The Pre-War Car Thread

[SiC]

I think there are going to be a lot of people in for a shock on values of stuff they bought during COVID times. Especially projects. This is a 500 quid collection of parts at best.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/154UVm3BXd9/

 

[Six-cylinder]

28 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

I think that is a 1937-40 Vauxhall 10. A few made '46-'47 too.

I don't know if Vauxhall was my fathers, I don't remember him ever talking about it.

[Six-cylinder]

27 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Nice house still there?

The house had an Austrian style as that is where my mother came from.

My parents bought a low value acre of land that was a former market garden in a lowly river side Berkshire village noted for a large mobile home site and boat yard. Then Hurley village became fashionable and they sold it in 1964 because the rest of the market garden was built on to their boundary. The house was then extended and this is the current google view.

[D.E]

One of the many small factories that tried (and failed) to copy the Model T's succes:

METZ 22 ROADSTER

£5,995.00

[Pauly.22]

I keep watching pre war cars and you can get some stuff for not bad money, maybe the market is drying up, as the people who grew up driving these are now up in the years themselves and younger people want sierras, and escorts 

[SiC]

32 minutes ago, Pauly.22 said:

younger people want sierras, and escorts 

Even they aren't going for big money at the moment. Reality is us younger individuals don't have the spare capital like they did a few generations ago. Houses mega expensive, bills gone crazy and even food makes a massive dent out of the pay packet. 

[horriblemercedes]

1 hour ago, Pauly.22 said:

I keep watching pre war cars and you can get some stuff for not bad money, maybe the market is drying up, as the people who grew up driving these are now up in the years themselves and younger people want sierras, and escorts 

That's a big leap! It's the grandparents of the Sierra lovers who drove Morris 8s etc. 

 

The pre-war stuff is old enough that people who are alive and active don't remember them being new. The war ended 80 years ago! 

 

The pre-war cars are curios and that's what people like about them, I think 

[horriblemercedes]

My contribution. I don't use it a lot, but it is a delight to drive and a delight to work on it. 

No tax and it costs about £80 per year in fully comp insurance. Any part is available easily and cheaply and quickly. 

It's tiny, so there is plenty of space around it in my small garage 

 

You can even take three mates with you 

[SiC]

I'm currently mildly interested rabidly obsessed with the Austin 7 right now. So much so, I keep watching pretty much every Austin 7 YouTube video I can find. 

This came up the other day. Interesting because it has an interview and feature on Stanley Edge. He was the 18yr old draftsman that Herbert Austin took home to help draw up plans for the A7. While now dead, he was still young enough to be able to talk about the 7 while cameras and relatively modern documentaries interviewing existed. 

I really enjoyed the watch. 

Side note, turns out the gap between my house and garage is just wide enough to fit a bigger gate that could fit an Austin 7 (and Austin A30/A35) through and be stored in the garden. Once I get a new shed built, my plan was to build a small bit of storage where the old shed is going to be demolished to make room for my ride on lawn mower an Austin 7. 

[jonathan_dyane]

They're lovely but dynamically actually closer to a ride on mower than an actual car

[SiC]

4 minutes ago, jonathan_dyane said:

They're lovely but dynamically actually closer to a ride on mower than an actual car

That's exactly why they fascinate me! 

A 45mph ride on mower that's road legal.

[High Jetter]

Bought one yet? 🤣

[captain_70s]

Fiancée_70s recently mentioned I'd been watching a lot of Austin Seven videos recently with a certain accusing tone...

Luckily for her I'm not buying anything else until the Cresta is done. Which is likely a year or two away!

Met a chap at the petrol station yesterday who was out in his 1935 Singer Nine Roadster. Looked like a nice old thing.

[barrett]

On 09/05/2025 at 19:27, D.E said:

One of the many small factories that tried (and failed) to copy the Model T's succes:

METZ 22 ROADSTER

£5,995.00

These have got a weird friction drive system and are without a doubt the most confusing car I've ever driven. Worse than a Model T, which is bad enough. Interesting, but that's not a very nice example (any car painted that colour is immediately discounted I'm afraid)

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

If you're going to have an Austin 7;

find out about what is happening when the oil pressure suddenly starts rising and what to do about it...

 

http://www.da7c.co.uk/technical_torque_articles/know_your_oil_pressure_readings.html

[SiC]

Just now, Momentary Lapse Of Reason said:

If you're going to have an Austin 7;

find out about what is happening when the oil pressure suddenly starts rising and what to do about it...

Iirc get some wire out and rod the block to clear sludgy blockage in the block?

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

49 minutes ago, SiC said:

Iirc get some wire out and rod the block to clear sludgy blockage in the block?

In essence Yes.

The big ends are splash lubed by two (or three (depending on engine)) jets.

Remove plug A in above diagram and prod through.

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, barrett said:

These have got a weird friction drive system and are without a doubt the most confusing car I've ever driven.

Ah yes.

Very clever in theory, but almost certainly utterly shit in practice.

[artdjones]

My mother and father in law drove a Super Sports Morgan and a Hillman Aero Minx when engaged and first married. He's been dead 20 years, and she's about to turn 90. I think pre war cars are bought now for the fun of them rather than nostalgia. Except for the more exotic cars, which are wealth repositories for the super rich.

[RayMK]

11 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Ah yes.

Very clever in theory, but almost certainly utterly shit in practice.

Interesting.  In principle a stepped CVT.  I wonder whether reverse is achieved by heaving the spoked wheel past the centre of the engine driven disc?  Can't see a diff.  The full elliptic leaf springs at the front are not something I've noticed on any other pre-war cars.  Also, each chain link can easily be replaced thanks to the split pins on every link.  

In the early 80s I used that type of friction drive (but  fixed single gear ratio) on a modified outdoor 'toy' land yacht which I converted from conventional sail power to a vertical shaft with an anemometer on top, driving through a universal joint to the single rear wheel.  I can confirm that it was generally rubbish but did occasionally work.  I think its remains are still hanging in my garage somewhere.

[wuvvum]

7 hours ago, RayMK said:

I wonder whether reverse is achieved by heaving the spoked wheel past the centre of the engine driven disc?

Yep, that's how it worked.  The forwardmost slot in the gear lever gate was for reverse.

[artdjones]

That's one of the British alternatives that lasted from 1911 to 1931, although activities were pretty low level for the last 10 years.

[horriblemercedes]

On 14/05/2025 at 20:49, jonathan_dyane said:

They're lovely but dynamically actually closer to a ride on mower than an actual car

Yeah, but they are great. Example:

 

[jonathan_dyane]

24 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

Yeah, but they are great. Example:

 

That is remarkable 

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

When the Austin 7 was released most of the roads outside of towns were not tarmaced.

Some rural roads in winter would be little better than some of the modern trails section the car is doing, so cars were designed to cope.

There was a lot of road improvements done through the 1920, using the revenue raised by the Road Fund License (Tax Disc).

Which was ring-fenced for use improving/building roads.

The A71 was improved, including tarmac, from the old gravel road from the Toll era in 1924/5.

At certain distances houses were built for the road maintenance people.

Maintain this stretch of the road, walk the stretch, keep an eye on it; here's a house to live in.

(Later the Road Fund Licence ring-fencing was removed by the Chancellor W.S. Churchill during the Great Depression).

(Even later the A71 houses were sold under the Right to Buy and we bought the one we live in off the family that RtB'ed it)

 

[Six-cylinder]

On 15/05/2025 at 13:42, wuvvum said:

Ah yes.

Very clever in theory, but almost certainly utterly shit in practice.

A new one on me!

I would still rather sort that out than  a Ferrari F1 single clutch robotic gearbox.

[SiC]

Some pre-war vehicles in the Atwell Wilson museum. (Maybe some early post war - my eye isn't educated enough to tell the difference yet)

 

[SiC]

Now the main reason why I took a visit to Atwell Wilson after picking up the VP1300 seats is I knew they had a decent load of Austin 7 artifacts that I can completely geek over. I know a few on here are also equally as interested, so I thought I'd post it all up.

First off this Big 7. Pretty scruffy but I think pretty original. I took a few underside photos to get an idea of what a 7 looks underneath.

Austin 7 drivetrain. Its even smaller in person. Honestly think I've seen bigger lawnmower engines.

Not much going on the other side.

Interesting to see the gear arrangement at the front. Seems a pretty hefty setup for such little power.

Now onto the shed. I love this shed and want to build one similar as a garden shed at home.

Gearbox cut away. Good fun to play with and figure how it works. 

Austin 7 cut away special.

I only just fit and my feet are too big for the pedals.

Front suspension close up 

Rear end setup 

Engine bay

Cockpit controls and gearbox 

Brake setup - of particular interest to me as I wondered how a cable brake setup works

A short video of the brakes being actuated. Going through all the moving bits.

Finally a wall service diagram. Interesting especially showing the chassis structure.

 

Hopefully something of interest to like-minded nerds like myself who really fancies getting one of these one day.

[HMC]

A model A pictured (TSU720) in the collection. They have a decent following stateside which helps with the parts availability. They are popular trials entrants in class 2a (LWB, standard mechanically) due to their ruggedness and the torquey 3.3 litres at your disposal. 

There was a squadron of those against a solitary, 1.7L Austin 12/4 ( equipe HMC) at Exmoor.

 

[wuvvum]

Those Trojans are fascinating things.  There have been a few go through the ACA classic auctions over the years and I always find myself crawling all over them, just because they are so completely different to everything else.  (The big old bonnet with nothing under it always makes me LOL.)