Austin Westminster
Westminster HAD to be finished for the PC CC&RS…
The deadline is upon us. The Westminster has to be finished in time for the PC CC&RS at the NEC (March 23-25) where you could well be reading this magazine. If you are, come to the FBHVC stand near the Live Stage to see if we managed it. At the time of writing, we’ve still got a mountain to climb, but we’re now on to the final push and everyone is pulling together to bring this project to a conclusion worthy of the efforts and generosity of so many people over the past few years.
Danny played courier, stuffing his trusty Rover 825 full of chrome and heading down to Doug Taylor Chroming – a family firm in Weston-supermare, who are making it all shiny again (see p76). Rob George at Anglia Car auctions (who saved the car and will be auctioning it on June 16 for Lennox Children’s Hospice) hit the phone and was able to source the remaining missing chrome that Matt Tomkins collected from Balby Motor Spares in Doncaster before sending that lot south, too.
Hamilton Classic turned around a luscious deep-pile carpet set to our templates, which we’ve now fitted atop sound deadening felt. This, teamed with lashings of Dynamat, should make this a really quiet car to drive. Next, the newly refurbished seats could go in. They’d been with the Furniture Clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne for a few months for restoration. The leather is now re-coloured and beautifully supple, meaning these original seats have a second lease of life. It’s allowing us to keep some of the history of the vehicle without compromising on quality.
With the focus on the interior, the dash has been fitted and we’ve refurbished the steering wheel. Windows, frames and surrounds were carefully removed from the donor car’s doors before each could be carefully cleaned, welded and restored respectively.
Thinking outside the box
With such a rare car, understanding parts interchangeability is useful. Many parts, including some we were missing, are used on other BMC models. As we contemplated the appalling state of the original door handles over a cup of tea, we
‘Understanding interchangeability is key with parts for such a rare car’
glanced across at Matt Tomkins’ MGB GT that he’d come to visit us in. It was a lightbulb moment. Door handles, washer jets, wipers arms and blades are interchangeable with those from an MGB and front indicators are the same as those fitted to the front of a Mini or rear of a Morris Minor Traveller.
Moss Europe answered our plea and kindly donated these parts to the project. With the door handles fitted, we could declare the doors built up, the door cards and boot boards could be put in place. Very suddenly, the Westminster was transformed from project to car. Looking up in this resplendent interior, there’s a problem. The headlining is fitted to a framework and should easily snap into place, however it’s badly damaged and in need of re-trimming. Our usual trimmer Dave from Land and Marine, Staffordshire has agreed to undertake the task, and Newton Commercial have kindly supplied seven meters of headlining material for him to work with.
There’s still the question of gear selectors that are missing, so we’ll be putting our thinking caps on. If we can’t find any, and at the moment the chances look extremely slim, we’ll be making them from scratch. Somehow. Come and see if we succeeded at the show. We’ll be embarking on a 1000-mile shakedown reliability run from Monday April 16, which will finish at Anglia Car
Auctions. On June 16, the car will be auctioned, along with an amazing package of extras, in aid of Lennox House Childrens Hospice.
STOP PRESS! Just before going to press we've had some great news. Reader Lawrence Ogden contacted us offering to send us a factory workshop manual that shows the gear linkages in detail. Finally, we have something to work from. Thanks Lawrence – you’re a star!