Hi folks i have recently got an Austin seven APD 1936 and plan to do a full engine gearbox overhaul during the winter months however I do want to use it as much as possible during the summer months But I would like to cure the bad oil leak that is coming out of the crank handle tube . Can this be sorted without removing the engine etc .
One more question how do you check the steering alinenment as it has a very deffinate oversteer and I am not sure if this the norm
Cheer Mike

James asked: ... it has a very deffinate oversteer and I am not sure if this the norm ...

Really James, didn't you talk to ANY Austin Seven owners before you bought the car? Virtually all standard A7s have a definite oversteer, even when going straight ahead. It is caused partly by the curved set of the back springs; the weight transference when going round a corner causes the spring on the inside of the corner to bend a bit more and vice versa; this has the effect of rear-end steering. This also happens when one of the back wheels hits a bump or a pothole, hence the oversteer when travelling in a straight line. The way that the front axle is located, i.e. with nothing to stop a (limited) movement from side to side also contributes to a certain vagueness in the steering.

However, Don't Panic! With time & practice you will master the technique required to conduct the little beast in something that approximates to a straight line, and you will wonder what you were worrying about.

Nil desperandum,

David

DAVE THANKS FOR THE REPLY NO i WENT INTO SEVEN OWNERSHIP EYES SHUT HOWEVER I AM REALY ENJOYING IT
PERHAPS I WILL HAVE TO TRY AND HAVE A DRIVE IN OTHER SEVENS TO COMPARE ! ANYONE NEAR BRISTOL !
ANY CLUES ABOUT HE OIL LEAK IS THAT SIMPLE OR WHAT

Mike (sorry for calling you James)

Welcome to the hobby - you will have years of fun & frustration...

Anyone near Bristol!

You're joking?? The Bristol Austin Seven Club is one of the biggest and most active in the country. Perhaps you could do some research before asking questions! Googling "Austin Seven" will keep you occupied for a quite some time. Please come back and ask some more questions after that! Go to the BA7C's next meeting and talk to people there - they are a very friend;y crowd and you will find a lot of answers.

Good luck,

David

Thanks Dave that was the first thing that i did was to join the Bristol club but just found this site seems a good place to ask questions
mike

Michael

You came into the A7 fraternity 'eyes shut'....

Perfect, that's they many owners have managed to survive.

You will find after a modern car, you need to be much more aware of the steering, no long looks to the side at ladies passing by, you will find the car has wandered further than your imagination. The other thing you will find yourself doing is looking in the rear view mirror(s) a lot more for those silly pratts trying to pass you with no room, or of course the other type who seem to stay behind you when there's all the room in the world to get by.

Welcome to A7 ownership, it is a great hobby and the Bristol Club is a good one to belong to, plenty of activity out and about, and plenty of advice.

This Forums a good place for the odd/even query too!

Algie

G'day Mike, from Tasmania, Australia.

Welcome to the world of Austineering.

Just in case you aren't aware of it, one Geoffrey Redman runs an excellent Web Site "Seven Links" which while it does not quite have every A7 Resource listed, it goes close.

Available at:

http://www.nazard.co.uk/7links/index.html

I an sorry that I am not computer literate enough to put that in as a hyperlink.

The Bristol A7 Club seems to be an active lot, and, if their Web Site is any indication, they have some pretty clued up people in their midst.

I really would advise you to enlist the assistance of a Club Member to give you an assessment of you oil leak worries, at least as a starting point.

Great thing about A7's is that bits are available, and, particularly if you like having a bit of a dip at your own repairs, are user friendly.

Someone who has a little bit of experience with the breed should also be able to give you some guidance as to just how good, or bad your mechanicals really are, and maybe suggest local specialists.


You will find this site to be a good medium. I have played with A7's since about 1960, and I am still learning, and read the various posts with great interest.

I really hope you enjoy your Austin Seven experience. There will be good days and dark days, but you will have a lot of fun.

May all you lights be green...

Regards,

Barry R.

Tasmania
The Land of ABC

As a relative newcomer myself, may I say "welcome".

If you scroll back through a few years of posts on this and other sites you will read all sorts of weird and wonderful questions authored by my good self whilst I was building the "Colander" (1937 Ruby based special).

I could not have built my car without help from this site and members of the Cornwall Club, Austin Seven people are a very friendly bunch!
I panicked about just about everything from oil pressure to tyre pressure and everything in between!
I have now learnt to enjoy the squeeks, rattles and leaks(plenty of them in my case) and the fact that you have to "drive" it all the time!

I do leak oil still , although oddly enough it seems to be getting better with time? I just always carry a good range of tools and "bodging" equipment (The Cornish might remember Mabe Shindig with the electrical cable tying the headlights and mudgaurd back on!!)plus all fluids when I go on a run, not forgetting the RH insurance breakdown number in case of terminal probs. I have done about 1100 miles since the end of March, most of that motoring just me and the wife chugging round the Cornish countryside with the odd foray into Devon!

The front nosepeice can be the subject of all manner of repair and modification over the years, so not realy sure what problem you have? there is a lug/stop inside to keep the starting handle in the correct position with the assistance of a spring, is your handle drooping (pardon the expression!)? Do you have the source book or the 750 motor club bible? If you havn't then I recomend you borrow or buy them BUT please dont use ebay as they are a lot more expensive on there!! There are some good diagrams of how the assembly should look?

Happy motoring

Steve.

Looks like you have plenty of good advice to digest.However, Regarding the oil leak. 2 reasons for oil coming from the staring handle hole are :engine overfilled with oil. Do you have the right dip stick.?As a rule of thumb it takes 3.5 pints , you regulate the balance with the dip stick .Or piston/ring wear that causes blow by ,that then pressurises the crankcase and blows out oily fumes. It is worth having the wheel alignment checked,(not a lot else you can do by way of adjustment), and make sure every thing on the steering is properly greased.

Mike, Just noticed your question re oil leaks etc and it looks as though you could do with a bit of direct help from the Bristol Club. I'll be on the phone before you have had a chance to read this!!
Ron Hayhurst BA7C

Mike - I for one can vouch for the help from BA7C members. On my various visits , they've loaned me Sevens to tour all of UK, Queen's Jubilee Rally Isle of Man, go on Eurotour (7 Countries) etc etc. The most embarassing thing about them is if on a Run you have trouble they don't even let you see what's wrong or how it's fixed 'cos they all hop in and fix it for you!! I recall hving diff trouble after going over Grampians and at Doune Rally, after a leisurely breakfast, BA7C folk helped me replace cw&p in time for me to help their Club win driving tests. Also at Havorford West after breaking a crankshaft I was mobile same day with a spare engine loaned by a member. Great people, 'though doubt these days I could keep up with their beer consumption. Get yourself known, you'll get all the help you'll ever need. Cheers from Melbourne Australia. Bill

Small world Bill. The "Haverfordwest guy",of course, was one Terry Poole who is a previous owner of Mike's Military that he has just purchased! It has been through several pairs of hands since then. Caught up with Terry when he was in Thornbury last week and had a few jars at The Anchor. Your name came up when he referred to the axle problem you mention. Like I said, small world!!
Ron

Mike,Have been off line with computer problems (not yet sorted completely at this time)But you are very welcome to get in touch.Come and have a ride in my Chummy (I am between Bristol and Bath).If you get a slow responce it is because of the above. Kind regards Ian Membership Secretary Bristol Austin 7 Club

Regarding the steering properties of A7s from the novice's point of view....

I scared myself sh*tless on my first drive when I bought my Austin . I had to drive it 20 miles over unfamiliar (steep) backroads.

Every time the car hit a bump it went off course, so I corrected it. The car would then make a textbook demonstration of Sir Herbert's patented pend-u-lastic suspension system by oversteering in the opposite direction, which I would duely correct. This went on for some time until I was basically tacking down the middle of the road as if in a yacht .

My passenger found this very amusing - I did not...

The only solution was to wait for a particularly violent swing to the right and dab the foot brake, which handily had a strong tendancy in the opposite direction, giving the back of the car a quick twitch and sending it off in a straight direction.

That's how NOT to drive an Austin Seven.

Then I got my first lesson in the black art, since when I have been able to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. That WAS the lesson, essentially. The Austin Seven has its little ways, and if it wants to wander, let it. The chances are you'll hit another bump that'll send it off in the other direction pretty soon anyway.

The other thing to remember is that the steering is very high geared by modern standards. That first few degrees of slack before anything happens tend to scare the novice driver into turning in too hard.

I'm far from the most experienced driver on here, but I do still have fresh memories of my early Austin driving experiences; and I can honestly say that all the things that started off the most scarey end up the most fun.

Thanks to all the replies re oil leaks and steering.

The steering is very possitive the part i am not sure about is when on turn say on a r/about it seems to over steer it feels like it wants to DIG in and there is a slight squeal from the tyres. Can anyone tell me how to check the wheel alighnment or geometry .
Thanks
Mike
PS thanks Ian for the offer of a comparative test drive i may take you up on that you are not too far away from Nailsea
Mike

Hi Mike, Most of the info can be found in the Austin Seven Companion. This is one of the publications to get as soon as possible. I'll try and scan in the appropriate page and e-mail it to you. Meanwhile phone me or Terry Poole. Terry may well remember how he set things up and someone else may have changed things since. It's always good to try out some other Seven to make a comparison (good or bad!) with your own.
Ron

Mike

Just a thought...
The Castor angle is fairly important to steering feel, and as well as having some it should also have close to the same figure side to side. Most books document various ways to check/adjust, twisting the radius arms and retightening the bolts seems popular although there are those who frown upon this technique and insist on shimming the front spring with wedges etc at the same time.
Also the toe in setting can dramatically alter the initial steering feel, as well as of course causing tyre wear. If you cannot check the toe in, try to "wipe" your hand over the tyre tread in both directions, this will detect "feathering" and can point to incorrect tracking. On the colander I roughly measured the toe in when bolting it together and since have made some slight alterations based on steering feel and "feeling" the tyres
I havn't measured the castor as I no longer possess the gauge (leant out not returned) but I "twisted " the arms both sides to give a basic setting, unfortunately I have drop links on the radius arms and there is some quite considerable torque on them which in my case keeps altering the setting. I need to "pin" the bolts or something to stop this, but you probably have normal suspension so should be OK!

Hope this helps!

Steve

I read a very erudite article a little while ago in one of the magazines about this business of adjusting the castor angle. If I remember correctly, the conclusion was that the Austin designers knew what they were doing, and had set the angle of the chassis nosepiece (which locates the front spring) and the geometry of the radius arms and front axle so that the castor angle was automatically correct. If it isn't right on your car, it could be that your front axle is twisted, for instance, as it was on my car years ago. They definitely stated that twisting the radius arms was not a good idea, and as Steve has discovered, it keeps wanting to return to its default setting.

David

Steve, Your comment about the radius ams unwinding made me recall that I always intended to put a strap from the underside of the radius arm on my Type 65 up to the shock absorber fixing that bolts through the axle. I thought that might retain the desired position of the radius arm, but never got round to trying it. Funny that my current Special (with drop links) has never given a problem even though the brakes work well

Regards, Stuart

Further to David's point I think the article may have been by my old friend the late Adrian Tennyson.

Adrian made the excellent point (which I had never considered before) that A7 chassis rails have a different inclination to the horizontal depending on the set of the rear springs. obviously if all chassis nosepieces and radius arms were the same, the castor angle would be determined by the set of the rear springs. In fact, as David says, the nose piece forgings and radius arms are specific to high and low frames. Girling radius arms are easily identified but high and low chassis "lightweight" radius arms look the same to the untutored eye. However, the end forgings have an inclination appropriate to their original use. You can see what happens if you use a mixed pair eg one from a Chummy, the other from an early Ruby, on the same axle. Or come to that an early Ruby pair on a Chummy chassis or vice versa.

Oddly enough, according to my back of envelope trignometry, if you use a Girling axle and radius arms with an Ulster pattern front spring on a short chassis it all works out about right.

You all probably knew this already, but it was a revelation to me!

Regards, Stuart

I have read the article about nosepeices somewere before? I also remember reading an article about making up angled shims to go under the front spring, and packing the front centre ball joint out from the crossmember to set the desired castor. I believe it was on the Australian Austin Seven club site? As mentioned it will depend on ride height at the rear and the front to a certain extent.
Current plan for me, is to wait till winter and then measure castor as it is, then strip front end and inspect radius arms etc then re assemble possibly with some packing as mentioned to arrive at a reasonable castor angle hopefully the same both sides. This should get rid of the need to twist the arms amd hopefuly they will stay were set!

Steve