My next project "La Petite Chanteuse"

[oldcar]

Hi Ben

Not really bragging, just trying to explain where I am coming from. I get the impression that the average person living in the USA and reading this has no real idea what drives me.

The thought of carting my 1934 Lagonda around in a trailer is a complete no brainer as far as I am concerned as is the idea of sitting around in a folding chair in the centre of a show field. A sure way to kill off the few grey cells I have left in my brain.

To me basket cases are for restoring and restored cars are for driving. I fully restored the Lagonda from the ground up when I first bought it in 1978. Since then it has had a couple of engine freshen ups and the paint was touched up in 1996. Last year I did some work on the gearbox. In 2004 I replaced the differential pinion bearings while on a Rally in Harrogate, England, in a leaking cattle shed. The car was off the road for slightly less than 24 hours, using the tools that I carry in the car. After all I was on the other side of the world, ????? miles from home.

I have said it before and no doubt I will say it again. God put wheels on cars so that we could drive them.

In just over six weeks time I turn 77. I had spinal surgery 12 years ago and major surgery for prostate, bladder & kidney cancer 11 years ago. I am not going to live forever so I might as well enjoy the years I have left.

The one thing that both my wife Helen and I really enjoy is driving in the Lagonda. The more challenging the drive the better. Funny thing is that the Lagonda loves being driven.

To get more enjoyment driving a truck towing a 25ft trailer with their car safely tucked up inside away from prying eyes than actually driving the car must say something about the car???

Bj.

Edited September 26, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Agree. If my Buick goes on a trailer, will be a sad day.

Enjoy

Ben

[oldcar]

Hi All

Not a great deal to report on the Singer, just more of the same work, work, work with not a lot to show for it yet. Just lots of cutting, filing and hammering. So far most of two out of three sheets of aluminium have "disappeared". Probably another week of "more of the same". Amazing how and where the time goes when you are having fun.

Bj.

Edited September 30, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

Just so you know that I have not been sitting inside watching TV.

Bj.

[Roger Zimmermann]

It seems that we are both beating sheet metal panels: aluminum for you and brass for me. Just the scale is different!

This body is good looking! Can you weld aluminum?

[oldcar]

Hello Roger

Other people can but it is something I have never learnt. I have to design my bodies with a minimum number of joins and by observing what many smaller English coachbuilders did in the 1915 to 1925 period I have learnt to disguise where panels meet. You will have to wait a little longer. This is one reason why this little body has consumed two full sheets of aluminium and why I have three lengths of cresent mould waiting to be used. Go back to the photograph of the 1922 Aston Martin on Page 1 #1 and see how they solved the problem. I used the same technique on the 1926 Singer you see there.

Bj.

Edited September 30, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

To anyone wondering about my reply above. A full sheet of aluminium is 8'0" long and this body is only 7'9' long so a complete side comes out of the one sheet. This is only possible provided that there are no compound curves. The top of the tail and the top of the cowl come out of the third sheet along with the bonnet (hood) top and sides out of the off-cuts. You just have to plan the whole thing before you start cutting. I use four different pair of snips. My antique (bought when I was just 17 or 18) pair of long Gilbrows for long straight(ish) cuts and a right hand and left hand pair of "Aviation" snips for rounded corners etc and a small pair of Gilbrows for tight corners. I also have two other pair of really antique, curved snips, one small the other large but I only rarely use them. For long "roughing out" cuts I use a cutting disk in my angle grinder. I use three hammers and two or three "dollies including an antique flat iron. plus a variety of clamps and vice grip pliers. Nothing under 25 years old so by AACA standards all my tools are "Antique". In addition to the angle grinder I have two electric drills and two orbital sanders, everything else is "hand powered". I also use my brains which are almost 77 years old and are so definitely "Antique". I take Monday mornings to play "Petanque" and Friday mornings to go shopping with Helen, (I am allowed to push the supermarket trolley) and some weekends for VSCC events. I do all my own repairs and servicing on the 1934 Lagonda Rapier. After some 8 to 9 hour days in the shed I feel about 200 years old.

I could limit myself to just an hour or so perhaps one or possibly two days per week and sometimes do nothing for weeks on end but then nothing would ever be accomplished or finished. Sound familiar?

Bj.

Edited September 30, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

This morning I took the Lagonda Rapier over to Tony's to have the seats reupholstered. After more than 35 years of constant use the seats were becoming shabby. I have decided that it no good half doing the job, so while there I removed all the interior trim and most of the carpet. This afternoon I managed to fit the cresent mould around one side of the tail and across the cowl. This needs to be annealed where it goes around tight bends (on the flat). The way it is progressing it will be ready to go out to Daves for pre-paint preping any time now. While at Tony's he gave me sample cuttings of two hides that he has in stock either of which while not sufficient for a larger car should be more than enough for the Singer seats. Both are slightly off beat colours which will make the choice of a paint colour "interesting". Perhaps a reverse of the Packard with Biscuit coloured body and chocolate brown wheels. Antique brown hide for the seats etc.

Bj.

Edited October 2, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

Sorry! No work on La Petite Chantreuse today. Having stripped out all the interior trim panels in the Lagonda I decided that the only way to do a "proper" job was to replace all the old backing boards, so have spent the day with my jig saw (Another power-tool that I had forgotten about), cutting out new trim panels. I can taken them to Tony's tomorrow morning, check them for fit and make any adjustments that he thinks may be necessary.

Bj.

[oldcar]

Back on the Singer today. Finished fitting the cresent moulding around the tail. and had a tidy up which lasted all of an hour. I have discovered that there is sufficient hide left over from the Packard to do the Singer seats. This will dictate to some extent the colours that I can use. For a variety of reasons, including superstition, I will not be painting it Chocolate Brown. What ever It will be a dark shade, there is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge before I have to make any decisions.

Bj.

[oldcar]

There is always something else to do. Currently it is Spring here in the antipodes and the grass is growing at 100mph. Naturally the mowers, I have the choice of an antique Briggs & Stratton four stroke and an even older two stroke of doubtful parentage, are both in dire need of attention after "wintering" under a sheet of plastic in a "sheltered" corner of the garden. Oh well, it makes a change.....

The B & S has SAE size bolts while the "other" has Metric so I have both tool boxes out.

Bj.

Sorry no photographs.

Edited October 7, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

This morning I went and collected my new aluminium petrol tank custom made to fit into the Singer's tail. while it looks quite small it actually holds almost 59 litres which should be more than sufficient for any journeys that the Singer is likely to make.

Bj

[dan at larescorp]

The tank looks great! I can't wait to see this project finished. I'm always amazed by your work.

[oldcar]

Hello Dan

I must confess I did not make the petrol tank but had it done by a specialist firm.

Bj

[dan at larescorp]

Yes I had read that you were sending it out to be completed. I was just mentioning they had done a great job. From the photo it looks to come in close to the quility of craftmanship that you put into the rest of your projects.

Keep on keeping on Bernie.

[oldcar]

Thank you Dan

I was introduced to the firm some years ago for the fuel tank in a Dodge Four speedster and at that time I was extremely pleased with the quality of their work. There are not all that many people who are prepared to do small one off jobs and to do them promptly, have pride in their work and yet do not charge over inflated prices. In some ways it seems a pity that it will be tucked away out of sight in the tail of the car.

Work on the Singer may have to slow somewhat over the coming months as I have to concentrate on preparing the 1934 Lagonda Rapier for our next (5 yearly, 3 months duration) visit to the UK and France. The car has to be ready to be shipped at the end of April.

Bj.

Edited October 11, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

Completely on another tack I am looking for a Michelin 4.50 - 5.00 X 17 Comfort S tire as a spare for the Lagonda.

I have also placed a post on Buy & Sell. These tires are something quite different, while they are NOT a radial they are designed to run at a low pressure (20 psi) and you should not mix conventional cross ply tires with them on the same axle. I have four on the Lagonda but desperately need a fifth for a spare. This needs to have legal or near legal tread.

[Roger Zimmermann]

...they are designed to run at a low pressure (20 psi) and you should not mix conventional cross ply tires with them on the same axle.

In Switzerland and probably whole Europe, it's not allowed to mix cross ply tires and radial tires on the same vehicle.

[oldcar]

Thank you Roger

While in fact these are not radials but a pre-cursor to radials (first introduced in 1935) it is still not totally legal to mix them. In the case of an accident it could may things difficult.

Perhaps Roger you could ask around the members of your local (Swiss) club.

Bj

[oldcar]

Not much to look at but still a productive Sunday morning's work.

Bj

[OnSafari]

Great work Bernie, is the Singer Junior project taking a different path now?

[Guest RonB]

re your journeys up the Alps, A few days ago I had the pleasure of being a co pilot in the maiden drive of a car built in 1913.. The driver ,while we were motoring along a busy road in Brisbane said" this thing drives great,I would drive it to Sydney ,no problem..." I would too,if I owned it. We even kept up with a lot of the traffic and it is , in fact quite capable of acelerating away from the lights at much the same speed as a lot of 2013 cars around us. The thought of it being 100 years old and just emerging from a 6 figure resto never entered my mind,it's all about the adventure,and besides we are only here for a very short time.

[oldcar]

Sorry but i have been devoting some time to other things.

The Singer is on the back burner for the time being. The Lagonda was restored in 1978 but it still scrubs up quite well for a car that is constantly in use.

Bj

[trimacar]

Seems like the Singer project might be taking a different direction, since the body is for sale on PreWarCar.....sometimes things change...and that's understandable.....

http://www.prewarcar.com/index.php?option=com_caradvert&view=ad&section_id=1&id=87492&Itemid=432

[oldcar]

Thank You David

You are quite correct. I am currently having a big re-think about a number of things. Right now my first priority is to prepare the Lagonda for our visit to the UK and France early next year. It will be the cars 7th (5 yearly) trip to Europe and could well be my last. Once again we will be asking it to perform like a two year old despite its 80 summers. It will be our only transport and expected to do everything we ask of it on a daily basis for 3 months albeit a long long way from home. If you dig deep enough you will find my other advert on the Pre-war Car web site under Wanted where I am looking for a fifth Michelin 450-500 X 17 Super Comfort tire. The same as those seen in the photograph above

Bj.

It is seen here at last weekends RACV Motorclassica International Concours at Melbourne's historic Royal Exhibition Building. It was being shown in lieu of the 1923 Packard which had been sold a month or two earlier.

Edited November 3, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[trimacar]

Yes, I'd actually seen the ad about the tires...interesting read about tire performance.....the Europe trip sounds like great fun...

[unimogjohn]

Bernie, since the Singer project is on the back burner or dead for now why don't you document what you are doing to the Lagonda to get ready. We know that you are refreshing the interior and looking for a tire, but what else? I am sure you are going over the mechanicals, etc. So let us know if you can. We are interested in everything you do. Keeps us young and motivated.

[oldcar]

Thank you both David & John.

The Lagonda interior is finished and I think that it now looks even better than it did when the car was first restored in the 1970s. The little pleated "seat" in the rear is actually the lid of the battery box which can accommodate a small child sitting facing forward or an adult sitting sideways but only for very short journeys. I probably need to re-paint the Hood (top) bows and perhaps replace the umbrella but that dates from our first overseas trip with the car in 1984 for the car's 50th Birthday.

As you can see luggage space for three months holiday is strictly limited.

Bj

Edited November 4, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[Landman]

Nice job Bernie. I assume the same guy who did the Packard's interior also did this one?

[oldcar]

Hi Pat

Tony at Classic & Sports Auto Interiors at Eltham has done quite a few cars for me over the years. I have yet to find a reason to complain. You may find another old friend on his web site. www.classicandsports.com.au Click on Vintage Cars

Bj.

Edited November 5, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

With our next European Holiday looming large on the horizon there are a multitude of little jobs to be done on the Lagonda. This one has been hiding in the background ever since I first restored the car in 1978. That is right it is something that I have been putting off for the last 35 years. Obviously nothing critical but one of those things that I have been gunnerdo.

To start this story from the beginning is going to take some time so make yourself comfortable.

Our Lagonda Rapier has had a very chequered life. It started out in 1934 as a fixed head (hardtop) coupe. Then in the late 1940s/early 50s it was rebuilt as a sports/racing car. I bought it in 1978 or there-abouts and set about a major ground up restoration which included fitting a new (replica) sports (Eagle) two-seater body imported from England. Since then the car has been variously used in Club level competition and touring. Over its life the engine too has gone through some serious development. Higher compression, at one time as high as 14 to 1 (it is now 9:1) and an increase of engine capacity from 1100cc to 1232cc and finally 1500cc. It has been fitted with larger SU carburettors originally 1 1/8 inch it now has 1 1/2 inch with the inlet valves progressively enlargened to the point that it is now physically impossible to fit any larger and finally the cams have been reground several times to give higher lift and longer overlap duration. i.e. earlier opening and later closing the valves. All fairly normal stuff. One outcome of all this development is that it requires a rather rich mixture to start from cold. One complication of fitting the larger carbs was that there was no room for the choke mechanism on the rear carb. Rather than risk the possible dangers associated with starting with one rich (choked) carb and one lean. Back-firing or worst burning a hole in a piston. The simple way to overcome this as anyone with an older British motorcycle will tell you is to flood the carbs. To do this with SUs is to depress the float, or in the vernacular, "Tickle" them. Mr SU was very clever in providing a Tickler for this expressed purpose. For one reason or another the Carbs on the Rapier had had their Ticklers removed. Todays task was to replace them. Our local SU parts provider had the necessary Tickler kits in stock and it took less time to fit them than it has taken to write this explanation.Previously this had been done using a short length of wheel spoke that was kept in the glove box. This temporary measure has been in use for almost 35 years.

I hope that you are all keeping up.

Bj.

Edited November 7, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[Ian_Greenlaw]

ah Bernie.....I looked for the Packard at the Motorclassica but never even thought of the Lagonda especially with the UK plates. when I couldn't find you I thought you may have had a last minute withdrawal. my cousins who live in France are staying for a week mid November too so that should be interesting. hope all the preps go well.

Ian

[oldcar]

Hi Ian

Sorry that you missed us at Motorclassica. For American readers this is Australia's premier car show. With the crowds attending I am not surprised that you did not find me. This photograph was taken early Sunday morning. The show is held in Melbourne's 1880s Exhibition Building which was painstakingly restored to its original colour scheme in the 1990s.

Bj

[oldcar]

For people who may question the validity of those Michelin tires they were first introduced in 1935 and are still available but unfortunately only in Metric wheel sizes. They were the first LOW pressure tire (20 psi) and give both a very quiet and comfortable ride and fantastic grip.

Bj

[Landman]

Nice hall!

[oldcar]

While digging through some old boxes of stuff I came across this 35mm Colour Transparency.

This was the first Lagonda Rapier I have owned and restored. It had been standing under a clump of pine (fir) trees for some years and had largely been trashed by children "playing" in it. This was probably taken 40 years ago. Somewhere I have some black & white prints of the as found photographs I will add if I can find them. My second attempt at scaning it was better. Perhaps one of the moderators can tell me how to erase the first (thumbnail).

Bj

Not the one I was looking for but an old b&w showing the same car during restoration, probably in the late 1960s-early 1970s.

(Bernie, I don't know how you can delete it but I am able to delete it for you. I deleted the one that I think you wanted gone. - MCHinson)

Edited November 8, 2013 by MCHinson (see edit history)

[oldcar]

Having had a couple of slack days Sunday morning seemed an ideal time to remove the brake drums on the Rapier to check the linings and adjust the brakes. The Lagonda Rapier was the first car to be fitted with the then (1934) new Girling wedge and roller brake expander units. Working in 13 inch drums they took the British motor industry by storm being accredited with being the first car to stop in less than 30 feet from 30 mph. You can compare the size of the brake drum seen here with the Rapier's 17 inch wheel rim. Non original holes in the drum serve two purposes, to assist with cooling and to reduce the unsprung weight.

Bj

Edited November 11, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[oldcar]

Continuing on with my preparation for our next European trip I have just added another accessory to the Lagonda.

These are something that I have been repeatedly asked to attend to and have finally managed to comply with.

It is most important to keep the navigator happy and so now the car is fully equipped with a pair of handbag & hat hooks. These are tucked in under the dashboard on the passenger side. I am told that every long distance touring car should have them. How we have managed for over fifty years without them I can not say.

Bj.

The second photograph is the view of the hooks as seen from the passenger footwell.

Edited November 12, 2013 by oldcar (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Brings to mind "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". Mama is now happy, one hopes.

Bernie, I can only wish to be a fly on the wall [ windscreen??] while you are in Europe. Will you cover the tour with a dedicated thread?

Ben

[oldcar]

Hello Ben

We are planning to buy a new I-pad before we go so anything is possible. A lot of it may be boring drove from point A to Point B sort of stuff. In the past Helen has taken lots of what the passenger saw photographs.

Bj