommyboy12]

A mere 40 miles from home and one last coolant check

 

[Tommyboy12]

Fin 

 

[hairnet]

bardziej szalony niż szczur w blaszanej kiblu

[N Dentressangle]

Bloody hell - fought you til the end then!

Well done. Cooling system refresh and head skim for table 1.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this I really enjoy road trips.

[Tommyboy12]

Thanks for the comments! I just like sharing a bit of my adventures. They're not overly well documented but hopefully gives people a bit of fun to read.

It's the morning after the week before and I am unloading the car contemplating the repairs required.

The head is clearly warped so that's on the list but I also want to do something about the cooling system. A new high performance radiator is definitely in order. This is an original brass/copper unit but it's so gummed up with oil (from the oil leak I am also going to fix) and has lost a load of fins from rot) plus this car isn't running factory levels of power. Yes it's only 60hp but that's 50% more than stock and I don't think it helped cook the head in the first place.

I also want to fix the oil leak. 5L in 2000 miles is quite a lot. I know it's got a bad timing cover leak so I'm going to look at replacing it and the backplate with something more oil tight.

I still really enjoyed it though despite the troubles! I can't do IMM in Portugal next year but Netherlands won the bid for 2028 so that's definitely on the list!

Now did someone say something about LeMans in an Austin 7...? 🤔

[Dyslexic Viking]

It takes courage to drive something so old on such a long trip. I've felt a little tempted to take my Mercedes on some trips not as long as this but still some distance. And I can't seem to get rid of the thoughts of everything that could go wrong and how to get it home if it massively fails, etc. And this isn't helped by how tired it is and how afraid I am anything happening to it.

So it's nice to read about someone who does it.

[Tommyboy12]

Normal service resumes. Turbo Mini is in for it's MoT today.

Brake rollers are always a challenge

[Westbay]

🤞

[Tommyboy12]

Another pass (with a few advisories)! There was this lovely 850 T5R at the garage too. Only a dozen or so left in this colour apparently

[Tommyboy12]

A momentus occasion has occurred! The Austin 7 is home!

It was delivered by trailer but it drove on and off the trailer under its own power and the cooling system has held all its water from previous filling.

Unfortunately it's going to get rained on today but I've bought a nice cover for it. Rule one of car covers is never cover a damp car.

[Tommyboy12]

The weather held off for our club meet last night. A good variety of stuff as usual and I took the Moggie for the first time. A particular favourite of mine was the mint green Estelle and the yellow 850 T5R.

[captain_70s]

33 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

A particular favourite of mine was the mint green Estelle 

Newly purchased by @Jimblob!

[Matty]

Wish the shows i go to had skodas and an astra selection box. Far more interesting.

[Merryck]

On 29/05/2026 at 16:41, Tommyboy12 said:

That's an interesting looking Moke - shorter than most.

I've always like the idea of a Moke, but thought the execution didn't quite work out. They always look a bit awkward to me, but this seems to have really good dimensions.

[Tommyboy12]

12 minutes ago, Merryck said:

That's an interesting looking Moke - shorter than most.

I've always like the idea of a Moke, but thought the execution didn't quite work out. They always look a bit awkward to me, but this seems to have really good dimensions.

It's a half scale. Shorter and narrower. Some sort of homebrew I suspect. It was powered by some sort of mower engine

[Merryck]

I love it even more now!

[Tommyboy12]

A bit of tinkering on the Austin 7 now it's home. I checked all the fluids and greased all the nipples (ooo err) before taking on a small spin round the block! My first time doing anything other than moving it around driveways.

I was papped by a local!

The test drive told me several things. The brakes are mediocre, the power is non-existant, and the steering is terrifying. But otherwise it was amazing! There was a considerable shudder over about 15mph which I suspect may be the fabric doughnut on the propshaft. I will order one anyway as it's likely to be well past it's best.

Unfortunately the test run ended with the rad boiling over. The system was getting pressurised. Low and behold...

I feel like I've been here recently...

So I've slid a new gasket on and also done some light lapping on the head.

I've slapped it back on with a new gasket and hopefully I'll get some more time to tighten it back up for another test run later this week.

If this doesn't work I'll have the head off this and the Mini and take them both for skimming together.

[Jimblob]

Good luck Tom. AMAZING to see the Austin 7 driving and . . . please can I have a go sometime?!?!

[LightBulbFun]

On 01/06/2026 at 09:07, Dyslexic Viking said:

It takes courage to drive something so old on such a long trip. I've felt a little tempted to take my Mercedes on some trips not as long as this but still some distance. And I can't seem to get rid of the thoughts of everything that could go wrong and how to get it home if it massively fails, etc. And this isn't helped by how tired it is and how afraid I am anything happening to it.

So it's nice to read about someone who does it.

one of the things I hope that my own big trip to the Netherlands and back with my VDP does, & my general daily driving of the VDP and my Invacar, is it encourages  people to use their classic cars more  

I have always found it a bit baffling how people are scared to use old cars, go back 50 years, and people where daily driving what we consider old cars today, all the time, with nary a second thought, so I dont see why you cant with a bit TLC and consideration, do similar today

yeah they are 50 years old now, and you will get the odd age related foible or some previous bodge done 25 years ago rearing its head, and maybe you might have to contest with some crap modern reproduction parts from time to time, but I have also seen so many modern cars here on the forum shit the bed in wonderfully expensive and painful ways,

and even simple things, what might be a failed Condenser that immobilises an old car, could easily be a failed crank position sensor that immobilises a modern car, at least on the old classic car, you can replace the shitty paper and wax condenser with a high quality polypropylene capacitor and forget about it for the next 50 years!

so I see no reason that an old car, once its been suitably gone through, and been well proven/tested, I see no reason you cant use an old car for adventures/daily use

and of all the old cars on here, i'd say its especially true of your Mercedes, its a Mechanical diesel, you dont even *need* electricity for that to keep working! all it needs is fuel and thats it!, and you have done plenty of trouble free miles in it already and have gone/are going a good way to working out the issues it has had, so I see no reason your Mercedes cannot do an epic road trip  

[Tommyboy12]

26 minutes ago, Jimblob said:

Good luck Tom. AMAZING to see the Austin 7 driving and . . . please can I have a go sometime?!?!

Of course!

I also did some cleaning this afternoon. I do love the baby poo shag pile. I also brought the seat forward slightly as I'm short and can't reach the pedals. Previous owner was clearly a tall chap!

I also polished out some brushed on red oxide. Not perfect but a little less obvious. Car excavation revealed the original green and another quite nice blue colour underneath

[Dyslexic Viking]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

and of all the old cars on here, i'd say its especially true of your Mercedes, its a Mechanical diesel, you dont even *need* electricity for that to keep working! all it needs is fuel and thats it!, and you have done plenty of trouble free miles in it already and have gone/are going a good way to working out the issues it has had, so I see no reason your Mercedes cannot do an epic road trip  

The biggest problem with my Mercedes isn't necessarily its age but rather how tired and a patchwork of a car it is. 9 years as a taxi and about 15 years as a daily have left their mark.

I would like to remind people that parts of the diesel pump were assembled incorrectly and parts of a garden hose were used to try to compensate for that. And the wiring harness for the old alternator was twisted together and more. And recently discovered that the speedometer cable appears to be attached to the gearbox with steel wire.

[EyesWeldedShut]

16 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

And recently discovered that the speedometer cable appears to be attached to the gearbox with steel wire.

Aye but at least that's keeping it 'in period' - think of how much more disappointing it would be to find a nylon cable tie in there instead?   

[silvercar]

On 29/05/2026 at 16:37, Tommyboy12 said:

IMM Portugal would be great. It's very reasonably priced too. Less than €90 for two free meals, a t-shirt, four days of camping plus all the entertainment. I don't think I'll be going as I have other plans for next year but word on the grape vine at this event is that 2028 is in the Netherlands which I will definitely do!

Today has been a bit of a mixed day. I spent over two hours trying to diagnose my overheating issue and pinned it down to a pressuring cooling system, which I knew already.

Unfortunately that meant off with her head!

Working in 30C heat has only been helped by the tarp I had set up over the tent.

The old gasket was blowing between 1&2 and 2&3. So the head is likely warped. However I can't fix that here. So on with a new gasket.

And all back together.

There's no pressurising now. I'm going to take it easy on the drive home tomorrow and Sunday. Hopefully it holds but if not it's got to come off again when I get home.

What is your trick for the bypass hose (is it still an A series thing?)? I used to carry a trangia style water heater to get the hose warm enough to compress.

[Tommyboy12]

7 hours ago, silvercar said:

What is your trick for the bypass hose (is it still an A series thing?)? I used to carry a trangia style water heater to get the hose warm enough to compress.

Honestly never had a problem with it but I do carry a concertina spare incase it ever pops. It'll get me out of the hole until I can replace it properly at home

[Mally]

8 hours ago, silvercar said:

What is your trick for the bypass hose (is it still an A series thing?)? I used to carry a trangia style water heater to get the hose warm enough to compress.

I always found that the classic straight hose, fitted when fitting the head lasted many years. The convoluted hose was easy to fit when compressed by a steel rule but you were lucky to get more than 12 months out of them.

[Tommyboy12]

1 hour ago, Mally said:

I always found that the classic straight hose, fitted when fitting the head lasted many years. The convoluted hose was easy to fit when compressed by a steel rule but you were lucky to get more than 12 months out of them.

Agreed. Ive bought the Kevlar straight hoses every time Ive needed a new one and Ive been into Minis for nearly 20 years and only ever had one fail on the road.

[Mr Pastry]

ISTR that the A series in the Allegro did not have a bypass hose, and blanking plugs were fitted.  This was done to shorten the warm-up time and was emissions-related.  I can't remember the details now, but it does suggest that the bypass is unnecessary and could be deleted.

 

[Tommyboy12]

The bypass isnt present on a number of A-series installations including the Mini. Some later 1275s didnt have it. The metro didnt either. Its meant to allow water movement around the head to minimise hot spots.

My 1293 turbo doesnt have one, the engine I built for my brown Mini doesnt either. But my white Mini does have one.