Austin Nippy’s Peculiar Bind
April 6, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Nippy has had a strange issue with its crank shaft spring which got caught inside the engine. As seen in the illustrations
1934 Austin Seven Nippy
Austin Nippy Completion
March 31, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has been completed as of today and we’re delighted to see it up and running! Gordan and Craig took it
Austin Nippy Engine Back In
March 25, 2021
Our charming Austin Nippy has its engine back in which we’re delighted to see. Ady re-linked and re-fitted the engine back in to make sure
Great Things Come In Small Packages
March 25, 2021
We’ve got some seriously tiny cars in the workshop at the moment. They may be small but they are…or will be, mighty. On the whole,
Austin Nippy Mouse Trap Springs Cause A Snag
March 10, 2021
These tangled looking metal pieces are fondly named ‘mousetrap springs’ which are fitted on the clutch fork fingers. However, these have unfortunately given in and
Austin Nippy Engine Ready
March 3, 2021
We’re delighted to announce that our little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy engine has been fully restored. We’re currently awaiting the fly wheel and clutch to
Austin Nippy Seven Is Getting Nippy Again
February 12, 2021
We’ve received our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy engine back and can now begin reinstalling the engine back into the Austin. This little motor will be
Austin Nippy Regaining Its Spirit
February 3, 2021
Our Austin Seven Nippy engine has recently been sent off to Ian R Bancroft Restorations to make sure everything is moving, turning and working as
Austin Nippy’s Engine Refurbishment Continues
January 28, 2021
The Austin Nippy engine rebuild has continued with our knowledgeable engine specialist Ady. Ady has been working to cut the valve seats, re-bore the engine
Austin Nippy’s Piston Problem
January 12, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy had an issue with rattling pistons that were needing to be bored. We’d sent the components off to Coltec to
The Mysterious Case Of The Austin Nippy
December 22, 2020
Our poor little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has had some mysterious leaks. The previous engineer had welded the metal and covered the suspected leaking area
Open Heart Surgery For The Austin Nippy
December 15, 2020
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy is currently undergoing some open-heart surgery for its precious engine. We discovered a crack in the clutch so both the
Workshop Walkaround
December 9, 2020
Grey Jensen gets furnished Our trim team has been fitting the rear centre section in place, cutting out sound deadening and glueing it to bodywork
Friday Snapshot
December 4, 2020
Another busy week was flown by again, with lots of new drop-offs to the workshop and big progressions on current projects! Grey 1957 Jensen 541R
The Not so Nippy, Nippy
December 3, 2020
We’ve just welcomed this beautiful 1934 Austin Seven Nippy into the workshop for some engine repairs. The current diagnosis is that it needs an engine
Friday Snapshot
November 27, 2020
We’ve been very busy this week with winners and photoshoots as well as ongoing works to our current projects! Check out the news section of
Austin Nippy’s Peculiar Bind
April 6, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Nippy has had a strange issue with its crank shaft spring which got caught inside the engine. As seen in the illustrations below, the spring is meant to sit back however it had moved along the crank shaft and into the engine. This has now been taken apart and amended, meaning the only thing left to do is to take it for a test drive again.
Austin Nippy Completion
March 31, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has been completed as of today and we’re delighted to see it up and running! Gordan and Craig took it out for a test ride and it ran perfectly. With the engine and bonnet back on and all issues resolved, this little Nippy is set to go!
Austin Nippy Engine Back In
March 25, 2021
Our charming Austin Nippy has its engine back in which we’re delighted to see. Ady re-linked and re-fitted the engine back in to make sure it now starts fine.
Ady has found that there was water leaking out of the side of the cylinder head so he has fitted a new cylinder head to go back on with a new copper head gasket. His next step will be to take it for a test drive.
Great Things Come In Small Packages
March 25, 2021
We’ve got some seriously tiny cars in the workshop at the moment. They may be small but they are…or will be, mighty. On the whole, many classic cars are smaller than what’re we’re now used to. Thanks to a series of design decisions or simply just smaller engines, some of the early classics were manufactured almost half the size of modern-day cars. The Fiat 500 was designed for tight Italian roads, the Austin nippy was only a few steps after the horse and carriage and powered by a small engine, and the BMW Isetta bubble car coming in at only 2.3m long and 1.4m wide, was an engineering vision into the future of solo city travel. A design that never really took off and stayed firmly placed in the 60s and 70s, but none the less has made them desirable collectables today.
We’ve recently received a slightly worse for wear Isetta Bubble Car. With only the shell and chassis intact, we are in talks with the owner over how he wants this restoration to be managed.
There’s also been a small orange truck parked up by the ramp, which after thorough inspection and service is ready to go back to its owner, Loick Ranson. This little motor belongs to Craig’s 4-year-old son called Loick.
We had a rather unusual delivery on Friday evening. The trailer pulled up as the afternoon light cast a golden haze over the workshop, and with it, came this unique classic…
This bubble car, unlike the other, is in pristine condition. Gordon has even taken it for a drive! Stay tuned to find out what we have in store for this classic Isetta.
Austin Nippy Mouse Trap Springs Cause A Snag
March 10, 2021
These tangled looking metal pieces are fondly named ‘mousetrap springs’ which are fitted on the clutch fork fingers. However, these have unfortunately given in and in the process of their demise, got caught in the clutch. Although we managed to rescue these springs, it has meant we’ve had to take the engine back out of our Austin Nippy Seven and order new mousetrap springs and clutch fingers.
Austin Nippy Engine Ready
March 3, 2021
We’re delighted to announce that our little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy engine has been fully restored. We’re currently awaiting the fly wheel and clutch to arrive but otherwise the engine is ready to be fitted back in!
Austin Nippy Seven Is Getting Nippy Again
February 12, 2021
We’ve received our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy engine back and can now begin reinstalling the engine back into the Austin. This little motor will be nippy in no time!
Below you can see the re-conditioned engine with its new crank case from Ian R Bancroft Restorations:
Austin Nippy Regaining Its Spirit
February 3, 2021
Our Austin Seven Nippy engine has recently been sent off to Ian R Bancroft Restorations to make sure everything is moving, turning and working as it should be as we discovered a crack in the crankcase. Once this comes back, Ady, our knowledgable engine specialist can continue to rebuild the engine.
Austin Nippy’s Engine Refurbishment Continues
January 28, 2021
The Austin Nippy engine rebuild has continued with our knowledgeable engine specialist Ady.
Ady has been working to cut the valve seats, re-bore the engine to take new pistons, white-metaled the conrods to suit the crank shaft, re-profiled the camshaft to fix any imperfections and laid out all the parts ready to place them back together.
Austin Nippy’s Piston Problem
January 12, 2021
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy had an issue with rattling pistons that were needing to be bored. We’d sent the components off to Coltec to be pressure tested and bored so that the liner and piston sit in the Austin engine better.
The Mysterious Case Of The Austin Nippy
December 22, 2020
Our poor little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has had some mysterious leaks. The previous engineer had welded the metal and covered the suspected leaking area with sealant. Unfortunately the sealant had not stood the test of time and came off when we were cleaning the engine.
We want to go the next step and discover why the engine is leaking. Our engine specialist Ady aims to coat the inside with a red sealant spray. The purpose of using a red spray is that it will seep through any cracks and identify precisely where the damage is. From there we can weld only the areas needing it rather than a general area.
Open Heart Surgery For The Austin Nippy
December 15, 2020
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy is currently undergoing some open-heart surgery for its precious engine. We discovered a crack in the clutch so both the clutch and the flywheel have been sent away to Norwich Brake and Clutch who specialise in Edwardian and Victorian motors. We’ve also sent the rest of the engine off to Coltec.
Workshop Walkaround
December 9, 2020
Grey Jensen gets furnished
Our trim team has been fitting the rear centre section in place, cutting out sound deadening and glueing it to bodywork behind where seats go.
The rear squab section has also been fitted in place, the carpet has been cut to be placed in front of the rear seat base, the rear seat section has been fitted in place, and the leather has been glued to the seat subframes.
Sound deadening has been installed in the rear footwell & tunnel sides, passenger side, passenger side bulkhead, and the front footwells.
The door frames are also undergoing some modifications so that the window glass sits more comfortably. The doors will need to be taken apart and re-welded back together.
Peony Red Jensen
Our Peony Red 1960 Jensen 541s has had new door catch fixing plates installed. Our technicians have also made a cover to go over them to stop them from falling down into the sills of the car. They have then been welded into position.
TR6
The Triumph TR6 is on the road to recovery with the final tweaks being done. The engine levels have been checked as have the gearbox and rear axels. This stage is mostly a pre-drive service to make sure everything is in the right place and ready for the car to be driven for the first time. The battery holder needs to be installed and the engine to be tuned. Once these last details are done we can turn it on and see how it drives and address any teething problems that may arise.
Amphicar
The Amphicar is currently going through another in-depth stage of troubleshooting the electrics. Much like the TR6, our technicians’ are applying the final checks in preparation for starting the car up for the first time.
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 is almost finished! The exhaust and break lines have been installed as well as the seat belts which have been added by our technician Scott.
Black Jensen
The black 1960 Jensen 541R has come out of paintwork recently to address the corrections made. All the chrome has now been re-installed so it’s looking shiny and new!
1984 Lada 1200
Our Lada is one of our most recent patients. We diagnosed it with rusting sills and floor, which is being addressed and corrected by one of our fabricators, Ant. These refurbishments are done through a series of stages that include welding and applying filler to resolve the ageing. Think of it like getting a dermatological facial!
1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12
Our blue jaguar e-type is awaiting its chrome bumper and new steering rack to be fitted. The sun roof has also been fixed. This included taking apart the faulty switch and cleaning the components and then insulating the terminal. Once fitted back together, the sun roof was back to working perfectly again.
Gold Jensen
Our gold and red 1962 Jensen 541S has had its oil changed and water purged from the engine by our engine specialist, Ady.
Austin 7 Nippy
Ady is also working on the Austin 7 Nippy engine which is currently at COLTEC to be assessed.
Nissan 300ZX
The exhaust has been reinstalled into our Nissan as well as the link pipe between the two exhaust manifolds.
Friday Snapshot
December 4, 2020
Another busy week was flown by again, with lots of new drop-offs to the workshop and big progressions on current projects!
Grey 1957 Jensen 541R
Our trim shop expert Brian has been working on our grey 1957 Jensen 541R. He’s been marking out the leather for the rear parcel shelf and then glueing leather.
When the fabric has been marked out and fitted, the next stay is to trim off the excess around the window edge. The leather for rear quarter panel pockets has also been cut out and glued into the pockets.
The same process has happened for the side window surround panel which included screwing the parts in place and fitting the ashtray.
Austin Nippy Engine works start
Our engine specialist Ady has taken about the engine on our 1934 Austin Nippy. We’ve identified that there seems to be an issue with the cylinder bores. After further inspection, Ady diagnosed the issue as possible broken or cracked piston rings. This is a relatively quick job and Ady told us he hopes it’ll be done in the next few days.
We often find that even after an issue is addressed, it may not be solved as it’s common to find teething problems afterwards. We hope this quirky nippy will be back to working order again soon!
Black 1960 Jensen’s TLC
Our black 1960 Jensen 541R has had another layer of fresh paint and imperfection corrections that it’s acquired from knocks and bumps in the workshop. Gaining imperfections like this are common when parts are regularly being fitted and moved.
Up close and personal with the Gold Jaguar E-Type
This beautiful gold 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 Series 3 had picked up some sort of contaminant that had rusted the inner engine and wheel components. Our skill technicians addressed the issue by applying acid rust killer and cleaning down all of the parts. They were then re-painted and reassembled. Some of the nuts and bolts were also completely replaced.
Morris Minor Pinstripe
Painted by hand by our bodywork technician Chris who taped the sides to guide his hand and carefully applied the red paint.
Two more new Jensen’s arrived
We’ve had two more Jensen’s arrive this week for restorations, adding to our already growing collection! We’ll be sure to let you know how these restorations develop!
This beautiful 1961 Navy Jensen 541S:
And this sleek silver 1959 Jensen 541R that’s in for some electrical works:
The Not so Nippy, Nippy
December 3, 2020
We’ve just welcomed this beautiful 1934 Austin Seven Nippy into the workshop for some engine repairs. The current diagnosis is that it needs an engine rebuild as there seem to be some oil issues. Our aim is to troubleshoot the engine, identify the exact faults and advise the customer on what to do next.
The Austin Seven Nippy was the brainchild of Herbert Austin and Stanley Edge than run from 1922 to 1937. Despite only 682 models being made, the Austin Seven Nippy was responsible for helping motorise Britain, with the car providing the same footprint as a motorcycle and sidecar whilst still offering all the advantages of an automobile.
The Nippy clever abut simple engineering is based around an ‘A-frame’ chassis which is equipped with an all-round leaf-sprung suspension. The earlier models were fitted with just a three-speed manual gearbox whereas the later models, including ours, has a four-speed gearbox. This small and brisk sports car benefits from a lowered centre of gravity making it an amusing and ‘nippy’ drive.
It’s fun to see a car with a cranking handle such as what this Austin Nippy has. Although it was commonplace for cars at the time, it’s always interesting when we get one in the workshop. The cranking handle manually turns over the engine acted as a backup. It functioned much in the same way as bump starting the car. Cranking handles slowly phased out of car designs, often with the levers ending up in the toolbox as a last resort.
Friday Snapshot
November 27, 2020
We’ve been very busy this week with winners and photoshoots as well as ongoing works to our current projects! Check out the news section of our website for in depth exclusives on our current cars.
Live Draws and Winners
This week we aired to live videos! One being on Wednesday night as a Hanger walk around, teasing some of the cars to come which must have enticed some extra ticket buyers as all three competition cars were drawn and won last night!
A big congratulations to James Colwell for winning our 1979 Mini Clubman with his lucky ticket number 850. Our 1998 Jaguar XJR Supercharged was won by Sam Holmes with his ticket number 134. Finally, our 1999 Mercedes was won by Robert Read with ticket number 131. Although his ticket number was selected, it wasn’t the first ticket number to be chosen by Google’s random number generator. The first ticket pulled was 183, a number assigned to an unbought ticket. This just goes to show it’s worth buying those extra tickets as that could have been you!
Closer look at the Chevron
We released some details about our new Chevron B20 earlier in the week. Here’s a closer look at our new race car. We’re planning on doing an official shoot for this iconic vehicle next week, so stay tuned!
New arrival of an Austin Nippy
Yesterday we welcomed this 1934 Austin Nippy to the workshop. This little car is visiting us for an engine rebuild. We’ll be uploading more details about the car and its restoration soon!
Finishing touches on the Jaguar
As you may have seen in our previous blog, our beautiful 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car project has finally been completed. This has been in progress since 2016 and this week we saw the finishing details such as these pinstripes added.
We can’t wait to start it up and photograph it! Keep an eye out for its full story and photoshoot coming next week!
