Where this Austin 7 project began and where it is heading.

Started when I was just twelve, over 35 years ago, with a couple of stub axles from a trailer, this is the ongoing restoration story of a 1923 Austin 7.
To date progress has mostly been limited to collecting the very hard to get parts. Buying every piece needed for a car individually is not to be recommended. It is very expensive, time consuming, slow and with such a rare car, the only way to do it, unless one is lucky enough to find a project at a time that finances permit. (Do they ever?)
I have been lucky in many ways. Firstly to have found parts that are very closely numbered. Secondly to have been given a collection of parts not too far into the sourcing phase.
Time has come now - the 100th birthday of the Austin 7 is rapidly approaching, so restoration must pick up pace. I am hoping that sharing this with the world will keep me focused, busy restoring. (Restorating as I saw crudely written somewhere on this vast expanse of blogs)

Dated 23 7 23, the crankcase is number 1889. This was a great find from Gordon Routledge in New Zealand, some 10 or so years ago. Earlier this year it was put into a degreaser bath for a few weeks, then pressure washed with a proper petrol powered washer. The result was remarkable. See the next photos for the difference. 

The degreaser bath was only deep enough to take half of the crankcase at a time. The difference can easily be seen, although at this stage, all the area had been blasted with water.

Another night submerged, this time the other way over, of course! Another day or two soaking would have been better, but I only had the use of the pressure washer for a weekend.

The block is the earliest piece (number 1224), and the only major part so far to be significantly further apart number wise. Bought from the spares department of the Vintage Austin Register in Manawatu around 1998, it has a very good bore of not more than 20 thou oversize. The original valve guides are all damaged, so will have to be replaced with standard type. (As with so many bits, the valve guides on the 1923 are different)
 Clearly some rust around the water inlet, as is to be expected, but not an insurmountable job to repair.

So now to a little about the collection of parts. Possibly the oldest Austin 7 car parts in Australia. A 1925 chassis will be used, as a 1923 item has eluded me. The only other major parts missing are the propshaft and monkey puzzle front universal joint, one beaded edge wheel, CAV type E cutout and the body! A significant item to be missing, but something I am highly unlikely to find. The plan then, is to build a body. There is a dash board and two rear guards, so a start...

The red head turned up here in Australia on my last Austin 7, a 1928 chummy bodied by Holden. Quite a surprise. It is dated 12 9 23.

So many parts from so many sources. Most from New Zealand.

The motor from the 1928 chummy, a car also built from parts over a long period of time, up in Queensland, before I bought it. This motor had a very unusual fault. The crankshaft sat way too far back, or maybe the flywheel taper was too long. The result was a short lived crankshaft, breaking after a couple of hundred miles. Now this "reconditioned" engine is giving up it's near new parts for the 1923 rebuild. Even the pistons will fit with a very light bore out.
Much, much more to come!