All the interior trim panels appear to be present in my 1928 Chummy but there are none in the front footwells, should there be?
The car is not fitted with ventilators. As always, any help gratefully received.

No panels in the footwells, only the 4 inch strip approx. (can measure mine if you don’t have it) that covers the wooden hinge pillar.

Many thanks again Ian. If there are no panels,are the surfaces painted?

Brian, The whole inside of my original body was sprayed black, In fact I still have the original finish, though not in great condition. As for the sides of the scuttle that show I have repainted. I painted the part of the floor pan (with the 3 lighting holes) that is next to the toe board Matt Black

Brian - To support Ian, every vintage Chummy I've seen had the inside of the scuttle painted in matt black (I've restored or built new panels/bodies for over 200 Sevens). However, may pay to check further in case the ones sent to Oz were different to those for home country use, this contribution being as much for our local owner/restorers, many of whom read this site. Cheers, Bill in Oz

Yes I agree. When I took the interior panels off my '27 car some years ago the whole of the inside was painted in what I would describe as a cheap black paint. It was just enough to make it look black. I know the history of this car and I'm as sure as I can be that this was the original finish. There were no brushmarks to be seen but could not be sure if it was sprayed or brushed. I repainted the bits that show but left the rest as evidence for future generations.

Martin

Again, my thanks to all who answered my question and will hopefully help others also; the problem with my Chummy is that the floor is clearly a replacement and is finished in red oxide, over which, someone has glued and then removed, some red carpet.
It is going to a local trim shop soon and I may ask them to clean the floor and spray it matt black. Hey, it's only money!!!

Just to add to the above, as far as I can remember (I restored my Chummy in 1976), The black paint was sprayed after all the woodwork was fitted and would agree with Martin that it was just a quick ‘flash over’ with thin paint. Even the inside of the doors was done, which is strange, as they would never be seen again once the panel was nailed on, no protection was afforded as it was still bare aluminium behind the framework. At the rate the cars would have been progressing through the works it makes you wonder why they would bother with this extra operation as the cars would be completed in possibly hours and all would be hidden for the rest of the cars life, they didn’t bank on us looking at it 80 years later!

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They painted the inside because it was a quality product. That's why we are able to look at it eighty years on.

Mike

Again Ian's right - and so is Mike of course ! - I forgot to mention that there was no paint under any of the woodwork, including the gunwale of the tub, just the bare aluminium. Cheers, Bill in Oz.

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Bill

I did notice that they do not paint 'between timber and aluminium' on Morgans when I visited the factory recently. No doubt after ninety something odd years they have found it not to be necessary. Perhaps Herbert and Stanley went to visit Malvern one day - you never know.

Mike

All of the woodwork on the sides fits on top of the floorpan side panels, so it appears that the whole inside including the floorpan was painted at the same time!

To Mike & Ian - I'm not surprised re Morgan. When I visited them 30 years ago, I was perturbed as a bodybuilder at the way things were done in general. For example, for an English car (built for English conditions as well as the export ones) to have a plywood inner wheel arch which took some time/cost to bandsaw as against a sheet-metal one which would have been quicker, easier, longer-living & cheaper to make, rather shook me. Ian - originally the vertical timber bits were attached to the pan sides before the tub skin/scuttle panels were fitted, by screws from the outside, not just by the brackets from the floor & later the door lips. Something to remember for those who have tub or scuttle separated from the floor during restoration. Cheers, Bill in Oz.

Bill, You are right on the nail, I am ashamed to admit that I forgot those screws until it was too late, so mine are only fixed at the bottom. Fortunately it does not seem to have been a problem but does ‘bug’ me now and again, and I try to think of a way to get some sort of fixing arrangement working from inside the car, but to date have been unsuccessful.

Ian - Re your expression "on the nail". You are obviously still a member of the Brizzle Club. Cheers, Bill in Oz

Yes Bill, have been since 72. I am the Membership Secretary at present.