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Re: Factory Ledgers

someone recently was claiming to have Austin factory records for all Sevens made. He has not been forthcoming with the information despite numerous requests, however.

Location: Herefordshire

Re: Factory Ledgers

This link shows the details they hold, at the top of the document.

Location: Hampshire

Re: Factory Ledgers

Possibly this will form part of the long promised available information from the A7CA after the recent devastating flood.

I was upset to read in the recent A7CA minutes that the original drawings from Stanley Edge were thought damaged beyond repair.

Waiting patiently and watching the website for details.

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne.

Re: Factory Ledgers

Yes. as Dave says there is someone in Kent who has a full set of records , but despite many requests fails to come up with them .He has a web site called tickingtappets .His name is Wayne possible surname of Kerr

Location: Dorchester

Re: Factory Ledgers

Nigel was in Brittany
Yes. as Dave says there is someone in Kent who has a full set of records , but despite many requests fails to come up with them .He has a web site called tickingtappets .His name is Wayne possible surname of Kerr


It's Wayne Horn, he's in Dover, seems a nice chap!

Location: Saltdean, Brighton

Re: Factory Ledgers

Douglas,
At present I am unable to advise a firm date for this new booklet. I am hopeful that we will know something by mid January next.

Chris

Location: Melton Mowbray

Re: Factory Ledgers

It will be worth keeping an eye on this page in the very near future as well:

http://a7ca.org/austin-seven/archives/archive-project/

Re: Factory Ledgers

It is really a shame that all the records cannot be fully collected,preserved and made available to all. Do we have any updates as to the progress with the A7CA archives?

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester.

Re: Factory Ledgers

Peter,
As R. has mentioned above, keep an eye on the Association website. Progress is being made on the preservation etc of our archives with two meetings already held by interested parties. Minutes of these meetings will be posted on the website and a note posted on Friends' advising of the fact. These will give everyone an up to date account of progress.

Chris Garner. VC - A7CA.

Location: Melton Mowbray

Re: Factory Ledgers

Thanks for the information Chris.
It seems to me that the information regarding this "progress" is never forthcoming without someone having to nudge the A7CA into action.
I am not really interested in how many meetings there are or in fact what was said by whom,all that I and many others less vocal want is action and communication that the process of collating preserving digitising and safe secure storage for the benefit of future interested parties is being dealt with in a professional way.
It is now nine months since the flood,I hope that by the first anniversary the work will be well on the way to completion.

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester.

Re: Factory Ledgers

Peter,

I am somewhat saddened by your remarks but rest assured progress is being made.

Chris

Location: Melton Mowbray

Re: Factory Ledgers

Chris, (as A7CA Vice Chair)

I am sorry you are saddened but consider the A7 club members.
They hear of the flood quite a long time after the event with little information of what has been damaged or lost.
It is finally agreed that a plan is made for cataloging, scanning & saving.
No information is forthcoming as to any progress.
Minutes of meetings are late and inaccurate.
The association website says: news very soon - weeks ago - nothing appears!
The ledgers are to be made into a booklet - good - but is the information going to be entered into a database that can be accessed by date, chassis, engine or part? More information by January next, hopefully Jan 2016?
On another front we had a representative at the DVLA meeting but we do not get to hear anything from our club until an appendix in minutes months later?
We got more information from other clubs.

"..rest assured" is exactly what we are not.

Please give us accurate and timely information so we know what is happening be it good or bad news.

This is not meant to upset people but to make the Association think of the many A7 people who want information. Without good information, rumours and anger will flourish.

That is my opinion.

Location: Hampshire

Re: Factory Ledgers

David and Peter,
Instead of criticism and complaint, try these words instead. " CAN I HELP"

Re: Factory Ledgers

New to A7's, well over a year now. I can appreciate the difficulty in looking after, providing access to historical information that the club has with out being inundated with requests. I am not aware of how long the discussion re the records has been going on for but have read a number of posts on the subject.

I would be happy to help, not sure how or who to contact but if the records are being put in a database would be happy to input data if this helps.

I did not know the minutes where on the web site, do now and will start reading.

Location: Dorset

Re: Factory Ledgers

Alan et al , Yes if I had the knowledge as to how to accomplish the work involved and lived within a reasonable distance to Gayden ,I would be only too willing to offer assistance.However for the same reason I don't give help at Addenbrookes Heart Unit either.
As I understand it, the A7CA "OFFICERS" were given full authority to employ a professional body to carry out the work,after all the funds are in the coffers, Have they done so? don't know. All I and others want to know is WHAT IS HAPPENING. Are there problems,is it progressing,do they care? I know this seems a bit of a rant, but if I had run my business with the communication to my customers like this I would have had few in nine months.
I will keep my eyes on the sites as linked above with great interest,but don't be surprised if I and other members of associated clubs raise the subject again.

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester.

Re: Factory Ledgers

How long have the technical drawings been on the A7CA website, not spotted them before? The photos are interesting as well are there more to be added?

Location: Dorset

Re: Factory Ledgers

Douglas
How long have the technical drawings been on the A7CA website, not spotted them before? The photos are interesting as well are there more to be added?


These drawings were scanned a good number of years ago and a copy held on file by the Association, I was Editor at the time and made a copy of the CD on my PC - this was subsequently lost when the hard drive died soon after (I now have copious back ups of my data). Earlier this year I was able to revive the dead hard drive and recover thousands of images I had on it including the A7CA drawings (and the photos you saw) which I immediately shared and Chris Charles was then able to upload onto the A7CA Website for all to see. Since then the original copy of the CD has been "found" and is being looked at by Nick Beck with a view to news scans being made with updated technology.

There are more drawings and also brochures, handbooks, trophies, spare parts list and possibly photos etc. that will be catalogued and scanned for sharing.

With regards to the other comments I have sympathies for volunteers but I think communication is key to any organisation working properly and I also know that offers of help have not been taken up to expedite the process.

I am glad to see a step-change in the way this project is now being handled however and this will be very evident in the soon to be published information

Re: Factory Ledgers

I'm willing to help in any way I can if needed.

Reading about Ruairidh's hard drive saga, and for those who have suffered such failures, and given up on recovering valuable data, may I suggest the use of, or at least looking at, Spinrite.
All the reviews point to it being the 'B all and end all' in hard drive recovery software.

I am just waiting for Steve Gibson to update the software to cater for the Mac, something he is about to start on with luck, it being for Windows only so far,
No connection with S.Gibson, but I SHALL be buying Spinrite when it works with OS10,

Geoff - It's flipping well snowing, and the first time I can remember for this time of year!

Location: South Norfolk - Next to Suffolk

Re: Factory Ledgers

Hello Sevenners,

This will be the first time I have tried this as I am deeply distrustful of facebook/twitter etc after the 2 recent murders of children/teenagers as a result of internet contact. That's got the serious bit done.

FACTORY LEDGERS:
Only 4 bound ledgers were saved from the skip in the 1960/70s (God bless skip-rats, without them some of our history would not be preserved today)

MARCH-JUNE 1929 Car Nos A8.... Chassis 77535-87433
JUNE-DEC 1929 Car Nos A9.... Chassis 87434-97332
gap Car Nos B....
APRIL-OCT 1930 Car Nos B1.... Chassis 107228-117126
gap Car Nos B2....
JAN-JUNE 1931 Car Nos B3.... Chassis 127026-136924
Please do not ask for ANY other records-there are none.

These 4 ledgers hand-script FULL build data, numbers, dates, colour, trim and sometimes extra order notes, for example UNASSEMBLED FOR EXPORT which is where we located an Australian engine a couple of years ago to give the current owner the correct chassis. And numbered engines changed on the assembly line!

If you wish to look personally through the ledgers you have to make an appointment with Heritage Motor Centre Archives, give about 7-14 days notice and they get one volume out at a time on the day, then ask for the next (all 4 is considered too risky) I found Derek Tew one of their p/t assistants particularly helpful. Pencils only must be taken in to transpose info. Photos are not allowed.
If you cannot make a weekday and they are not open Weekends, a post/ email request for search info would I think cost about £40.
Dave Martin for the a7ca archives has now studied ALL FOUR volumes for researching towards the promised:

LIST OF PRODUCTION CHANGES that has been collated from the hundreds of handwritten cards and next needs marrying with about 47 AMCo Illustrated Parts Lists sometimes/sometimes not showing subtle changes. These cards were used partly by Bob Wyatt to write his Motor for the Million in the late 1960s and have been kindly donated to us last year. a7ca Editor Ed Waugh is looking into marrying the illustrations now he has got his own bit of marrying done!
Then its production costs and distribution. It will be a nut and bolt counters delight!

ARCHIVE FLOOD DAMAGE...that will be described more fully, but not in this script.

Re: Factory Ledgers

Phil

Thanks for this I have been in touch with the Heritage centre but they are now closed from the end of Nov to Feb due to the works they are having done. So ledgers not available to see but they will still do the certificate. I believe there is an image of the ledger on another thread.

Image of ledger I believe on this thread quite a long way down.

http://pub25.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2099944454&frmid=5&msgid=889203&cmd=show

Location: Dorset

Re: Factory Ledgers

Phil,

"These 4 ledgers hand-script FULL build data, numbers, dates, colour, trim and sometimes extra order notes, for example UNASSEMBLED FOR EXPORT which is where we located an Australian engine a couple of years ago to give the current owner the correct chassis. And numbered engines changed on the assembly line!"

This search you kindly did for a Club member in Victoria who now owns the chassis of my very first Austin Seven from 1955.

Early this year, after I emailed the Heritage Motor Centre, their very helpful Derek Tew did a similar Chassis number check for my 1929 saloon where I had the original engine number and Australian sale date - which cost me only £6.

As you say- thank goodness for those with the foresight to collect old paperwork.

A great service.

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne.