Some time ago, I seem to remember seeing an Austin Seven Spares List, which I took to be a compilation of the various Austin Spares Lists for the various modeles fro early 1920's till 1939 offered for sale.

It may have been on Ebay or elsewhere.

Can anyone confirm the existence of such a publication, and, if so where a copy might be available please.

I have the John Platts book, and that was not the item which I saw reference to.

I think that the sales blurb at the time was "the ideal reference to take with you to an autojumble" or words to that effect.

Regards,


Barry R.

Hi Barry, there is a complete list in the Brian Purves ‘Source Book’, It’s a big book that would be difficult to photocopy on my all-in-one printer.

I,m pretty sure the source book is still in print and can be bought for around £35.

Try the Seven Workshop on 0044 (0)1225868696

Cheers

Ruairidh

Hello Ian and Ruairidh,

Thanks, I will have a look in my Source book shortly. But I think we may be at cross purposes. The publication which I am referring to seemed to be a stand alone compiled parts list which provided the detailed contained in the various parts books, into one convemient volume. I do not think I was under the therapeutic effects of Single Malt therapy, but am now starting to wonder.

Have found a 1932 Lucas Parts List for Austin 7 1927 to 1932 and it lists the ML coil (including a clear illustration and also deals with MA4 Distributor. Reading between the lines, I would surmised that the MA4 ML distributor is what the Lucas DJ4 Distributor was eventually based on.

I seem to remember seeing some new distributor caps years ago which looked just like the Lucas 400135 type which fits DJ4 and DK4A but which had a solid button instead of a carbon spring to contact the rotor. Thinking back, they may well have been for an ML MA4 unit.

They also show the "new" coil, which is the familiar later metal cased Lucas "saddle fixture" affair.

They make a strange (to me) point that "New type coil interchangeable as complete unit with OP4 and OP24, can only be used with Distributor type DJ4"

As a matter of interest OP4 is ML Coil with ballast resistance,(1928-29) OP24 is ML coil which did not require ballast resistance (1930) and then there was a further ML Coil "Z6" which did have a ballast resistance also listed for 1930.

I can't understand why the "new coil" (ie Lucas conventional type) could only be used with the DJ4 Distributor.

I guess it must all be about the current characteristics of the primary coil of the ML units. I seem to remember someone telling me once that the ML distributors used to have a recommended points gap of over 20 thousands of and inch, which suggests a completely different cam shape and dwell requirement to obatin full fluxing of the coil itself (I think).

It may also have something to do with the actual contact set material fitted to the earlier distributors. There again, a special condenser value might have been required for ML coils due to differences in primary current design/inductance etc.

But I am now relly thinking out loud (or onto the keyboard).

I will keep looking through the info I have here and may be able to unravel the matter a bit more.

The more I look, the less I know, the more I need to learn.

All the best


Barry R.

Barry

Are you thinking of a slender volume called
"A-Z Guide of Austin Componemts manuafactured 1930-1947"? If so I have a copy sitting in front of me.

It contains reprints from various parts catalogues cross referencing brake linings, valves, electrical components and so forth.
Probably published in the late 1980's there are also "modern" ads for some of our trusted UK suppliers like Mick Kirkland and Speedy Cables.

Charles

Barry,
You could be remembering 3 booklets that appeared on Ebay. They were listed as Parts lists and exploded diagrams in three volumes.
Austin Seven 1923-1928
Austin Seven 1928-1934
Austin Seven 1934-1938.
I purchased the first two booklets. They were actually rather poorly produced copies of various pages from the Pratts catalogue.
Merry Christmas
Bryan

Sorry, John PLATTS catalogue

.

Was this catalogue not a copy of the BMC Service Parts List published in 1973? Probably the last time that there was an official factory volume, and produced at the introduction of VAT.

Certainly the illustrations are in an identical style to all the beautifully produced BMC parts lists for other marques in the stable, and the layout of the text is so similar that it could have been lifted straight out. I wonder how the copyright on the part numbers was handled.

The exploded drawings in these BMC books are real works of art, and worth a browse in the book tent at a rally.


Mike

Hello and thanks everyone,

I thing probably I was thinking of the reproduced Platts Calalogue then, particularly if the advertising blurb said someting about being useful at swap days/autojumbles and I am glad I didn't bid (hi hi)

I have never seen the other items mentioned, and on this Desert Island, am probably unlikely to, although I might try Pook's.

What I am really trying to do is to get a reference available to check things like (well right at the moment) whether part numbers changed for the Ignition Coil when A7's went from negative to positive earth arrangments around 1935/36. I know that I am probably the only person on earth (no pun intended) who gives a hoot, but sometimes that sort of info lets me sort out other things. There is nothing else like this forum to make one realise how little one really knows about so very much.

I have a copy of Platts, ( and I really should scan that into a pdf file so that it doesn't fall to bits with use) which is very useful, but not as definitive as the Austin Parts Books. Maybe I just will have to start collecting them, but I don't really want to.

What a pity some enterprising soul wouldn't produce a CD of parts books!

And Charles, it was you who started me on this present foray (hi hi). I went on to that whatever it was site which you listed details of the other day - the one which has the "Austin Seven Pages" or what is left of them "archived" I though I found a reference there to some sort of collected Parts manual, and then found that I had misread it. What a magnificent facility (the site I mean)- never knew such things existed. And what a way to find that half a day has gone by while you trawl through it. I think I should thank yor Charles for directing me to it, but I fear it will become my undoing!

Regards to all,

Barry R

Sorry I meant my response above to appear here. Just further displaying my comuputer incompetence.

Barry R.