1958 Austin A35 - the family heirloom...
Discussion
maxc said:
Loving the updates and thanks for all the photos posted so far - very informative. My interest in this is a mate of mine - Robert Prinn's son has the only A35 works rally car and we are planning on doing the Monte Classic in due course once restored. It is a real basket case but fixable. It did the Monte in 1958 but was a DNF. There is an online Haggerty article about it with pictures. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/motorsport/resc...
Oh boy.... Feels like I need to stop whinging about rust looking at that 
Robert Prinn is an excellent source for A30/35 repair panels and parts so at least it's in the right hands.
Great to see more updates on the bodywork OP! As you say these things can take decades, so yours is taking shape nicely!
It's certainly in good hands at least!
maxc said:
Loving the updates and thanks for all the photos posted so far - very informative. My interest in this is a mate of mine - Robert Prinn's son has the only A35 works rally car and we are planning on doing the Monte Classic in due course once restored. It is a real basket case but fixable. It did the Monte in 1958 but was a DNF. There is an online Haggerty article about it with pictures. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/motorsport/resc...
Nice one, Robert and Matthew have supplied a fair few miscellaneous parts for my car - i'm most appreciative of the service they provide! Didn't know they had the rally car, that's awesome and will be a cool car when done It's certainly in good hands at least!
bigothunter said:
lowering blocks 
I hate lowering blocks 
I agree they're not the last word on dynamics and to get the best out of the handling then it would be better to get the softer, lower rear springs... I hate lowering blocks However, as this is "only" a road car and I want to be able to take rear passengers and go holidaying and load the boot up with junk then having standard, stiffer rear springs is the way I've gone.
It's all about compromises. It's also very easy to change stuff like that at a later date/in a few years time etc if/when I fancy.
bigothunter said:
A rear axle located via lowering blocks I hate lowering blocks
Same here. Shockingly however when my car was being built and I was having a nose around the A35s being run at various HRDC meetings, the amount of lowering blocks on Ambleton's car are nothing - i've seen racing cars (not those Academy things, proper racers) running twice as many lowering blocks on the back end, and these were being prepared/run by "professional" racing teams! I hate lowering blocks I was shocked to say the least, and surprise surprise the cars were far from the sharp end of the grid, but they were getting paid for their work so didn't want to tell them their own business...Headed rearward on the RHS for the rear spring/bumper mounts....
The A35 originally had no stereo fitted. I want to fit something small and out of the way.
A few years back I started a project for a stereo system for the BBQ area down the bottom of the garden but i never finished it.
This consisted if a pair of JBL full range car speakers and a small 12V 5A Bluetooth amplifier. I still have all the hardware so I'll put it all in the A35 instead. I'll draw up some discrete housings and 3D print them. They will go on or under the dash shelf - undecided yet. I've already made a housing for the amplifier board.
Three knobs are off/volume, bass and treble.
Inputs on the back are power, L/R speakers and Aux.
Housing is 80mm x 60mm x 20mm (plus fastener locations) so it is small and discreet.
The A35 originally had no stereo fitted. I want to fit something small and out of the way.
A few years back I started a project for a stereo system for the BBQ area down the bottom of the garden but i never finished it.
This consisted if a pair of JBL full range car speakers and a small 12V 5A Bluetooth amplifier. I still have all the hardware so I'll put it all in the A35 instead. I'll draw up some discrete housings and 3D print them. They will go on or under the dash shelf - undecided yet. I've already made a housing for the amplifier board.
Three knobs are off/volume, bass and treble.
Inputs on the back are power, L/R speakers and Aux.
Housing is 80mm x 60mm x 20mm (plus fastener locations) so it is small and discreet.
austina35 said:
Great progress on the A35. Doing it right from the ground up is the way to go.
My A35 had been hidden away since the end of the summer so I dug it out a couple of weeks ago.
i should have gone into a little more detail. Its fitted with a 1275 midget engine, Hif44 carb and a maniflow exhaust. The timing chain is a vernier adjustable one with an aluminium front plate/timing cover and a rear aluminium backplate. I also have the roller clutch bearing fitted. The gearbox is a 1275 midget one with a front lip seal conversion. (a must). My A35 had been hidden away since the end of the summer so I dug it out a couple of weeks ago.
Front suspension is midget all fitted with poly bush. Brakes are midget with drilled and vented discs. I have a front anti-roll bar fitted but behind the engine underneath the gearbox. The rear suspension is adjustable gas shock absorbers. I've removed the rear roll bar and armstrong dampers.
Inside the seats are trimmed in nappa leather with light grey piping to match the exterior colour. I have a temp and oil pressure guage fitted. Its converted to negative earth and i have an electric fuel pump, electric fan and USB ports installed discreetly.
It drives happily at 70mph all day long.
Quite a lot has gone on so far this week....
With the tail panel out, work has commenced on repairing the boot floor. Initial plan was to buy a whole boot floor repair panel but this isn't possible, and the boot floors that used to be made are really quite basic and not a true representation of what it should be. Next I started sniffing around for a cut but tbh its a case of picking up other issues.
My welder pal just bit the bullet and has started repairing it.
You can see I'm this image that the spare wheel tub has been removed, as has the rear section of the boot floor, and the RHS of the boot floor. A ribbed repair panel made up and dropped on to check for fit.
The rear cut/section I acquired had a decent rear floor return, so it was carefully picked apart, offered up and repaired. The tail panel from the cut is in marginally better condition than the one that came off (less pitting, better flanges) so the decision was made to use that rather than the one that came off.
It's currently all being grafted in. It's still a long way from being done but you get the idea... and there's more patches that need making up yet too
Some attention has also started to go on the underside rear quarter to close the arch off to the bumper/inner wing area.
There was lots of s
te in there. Thin sheet held in with wood screws etc 
and what was original all rotted out with just a tiny amount of evidence of long forgotten flanges
More repair panels ordered and then it was a case of begging for photos of unmolested cars and trying to peice it all together in a somewhat realistic fashion...
A kind soul on the A35 Facebook page sent me some photos of their car which is currently undergoing a restoration. A one owner from new, dry garaged since '64 - never welded shell (what a dream that is).
This was very handy and the rear right corner looks like it's beginning to come together...
Now I realise I've got the easy job here. In between getting photos, info and parts for my tame welder I have been busying myself with vehicle electrics. The more I spend time doing it the more enjoyable I'm finding it. I used to hate it with a passion. Modern cars can do one though!
The original wiring diagram looks like this:
I'm now on V04 of mine I think but it's pretty well there now I believe... Next job is to order up some wire and start laying it out and creating a legend.
In prep for this I've also made a new lower switch panel for the dash. Normally it would look like the below. The switches (L-R) heater blower (one speed on/off), wipers (one speed on/off), panel lights (because original the dash didn't illuminate with the side lights), key.
The new one is a bit more compact. (L-R): key, wiper (on/off toggle switch), 3× knobs for the Bluetooth stereo, heated windscreen (on/off illuminated toggle switch), 4 position rotary switch for a 3 speed fan. The panel itself is a bit of sheet brass I had left over from the Pembleton build, i hand formed little returns around the perimeter to increase stiffness. I tried it raw brass but it looked odd so I painted it black, as per original.
With the tail panel out, work has commenced on repairing the boot floor. Initial plan was to buy a whole boot floor repair panel but this isn't possible, and the boot floors that used to be made are really quite basic and not a true representation of what it should be. Next I started sniffing around for a cut but tbh its a case of picking up other issues.
My welder pal just bit the bullet and has started repairing it.
You can see I'm this image that the spare wheel tub has been removed, as has the rear section of the boot floor, and the RHS of the boot floor. A ribbed repair panel made up and dropped on to check for fit.
The rear cut/section I acquired had a decent rear floor return, so it was carefully picked apart, offered up and repaired. The tail panel from the cut is in marginally better condition than the one that came off (less pitting, better flanges) so the decision was made to use that rather than the one that came off.
It's currently all being grafted in. It's still a long way from being done but you get the idea... and there's more patches that need making up yet too
Some attention has also started to go on the underside rear quarter to close the arch off to the bumper/inner wing area.
There was lots of s
te in there. Thin sheet held in with wood screws etc and what was original all rotted out with just a tiny amount of evidence of long forgotten flanges More repair panels ordered and then it was a case of begging for photos of unmolested cars and trying to peice it all together in a somewhat realistic fashion...
A kind soul on the A35 Facebook page sent me some photos of their car which is currently undergoing a restoration. A one owner from new, dry garaged since '64 - never welded shell (what a dream that is).
This was very handy and the rear right corner looks like it's beginning to come together...
Now I realise I've got the easy job here. In between getting photos, info and parts for my tame welder I have been busying myself with vehicle electrics. The more I spend time doing it the more enjoyable I'm finding it. I used to hate it with a passion. Modern cars can do one though!
The original wiring diagram looks like this:
I'm now on V04 of mine I think but it's pretty well there now I believe... Next job is to order up some wire and start laying it out and creating a legend.
In prep for this I've also made a new lower switch panel for the dash. Normally it would look like the below. The switches (L-R) heater blower (one speed on/off), wipers (one speed on/off), panel lights (because original the dash didn't illuminate with the side lights), key.
The new one is a bit more compact. (L-R): key, wiper (on/off toggle switch), 3× knobs for the Bluetooth stereo, heated windscreen (on/off illuminated toggle switch), 4 position rotary switch for a 3 speed fan. The panel itself is a bit of sheet brass I had left over from the Pembleton build, i hand formed little returns around the perimeter to increase stiffness. I tried it raw brass but it looked odd so I painted it black, as per original.
Edited by Ambleton on Friday 26th January 07:29
Love the wiring work, that replacement switch panel looks awesome Good to see the metal work continuing unabated too - sorry to hear you didn't manage to find a replacement boot floor panel, but as you say not the end of the world as it's not the most intricate bit of metal on the car.
Good to see the metal work continuing unabated too - sorry to hear you didn't manage to find a replacement boot floor panel, but as you say not the end of the world as it's not the most intricate bit of metal on the car.Cheers Chuckie.
The idea isn't so much a restomod, more of an OEM+ really. Engine, box etc is all right marque and period (ish) with a few brucey bonus bits thrown in to make it just a nicer thing without being too daft. I don't want it to look like I've added bits on.
Just ordered up all my wiring, switches and blower fan. I have 27 colours in total. Most circuits are rated at 16.5A (1mm). Dip/main and column light switch feed are 25A (2mm) and the heated screens will be serviced with 33A cabling (3mm).
Bit more work on the boot floor today. It's coming along but it's not a 5minute job to make it look OG. Probably would've been easier to smash in a bit of sheet with beads rolled in but my tame fabby wasn't having it. If it's going to be done, it must be done properly.
The idea isn't so much a restomod, more of an OEM+ really. Engine, box etc is all right marque and period (ish) with a few brucey bonus bits thrown in to make it just a nicer thing without being too daft. I don't want it to look like I've added bits on.
Just ordered up all my wiring, switches and blower fan. I have 27 colours in total. Most circuits are rated at 16.5A (1mm). Dip/main and column light switch feed are 25A (2mm) and the heated screens will be serviced with 33A cabling (3mm).
Bit more work on the boot floor today. It's coming along but it's not a 5minute job to make it look OG. Probably would've been easier to smash in a bit of sheet with beads rolled in but my tame fabby wasn't having it. If it's going to be done, it must be done properly.
ACBLUEMARLIN 
Welding still progressing at a pace. Boot floor is now pretty much fully repaired barring a few final tidying up jobs:
Rear panel from the cut repaired and offered in:
RHS rear spring mount in. Rhs rear quarter panel and closers approaching final destination too.
Next job is to repair/extend the rear wheel tub to meet the new closer panels. As you can see below it's all rotted out/none existent.
In the meantime I've been sourcing more parts. Seatbelts have been acquired for front and rear so reinforcer/doubler/mounting plates can be put in the shell at this stage properly
New multi speed blower fan has turned up too, as has quite a lot of the wiring and switches for the electrickery side of things.
Rear panel from the cut repaired and offered in:
RHS rear spring mount in. Rhs rear quarter panel and closers approaching final destination too.
Next job is to repair/extend the rear wheel tub to meet the new closer panels. As you can see below it's all rotted out/none existent.
In the meantime I've been sourcing more parts. Seatbelts have been acquired for front and rear so reinforcer/doubler/mounting plates can be put in the shell at this stage properly
New multi speed blower fan has turned up too, as has quite a lot of the wiring and switches for the electrickery side of things.
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