KR 5670

[Ian Grace]

Thanks guys, and fascinating to see the identical blue seat from VG.

I think a middle road might be the best way to go - with no holding back on restoring any of the chassis, running gear, and even the wings, bonnet, wheels, etc. The Wolseley body is quite another matter, and I will contact the Bullnose Morris Club who I believe have a lead on the original interior material which is not generally available. The original was much thinner (and with a much more obvious grain) than any of the modern offerings, making corners difficult to achieve neatly. I also need to source a replcement for the carpeting that is used everywhere, including the backs of the front seats. Anyone got any idea where this might be obtained?

The exterior fabric is virtually 100% sound, there being only one small blemish on the rear left quarter which is about an inch slit that I think might have been done during the shipping from the UK. It is however somewhat bumpy under the corners of the roof fabric because of deterioration of the underlying wadding. But it is sound enough to withstand fairly regular use, I would think, and is responding to continued very careful cleaning.

As for the interior, the front seats and front door trims have already been replaced at some point in the past, so don't exactly match the rest of the original interior. As you suggest Halbe, if re-trim the interior as closely to the original pattern and material as possible, the car would be transformed, but remain true to it specification. At the same time, this will allow me to replace the laminated glass, some of which is in a poor state. Retrimming will also allow me to replace the front seat squab spring units which screech when you sit on them. As Ronald said before, I don't think the old springs and wire mesh would stand much use.

So Halbe, are you going to re-trim your rear seat?

[halbe]

I will have to do all of the exterior fabric because the condition was so much worse than on KR.
The interior is all original right now but needs a bit of work. I'll use the shrunken headlining to replace some damaged material elsewhere. need to find some blue headlining somewhere.......
The glass needs to be replaced , its like sitting in a giant pair of sun glasses right now (summer use only) .The main problem is not so much the fabric of the seats but the stitching, it tears when you put some pressure on the seats, no easy solution found so far, maybe restitching the horizontal bits only
All the panels for the doors etc. are ok.
For the carpeting , there is a shop over here in The Hague where they restore old seats, sofa's and furniture , they might know a source for the right material.
Lots of time needed to get right without losing the right feel off the original interior.

Regards,
Halbe

[Ian Grace]

Halbe,

It is fascinating to compare KR with VG - two remarkable survivors. I stripped the front right hub this evening because I found that the grease in the hub bearings is almost solid. I removed the brake shoes and was amazed to find that the steel caps have virtually no visible wear, and not one thou of indentation. Mechanically, there is no wear whatsoever in anything and I think I'm dismantling things for the first time since assembly at Cowley.

I e-mailed Ian Makins at the Bullnose Morris Club tonight - I think one of their members had some brown material of our type made. I think the minimum quantity was 100 yards, so the club members split a batch between them. If we could do the same, or work with other BNMC members for our colours (blue and red), we'd be in business - but we would also need Hidem banding and carpet to match. I'll let you know his response.

It seems that fabric (exterior or interior) has an ultimate working life of about 30 years - regardless of use or preservation - it dries out, becomes brittle and the stitching thread becomes weak. And the underlying horse hair stuffing and spring units probably have about the same life limitation.

[Sam Christie]

Ian I have the impression that horse hair is very durable and can be readily re-cycled.I spoke with a lady some years ago who was keen on restoring old furniture (very good at it too) and she obtained horse hair from churches where old kneeling cushions were being cleared out.The cushions would be really ancient and full of dust and dirt but she put the horse hair in a pillow case suitably sealed and then put the whole thing in the washing machine.She insisted that horse hair was as good as new once washed and dried.

[Ian Grace]

Hi Sam,

Interesting. I think the wadding under the external fabric is cotton, which has deteriorated - or at least gone a bit bumpy under the fabric. The rear seat squab which is, I think, a combination of a spring unit and horse hair seems fine - see the picture. I'd be comfortable (forgive the pun!) keeping this, as it would get little or no actual use. It remains to be seen how much wear and tear (grandkids?!) the stitching will take before the pleats come apart.

Now that I have decided that new paint is OK, I plan to work my way through the axles, wheels, running gear and wings/bonnet, lamps, etc. - stripping and re-painting everything and bringing up to as-new standard, but I'll be treating the body much more sensitively. So restore the Morris bits and refurbish the Wolseley bits! I think this will get the car perfectly useable, while retaining its unrestored character in the bodywork department - if that makes sense. I am fairly certain that I can retain all of the original external fabric, and replace elements of the interior (in particular the headlining) as necessary - provided that I can source the correct material, and I am hopeful that the BNMC will be able to help in that regard. And I will be retaining all the period add-on goodies - like the horn ring, clock, vacuum dipping system, etc., which were probably fitted by Maltbys for the first owner.

Halbe's suggestion to re-use the headlining to repair smaller areas of the trim is an excellent one. Never throw ANYTHING away!

The big unknown is the engine. Everything looks fine externally, and we know it has just about run in from new! But there is a question mark over the state of the white metal. I have heard that it crystalizes over time, so I may run the risk of running a bearing, but I think I'll run the car anyway, see what the oil pressure looks like and fix what breaks rather than launching into a full engine strip down up front. Or am I being too optimistic?

[Ronald]

Horse hair can still be bought new, not the cheapest product, but original.... and it can also be washed, but drying it can take quite a while.... as it ends up matted... if you an find an upholsterer with a 'carding machine' thats another option, although extremely dusty.... also, be aware that there can be traces of anthrax in old horse hair, as in the old days it didn;t get treated for it..!!!!

With regards to the engine, my advice would be to drop the oil, let drain and replace.... then remove the plugs and dizzy cap, put a decent teaspoon of oil down each bore.... turn the engine gently with the starting handle to get it nice and free.... then spin it over on the starter for maybe 10 seconds stints, after a few goes you should see the oil pressure start to show...... once you've got at least some oil pressure, ( the oil in the bore will also aid comprssion sealing) replace the plugs and start it briefly..... then again, and again for longer stints until you're happy with it..... it could be worth removing the cam cover whilst you do the spinning on the starter just to check that new oil actually reaches the top of the engine.......

And lastly, don;t forget to video the whole process so we can all be witness to it!!!

[Ian Grace]

I had hoped that I might get to fire her up today, but it was not to be. First job was to drain the old fuel. The fuel tap was solid in the OFF position, so had to be removed. Then I removed the driver's seat so I could clean out the battery box, clean the terminals and fit the new battery. With the plugs out, the engine revolved nicely on the button, and the oil pressure rose to 65 psi. But with the rocker cover off, no oil flow was visible to the cam gear - oil is not reaching the head. The other problem is that there is no life in the ignition circuit - no glimmer from the warning lamp (might be a blown bulb), but also no flicker from the ammeter. I think I am going to have to re-wire everything - the original 1930 wiring has probable had its day! I'll also remove the oil pressure pipe to the head and see if oil pours out when operating the starter. If so, then it could be the restrictor pin gummed up. The bottom hose is also completely brittle and broken, so I'll replace both hoses and flush the radiator and block as much as possible before attempting a firing up.

[Ronald]

Nice to see some progress though Ian, good to hear that it span over ok, and with oil pressure... mind you, a blockage to the head would increase the reading..... 65 psi on cranking would be far more than expected... so there must be a blockage somewhere..........

I would be more impatient than you, I'd rig up temporary wiring to simply get it running.... it wouldn't take much!

[Ian Grace]

Took the restrictor pin out - cleaned it, refitted it. Cranked it over, oil oozing slowly from the holes in all eight rockers. May improve when running and warmed through. I'll dowse the rockers with fresh oil before trying to fire it up. Removed both hoses - they were completely brittle and crumbed away. Used the garden hose to backflush the radiator and block, now have big orange stains all down the drive! Yes, I'll ,probably run a cable from the battery to the coil and see if I can get it running!

[Ronald]

Excellent............ remember to set your video camera up,,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[halbe]

Hello Ian,

Just noticed that the floor on both sides of the gearbox are a bit higher than on VG
Did you get the video running yet
Regards
Halbe

[Ian Grace]

Well spotted Halbe - hadn't noticed this - Minor front floor boards should be an inch or so below the level of the sills. Not sure if this is a Hornet body feature. But the gearbox cover seems to be about the right height in relation to the starter button, so maybe the sills are thinner?! Seems unlikely, but something doesn't quite add up here. I'll take a closer look tonight and report back.

Edited to add - the front seats are also raised on pairs of wooden runners, which look original as they are under the original carpeting. Maybe so the driver could see over the longer bonnet of the Hornet?

[halbe]

Either a Hornet or a extremly short driver feature

Looking at the pictures I am more and more convinced that a full restoration is not the way to go.
I know you'll make the right decision.

Kind regards
Halbe

[Ian Grace]

Halbe,

Of course, cars often look worse in the flesh than they do in photos, and this one is perhaps no exception. My current thinking is to restore the Morris component of the car - i.e. the driving chassis and wings, bonnet, bumpers, radiator, etc. That will give me a perfectly drivable (and significantly smarter and sounder) car, and, bearing in mind the car is only just about run in from new, should be extremely reliable and a joy to drive.

The Wolseley component of the car (i.e. the body) is an entirely different matter. The entire ash frame is structurally very solid and the exterior fabric, while not blemish-free - is extremely presentable and sound for its age, and there can be few cars left from 1930 with such sound, original fabric. (Also, it would be a serious undertaking to replace!).

I think that 90% of the character of the car lies in the body and interior, not the chassis and running gear, so this seems to be a reasonable compromise between leaving it more or less as it is, and a full restoration. The only exception I may make is to replace the headlining and to re-upholster the front seats after fitting new spring units. The front seats have already been re-upholstered in relatively recent times, so re-upholstering these would not detract from any of the original interior. With any luck I hope to be able to source a Rexine material closely similar to the interior headlining/seats.

[Toby]

I will need some brown for the interior of UX....