Front wings all 'wired' up round the edges. What an awfully complicated job to do! You need several sets of flexible wrists and at least another few fingers to get the little anvils in the right place to bend the edges over. Still, from a distance it all looks quite reasonable.

Next job is to fabricate the stays between the rad shell and the wings. The engine has decided to take a break from running and stoutly refuses to fire up. It might be a blocked jet but the previous owner of the carb had graunched the jet hole from a nice square to a near perfect circle. That jet won't be coming out without a fight.

Location: Cardiff

Dashboard version 2 under construction. Plywood former with holes cut out with a jigsaw, routered edges, 1050 grade cheapo aluminium skin annealed and battered round into shape. I'm not sure where the smaller dials came from but the speedo seems to be an early Jaguar one (1080 tpm). Slightly optimistic on the top speed, I think.

I've got to make the cubby-hole lid so that it folds out horizontal to hold a coffee cup and close so that it is flush, hence the recessed lip round the top and the sunken hinge. The bit at the far right is to hold the LED readout of rpm, water temp and warning lights. I've got some switches from a Bristol Blenheim (aircraft, not car) to go in.

Location: Cardiff

Location: Oxfordshire

One of the many features I like on this car is the fuel gauge - a basic multimeter with some numbers scribbled on with a sharpie. Its not the right look here but it might be some inspiration. Perhaps convert a period voltmeter to read whatever it is you want to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcjpXbMiCtg

PS - nice work on the dash - an inspiration.

Also...out of interest...how much of a radius did you put on the ply? How thick was the ply? Just sits flat on the bench? Did you need to clamp the ali or sandwich it between ply sheets?

It took me a while to work out you had it one way up for the holes and flipped the former for the raised section.

Thanks, David.

It is about 8mm ply with holes cut with a jigsaw and the edges either carved with a knife and file or with the aid of a router that has a bit that comprises a cutter with a small bearing below it that permits you to follow a curved edge. This allows the ali sheet (1050 grade, 1.2mm, £5 per m2) to be 'recessed'. I glued the sheet onto the ply first so that I could start the bashing with 2 pieces of 4x2 and a bench vice keeping it fairly flat. Once part-formed I annealed the sheet again for the finishing touches which also cooked the glue to death.
Making sure it was going to be possible to separate the pieces was always hard. Once the hinge is finally screwed in I'll be able to glue the ali permanently into place.
I'm tempted to 'crackle black' the dashboard. Good idea?

Location: Cardiff

Where do you get 1.2 1050 at £5.00 per squ. metre? My last lot was almost twice that per full sheet, delivered by ASD metal services.

Location: Ripon N. Yorks

Is the router bit to "round over" the edges or a way to cut a clean edge to a template?

Gluing the ali to the ply before forming is a neat idea.

Do I understand correctly that the ply is going to be glued back on again for the finished dash? If it was me I'd resent the weight. If you need it to mount the hinge and dials how about cutting out the bits you don't need to leave just a skeletal frame?

To anneal do you do the "coat in soot then burn it off" trick or do you have another method?

Keep at it!!! MUCH enjoyed.

David

Classic method of annealing aluminium is to rub soap or paint soap solution on it. Then heat until the soap turns dark brown but stop before it goes black.

Location: Ripon N. Yorks

Location: Brittany

Duncan. I get it locally and buy the scratched sheets and the ones with knackered ends on them, hence the price. They ofetn have stuff that nobody else wants, even letting me rummage through the scrap bins!

David. Yes, I have one router bit that sticks a bit of a flat on the edge for the small dials to sit flat whilst still being slightly recessed. I only did this to get away from a more boring look of a flat panel. The speedo hole was merely slashed away with a Stanley knife and a small metal file, just enoguh to make a gentle curve. I planned to do almost exactly as suggested by removing some wood areas with a hole cutter and then glue it all together. I still need to decide what to put in the square hole on the right and have a selection of 1940s switches and lights.

As for the annealing, I use either a bar of soap or one of those Sharpie pens that seems to burn off at a temperature just below that of the soap going brown. I sure does make the panel squirm as you heat it all up and it stretches in strange ways!

Rob
(In the Sim at Gatwick)

Location: Normally Cardiff but in a 737-800 sim today

Latest update...

Steel tubular frame made to carry the alloy skin. Some strip ali with folded edges to make a lip for the bottom edges of the side sheets and a wooden bulkhead with a hole to allow the spare wheel to fit in. Next step is to form the steel frames for the suicide doors.

Location: Cardiff

Rob, why not turn an edge over around the wheel arch rather than attach a separate " lip", it would be much neater than a row of rivets.

Location: NZ

Hi always look forward to your updates, have you tested the rear wheel movement over uneven ground to check it does not catch the wing looks a bit snug. Very impressed by the car.

Location: Dorset

The plan will be to either turn the bottom lip inwards and 'Sikaflex' the joint or to use countersunk rivets and blend them in. There will have to be some sort of rubber 'P' strip there to keep the pieces from rubbing, anyway.

As for ride height, it seems very light so I'm hoping it will not sink too much. If it does, I have some more springs to try although the flat ones seem to offer the best performance, right? I've never driven one on the road so I don't know. The wings are quite deep inside so they might be OK. The axle will hit the bumpstop a few millimetres before the tyre hits the mudguard if I have done the measurements and calcs correctly (Ruby Mk1 chassis). Time will tell.

Thanks for the last comment, Douglas. It is always comforting to know that someone thinks you are going in the right direction!

Location: Cardiff

Will there be a hole for the top of the diff housing in the back? I think I allowed about 4 inches above mine (have to go measure to be sure).

Also it's not just both wheel bump you have to consider, it's also what happens when one wheel deflects. You get a lot of axle twist. Imagine one wheel going over a bump such as a kerb for example. Tricky to explain but hopefully you see what I mean.

Simon

Location: Auckland

Rob

Take a look at

http://www.theaustinsevenmotoringpages.info/Original%20Drawing%20of%20Sports%20Chassis%20A.htm

I don't know if a similar drawing exists for the later chassis - but, from experience, Dad's '29 Ulster will bottom out on the inside of the wings going over a bump or pot hole etc... - and that looks like it has loads of clearance between the wings and tyres.

Similarly, you have to be careful of the back axle tubes hitting the sides of the body under extremes of travel.

Peter

Good point, Simon and Peter. I THINK that the Ruby chassis has a bit more room for the diff to miss the woodwork but I'll check in the morning. The 'early' pic suggests 3.5 inches bump which I think is the figure I worked from.

the boot floor sits on top of the rear chassis extensions. Obviously the springs have since been changed!



Mk2 pipe bender works quite well.

Location: Cardiff

Plenty of space betwixt diff and floor so I cut and folded the first rear side panel this morning. If there is ever any problem I'd be better off raising the rear springs a bit since they are actually slightly (1/2 inch?) below 'flat'.

Location: Cardiff

I was in the same quandary regarding clearance so I made the transverse tunnel almost as high as the bump-stops on the Ruby chassis and filled the outer gap with a removable panel. My reasoning was that the clearance was designed for a payload of four bodies, two of which were well aft of the hinge point and beyond the centre-line of the axle.

Location: Ripon

Good idea, Duncan. These springs I've got are very low and the clearance everywhere is only 3 and a bit inches but there is no great weight to the body and no room for anyone at the back. If it doesn't bottom out in the first few runs then I might be alright. If not, I'll put some packing wedges under the spring seats. Mr Thicky here forgot to make holes in the floor to get the spring clamps out. Doh!



One side complete and the other side half done. I also knocked up the frame for the headlamps and front wings although I haven't decided yet how to finish off the rear edges of them. Running boards would need too much structure to hold them up.

By the way, I've got 41.5 inches gap between sides for the shoulders. How does that compare with other versions?

Location: Cardiff

Is that a strategically placed tea mug I see on the seat?
If you're planning trials work a mudflap with a tidy detail fitting might give you a neat terminal for the guards?
I also omitted a hole for the spring hangers. Doh!

That is 7" wider than my Special and 3" wider than my Nippy, I would also suggest that a 3" guard clearance will bottom out over bigger bumps.

Location: NZ

Tail end all in place except for the bumper or cowl that needs to go underneath. Not sure whether to make an alloy bumper to go below the back end. Next job will be the doors.

Location: Cardiff

The rear springs on my saloon have settled to the extent that there is now only 4" between the tyre and the wheel arch. With two up, the wheels are beginning to catch the body on unexpected bumps. You need 6" clearance with new springs, unladen. The springs will settle by 1" after a while and the drivers weight will add another 1" deflection, leaving 4" to handle the bumps.
If the clearance is insufficient with the body only part built, the situation will only get worse as the build progresses. Bite the bullet and fit a pair of springs with more camber.

I have from experience to agree with the comments over clearance needs. For instance you have not yet added the fuel tank contents 5 1/2 galls + tank say 70 Lbs, spare wheel say 50 Lbs, a few tools, jack, spare water and oil, two bodies, hood perhaps, tonneau cover, both seats, luggage space lining, lights, etc etc.

There is also a significant sideways component to the axle and tyre/wheel. Hard cornering will move the tyre possibly a couple of inches sideways if you take into account body lean.

I hate to be a doom-monger but the rear body looks a bit tight in all dimensions to me. I built a Cambridge bodied special and started with 120mm clearance blocks above the tyres when I set up the cycle type Cambridge wings. On big spring deflections even with one up the tyres now graze the wing supports. The springs settled and the poor road surfaces encountered these days make the springs work hard. I have had to move the wing stays once already and a second move is on the cards

I also had to move my wing supports up.

On yours is there scope to raise the whole body?

David

Ooooooh...now they tell me!

I can pack the springs up with angled wedges (I think that will work, won't it?) and maybe a Panhard rod will locate it sideways. I had assumed that the flat springs would have keep sideways movement right down.
What about "Nobby" type spring assistance between axle and chassis extensions/Bumpstops?

Location: Cardiff

I suspect there is very little true sideways movement of the axle because it's constrained by the pin joint with the springs. However as the car rolls there is a considerable angle between the wheel and the body so the top of the wheel rubs on the inside of the wing.
My car, a 1929 saloon, is at the other end of the spectrum and the wheels rub, but of course it rolls a lot more than a special would.
Occasionally the wheels occasionally hit the top of the wings in the bottom of deep dips, not bumps though. That's about 6" of spring travel
However RK saloons have no bump stops. I don't think the body would be strong enough to withstand the shocks!

Location: Melrose, Roxburghshire

It may be easier to have the rear springs reset to provide more camber. I think if you fit rubber bump stops they will be acting as your suspension and the ride will not be pleasant!
With more camber on the rear springs the rear end may look a little high, I would give the front spring more camber to level things up. Altering the front spring is a doddle!
My experience is that with our roads Austin 7's that sit a bit higher are much nicer to drive and ironically, on a cross country journey on back roads, the car with the better ride height will be quicker than the low 'sports' model.
It is also embarrassing if you take a lady for a ride and the wheels scrape on the wheel arches!

Quote..."it is also embarrassing if you take a lady for a ride and the wheels scrape on the wheel arches!"

I like it!


Progress today. I measured another flat spring and there is 3x as much spring outside the cahssis rail as there is inside (53cm Vs 18cm) so I carved 2 oak wedges to be 18cm long and 2cm tapering to zero to try and give an extra 2 inches at the wheel. It seems to have worked although the hardest parts were to firstly drill a hole to get at the top of the big spring bolt and then to align the hole after the work was done (Simon. I wish I had found your photo website sooner!).
Mk2 will have a slot cut down the wedge so it can slip in without having to fully withdraw the big bolt. One side done and it sits about 1 3/4 inches higher.

One more question, if I may. What is the 'packing' mentioned in the various books? I never found any in the boxes of bits that this car was assembled from. Is it a flat piece between the spring and the flat plate at the bottom of the chassis rail?

Location: Cardiff

I've just stood on the cockpit floor and jumped a few times. It didn't hit the bumpstop so I might be alright. A second look underneath revealed that the chassis extensions are only about 1/4 inch further in from the tyres than the wheelarches so Herbert must have designed the |Ruby chassis to cope with such little clearance? Time will tell

Location: Cardiff

Back on the ground and bounced about a bit. It has settled at 5 inches on these old flattened springs.

Location: Cardiff

That looks much better! You should be okay if you have bump stops fitted and you keep the rear shock absorbers tightened.
For spring packing pieces, I have used pieces of oak and for thinner packing strips of plastic. Some people use bits of old spring leaf but I have never done so.

Rob hope I did not open a can of worms with the comment re the wheels being snug, the gap now looks similar to that of nippy images on the internet.

The reason I raised it is embarrassingly my wheels catch, front on full lock, rear on big bumps to top of arch and bump on one side of road they catch side of rear of car.

The options I have to fix mine are raise front wings up higher (to much work at the mo), improve the fixing of the rear of the body as it flexes (this may be a quick and easy fix), move the rear wheel arches in by half and inch (possible but may make a mess). Or drive in a straight line on flat roads..

Location: Dorset

I think there is much less chance of the tyre rubbing against the side of the wheel arch with a light open tourer body. Saloons which are much more top heavy tend to roll more on corners.
If the tyres do rub it may be possible to pinch a bit more clearance by fitting a spacer between the brake drum and the wheel, alternatively a tyre with a smaller section may be available.
I would ensure that there are no protruding bolt or screw heads on the inside face of the wheel arch so if the tyre should rub, the sidewall will not be damaged. Common sense really but I have seen tyres shredded by contact with bolts on the underside of wing stays etc.

Hi Malcolm fully understand your comments and is not as bad as it sounds all bolts an screws free of wheel, 250 miles in the car a tyres show no sign of wear to the tyre where rubbing but needs fixing. The frustrating part is I can not replicate the tyre rubbing on the body with a jack to fully understand at what point it is doing it. So car parked an the wheel just looks a bit close but clear hence the comment to Rob re his body.

Location: Dorset

I like the idea of the oak wedges and agree it "looks right" as it sits now.

David

It is common practice for Frazer Nash and GN cars to have wedges between the chassis rails and the quarter elliptic springs, at the front end they also can be used to alter the caster angle.

Thanks, everyone. No worries about opening 'Cans' since this is why I post stuff on here...the useful suggestions, gentle 'prods' and wise suggestions from those who, collectively, must have several centuries' worth of A7 experience.

Yes, the plywood inner skin to the arches has had all of the wood screws countersunk and none of them are in a position to cut a tyre wall. There is a few mm of ali wing beading to get through before the plywood gets touched but it will take quite a bit of deflection to get that far. I'll keep an eye on it.

For the archives, I have flat springs of 5(?) leaves and there is just enough space to get a 2cm wedge under the fore end of the spring with the tape goind down to zero as it emerges near the axle end. I slotted the wood so that it slipped in from the fore end and passed round the big bolt. I might try to get some cut from steel or hard ali. Looking on the internet I also spotted that some cars have an oval reinforcement below the big plate below the spring, presumably to take some of the load on the fore end of the spring? Mine doesn't have them. Should I add some? I'm guessing they are 1" x 2" and were originally riveted on?


Got home from Larnaca, Cyprus at about 2AM and am back out to Ibiza in a couple of hours. Totally knackered!

Location: Cardiff

Made the first door today. I was inspired, by the bolt on my Lee Enfield, to fabricate a latch mechanism whereby the frame tube has a sprung shaft inside that can be pulled back to open the door. Works quite well. I need to zinc plate the hinge brackets and then skin the door with a larger skin that overlaps the other panels to keep the wind out.
Next week will hopefully be "Windscreen Week".

Location: Cardiff

Ingenious!!! As well as a good mechanism I like that you're making it your own.