Hello from Jonathan

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JonfromIOW
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:28 am

Hello from Jonathan

Post by JonfromIOW »

Hello, my name is Jonathan, and I live in Newport, Isle of Wight.
My car is a 1958 A35 4 door in Palm Green, registration number RWV 96.
When I first got the car in April 2014 it was pulled out of the back of a garage where it had not seen the light of day for 22 years.
It was back on the road for the first time just last month!
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Countryboy
Posts: 4377
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:45 pm
Location: Leafy North Hampshire

Re: Hello from Jonathan

Post by Countryboy »

Welcome Jonathan :thumbs:
Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your car :cheers:
Rest Home for rusty vehicles
JonfromIOW
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Hello from Jonathan

Post by JonfromIOW »

Here is a photo of the car.
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Here she is recommissioned - still lots of jobs to do!
Here she is recommissioned - still lots of jobs to do!
12043226_1491446751184560_2092707704515529123_n.jpg (77.85 KiB) Viewed 871 times
Mark

Re: Hello from Jonathan

Post by Mark »

Hi Johnathon, welcome to the forum. That's a tidy looking car you have there. What did you have to do to get it back on the road?
JonfromIOW
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Hello from Jonathan

Post by JonfromIOW »

Thanks Mark.

One sunny crisp spring morning, one of my children and I had a look at the car, which we loved straight away! It was soon transported home. As the transport vehicle, with the Austin A35 on its back, drove up our road, my wife watched it go by, as she walked back from the shops, and was shocked by its condition, and wondered what I was letting us in for!

The car had not moved for 22 years at that point, and looked like a barn find, which in many ways it was, with rust dirt and dust all over, flat tyres, and everything dry as a bone. However, a good wash and a lot of elbow grease soon improved matters dramatically, 'Palm Green' paint work was revealed, the car moved freely on its wheels when the tyres were pumped up, the clutch pedal went up and down, and the gear stick would move between gears, but the brakes were completely seized. A friend, who lives up the road, helped me free the engine by gently rocking the car while in gear, together with using the starting handle to see if the engine would turn.

Another friend was very helpful, and came over to visit, and helped me sort out the engine with all the new components I had bought, and gave me excellent practical advice and guidance on what to do next. He helped me with the petrol tank, which was the first issue, as the line was blocked, and gave me a list of things I had to buy and do. I then spent many hours on the petrol tank, took it off and cleaned it, and eventually fitted it back on. He removed the carburetor, took it away, and rebuilt it. He later came back, assembled everything needed, and we fired the engine up!

There was rust on the car, and welding was a critical requirement, as was the refurbishment of the braking system. It took a long time scouring the internet for the bits I needed, especially the brake master cylinder and the brake frame cylinder. I won an auction on eBay for a refurbished brake master cylinder, which was very expensive, was told by another Austin A35 owner that I would probably need a brake frame cylinder, and that they were like hens teeth to obtain. I looked for a long time, and eventually found that someone was manufacturing them again, and I was able to obtain one, also very expensively. I bought trim and bright work, the car has spot lights which were rusted through, and I managed to obtain identical examples with similar patina, but still with bright and shiny chrome. I also bought cans of palm green spray paint.

I pondered on what to do next for many months, and eventually organised for the car to be removed and the welding and brakes. and final re-commissioning sorted by an enthusiast on the Island, who pulled it all together, and as a final touch, buffed up the paintwork, which made a tremendous difference to the look of the car. It was with great joy that I was able to pick up the car, and drive it home for the first time on the roads for nearly 24 years.

The car has not been restored by any means, and I want it to carry on looking essentially the way it does now. It had a respray in the early 1980's, and and some remedial work done to it at that time, to keep it going as a daily driver, and it has now been cleaned up, patched and repaired, and is just about what it was when it got put away in 1992 after being continually used since 1958.
WAC_Paul
Posts: 3300
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:20 am
Location: Nailsea, Bristol

Re: Hello from Jonathan

Post by WAC_Paul »

welcome Jonathan

you should have joined the club sooner. Dare I mention we sell master cylinders for £70 and frame cylinders for £35
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