Keep hunting Will, it is all still out there, I bought a complete short rad and core at Beaulieu in september, for less than the price of a replica shell, from a well known A7 nut.
Note to all: some of us simply prefer to use and restore original parts where possible, nothing to do with price.
Winston

Location: knee deep in chains

Will.
Woud it be fair to suggest that instead of hoarding your money,purchasing a new one from cherished supplier,or other,may contribute to the wellbeing of the economy at large?

Location: Where ever my mobile phone happens to be just now.

Didn't there used to be a chap in the Rodings in Essex who made Chummy bodies very reasonably?

I'd say you could knock up your own with the right tools and a DVD to teach you how, but then I would!

Martin

There used to be chaps all over the place making reasonably priced parts,but they have all gone out of business as prospective customers wont pay the reasonable asking price.

Location: Where ever my mobile phone happens to be just now.

Do we know that for sure, Ian? Or did he just get fed up, sick, or move away?
He used to advertise in the grey book.

Martin

We're still here making reasonably priced Austin 7 parts and have been for a great many years now.

Location: New Forest

Jolly good. More power to your coachbuilders' elbows.
Martin

Mr leith 1930 mulliner saloon
Some people think that they are "lovely desirable cars" I for one love my mulliner saloon.my family and I have had a lot of fun and faund memories in the last 7 years that we have owned the car . It is now very apparent your dislike for the mulliner and your total lack of skills contributed to the death of a very rare car and the birth of another special . My view where there is a will there is away .

Location: Cold Dunbar

Good morning again William,

If you think this is bad, try typing the words "Genuine Ulster" "TT Ulster" or "Grasshopper" into this forum for toys to be thrown out of prams (pramhoods?).

Personally, I'm not into replicas of anything, I can't see the point. If you can't have the real thing then just accept it.

"Earthquake" was Metchim's project and development, probably, like you, he did it that way because he could'nt afford anything better. Why not build and develop your own project, using your own ideas and in the style and spirit of those times and then move on to something better just as he and countless others did? Far more worthwhile IMHO.

By the way, I think that "Earthquake" started out as a scoop scuttle chummy didn't it? Whatever it was, it is long gone.

Location: Stretham, Ely, the Fens.

I think that's a bit harsh Frank. If I read William's post correctly he purchased little more than Austin Ltd. originally supplied to Mulliner before they worked their coach building magic on it. One A7 rolling chassis is pretty much like any other of the same date??

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

Ian He got the complete car most of it he sold at the nationally auto jumble .the body had wood worm and was flat pack when he got it but very very restorable . But it's his car he can do and say what he wants about it ,it has been well discussed on this forum ,regards Frank

Location: Cold dunbar

My unreserved apologies, Frank. That isn't what he said on this thread - a different story completely!

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

Hello! I'm not one to defend a Mulliner-slayer, but just one small correction:

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average gross salary for full-time employees in UK was £26,200 in 2011.

That's gross. And us youngsters for the most part are paying plenty of rent out of the net remnants of that to make every little count when it comes to paying for our cars. And best not to get onto pensions (I doubt I'll have one by the time I get there at the current rate!).

End of lecture.

Geoffrey

Well said Geoffrey

The constant moaning on here by a small number of suppliers does rather get annoying, and I suspect doesn't really do their income much good.

For the record, I have just asked for a quote for some wheel building from a gent on here, but one who has done some of the moaning recently.

The quote is actually very close to what I can build one myself for and he will probably get the work. I need wheels as I now have more wheels with broken spokes than I have with a full set. But and it ia a big but, with a young family, wife just back at work, a very expensive traction engine to maintain, no pension, no pay rise in 4 years, job likely gone in 2 years, I simply cannot afford what is actually a competitive amount to get 5 wheels done. However it may be a month or two before I can justify the cost out of the monthly budget. Last month had a £450 bill for a replacement front spring and various bits associated on the traction engine, and that had me on my knees.

I'm affraid I shall get one wheel done as soon as possible, I have one wheel I know has been rebuilt so will fit it and the new one on the back (where all my breakages have occured), fit the best two others on the front, and relegate the worst to the spare. I may be driving round with either a wheel with a broken spoke as the spare, or perhaps one of the open centre 19's I have untill then!

It might make me a cheapscate, but my car will be on the road and not sat on blocks in the garage. It may be called into commuting service next week while the wifes modern has an MOT and new exhaust.

I think you are both missing the point.

Everyone has a budget, and yes that is restricted by family (3 under 5 yrs), mortgage, insurance, job, (part time), bills (extensive - growing by the month) and A.N. Other. I don't have a Steam engine and that probably frees up some cash ;-).

I would like to have many things that I don't have but I cannot afford them, "c'est la vie"! One day I might, one day I might not, none of them are essential to life, they are luxuries. Just because I cannot afford them does not give me the right to name the suppliers who provide services beyond my disposable income and in doing so perhaps "suggest" their prices are incongruent with my wishes . Their skills and contacts have been built up over a very long "apprenticeship", they work hard, they are entitled to earn an income just as much as we are so that they can buy the things "they" need or "they" cannot make.

I don't think they are moans, they are justified cries of despair.

I am happy to expect others to disagree but these are my thoughts.

hi hedd,

i`m sure you are right theres to much moaning on this site.and yes from the suppliers (ME!) for one.

for me its in responce to the relentless forum members moaning mainly about its to expensive on ebay.or without them pointing fingers its just to expensive full stop.

i guess theres no point in me explaining why its to expensive, as many dont realy want to know,they just want there car on the road.

and yes you may be right the about it loosing sales! or not! i guess that one is down to how many forum members use you in the first place.

but both sides need to be put forward.

and now i dont see you as a cheapscate,we all have difference finances.and dont think i have anymore to throw about than yourself.just because i`m a trader.

I think you are both missing the point.

Some of those in the game of supplying parts are p1ssing off their prospective customers on this forum.

Customers choose who gets their money (or not). and have no need to justify themselves to anyone.

There is currently a good many of austin 7 suppliers, frankly prices are much of a muchness with new stuff, and variable for second hand. By ringing round it is very easy to work out who is competitive, and who is taking the p1ss with prices.

Second hand is a law onto itself, e-bay particularly. A lot of these high prices are idiots who do not have the connections (or are too lazy) to be able to find stuff at reasnoble prices.

While this situation may not continue for ever, at present a prospective customer who may reads a post on here and think to themself ''so and so is a d1ckhead, I'll not bother to ring him, I'll ring so and so instead''.

A good reputation is hard gained but very easily lost.

A good customer is earned, a bad one easily ignored.

Hi Hedd,
I've broken my fair share of spokes and, I'll be honest some of it was down to my own crap wheel rebuilding. Because, for the first time in my life, I have a "professional" quality nipple key it was too easy for me to over tension the spokes; I have found out the hard (expensive!) way what the correct tension should feel like.
There's nothing special about wheel building, having read some of the things you have done in the past on this forum I know that you can do it. Just leave the spokes a little slacker than you think they should be.
It worked for me - when the penny had dropped!

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

The trick is to make a spanner short enough that it can go all the way round without hitting adacent spokes.

R

Ian,

My dead wheels are simply all old useable wheels out of the spares shed or bought at autojumbles. Don't get me wrong they are all tidy wheels, but not rebuilt any time recently.

When I break a spoke I usually fit another wheel, just I've run out and think it may be time to invest in some rebuilt ones. I've got lots of centres to choose from.

As I see you have noted elsewhere, for what I can buy the bits for, It is more cost effective to have someone do it for you. That is assuming they want the buisiness.

I suspect the last breakage may well have been the trip on the wagon home from Boreton in the Water after I broke two wheel studs on one rear hub. I wouldn't let the RAC man strap the wheel with one stud so the other rear probably got a bit of stick.

And before anyone says it, I think I made the studs that broke. Brittle fracture emminating from the root of the stud under the head. Material obviously not suitable, but in my defence it was nearly 15years ago.

Rob, that sounds like the nipple key I had 50 years ago for motor bike wheels - never a problem. This beast is about 4" long - you can pull the nipples through the rim if you go mad!(fits the nipples beautifully though)

Hedd, I couldn't agree more, if you can make more in the time it would take you to do the job than someone competent charges you to do the job for you, let them get on with it.

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

Oops! Sorry if I started something there.... I just wanted to correct the notion that seemed to have been expressed that we are all hiding a pot of gold and still expecting rare parts and skilled services to be peanuts. I don't have a pot of gold, and I also appreciate that hard-working parts suppliers need to expect a decent income in the face of business overheads. I would like to think that Austins are still something that can be run on a shoe string, and on that note I'm a firm believer in learning skills where finances can't pay for someone else to do it. To that end Hedd's advice on this forum has been invaluable to me.

Geoffrey

Just watched this fascinating collection of films:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01nyz3p/Storyville_20112012_From_the_Sea_to_the_Land_Beyond_Britains_Coast_on_Film/

...there were at least three instances of Austin Sevens (one camera based..).

Antipodean friends will need to fake up a UK based IP, Google it, someone will have worked up a way around it.

Strikes me Will, all your Wanted ad has done is to yield absolutely nothing but bitter & whinging comments from traders (except Stuart Roach at Roach Manufacturing who has been very helpful to us, commenting about reasonably priced parts) - all of whom you and I have used with no problem (or whinging) about prices, in my case for many years.

You've also had some d a m ning judgment put on you by ill-informed comment about the totally untrue origins of your rolling chassis offered for sale - bank transfer pre-bought over the phone before any knowledge of Mulliner components were thrown free into the deal, (600 mile round trip) - followed by abuse from those just out there to be on the bandwagon...

The previous owner to you had failed everyone by totalling destroying the fabric body - all of it - by burning it. Read again everyone, BURNING IT. Fabric body burnt, nothing left. Got it everyone out there? He moved on, out of Austin 7s so it was better to let someone else have the parts we had no intention of buying in the first place, by recycling to, as it happens, other Mulliner owners in the main.

After you explained the events yesterday, only one humble pie has been eaten by a trader when the penny dropped... Only one. Friends?

Then the thread wandered off onto the subject of wheels... What? This is a thread wanting an original body and radiator, boys?

Do traders stock original bodies and radiator shells? No.

...and still no reply to your wanted ad...

They, including any moderator on this website who still appears absent or anonymous, should all be ashamed of themselves.

I'm shocked by the attitude they have all taken, and only heartened by younger Seven enthusiasts who have privately sent you e-mails sympathising with the lack of help and abuse they too have received in trying to assemble their dream vintage Seven with "help" on this "Friends" website. Friends?

If the guys commenting on this forum know just how off-putting this whole experience has been inside 48hours, then well done - they've succeeded.

Totally "unfriendly" and shocking. As a teenage Sevener who constructed my first Austin 7 Stuart Rolt-bodied Ulsteroid selected from one of Barry Clarke's age-matured array of many rusted out hedge-stored Rubies, pre-run into the ground -(shocking you guys out there reading this yet?) with the help of my brother Martin Eyre in 1978, and now again help provided to you from your Uncle Martin Eyre, I'm appalled by the treatment you have received Will.

What an unnecessary waste of time this web posting is continuing to be - even below this posting this morning! Time to move on, you'll get little help here. I wouldn't bother with this site, no doubt like some others reading this.

Keep up the good work, and let's get your car on the road Will. You've learnt a lot of engineering (& social) skills to date which some of them out there will never learn.

PS - interesting the moderator won't tolerate one harmless word I've had to edit with letter spacing above - d a m n ing - yet does not control off-point comment or abuse on this forum.

PPS As co-founder of www.classicCARSforSALE.co.uk - and now founder of www.ClassicCARama.com for any Private and Trade classic car parts and accessories advertising - I do have experience of running forums and large international classic car websites. Popped in before a tirade of ill-informed comment comes.

Location: New forest

The title of this post is Short Radiator Cowl/Bodywork [1925 Chummy], but there have been only a few replies that match.
Has here been any progress on this?

Talking about moderation, as I understand there are a few simple details about the Forum that often help.
Generally the Forum is for questions and answers on technical and other aspects of the Austin Seven, anything on sales and wants is to be put the front section called, surprisingly 'Sales and Wants'

In the rather sharpish exchanges on this topic, Ruairidh Dunford's suggestion on Nov 21 regarding the first posting by master Leith seems to have been overlooked

He proposed that the initial post could have been better put, and I quote-

In the spirit of friendship, perhaps this thread could be started again? Something along the lines of...

Short Radiator Cowl/Bodywork [1925 Chummy]

"I am hoping to build a replica of Charles Metcham's "Earthquake". Can anyone point me in the directions of people who might be able to build me a 1925 Chummy body so that I can discuss my budget with them?

I have also placed an ad in Sales and Wants.

Any help you can throw my way will be very gratefully received."

If you look back at this message you will see in the very next post Ruairidh's quite reasonable answer.

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia

I'm just wondering to myself why I've been criticised so heavily for posting something that I'm after when there are loads of people that just do - how about the supercharger post by Mike Inglis...? Only one person mentioned Derek Chinn. What about Pigsty Racing!! No one mentioned them - and they actually fitted that supercharger! Who knew that?!

Frank McDonald - you are well within you're right to think what ever you want about me, but you're wrong about me destroying the car. You've branded me as a 'Mulliner Slayer!' (admittedly someone else's words). Quite sad really - if you saw me at Beaulieu, you would have also seen that the only woodwork that was left was a door frame. I still have that door frame and glass if you want it, you're welcome to come and pick it up for free. Thats right! Free. You can even have a cup of coffee when you get here. First Mulliner owner/restorer to send a personal email to me can have it. I can't remember which side it is. I bought a car that was advertised as a rolling chassis and engine. Anything else as previously stated were thrown in as an afterthought. Mr McGowan - you were right, you had indeed read my extensive post correctly.

The fact of the matter is that no-one would have done it up as a Fabric Saloon - you'd all like to think that you would, but fact it, you wouldn't! So cut the cr@p and grow up. It really is sad that another Mulliner is gone, but I'll say it again, it wasn't me - PLUS I bet although you'll never admit it, you're secretly a little pleased that you're Fabric saloon is now one of only two remaining making it even more exclusive. Everyone loves exclusivity - thats one of the reasons people build up specials!

Brian Hutchings - There have been some helpful people suggesting things! Thank you to those people.

Location: Hampshire

Also - Frank, with a 'total lack of skill,' I wouldn't have bought a Seven project to begin with. I'd have been able to buy a working car with that 'pot of gold' that I'm apparently hoarding. I wonder, do you actually read back what you've written to yourself?

Location: Hampshire

I would think that if restoring an original car then it is best to try and source original parts but if building a reproduction then does it really matter- it won't be real anyway.

Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Will,
Good luck with your project. I am in favour of anyone who can develop their manual skills. Not enough of them around! I started building my pretend ulster when I was your age and found out that it wasn't too difficult beating ali sheet,although I am hardly up to professional standard (I was an engineering apprentice in the steel industry-not really appropriate for tin bashing.We called "tin" anything less than 1/4" plate!). A chummy body,especially one with only one door may even be easier to make than the pointed tail shape.
PS. It sounds to me as though most of the agro was based on a miunderstanding.
Cheers,
Dave.

Location: Sheffield

Hello Will,

I have just perused the responses to your posting and in doing so I would like to offer you a word of encouragement.

What you have taken on one day will elevate your pride to a justly deserved plateau, an achievement very few people have accomplished.

By all means you do what you want it is your car and all the correspondents’ comments while I am sure were well meant will no doubt rally behind you no matter what your decision maybe.

People like Bill Sheehan from what I have read, has a wealth of knowledge and a personal resource base to be envied, I am sure there are persons around the corner from you who would also encourage you who have a similar understanding.

For my part while it is not my intent to reveal my successes but suggest you consider rebuilding the Mulliner saloon back on the chassis. I say this as they were a beautiful styled body you would find surprisingly easy to do.

It will be necessary to find another saloon to enable you to establish a few measurements then using a program like Autosketch enter the dims into CAD. If you are not familiar with this program it is a simple yet powerful drawing package for the beginner with YouTube full of guidance. A skill that you will always use during life’s journey as it is extremely versatile.

Once you have the drawings it is a matter of “lofting” from the paper onto a building jig usually made of MDF .

For the timber frame it has been my experience steaming timber is very time consuming demanding a skill level that I will never have. I therefore strongly recommend laminating 1/16th marine ply gluing it together using epoxy adhesive

All these tasks will lead to a replica rebuild on a chassis with providence containing your DNA for ever.

I hope you accept my comments as one of encouragement and always remember it is your car and you do what you want.

Regards,

Doug Baker
Scarborough
Western australia

Location: Scarborough Western Australia

I would echo our friend Doug's comments there, Will. Steaming timber is a thankless task. It requires much planning and set up but very little skill. Take it from one who has steamed 10"x2"x32ft. oak planks into a 1937 narrow boat! I will never steam another timber! It also promotes later cracking unless your timber is very carefully selected and sourced, not always possible. Lamination is every bit as satisfying, but much less faff and can be done in the comfort of a small workshop, providing you open a window to get rid of epoxy smells and ALWAYS wear Nitrile gloves., I didn't and now have manky finger nails on my left hand and a map of lines and dry skin.
Making the male pattern to bend the ply round is an easy task with a jigsaw or preferebly a band saw. I bought my bandsaw from a Sunday boot fair for £12 and got 5 assorted blades for it off ebay for £13. I've cut everything from brass sheet to two inch thick epoxy block (Ureol) for my modelmaking jobs.
I suppose Doug's recommendation to use CAD is wise for a young 'un like you, but it's beyond my ken! I'm pretty good with a pen and paper, having been a draughtsman and tech. illustrator in my past lives. However you do it, it ain't difficult. Very little is in this world. mostly it's just a case of planning, information, right tools and enthusiasm. I have never been officially or longwindedly instructed in any trade/craft/skill. Just picked it up because I wanted to enough and because I am unemployable
Managed to raise a family of five on that attitude too, so it can work for some. There's not much you can't learn quickly.

I still can't play a saxaphone, dammit!.............

Currently swatting up on bashing aluminium. A 30 quid DVD, youtubes and £20's worth of mallets and dollies from the same Sunday market and I'm well on the way.
Wheelbuilding next, after I've mastered TiG ally welding. Customer has just ordered a Tig machine..AT LAST!!

Martin

Oh, I KNEW someone would come up with something like that!

Alas, I've blown me music budget on Special bits
But you never know.........
I might get more than a honk out of one yet!

Thanks for the link, Ruauridh.

Martin

Martin, Pity you didn't mention this when I saw you a couple of weeks ago. For my sins, I played saxophones for a living until I retired a couple of years ago.
Still play for fun though!
Dave

Location: Wet Bonnie Galloway

Haha!
Life is VERY strange, Dave.

I doubt I have the puff any more anyway.
It's so annoying. I have a very good ear, as they say, but a lousy memory and simply can't remember where the notes are on any instrument and I've tried a few. Oddly, fretless bass got me nearest to almost playing something. My Uncle used to play double bass for Billy Cotton and later at the Palladium.

Martin

Re: Short Radiator Cowl/Bodywork [1925 Chummy]

So here I am on the receiving end of post notifications - I thought on the above subject - only to find saxophones are now the subject.

The post was originally regarding "anyone who might know of" someone with a :- Short Radiator Cowl/Bodywork [1925 Chummy]

We had tried the for sale and wants page some months back - to no effect - so this post by William Leith was not an advert as such but a call to anyone who - maybe not having access to the internet - who knows? - anyone not looking at this website.

Instead, we have had a round of unfounded criticism plus a touch of the trade having as I now understand, a long term political whinge which can get liberally splashed on quite a number of new posts just so we all know, then some detailed and helpful advice on building a saloon and a special body, some off topic films to visit on You Tube, a lecture on how a forum works (having owned and run www.ClassicCARSforSale.co.uk, so I do not need to know how a forum works) and now something about saxophones..........

...all of which does not address the post!

Has anyone talked about a short rad or the makings of an early Chummy body being available through a third party? The closest we've come is the kind offer of 3 parts to a body, but otherwise some of the highest views of any forum posting of late, and dozens of off-topic posts.

I'm told the Austin Seven Friends website is generally helpful and... Friendly.

I, for one, have obviously missed something somewhere, and so have a number of people of late who have approached me to air their own views of the sorry state this website has become.

I shall unsubscribe, and all the off-topic players out there can now have a good old whinge about my comments if they want to.

Location: New forest

I suspect that the reason that no one has come forward with an original scoop scuttle body and the other parts which you require is that they are not readily available. Have you tried advertising on carandclassic?

Location: Stretham, Ely, the Fens.

Thanks, yes, one better - a dedicated website to classic and vintage car parts and accessories which you must try FREE !

See Chummy BODY wanted :-

http://www.classiccarama.com/classic-car-parts/advert/austin-7-chummy-body-vintage-period/

See Short RAD wanted :-

http://www.classiccarama.com/classic-car-parts/advert/wanted-austin-7-chummy-short-radiator-and-cowl/

Amusing you should recommend Car and Classic when I owned Classic Cars for Sale.co.uk - our rivals at the time that started some 3 years after us!

Many thanks for your comment - do have a look at the site mentioned!

Any on-topic response would have been good, knowing how hard it is to find these things. Being a recent graduate, my son has yet to earn the dosh to pay for new items!

Location: New forest

Charles

Grow up!

Of course you wont see this as you have left, with your ball.

I hope the subjects continue to drift, life would be very boring indeed if we only ever answered the questions as asked!

Stuart. (ducking behind a wall now)

Location: Devon

Ruairidh

I'm sorry there's been no reply on that - I think your kind offer came through on that Friday just before the VSCC Cotswold trial near Cheltenham last Saturday week with all that rain - and we had intended to ring you on the way back via Bristol but it all got too late at the end of a days' marshalling on the trial. Have you got any photos you could wing over please?

These things are about.... Winston Teague reported on his post of 23 Nov : "I bought a complete short rad and core at Beaulieu in september, for less than the price of a replica shell, from a well known A7 nut."

Location: New forest

Stuart

Another instance of not needing to be told what to do. Try harder, and be polite.

Surely you ought to start your own post and air your comments in other parts of the Forum relating to "passing the time of day" rather than clearly not addressing the question...

Ducking behind a wall could be termed as 'childish'?

Touche.

Let's have some answers addressing the post !

Location: New forest

Location: New forest