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Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Robert Hauge
I recognize the engine, but what is the bellhousing and gearbox?


The gearbox is a Toyota T50 5 speed. A company used to make bell housings to match A series to Toyota (various combinations) when it became difficult to get A series gearboxes and spares (for Morris Minor/Spridget owners).
My version is 1275 A+ to T50 box (from Carina about 1980). 20 spline output shaft.

BUT BUT BUT The gearbox is now obsolete and unobtainable and spares unobtainable as is the normal trend with wretched modern vehicles Just hope that my scrapper sourced one is ok as have not used it so far.....although just got another which is said to be good (from an enthusiast from a scrapped A H Sprite)
I believe there is an American firm doing repair kits still but not yet looked into what they do (syncros/bearings etc??)

I have been running on 155 x 15 inch rear wheels and hence the 5th, overdrive, will hopefully give lower revs cruising.
And 125/135 x 15 front (long live the 2CV!)
I have used the standard 19 inch in the past in MCC trials. Avon sidecar tyres are like miniature blocked trials tyres!
I have also a set of 16 inch wheels but in past it was impossible to find sensible priced/sized tyres for that size.

The clutch will now be hydraulic using Mini master cyl and Sprite slave.

The sump that you see modified was to allow the engine to sit at the right height and between the chassis side rails and be slightly offset to the nearside so the slave on the bellhousing cleared the offside chassis rail.

For those having apoplectic fit over the buchery of a Nippy; this was the remains of a written off wreck which was just going to be used for spare bits.......as I hate throwing things away I got another chassis and straightened out the bodywork and turned it into a special with, at first, a 948 A series that would cruise long distance safely without stress and take my 2 large suitcases...1 in boot and 1 in passenger seat area with seat removed - spare wheel lives on outside of boot lid. Piston rings broke hence replacement 1275 A+ now fitted.

The bodywork cutaway was not done just so there was a good view of the fitting!!! It was all very rusty and pannels falling to bits...all now repaired.
Even with the wide gearbox encroaching there is enough foot space and there is also room for the 2 speed fan heater I have fitted above the box. The bodywork had, anyway, been been chopped around roughly in that floor/bulkhead area.
The only hole in the floor is now for the steering column and that will have rubber grommet round it to keep out drafts.......well I am getting old so don't like the cold.

Dennis

Location: NW Devon

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

The photos on here are all just links. Just a special kind of link to tell the forum software it's an image. They don't have to be on photobucket, they just need to be online.

If you can get the address of the image (on Windows in the Chrome browser right click and select 'copy image address') and then past that into a new browser tab to see the image you can post the link here.

When you add it in here you just put \[img\] before and \[/img\] after the link like this.

\[img\]http://austinharris.co.uk/sites/austinharris.co.uk/files/styles/fullsize_lat/public/Shelsley-1928-Riley.jpg?itok=BRIwqjFK\[/img\]

That then displays this:

It's a problem with modern software that they keep changing the design so any instructions are quickly out of date. When I was in software we used to joke that was the fault of the UI (user interface) designers. People then cottoned onto the fact that UI people would often change things for the sake of change so they then changed their own name to be UX (user experience) to try to hide this fact!

This is also why stuff becomes obsolete so quickly now. The software allows changes to be made so fast so everything changes. You don't now get a gearbox designed 50 years ago with little change. You get one slightly different every time they update the cars.

Worse are cars with software in them (pretty much every car designed today). That will be un-maintainable in years to come. The software is all what we call 'closed source'. So only the manufacturers know how it works. And they don't like to say (especially VW!).

It is getting even worse. With all the messed up copyright laws (see the DMCA) it is illegal in some places to even try to work out how the software works. See the John Deere tractors issue to learn about this (http://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/).

Electric cars will make this even worse since they are all controlled by software.

Personally I don't trust any car with a computer in it and will stick to my old, purely mechanical ones!

Simon

Location: Wellington

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Dennis. How have you got on with the rear brake shoe issue?

Looking at the photos, I wondered if you had thought about stiffening the chassis by making the engine more of a structural component since it isn't as likely to crack as a 7 engine block.

Location: Cardiff

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Rob Thomas
Dennis. How have you got on with the rear brake shoe issue?

Looking at the photos, I wondered if you had thought about stiffening the chassis by making the engine more of a structural component since it isn't as likely to crack as a 7 engine block.


Rob
I am still mystified. Have spoken to ESM Morris Minors workshop who's Steve was very patient and helpful, but he was equally mystified. It seems like only possibility is shoe length. He is kindly including in my parcel of small bits some adjusters from the 8 inch system of the later minors to see if they will fit and give greater outward spacing of the shoes. I am also waiting delivery of new QH shoes and new cylinders all round. (by the way avoid UPS if you can ....see some of their reviews on various sites....delivery tomorrow????)

The flexy chassis actually acts as part of the suspension system, so I believe. It was talked about somewhere a long time ago....Bill Williams? or some such other developer. Under the subject such as boxing/stiffening the chassis this led to even more considerations and work/modifications having to be done.
My first Nippy EJ 4322 did have a Bowden Parallel twin front spring IFS......what a wonderful difference that made over the standard set up.
The front axle by the way is Big 7 with its larger king pins (better able to resist being broken than the ordinary 7).
I actually visited Bowden Engineering in Ottery St Mary Devon many years ago. Small local firm. They gave me photos of their "drawings" of the system and gave permission to pass on copies to anyone that wanted them.
I must get round to sending copies to the archive if they want them?

Location: NW Devon

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Dennis - just noticed the Nippy remains! Out of interest, have you got any memory of things like the body number stamp on transmission tunnel (or indeed scrapped chassis number) from it, as its all useful for records despite being "gone"!

It also has interesting folding screen conversion on (does it look converted?) that would be interesting to have pics of for the Nippy/65 archive...

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Simon
Not sure how i will get my pictures "on line".
Main computer with all pictures I have is using XP and I use firefox as browser.
The other is laptop Apple MacBook Air using Apple OSx and their browser " SAFARI.
I have become very disillusioned with MS and their windows.....a typical con to get your cash every time you upgrade the Operating System and even then no guarantee it works properly according to many I have spoken to.
The Apple Operating System gets upgraded FREE of charge as it comes out and I am now on about the third upgrade.
Obviously the drawback is learning the different terminology and way of doing things.......I am getting there! I wish I had started out with Apple in the beginning.

Agree with your thoughts on electronically controlled cars and fixing difficulties.
I have a lifetime as electronics engineer at sea in communications and all other electronic ship equipment including a large range of military electronics and am used to fault finding down to component level (resistors/capacitors/valves....then transistors....then chips and finally just boxes) Many very expensive equipments had built in fault indicating circuits..........they were not very good and to cure them most faults required deep knowledge of how it worked and the circuit info..diagrams and makers explanation. When even the car manufacturers sometimes can't cure their own fault what hope is there for the rest of us??
Good thing is that modern cars are so relatively cheep and you do not really have to lavish too much care and attention on them because they are not going to be long term and just lose their value whatever you do. ....future maintenance....not possible as spares are removed once car deemed obsolete.
As to automatic driverless cars, I shudder at the thought. I believe that the "they are safer than human drivers" statement just accepts that there are going to be lives lost due to electronic faults and- tough on the victims.
My Skoda Yeti at 34,000 miles with 1.2 (VW) engine has just had a new engine (paid for by Skoda UK (and probably VW) due to a timing chain too week design fault 2009 to 2012....kept quiet by them..... so stretch and slip on cogs so trashed internals....I am glad I was not doing 70 on the motorway with potential lock up and disaster that could have caused.

Is there really no little program that can be added to this website so we can just "attach" a photo/file the way you can on an email......i.e. click on " attach" then browse your computer or wherever, select item and click open or what ever the instruction is and bingo it is attached and often even appears in full before you send.

Dennis

Location: NW Devon

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

JonE
Dennis - just noticed the Nippy remains! Out of interest, have you got any memory of things like the body number stamp on transmission tunnel (or indeed scrapped chassis number) from it, as its all useful for records despite being "gone"!

It also has interesting folding screen conversion on (does it look converted?) that would be interesting to have pics of for the Nippy/65 archive...


How do I get to see the Nippy/65 archive?
ATR 860 is the Nippy I am working on and think you may already have the details. I seem to remember I was unable to find any numbers on the prop tunnel.
The fold flat screen looks professionally made and the quadrents are grafted to each of top and bottom pillars by halving the thickness and pinning and I imagine brazing.....I have had mine rechromed and construction was easy to see. Chriss Goulds Guide to the 65 and Nippy shows a picture except mine is the later type which has a recessed slot and as described the pivot tightening knob locks into square sided counter sinks at each end (as opposed to tapered countersinks. The knobs were missing and just grotty bolts used........I have been unable to source good proportioned butterfly bolts so am using the cross handle water taps turned down to fit.....these are from small sink taps but I have only managed to find one so far and need another to make a pair....ANYONE HAVE ONE IN THEIR JUNK BOXES????
I do have another with the little plastic red disc in the top middle indicating hot water tap, but would like a solid without disc to match the first one. Otherwise I will have to put the red one on the nearside (red - port - left for the seafarers amongst us!).
Dennis

Location: NW Devon

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Hi Dennis, as far as I know there is nothing like you suggest for this forum to add pictures. It only accepts links to them.

I am not sure the best way for you to get your photos online using a Mac. I am an Windows person so I have no idea when it comes to Apple software! I am not sure if there is a standard Apple online photo storage app but someone on here might know?

The software in autonomous cars will be interesting to say the least. My background is in software and software testing and I wouldn't want anything to do with them!

Simon

Location: Wellington

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Dennis Nicholas
JonE
Dennis - just noticed the Nippy remains! Out of interest, have you got any memory of things like the body number stamp on transmission tunnel (or indeed scrapped chassis number) from it, as its all useful for records despite being "gone"!

It also has interesting folding screen conversion on (does it look converted?) that would be interesting to have pics of for the Nippy/65 archive...


How do I get to see the Nippy/65 archive?
ATR 860 is the Nippy I am working on and think you may already have the details. I seem to remember I was unable to find any numbers on the prop tunnel.


That is interesting as its very late. I'm presuming that it was scrapped but that the body and bits continue to be used on a different plate? I'll email you.
The reigster page for Nippies is http://aus7in.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/photo-register-of-austin-nippy-sports/

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Hi Dennis,

I'm a long term Apple Mac user - since the mid 1980's and have no problem posting photos to this site. You need to follow the instructions described in the second topic down on the index page - "Posting photos on the Forum".

I simply upload photos from my Mac to my Photobucket album then choosing 'SHARE', copy & paste the image link onto this site remembering to change both sets of IMG caps to lower case img

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Re: NEW DEVELOPMENT AUSTIN

Jeff - thanks for thatinfo. Will email you separately to save cluttering up this thread.

Location: NW Devon