Austin 12 New Ascot Project

Hi

Thought some of you might like to follow the restoration of my 1938 Austin 12 New Ascot bought via e-bay in October 2011 from a guy in Hastings. Unfortunately there is not much in the way of history with the car. I only know it has been off the road since before SORN as I have tried to declare it as such but apparently do not need to do so. The last owner was unable to read or write (so I am told) and this might explain why the V5 has a number of errors on it which I will hopefully rectify when she is back on the road. I am a member of the Austin 10 Drivers Club which caters for the larger models as well as the 10, being as they are basically the same. I borrowed a friends 109 Landrover and another friends twin axle low-loader to go and get the car. Both the Landie and the Austin were full with parts for the journey home. The Austin was naturally given pride of place in the garage and everything else kicked out! The previous owner had started a strip-down some years ago and the disgusting brown and cream paints on the car are rust preservers not rust! The blue doors show its original colours and it still bears a red pinstripe of sorts. Being it is partially stripped already, there are of course some bits missing but so far these have been limited to a couple of Lucas 1130 sidelights which are easily (if not cheaply) sourced, two of the four bonnet catches, wiper motor, coil, sunroof handle, interior mirror and a couple of exterior doorhandles for which I have already found replacements. Naturally much of the brightwork will need replating (expensive - ouch!!) and the upholstery will require work as it is very brittle. I am already working hide food into the seats to try and make them more supple. Unfortunately and most annoying of all, I am missing one door card. The other 3 need work but missing one is a pain. I might try to source a replacement second hand set. I'll try Beaulieu first.

Since she has been with me I have had nowhere near as much time as I would have like to get on with things, but I have now finished stripping out and photographing everything as I go. I just need to remove three remaining doors which are being stubborn before I lift the body from the chassis and separate the two. The floor bolts have already been given a preliminary unwind and were, surprisingly not seized.

First major job will be cleaning stripping the chassis before making localised repairs and then rustproofing and painting with chassis black. I have considered dipping the chassis and powder coating but (personal taste I suppose) I don't feel it will give the right appearance for a 74 year old car. I want to try to retain some of the patina.

I have only added a few photos so far as I am having difficulty getting to grips with the upload process and the servimg server keeps timing out on me. I'm obviously doing something right because I have managed to upload a couple of photos - at least I hope I have!! It just doesn't seem to like doing this at the moment. The photos are .jpg and I am using a Mac computer. Anyone else had similar probs? I have already amassed hundreds of photos so will put some more on when I've got the hang of things a bit more.

Grat looking car! She looks quite straight and fairly un modified for such an old car,

I will look forward to more pictures!

Tom

That's whatbim hoping too. The main repair area I have found so far is a fairly poor repair to the rear inner wing. These will be coming out and being redone. Every time I think I need to replace or rebuild something it cleans up really well. The steering wheel has a couple of small cracks in the coating but otherwise cleaned up perfectly. Hope it continues to go like this.

Today I managed to get a whole hour on the car but one of the three remaining doors is now off! One of the others just has one set-screw refusing to budge so its been left wallowing in WD40 to see if it will give up the ghost next time. Progress might be small but it is progress nevertheless!

I've added a couple of pictures to show what the upholstery was like and how it responded to a good clean and a dose of hide food. As you can see its pretty good but still very brittle and has some nicks and tears in it. I don't mind these too much as it shows the age of the car but the leathercloth sides of the seat base are more concerning. I am going to soak those in saddle soap on the advice of someone in the Austin 10Drivers Club and hopefully they will become supple enough to repair. If I can get the seats to that level then I will repair the tears from behind, restuff the seats and then use a kit from Woolies to recolour them. A work in progress I fear!!





Again, on the next two pics you can see a before and after (actually an after and before for some reason!!) of the steering wheel. Again, it cleaned up[ really well and only has a couple of minor splits in the coating. Rather than spend a fortune having the wheel restored professionally, I will either leave it as it is or try and fill the cracks myself with a resin repair and paint it. Any suggestions on this?





Lastly, for this session, I have added some pics of one of the gorgeous Lucas Knight of the Road headlamp bowls. As you can see I didn't hold out a lot of hope from the state they were in, but an hour or so with some AutoSol and a sift cloth and a pretty dramatic transformation was achieved. Nevertheless the chrome still looks like someone has cleaned it with a Brillo pad. In fact the picture makes it look a bit better than it really is. There are a couple of minor dents and I think I will probably have these lamps rechromed as they are such a focal point of the car. I haven't cleaned up the second one yet but expect it to be similar. Interestingly, these cars only had one light that dipped (offside) and there is a mechanism within the headlamp to achieve this. Obviously all of these features still need to be checked and repaired/serviced as necessary. The other day I took off the first semaphore indicator and bench tested it. It lit up okay but didn't flick up. I wasn't too surprised though as the mechanism was filthy. I shall clean it up and report back on a future update.





In the next thrilling installment I will show some pics of the dashboard and instruments, but that will do for today.

Best wished

Steve

Might be worth joining this forum as well, I know they would welcome another rebuild

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/

Rick takes about a week to vet and enroll members.

There is a wide spectrum, and years, of knowledge within the membership.

There are a few Austins on there as well.

Lee is in there as well.

Hi Roger

Thank you for that. I hadn't seen that site before. I've had a brief look at it and it seems really

useful. When I've got a bit more spare time I'll certainly get on there.

Regards

Steve

Hi all

Sorry I haven't put anything on here for a few days. I've been a bit busy with work and decorating! Couldn't make it to last nights meet either because of work. Hope it was a good turn out.

Ok. So what has been happening with the Austin? Not that much really as I have been busy. I have sorted out my workshop and moved the engine into its new place. It has spent the winter outside on a wooden pallet, wrapped up in an old duvet to keep it warm and several weatherproof covers. It is now inside and uncovered and still turns over freely. When I got the car the owner put a battery to it and it turned over quite happily - wouldn't start as no coil or petrol! I will add some pics of the engine soon.

When I stripped the body out, the headlining was still in place but torn and hanging down so it had to come out. I have added some pics showing the rear courtesy light still in place (now removed and bench tested). On removing the headlining there was a little rot in the wood framing around the rear windows but that is the only place. There was also a lovely bit of automobilia in the shape of a chalked word 'BLUE' under the headlining. Obviously a production line instruction probably for the interior colour.








The dashboard was filthy when I dismantled it but I am really pleased with the way the dials have cleaned up. The speedo has a mechanical clock fitted as well which will need a service/repair as it seems to be jammed at the moment. The triple gauge for oil pressure, fuel and current is good and has also cleaned up well. the worst part of the dash is the combined Lucas PLC6 ignition and lighting switch. Its a bit scratched up and the keyway is broken. However, I have a locking door handle key that seems to work in it. i may try and find a replacement switch though in better condition. The other switches (starter button, and accessory points) also cleaned up well and seem to be functioning properly. Generally though I am pleased at the overall condition of these parts.









That will have to be it for now as I have to go to work, but I will post some more pics soon and hopefully will be able to announce body/chassis separation soon.

Regards

Steve F.

Brilliant write up really interesting!!

Looks like you are doing a good job too.

~Lee

Thanks Lee

Hopefully I'll be getting on with the big stuff soon. The plan is to work on the chassis first, including brakes, suspension and fuel system. Should be plenty to write about then!!

Regards

Steve F.

Hi All

Back again with a bit more of an update.

I've been sorting out my workshop over the bank holiday weekend but did get a chance for a brief look at some of the motors on show at Herne Bay. Nice to meet you Lee and see some of the other metal on show. I've also been getting my hands dirty on the Austin and I have finally got the remaining two doors off. I just needed to spend a bit of time drilling out the stubborn screws that were well and truly rusted in. As usual, one thing led to another and I spent the rest of the afternoon underneath the old girl (the car that is!!) removing the remaining body to chassis fixings. Amazingly these were all relatively easy to release so they were taken right out and photos of their relative positions taken for reassembly - whenever that might be!

Much eye popping and muscle straining followed as I attempted to see if there was any free movement of the body away from the chassis. Just a little movement could be achieved so it was back underneath again for another look. I didn't realise until this weekend that there was a wooden bracing piece across the entire width of the car. I haven't worked out its function yet but it appears solid without rot, although a little dry. Anyway, while I was under the car again I could get a good view of the chassis and I am still very encouraged by what I saw. It really does seem to just be suffering from surface rust. I hope I'm not going to live to regret that optimism. I could also see that the running board supports that were still fitted to the car had two inner fixings to the chassis and the outer one fitted to the body. Clearly this was why I couldn't move it!!
Once I removed these few bolts it was game on. A good tug at each corner and it is clearly now free from the chassis. Hurrah!

Next step is to make a working platform for the body which I am intending making out of two wooden pallets which I will 'skin' with some ply wood or similar. The chassis will then come out to be the first major part of the structure to receive attention.

Meanwhile, the engine is now resting in the workshop on its own pallet and I have added a couple of pics of the engine for you to see. The second pic seems to have rotated itself through 90 degrees and I haven't worked out yet how to correct this. Sorry for any neck strain caused as a result





I have also added a picture of the gearbox and a spare. The spare will only be useful for its internal parts as the bell-housing has corroded quite badly. Any spare parts can always be useful though especially on a car of this age. I have also added another pic of some of the parts stacked up in the workshop. I love the radiator grille and the wing that you can see upside down is one of the gorgeous curvy front wings. i'll show you some pics of these sunny side up soon.





Ok, that's it for now. Hopefully I'll get another update in shortly but I will going away soon in the caravan. I've arranged the first stop near the New Forest just up the road from Beaulieu, which just happens to be having its Spring Autojumble that day! Guess where I will be going!

Best wishes

Steve F.

Hi again

Sorry for the break in my updates but I was away on holiday with the caravan. We picked a good couple of weeks with superb weather and a good opportunity to get to a few car shows.

The Beaulieu Spring Autojumble was the first trip and was pretty good, although not as big as the Autumn one. Nevertheless, I still managed to pick up a few bargain bits for the Austin - a replacement ignition/lighting switch as mine was well worn, a chrome finisher for the front bumper to replace my broken one, a hub puller which is a vital tool for these cars and a couple of other bits too. While we were away we went to the Morgan factory in Malvern - well worth a visit with some fantastic machinery and a good museum and factory tour too.

Since I have been back I have bitten the bullet and started on the major work on the Austin. The first job was to get the body and chassis separated. That was fun! My son and I lifted the body off the chassis between us but it was about the limit of our available strength to do so and we should really have enlisted more help. The body is now sitting on a home made dolly in the garage.





We then tried lifting the chassis as it stood because it needed to be tipped on its side to go through the back garden gate to its temporary home at the back of my workshop where I could work on it. There was no way on earth we were ever going to achieve that lift on our own so we spent an hour or so removing some significant parts - propshaft, fuel tank, running board mountings, battery boxes, wheels and last, but not least, the rear springs and axle assembly. With the assistance of my step-son we managed to lift it round to its new resting place where I reinstalled the two front wheels and propped the back on axle stands. I can now move it around by myself like a (heavy) wheelbarrow see pic beow( anyone know how to turn photos through 90 degrees on this hosting application?)



By stripping various parts off the chassis, I had the chance to look more closely at any areas needing repair and I am still very pleased with what I have seen. It really is mostly surface rust. There is one slightly suspect hole about fingernail size at the rear offside corner of the back rail (just visible in the garden pic if you know where to look) but even that doesn't seem to be corroded - it just seems to be an irregular shaped hole where one is not needed. One of the battery boxes has a bit of corrosion around the lip on one side but that won't present too much of a problem for a future date.

My plan is to use Rustbuster Epoxy Mastic on the chassis to give it a factory black finish with modern day rust protection. Basically there is a lot of rubbing down and grinding to do followed by rust treatment and then the epoxy mastic. Has anyone used this stuff before? It gets a good write up in Practical Classics (long term test) and Classics Monthly. I have also ordered their fuel tank cleaning, sealing and exterior treatment pack and will probably start with that to get used to the products and evaluate the finish. Then I think I will tackle the rear suspension and axle/brakes etc as it is a sub-unit in the garage. I think this will then give me the momentum to crack on with the chassis.



I haven't checked the hub bearings etc yet on the rear axle but will start that as a first step when I next get some quality time on the car. When I get odd moments, I am still working my way through some of the smaller items. Before I went away I took the speedo into a clock repairers in Whitstable for an estimate to repair the non-working analogue clock. They informed me there was something wrong with the winding mechanism - funny that, as that's why I took it in for them to look at!! They could repair it for approx £130!! I will look at other options for that - any suggestions? I also found, on e-bay a Ripaults Bonnet Catch that matched mine. I am missing two of these so that is a good find especially at a winning bid of £2.71 + postage. I thought I was going to have to rechrome my bonnet catches but I have polished one up and been pleased with the result. You can see from the pics below how it has come up compared to the other one which still needs to be fettled. With some nice new screws they should give just the right appearance of originality that I hope to achieve. Has anyone got another similar bonnet catch as I still need one more?





Ok, that's enough for now. I have to go to work in an hour or so which means I will not be able to come to tonights meeting - that's two I have missed through shift work!! I really do hope to get to one of the meets soon to catch up with some of you and see your cars. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me via this forum with any observations, suggestions, technical help or anything else. I'll post another update shortly, hopefully with some progress on some of the more major stuff.

Best wishes

Steve F.

Hi All

Sorry there's been another break since my last update. I have been decorating like a maniac but that's now finished and I can, once more, get on with the Austin.

I left you last time with the body and chassis separated and a sub unit comprising rear axle, springs and dampers in the garage as the first piece of work. I removed the brake drums which were in good condition with no scoring to speak of. However, the rear hub seals on these cars are leather ones and have a habit of perishing with age allowing an oily mist to spray around the inside of the drum. Not very helpful in a braking system! You can see from the pic below that mine were like this. I will therefore be replacing these with an improved version produced by the Austin Ten Drivers Club (ATDC).



First job was to get the hub off. The hub nut itself was no problem, but then I found the hub puller bargain I bought at Beaulieu wasn't the right size despite being sold as being for an Austin 12. Still, it was only £5 when they normally sell for £35. Instead, I hired one from the ATDC and the hubs were both removed after a bit of persuasion. I then dismantled the brake actuators, which are a really simple yet clever design involving a tapered plunger pulled by a rod which expands the brake shoes. The shoes themselves were worse on the offside than the nearside and both will need relining. That will be a new experience as I have never relined brakes before. I am told it is quite straightforward, just hammer the rivets over in a vice with a suitable drift.





Next job was to remove the brake back plate, the leaf spring and shock absorber. The leaf spring looked quite rusty but, once more, it was just surface rust which cleaned off pretty well with a combination of flap-discs in a 4" grinder and a selection of wire brushes. I then had to work out a way of pressing out the Silentbloc (Metalastik) bushes at each end of the spring. A suitable bolt and some appropriately sized sockets did the trick and the two bushes are now out and although I have seen worse, they could do with replacement. I think they're about £8 each from the ATDC so it would be stupid not to replace at that price.

I then removed the shock absorber which is an Armstrong Lever Arm version at the rear. There is a short connecting link between the shock absorber and the rear axle so this was removed and the two rubber bushes pressed out in a similar way to the Silentbloc ones.The damper itself is still full of oil and seems to have very strong resistance to movement in its operation. I am happy that this can be cleaned up and reused as it is although I may well change the oil just for thoroughness.

I cleaned up the back plate in the in the blast cabinet and finished off with a light wire brushing and that has come up well. The bext job was therefore to treat all of these components for future rust before they are chassis blacked. I decided to use a Dinitrol Rust converter product which leaves a black residual coating which can be overpainted with the chassis black. The next pics show some of these components on the bench rust treated and ready for chassis black and also the bushes and a perished rubber boot from the brake back plate.











Next job will be to get the chassis black on these parts before I start on the other side and then onto the axle casing and brake rods. I want to replace all the Clevis pins and felt washers on the brake rod system as any wear in these reduces the efficiency of the braking system. I am hoping to pick up some of these parts this weekend at the ATDC National Rally which is in Basingstoke, Hants. Hopefully, I will get a bit of work going on the Austin now the decorating is done. I think once I start to see some of these major components looking as good as new again.

I will keep you updated on progress and hope to do so a bit more regularly.

Kind regards

Steve F.

Looking good steve! Is that dinitrol stuff any good? Its good to see that most of the old parts are still there and only in need if a clean up.

Tom

Hi Tom
Thanks for taking the time to read my updates. I am currently away at the Austin Ten Drivers Club National rally getting soaking wet but picking up loads of tips and a few spares parts. The Dinitrol seems to be doing a good job but it is the first time I have ever used it. To be honest it is a bit belt and braces as I am overprinting with Rustbuster Epoxy Mastic which is can be painted over anything and forms an impregnable shell - apparently! Still, it gets a good write up in the Classics monthly long term test so I'm hoping for good things.

More updates to follow soon.

Kind regards

Steve F.

Sorry about the spelling in the update above. Must be the red wine!

Steve F.

Steve

If you have trouble scourcing bushes try these people

I used them to replace the bushes on the DLM,

I phoned them and they were very helpful, and quick, I gave them the dimensions and got them off the shelf.

http://www.ukaftermarket.com/rubber-metal-bushes.php?a=uk

Hi

Thanks for the tip. I'll certainly have a look at what they offer. The club do sell the bushes I need for this job but it's always good to shop around and have other options.

Regards

Steve F.

Hi all
Sorry for the delay in posting the latest update, always seem to be so busy! Anyway, I have managed to find some time to do some more work on the Austin recently.

I have been very pleased with the finish the Dinitrol Rust Converter left and have recently mixed up the two-pack Epoxy Rust Buster Chassis Paint. I have painted the nearside spring and hangers, the brake drum and back plate, shock absorber arm and drop-link. Generally fairly pleased with the results although I think I might be a bit more generous with the thinners next time to get a better finish. The brake drum has dried better than it appears in the picture but its all a learning curve!!



You will also see at the back of this picture a semaphore indicator which I have spent some time cleaning up and bench tested. It now works fine with a nice bright light and good positive action. I have also recently blast cleaned the painted and crusty cover and it has come up nice and clean albeit slightly pitted. I will not rush into getting these re-chromed though - which I think they will do as the pitting is only slight - as I would rather find some replacements, possibly at Beaulieu in September. It is likely this would be cheaper than re-chroming and preserve greater originality.

The main part of my work recently has been on the rear axle casing which has now been fully rubbed down and treated with Dinitrol. It is already looking 10 times better than before. This will now need the Chassis Paint treatment so I would like to get the mixture thinned down to the right consistency for this as its such a major part. I have found the casing stamp and it appears to be rear axle number 872 and is date stamped 24/2/38 which fits with the date of first registration on 24/03/1938





Before I treated the casing to Dinitrol I had to decide what to do with the pinion seal. There was some evidence of a very, very minor fluid weep from the joint here. However, it was so minor I felt that to open it up might prove to be counter-productive and could have made matters worse. I therefore knocked back the tab washers and tightens each of the nuts by 1/4 to 1/2 a turn and re-secured them with the tab washers. I hope this will prove to be the right move as it really didn't seem to warrant further intrusion.







I feel that the axle casing has progressed well and is starting to look good now. The chassis black should finish it off well. I have also been busy with the blast cabinet cleaning up some of the nearside brake parts, some of the running board supports and the D-lights from the rear number plate. I'll save pics of these for the next update but I am still generally pleased with the progress so far. I'd always like to spend more time than I have on the project but its a good release from other stresses and strains of life.

I'll post another update soon but for now, as ever, any observations, comments, hints or advice always welcome.

Kind regards

Steve F.

Really great work as always, this is going to be brilliant once on the road!!

~Lee

I only have one observation and comment.







Brilliant

Great work!

The car looks so simple to work on, am really tempted by getting something older when I finish off all my other toys. . . . . one day!

Bring on Beaulieu, I am drawing up my shopping list already!

HI Steve,

Been watching your posts. I would love to come and see your car and I may be able to offer you some advice. I was on the ATDC Managment committe as membership secretary and I edited the magazine for a couple of months at the begining of the year. My car was on the cover of the April 2012 mag. I introduced the new membership cards. However I resigned on the 1st. August I didnt agree with how the new chairman is running things, more on this in the September Mag.

My Cambridge is now fully completed I rebuilt the engine myself over this last Christmas and I have done over 1200 miles since. Went to the ATDC National Rally at Basingstoke last month. 5 hours each way staying off the motorways about 280 miles round trip.

Keep up the good work and the posts and hope to meet you soon with my car.

Steve

Further to my last there is an ATDC member in Birchington who is rebuilding a 1936 Eaton and his is very much in the same state as yours. He is taking the body off the chassis this weekend.

Hi Tom

Thanks for your post. You are right, the mechanics are so simple - I was amazed at the simplicity of the braking system, not a hydraulic in sight! I find it really relaxing to spend time working on the old girl (the car that is!) and I get a great deal of satisfaction out of making something 74 years old work again. I would recommend it to anyone!

Regards

Steve F.

Hi Lottie10

Good to hear from you too. I had seen your car on this website and was hoping I'd get the chance to catch up with you some time. It would be really great if you were able to come and see my car. We have been trying to decide on a suitable name for her for some time and my wife has come up with the perfect suggestion today. We are going to call her Audrey, after Audrey Hepburn. I have always been an enthusiastic amateur rather than being in the fortunate position of possessing any engineering skills. However,mi have had a deep interest in classic cars since I started in driving in the late 70's. I have always wanted to restore a prewar car and now I have the opportunity, I am determined that I will succeed. I am always short of time to do the work I want to do but I will get there eventually. I am finishing off the electrics to my workshop tomorrow (Sunday) so will be available all day if you wanted to pop round - I am in Margate. Alternatively, I shall be working on Audrey on Monday if you are available then. If you would like to come round then please email me your phone number on s.fennell@hotmail.co.uk and I will call you to arrange something.

Kind regards

Steve F.