The Paul Atkinson - Augusta - news update [etc] ...

[Kari]

I almost don't dare to ask: Is there a vent hole in the (new) filler cap?

Karl

[Mark Dibben]

News from Chris:

"I fitted the repainted tank straps today and took the car up the road. The fuel pump certainly makes a difference [...]. No fuel starvation, no misfire going up hills, got it up to 55mph on the flat before the turn around spot [which is not far from Chris' workshop; only about a quarter of a mile on from his turn, including a bit of hill and some bends before the straight bit, so methinks this is very good news]. Being able to open the throttle all of the way also makes a difference [Chris had noticed the way the cable was routed was actually stopping this from happening, so he re-routed it]. I have wired [the fuel pump] through a fuse to the ignition switch (the same fuse also supplies the fuel gauge & sender). [Attached a photo] of the tank strap [newly painted; much better!]. I used a strip of rubber to go between the strap and the tank, it isn’t glued, won’t move and is better than the self adhesive foam strip I used before."

I suspect the reason why this tank with the SU needs a fuel pump is because of the narrower drain pipe diameter on this Belna tank than on the original Augusta tank. Ha - perhaps the French didn't intend their version of the car to be driven quite the way Nuvolari intended!

Not sure if the fuel cap is vented Karl. Excellent point, thanks; I'll ask :-)

Next job is the wheel balancing. Chris says the wheel wobble is still there when you go around corners so it's not the bushes, anyway these were replaced when he re-built the suspension. So that rules that out. He did ask whether the Bibendums are naturally out of balance because of the one sided rim arrangement that Michelin's refusal to allow Michelin to use their patented rims necessitated. Anyone know?

Thanks eh, really starting to sense we're getting there now,
Mark

[Mikenoangelo]

Bibendum rims have a welded on balance weight on the inside of the wheel to compensate for the patent avoiding partial well base design so should be in balance. I still suspect the problem is dynamic as  opposed to static balance and what happens if you swap the wheels around? Is it associated with one wheel?


Mike Clark

[donw]

I have never had any problems with full throtle on my Belna Coupe (based on a saloon} so gravity fed.

[Running Board]

I will agree with Don , having worked on 3 Belna's all with standard fuel systems none suffered with fuel starvation , my own car (augusta) did , this was because it had too small of a float valve fitted designed to be run by a pump not gravity feed , changed the float valve, problem solved , common mistake on Augustas seen it on a few

[Mikenoangelo]

Good thinking James. My Salmson with an SU and an even lower head between tank and float chamber than the Augusta works perfectly.

I doubt the size of the fuel pipe has anything to do with it.  Think about it, if struggling up a hill at 30mph and running at 10mpg, the rate of fuel flow is 3 gallons per hour which is about one wine glass per minute. The  passages through the float needle valve is far smaller than the slim Belna fuel pipe.

 The odd thing is that the ex Paul car must have worked properly when he owned it as he , like your Dad , was one of the experts to go to to solve Augusta problems.

Another unexplained fact about the ex Paul car is that it has aluminium mudguards rather than steel. It is a particularly handsome car and well worth the effort being put into fixing it.

Mike Clark

[Kari]

Hello Mark,

You have reported that you have a fuel pump fitted to your Augusta Berlina. Personally, I think this is the wrong way to go. This is hiding a fault in the fuel supply and/or carburetor. Also, a slightly to high a pressure supplied by the pump will open the float valve against the float, flooding the carburetor. This will create a serious fire danger. I am sure you don't want that.

I am sure, Nuvolari's Augusta didn't have a pump and the Belna's are just as fast as the Gussies.

For the same effort installing the pump, the original fuel tap, line and carburetor could have been sorted. In the Augusta Newsletter No 2 and 3, issued by the late Morris Parry, there is a excellent description and instruction for repair of the fuel tap. If you don't have copies, I'll be glad sending them to you. When using the original set-up you'll have the comfortable choice of a 3-position tap operated from inside the car.

BTW, the inside diameter of the brass tube in the tap is 3,5 mm. I just did my tap a few weeks ago, and I have used material called rubber-cork gasket material with good results.

It's all about having fun driving the Augusta and not to worry.

regards

Karl

[Mark Dibben]

Hello Karl,
The inboard fuel tap wasn't working and the one that Paul had fitted into the system just before the carburetor was leaking. Since it was incorporated into the brass pipework it would have meant replacing all the brass-work anyway. I really wanted a modern fuel filter and so we needed a modern fuel line for that; I've seen this set up with a supercharged March special, and this gives me the option of supercharging it more easily in the future, if I decide to do that. Chris had rebuilt the SU carburetor and could find absolutely no fault with it. The 'fall' between the tank and the bowl is less with the SU than the standard OEM one and the diameter of the pipe is definitely narrower on the Belna tank. Nothing else we could do. The pump is a low pressure one; Chris avoided the SU pump purposefully because of its higher pressure.
Cheers, Mark

[Kari]

Hello Mark,

Thanks very much for the detailed info. Just my thoughts as I have seen the handle and the tap installed. Probably earlier pictures.

Anyway, I'll be interested how the system works when you do longer drives, hopefully minus the wheel wobble. Will you be using the free wheel?

If you need any information, please ask, there is plenty.
Regards

Karl

[Mark Dibben]

Thanks Karl, ever so much.
The other thing Mike said was that the in-line fuel filters do need a pump; gravity alone won't ensure enough fuel gets through the filter to meet the needs of the carburetor. Probably because the filters were designed assuming a fuel pump.
The wheel wobble is the thing I'm concerned most about actually. Because if it's not wheel balance that's the cause and it's within 0.40' and 0.50' alignment, I start to worry that the big whack it suffered on the nearside front at some time during Paul's ownership (which it must have done, to have broken the spring and cracked the lower guide in the suspension, as well as buckle a rim irreparably) has knocked the chassis out of alignment...
Still, we'll see soon I s'pose, one way or the other.
If the chassis needs realigning... gulp!
Mark

[Mark Dibben]

Here is the latest from Chris McPheat on trying to work out what's causing the wheel wobble, with wheels that were fully refurbished:

"With the tyres removed my guy span them up on his machine and found them to be out of balance, oval and not quite straight. Not to any massive degree in each case but built up they make a difference. I picked the rear wheels up Wednesday, he’d done the same with these. I spoke with Nick Mouat yesterday, I am going to send all 4 wheels back to him to see if he can set them up better than they are, he was happy to do this."
Two years they have been sat on the car, wrong.
Sigh!

Ah well, at least that hopefully rules out a bent chassis. Fingers crossed anyway.

I have spoken to Nick myself and asked him to please only come up with true wheels, however many or however few. Turrino were going to make the spare anyway, as Nick had made four from five. So it'll be a question of Turrino making however many new ones we really need. Because if there is one thing I cannot stand on my cars it's out balance or out of true wheels, or alignment issues. Wheel wobble ruins a fine motorcar!

[Mark Dibben]

For your delight and delectation.
The wheel saga has been resolved, hopefully.
Nick Mouat checked the four wheels and apologised because one of the rims has a crack in it he didn't spot and another one is indeed 'eggy'. The other two have a tiny bit of run out but nothing that would cause wheel wobble. So it's two new rims and new spokes. Plus of course I need a entirely new wheel as one centre of the original 5 and one rim of the original 5 was scrap to start with. 
Spoke with the lovely Fatima at Motor Wheel Services to explore the possibility of standard rims, as that idea occurred to me, however they don't do rolled rims in either a 15.75' or a 16'. They only do those sizes in knife edge rims, per postwar Jaguars and the like. Spoke with Peter Roberts (Roberts Bros in Wales) and he said the same thing. Went to the Classic Motor Hub and they have a prewar Riley on silver 16' knife edge rims, which rather confirms it, but the poor car looks like a modern Morgan. Awful.
It turns out therefore that it's Turrino full stop. Only Turrino do Bibendums and as a result, by default, only they do a 15.75' rolled rim. No rolled rims under 18' otherwise.
So that's it, it has to be the Bibendums from Will there. And Nick is going to do them as soon as he gets them. Went and saw AKVR to update them on timings and all their wheels, be they (Piers waved his hand casually around the workshop) A7 Ulster x3, Amilcar, Bugatti x 2, Lagonda, Rolls Royce Silver Ghost or Vauxhall 30/98, are done by him. So Nick must have just been over optimistic on the two rims off the little Lancia that he now realises are scrap, and it was just unlucky they were both on the front of the car.
Now I just have to wait. Again.
Getting good at waiting.
As soon as they're done, I shall deliver myself to Longstone who have agreed to refit them all with their tyres and then on up to Chris. Put the new rims on the front to make sure it's solved the wheel wobble and then, when it comes down to AKVR, Nick wants Piers to drive the car with the old rim wheels on the front and see what he thinks. And then if needs be we can get those rims changed while AKVR work their marvellous magic on the Augusta.
By the way, they have a very famous (very first RAC rally springs to mind?) DiLambda with a yellow over black English coachbuilt body in the workshop, too, that they are finishing off for Keith the owner. What a car that is!

[Mark Dibben]

Okay, so the latest news is the Augusta has its 5 wheels and tyres, thanks to Nick Mouat, plus Will at Turrino and the guys at Longstone.
Chris drove the car and of course the brakes seized! Understandable really, so he's serviced them and all seems well.
I can't drive the car with my MS in the hotter temperatures, although I am due in Newcastle for a friend's daughter's graduation early July, so I'll call in then. A little scoot up the road perhaps, and then we'll see about getting the car down to AKVR.
In the meantime, the idea is Chris is going to drive it about a bit - he deserves to after all the blood, sweat, toil and and tears he's put into it over three years! Hopefully, there will be some photos and perhaps a Go-Pro video at some point.
Have a great Annual bash everyone.
All best cheers,
Mark

[Mark Dibben]

Brief update. Called in as forecast but the weather was rubbish so didn't drive her unfortunately. Chris has put together a very comprehensive toolkit for me, including a mini-hydraulic jack which is super. And a Thor Hammer! He's going to drive her around a bit up there in Lancashire, do a couple of shows and a Go-Pro or two, do a full service, Lanoguard underneath all being well, and then we'll see about getting her down to AKVR late August, early September. It's nice to see the car with its five wheels. And it's comforting to know they are all round...

[Mark Dibben]

Okay, so more bad news I'm afraid - but some good news too!
The good news is that the car is now at Ashton Keynes Vintage Restorations having the work done to it that I thought I would have been doing this time three years ago! Part of that is the removal of the bumpers. With them off it's obvious the car was designed from the outset not to have bumpers; they were evidently added very late in the process. Thankfully, the attachment points for the front ones will come in useful perhaps at a later date for an engine under tray. The front bumper is now doing great service at home, keeping the throw on the back of my sofa from sliding down!
More good news is that the Bugatti-esque wire mesh grille and lower front bodywork (the original grille is still in place, but since the auto-shutters don't work and the vanes are so flimsy as to never stop a stone, we've fixed them in the open position) has been made and is away being chromed. Then we'll satin black the grille itself and paint the lower bodywork gloss black to match the wings - see below. The direct air intakes for the inlet and exhaust manifolds have also been made and are in the paint shop. The front seats have been raised two inches, which makes a huge difference both to the driving position and to visibility and improves rear passenger comfort as well of course. The two lower dashboards to take the additional instruments and a map light have also been made and they're at the painters too; a leather knee roll to match the green leather upholstery in the car (it is leather not simply 'leather-cloth') will then be added. All beautifully done by Piers and the team.
And as to the body paintwork, the advice is simply to 'preserve and conserve.' So it's all coming together. Very happy.
However, comma, the bad news is that with the front bumper off, what it was disguising so well is fully revealed. That is what I had long suspected, having had to have the front suspension rebuilt and particularly the left front, and that is that the car has at some point in its recent past suffered a front end collision.
The left front wing is a different shape to right one, is in fact shorter than the right one and doesn't meet at the bottom of the radiator V in any way straight. It's not parallel at all. The headlamp and the sidelight are correct and in line with the ones on the right, but the front leading edge has been reworked and a proper hash made of it. So it's going to have to be cut out and whole new front leading edge let in. Then of course both wings will need to be painted.
But we'll get there.
The car will be on display on the VSCC stand at the Classic Motor Show in November. As soon as things are back from chroming and painting and so on, I'll get some photos on here :-)