‘It hadn’t run for ten years’
Your tales of the latest classic car deals. This week, how one reader recommissioned a neglected Austin 3 Litre
Tell us about the car you found.
About nine months ago I heard about an Austin 3.0 litre from a friend of a friend of a friend. FXF 925H had been owned by an elderly chap, Harold, who had lovingly cherished it after he bought it in the 80s. It had always been garaged and never been out in the rain, allegedly. It had not run for ten years though so I feared the worst. The brakes were seized and had to be released gently using a persuasion implement and Frank Halsall from Plox Motors in Tarleton carried the old girl on his wagon to her new home. A new battery, fuel pump later and some clean petrol later and the engine ran first time!
Has it been a joy to own?
Unfortunately, the auto box was a mess but a visit to Automatic Transmissions Preston Ltd proved fruitful after a full rebuild. I’ve cleaned her from top to toe and the vinyl seats have come up brilliantly being totally unaffected by the fungal growth. All filters are change and new oil in the veins. The bodywork is very good but a few panels need a little attention. The vinyl roof has cleaned up from a dark brown to a light buff and although I was never a fan of vinyl roofs, I must say that it does work well on this car - a great combination with the maroon and the chrome-work has all come up bright to reveal a real carnival of 1970s bling.
It’s always a first time starter and with some clever play on the choke, I can usually set off fairly prompt and after a couple of minutes… pure music. A joy to drive. A real joy.
What are your plans for it now?
There are a few spots of oil evident which I like to call character. Rumours of overheating seemed to be a real issue with annoying intermittent and inexplicable loss of power but this has resolved itself after changing plugs, leads and coil and resetting the points. The missing thermostat and discretely fitted electric radiator fan had me worried but I suspect a dodgy coil was the real issue.