Austin A35 User Manual

THE

CASSELL.BOOK

AUSTIN

A 35

OF

(1957-9)

THE

CA

SSELL

B Y

ELLISONHAWKS

1. The Cassell Book

2. The Cassell Bookofthe A ustin T en (1939-47)

3.

Th

e Cassell Bookofthe Fo

4. Th e Cassell Bookofthe

5. The Cassell Book

6. Th e Cassell B ook

7. Th e Cassell Bookofthe F

8. T he Cassell Book of the

9. The Cassell BookoftheAustin

10. Th e Cassell Book

11. The Cassell Book

12. Th e Cassell Bookofthe M orris M inor (Series

13. Th e Cassell Bookofthe A ustin A 35 (1957

14. Th e Cassell Bookofthe Th

e Cassell Bookofthe Vauxhall Wyve rn (19

16.

BYIAN NICK

15. The Cassell Book of the Hillman M inx

OLS

MOTORING

of

the

Austin

rd'Prefect'

Ford'

of

the

Ford'Popular'

of

theAustin A 40 Somerset (1952

ord'

Ford'

of

the

Ford'

of

the Standard E ight (1953

Ford'

SERIES

A 40 Devon (1947

A nglia ' (to 1953)

Consul ' (1951

Zephyr' and ' Zodiac'(1951

A30

•Seven ' (1951-6)

New A ng

New Pref

(1938

-53)

(from 1953)

-6)

lia'

(1953-7)

-5) MM)

-9)

ect'

(after 1953)

51-

-52)

7)

-4)

-6)

The Cassell .Book

of

the

AUSTIN

(1957

by

ELLISON HAWKS

A35

-9)

CASSELL LONDON

CASSELL & COMPANY LTD

35

Red

Lion

Square.London

and

at

MELBOURNE•SYDNEY

JOHANNESBURG•AUCKLAND

First

published 1960

..'

TORONTO•CAPE

Hawks

13

1960

wei

TOWN

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

INTRODUC

FOR

THE

GENERAL

AND

TYRES

STEERING

SUSPENSION

BRAKING

ENGINE

CONTENTS

ING

THE

BEGINNER

MAI

NTEN

GEAR

SYSTEM

AUSTIN

ANCE;

\

PAGE

A35

I

9

BODY,

WHEELS

29

5

I

59

66

80

Butler

Set

and

Printed

& Tann er

in 10

pt.

in Great

Ltd.,

F.1259

Old

Britainby

Frome

Style

and

London

CARBURETTOR

VIII

FUEL

IX

COOLING

X

TRANS

XI

ELECTR

X

II

LUBRICATION

XIII

RECOMMENDED

FAULT

WIRING

INDEX

PUMP

SYSTEM

MISSION

ICAL

FINDING

DIAGRAM

SYSTEM

LUBRICANTS

CHART.

I06 n6

I25

I39

I 55

I93

2

I7

2I8

220

223

v

PREFACE

HE

PURPOSE

simple language howthe owner-driver may

T

thebest

The tempt saryifthe reduces efficiency to deteriorate, probable. The effici life of any car are determined by the

Thi appe tively small first-class scribe to

Minor running to time. is

very

h

ave

small routine

Detailed instructions are given so hecarried devoted to overhauling to mechanically-minded owner. necessary, however,itis generally advisable to allow local Au facilities to familiar failure give a course of

possible satisfaction from his Au

inherent

owners to neglect

best performance is to be

thusrend

s book is

arance of his car,

been avoided

and

writt

amount

ord

er.

the

' DoitYourself ' vogue .

The

old

true, for neglect

attention.

out

regularly

stin

dealer to do

handl

with

all

suggest remedies.

OF

THISBOOK

reliability of mod

the

and

causes

ering a breakdown onthe

ent

running, reliability

en for

the

and

of time necess

The

jobs involved are for those who sub-

adjustments

prov

erb

that'astitchintime

may

had

the

and

the

e such jobs. His staff is thoroughly

Austin

models,

training

ern

routinemaint

both

appe

owner who

who is able to devote

may lead to expense

owner been familiar

thoroughly. A section has been

extent

When

heavy

can

The

and

vn

is to describe in

stin

cars

obt

arance

attent

arytomaintain

be required from

that

possiblebythe

extensive work. He has

diagnose

Austin Motor Co.

instru

ction to selected

A35.

may

sometimes

enance so neces-

ain

ed. Neglect

and

mechanism

road

and

ion given to it.

takes

pride in

saves that

with

lubrication

attention

symptoms

length of

the

average

obt

ain

mor

the relait in

time

nine'

might

some

may

your

better

Ltd.

e

is

of

Vlll

mechanics from dealers' staffs,

th

make use of

Ano

ther gained conside Naturally, it

part

s are used when necessary.

A few readers

is elemen

e expert knowledge

point to bear in mind isthatthe Comp

rab

str

esses

may

tary.

Ex

PREFACE

and

owners are advis ed to

thu

s gained.

any

has

le experience from years of research.

that

only genuine Austin replacement

feelthat

perience shows, however, that often

some ofthe information given

the minor point isthe one that is overlooked, due to lack of kn

owledge of its imp

atur

ticular fe delay on

e. This can give rise to inconvenience due to

the

road, as well as expense in

This book is who have no responsibility for it. At would tender my ha

ve given, and for supplying illu

data

.

Victoria H ouse.

Southport

"

ort

ance or

unf

amiliarity with a

upk

not

publishedbythe

th

anks tothem forthe assistance they

Austin Motor Co. Ltd.,

th

e same time I

str

ations

and

ELLISON

par

eep.

technical

H AW KS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCING THE AUSTIN A35

HE AUSTIN A35 is another a popular li

-

T

port

at low-

dat

e developments,italso has thecommodious luggagespace

so necess

elli

pti

c leaf-springs at rear,

ght

run

ary

car designed to give comfortabletrans-

ning cost. Equipped withthe most up-to-

for

tour

ing. Suspension incorporates semi-

out

and

independentfr

standing example of

ont

wheel

coils and wishbones at front. The driver has a clear view

th

e road ah ead,

of

Th

ere are two touring models door saloons, and and

Coun

trym

Mechanical design follows typical Austin

th

e car is simple to

can

be relied ontogive many years of care-free motoring.

Dri

ver's bucket seatis adjus

passenger's se

m

ents

of individual drivers and passengers and ensuring

thatlong-distance

and

threeoth

an.

maint

attothr

trav

controls fall readily to hand.

-th

e two-door and four-

er types

-th

e A35 Van , Pick-up

pr

actice in th

ain. Construction is suchthat

tab

le to five positions and

ee positions,

thu

s meeting require-

elling imposes a minimum of

at

it

fatigue.

Once

the

car is in use it isthe responsibility ofthe owner

tte

to keep it in good condition by careful a

tion and m bri

efly in

aint

enance.

the

general specification given below.

Th

e main compon

ntion to lubrica-

ents

are described

Engine

Engine, identical in all models, is of

our-str

cylinder f stroke 3-00in. ('76 mm.). giving 34 b.h.p.

oke type. Bore, 2'48 in. (62'9 mm.) and

Capacity:

at

4,750 r.p.m. with a maximum torque of

50 lb. zft. at 2,000 r.p.m. Compression r

Cylinders are cast en bloc and, with crankcase, provide a rigid mounting for the beatings 'carrying construction ensures

th

e counterbalanced crankshalf. This

the

least possible vibration.

the

usual four-

57'82 cu. in. (948c.c.)

atio:

upp

8'3 to

er half of the

thr

ee main

I.

A detachable cover gives ready access to overhead-type

I

z

THE

BOOK OF

THE

AUSTIN A35

push-rod operated valves. Oil seals are fitted to prev reaching

is driven

rubber ins correct chain tension. The overhead valves screwed rocker adj

mechanism is lubri

adjustment to a minimum.

lubric

th

e combustion heads by wayof

the

The camshaft , which is on the near side of

by

a duplex roller chain.

ertinth

atedund

The overhead

e sprocket to ens

ust

ment. The totally enclosed valve

cat

ed fromthe engine,thus r

er pressure fromthe oil

-va

lve rockers have a passage along which

It

incorpo

ure

silent running and

Th

e rocker shaft bearings are

pum

valve guides.

th

e engine,

rat

es a special

hav

e a simple

edu

p.

oil is fed to an outlet at the spherical ball-end, this l

fi

tting rod. Oil at as it is delivered cleara nce' purposely provided between and

intothe correspondingly shaped end of the push

thi

th

e rocker

s point n

tip

atur

ally obviates wear

und

er pres

sure,it

th

thu

s minimizing valve noise.

but

takes up the

e end ofthe valve

The four I-section connecting rods carry gudgeon pins

locked in

pin eyes, c

are

permit oil to reach adequate supply of

th

s are

e little-end eyes by clamp bolts. Asthegudgeon

not

itisunn

free to

ecessary to provide circlips or

turn

in the connecting-rod

of endwise pin movement.

Th

e big-end bearings areprovided with small h

th

e cylinder walls,

lubricant

und

er all operating conditions

thu

littl

pad

s to take

<;>l

s assunng an

and particularly when th e engine is cool.

The dish-he

aded

pistons are of a special aluminium alloy

with alumite sur face to ensure efficient lubrication,

skirts being of

upp

ermost is a are taper oil-con

tro

Lubri

cati

type oil

pump meshing gears driven from passed of r choked, int lost.

the

throu

the

engine

eturn

s to

the

erru

pted

Inst

filter would be by-passed.

the

split type. There are four rings :

plaiD;

compression rings, and

compression ring, the second .and .thlrd

th

e bottom n ngISan

lled slotted scraper ring.

on by pressure is developed by a submerged-

situated in a housingthatcont

the

camshaft.

gh an external filter

and

cleaned by a filter element before It

the

sump. Should this filter become completely

mountedonth

:=ti?-

s two

OllI

Sconstantly

e

oil flow tothe various bearings would

althoughthe

eadofth

e oil passing

purp

ose ofthe filter would be

throu

gh it to be cleaned,

ent

oil

cing

att

er

also,

sma

ll

e-end

es to

th

e

~h

e

int

er-

offsi~

e

not

be

INTRODUCING T

Oil is also supplied

main

bearings, big-end bearings, camshaft, and overheadvalve gear. A special a camshaft bearing to provide oil to pump

itself

has

a filterthat

FIG.I.-LE ADING

Pe,rial to sea t St

eering wheel to seat t

sq

uab

Distance be tween sea ts C I

Rear

sea t cushion Height over r Maximum int erior height F 4 I Height Heightof door

F

ron

t seat cu

depth . .

Front s

width . . . . .

Steerin g wheel to

cushion . . . . J

Front

abo ve floor . , . K

Rear

above

Height

squa

b .

A

. B I 2

dep

th D I

ear

seat E 2

over fron t

eat

seat cushion

floor . . . L I I!

, floor to

sea

opening

shion

cushion

seat

ground

t G 3 I

H 3 I!

I I

M

particles of carbon or fi

ltertake

s care of small particles in suspension inthe oil

HE

AUSTIN A35

und

er pressure to

rra

ngement is made forthe front

th

DIM

ENSIO NS

ft . in .

2

10

{

3

other

Overall heig Overall length 0 Overa ll wi

1

~

Scuttle wid th . . . . 3

Body

~

5!

II!

5!

I 7!

5

I 2

ro;

widt

illars.

p Rear sea t wi Body

wid th over rear sea t 3 ro

Wheelbase • . 6

Track, fro nt (at

level) . . 3

Tr

ack,

Ground clearance 61

urningcircle.

T Luggage

Height of op ening

inimum

M

opening

Depth Approximate

laden (including oil

wate

r, less fuel) . 13i cwt,

foreign m

the

e timing cham .

OF

T HE A35

ht

dth

h between cen tre

. . 3

dth

rear.

. 3 8i

compartmen

width of

. . . . . . I 6

weight un-

att

er. The external

tream.

The oil sump has a capacity of 6 pints . When

ilter has been renewed an

extra

pint

will be required to

crank

shaft

Th

ft. in.

N 4

II

. 4

. . . 2

ground

" 35 0

t:

I 8

2 61

and

the

II

II IIi

oil

3

e

t

4i

7t

9~

7; 9t

THE

BOOK

compens and

ate

for

circulating

theamount

pip be readily determined, a dip-stick is fitt ed on. of

the

engine near

Th

e engine

unit

, are moun

not

only insulates sound

the

power unit . The front engine m

and

tedonrubb

porate rubber pads to control undue movem tend

to occur

Thewat centrifugal and driven It

is controlled by athermostat fitt ed inthe water outlet

und

er inthe cooling system is circulated by a

pump

by

a V-type belt fromthe cranksh

atthe front endof the cylinder h entirely auto of

1640F.

The radi to

pr

event loss of on the assist cooling.

8!

pints.

is

ma

tic with a

ator

incorporates a chamber in

pump

shaft, draws air throughthe radi

The

Two drain taps are provided to allow

dr

ainedin frosty weatherifan a

Carburettor

Th

e Zenith carburettor (Model 26 VME) of down-

drau

ght

typ starting.Fu is drawn from Th

e fuel capacity ofthe t

The

e on near side of engine,has a choke for easy

el fedbya

th

A.C. oil-we

OF

THE

AU

STI

normally retainedinthe

es. To enable

the

distributor.

gearbox, bolted t og

the

engine-oil level to

eth

er to form a single

er pads. This type of moun

but

also absorbs vibration from

ount

er certain conditions.

built

into

the

front of

the

ead.Its

nor

mal operating temper

wat

er due to expansion. A fan, m

wat

er capacityofthe cooling system

the

nti

-freeze solutionis

,

pump

operated bythe camshaft

e t

ank

mount

ed atthe rear of the car,

ank

tted

air cleaner fitted tothe car

is 5£ gallons.

N A3S

filter

th

e offside

tin

ings also incor-

ent

tha

t may

cylinder block

aft

pulley.

working is

atur

the

header tank

ounted

ator

core to

system to be

not

used.

bur

ettor

is efficient in reducing noise due to the rush of air entering

th

e carburettor particularly when accelerating.

ant

has the adv into the engine where it can cause pipe leads from fumes from th

ey are drawn intothe engine

age ofpreventing grit from being drawn

pr

emature wear. A

the

valve cover to

th

e engine do

the

not

air cleaner sothat

reachthe body. Instead,

by

thenatur

It

also

oil

al suction

at this point.

ount

An electric-type petrol contents gauge is m

the

dashbo

ardsothat

the driver can seeata glance

ed on

the

INTRODUCING

level of the fuel in when

th

e ignition is ' on '.

Clutch

Th

g

e Borg loaded friction disc giving smooth engagement. clu

tch

lubr

ication, provided adju

sted.

and

-release bearing is of and

thatthe clutch pedal free movem

Thi required to free ad

justme

nt ofthe free-pedaltravel is a simple m

Gearbox

Th

e

e gearbox, of u

lted

direc

bo wa

rd

tlytoth

speeds and reverse with remote cen

the

Beck single dry-plate clutch has a spring-

will operate indefinitely without

s linkage is so designed

the

'There is synchromesh engagem

THE

AUS

TIN

tank

. This gauge will only read

the

carbon type, requires no

that

clutch. When necess

nit

construction with

e flywheel housing.

ent

on second,third and

A3S

ent

is correctly

littl

ary,th

the

It

has

tral

lever control.

Th

att

ention

e effort. is

e i

in

att

er.

engine, is

four for-

5

e

,

top gears, making gear-changing easy and effortless.

The

gears are of

the

helical type, ensuring a considerable

degree of silence as well as great strength. A pair of helical

to

gears transmit drive

Th

is a

rra

cable.

ngementensures automatic lubrication for

drive gears as well as obviating

Oil capaci

Transmission "

Th

e drive fromthe gearbox to the rear axle is by an

open-type

ty

of gearbox ,: 2! pints.

pr

opeller shaft at each end of which is a

speedometer

th

e need for anyadjustment.

Spicer universal joint with needle roller

haft

front end of the s

,in a correspondingly splined

With the rise

and

is free to move sligh

the cha nge in len

Rear Axle ',. l r

is a splined member that engages

par

fall of

the

tly

gththat

rear axle,

at the splined end, so taking up

occurs due to this movement.

A'banjo '-type housing cons

th

at is rigid yet light. The axle shafts are

. le

hr e-quarter floating

" , iJy detachable. On

type

, splined attheir inner ends and

the

axle-housing nd the hubs

thr

ough a flexible

'I,

Har

bea

rings. At the

t ofthe universal joint.

the

propeller shaft

tru

ction result s in a rear

o

~

dy-

the

6 are

shaft

THE

BOOK

mount

ed on ball races. A flange formed on each axle-

out

er end is bolted to the

OF

THE

AU

hub

STIN

to imp

A3S

artthe final

drive. '

Th

e crown wheel and pinion are of spiral bevel design,

the

pinion being mounted on

tap

er roller bearings.

Th differential is of t he two-pinion type and mounted on a single centre spindle. The cage is journal and

thrustball bearings, provision being made for

mount

ed on combined

mesh adjustment.

Th

e oil capacityofthe rear axle is I t

pint

s.

Braking System

Th

e Lockheed braking system employs hydraulicallyoperated leading brake shoes onthe front wheels and mechanically operated brake shoes on the rear. mechanical linkage is

actuat

ed by means of a h

ydra

Th

ulic cylinder and stirrup mount ed under the body. A pullup

type of handbrake operates dir ectly onthe mechanical

linkage tothe rear wheels.

Th

e fr

ont

Tho

se of the rear have one shoe ofthe trailing type and

th

e other leading.

the

front and single leadin g atthe rear-results in extremely

wheel brakes consist of two leading shoes.

Th

is combination- two leading shoes at

efficient braking.

Brak

e-shoe lining wear is taken up by a simple means.

The

brake shoes can readily be examinedbydrawing off

the

brake

drum

s, these being so m

nothave to be dismantled for

ount

thispur

ed thatthe

pose.

hub

s do

Steering

Th

e steering, of the cam-gear type, is a self-contained unitofextr st

eering

eme simplicitywith a ratio of

boxismounted

forward ofthe toeboard

12:

1.

The

and

provides a short steering column of greatrigidity.

Body

Th

e body ofthe A35 is essentially a single unit and does

not

require a

and

front

andrear

reinforced body shell.

tions welded

of

great

rigi

dit

and

y.

cha

ssis frame.

suspen sion

Thi

riveted

The

engine, gearbox,

unit

s are anchored to

s is made up of six

tog

eth

er to form a

major

box

the

sec-

section

I

NTROD

The

body fully stressed skin.Its left ofthe scuttle inthe engine compartment

Suspension at the

e

Thi

s is achieved by. members of unequal len int

erposed. A double-acting Arm

type shock abso

UCING

TH

E AUST IN A35

itself is of all-steel uni tary con

numb

er will be f

fro~t

is

i!1d

COl

I spnngs and WIsh-bone WIth

gth

epend er:t

, a compression spring being

stron

rber

is incorporated on each side inthe

oun

g h

structi

on with

d on the top

.

f.or

each

ydr

aulic piston-

7

;vh~el.

upper wish-bone member. . . . .

Th

e rear road springs, of the type, are low

bu

shed shackles, do not require any lubric

lubric

e

periodically be given

und

body

er-slung be

mountin

nea

th.

g. The spring-eyes,WIth their

atorsatthe centre ofthe upper rear s

att~ntion.

the

.

mult

i-leaf semi-elliptic

axle

h

~lUsin

hac

.

g

.to give a

rubb

ati

on. The

kles should

er-

An anti-rollbar-adevice to limit body roll when cornering- is fitt ed tothe s

tee

l bar m

ount

rear

axle.

It

consists of a U-shaped

ed so that its two arms point tothe rear. E ach arm is bolted tothe shock-absorber lever arm and thence connect ed, axle housing. A fuller descr

is given on page 60. .

The four hydraulic shock absorbers assist

throu

gh rubber-bushed links, tothe

ipti

on of this ingenious device

.,

in

damping out road shocks and in conjunction with the independent front suspension help t o give a comf

The pressed-steel road wheels

pierced intheir discs adjacent to the

coolthe

E

brakedrum

xtr

a low-pressure 52'0

s.

-13

ort

able ride.

hav~ventilati~n~lo

nm

to p

ermit

tub

eless

tyres

are fitted.

ts

arr to

Electrical Equipment

Lighting and starting equipment is of

Th

e 43-amp.

engine side ofthe

hr.

batt

bulkh

ery

(at

ead

zo-hr..

where ItISre

The generator is ventilated to prev

11

t. Output is automatically controlled by a regulator

0.

orc1

ing tothe requirem

Th starter motor is m

L ting it as required by a small pinion

I I )\1 rht into and

'I

II

· ignition system is of

out

entsofthe

ount

ed onthe off side ofthe engine,

of mesh withthe flywheel ring gear.

the

I2-v

olt

type.

r

~te)

is .fitted on. the adily

accessible.

entitbecoming too

system.

automa

tically

high-t ension type, with

8 T

distributor

breaker

Ignit ion switch,

when

Automatic fugally enables according to

The li lamp lamps lights, column, andrear lights. The full-ah

A warning light on the serves as a warning that on-coming

and

Th

on when

Underth

car

The

only

. Switching on of

HE

BOOK

and

rotor readily accessible b

gap setting

the

key is remo

advance

by

the

an

engine speed. A vacuum-assisted device

appropriate degree of advance to be made

the

ghtin

ounted

mount

l~

cat

IS

lights,

g equipm

in each fron t wing, and two 6-

ed on

ed

onthe

turned

andtoth

s m

third

ead

position. .

OF

and

for timing. .

mount

ed on

ved

.

andretard

load.

ent

consists of two 4zl36-watt head-

topofth

~i

ght-hand

clockwise to

e second

notch

bringsth

th

e facia

THE

the

e wings.

the

e headli

pan

AUSTIN

oth

A3S

for

contact

dash, is locked ' off '

are

controlled centri-

watt

The

switch for

side ofthe steering

first

notch

for

notch

to dip

ght

el is illumin

s to

the

ated

the

normal

headlamp beams are inthe full-ah ead position . This

tr

affic may be dazzled

that

the

headl

amp

e twin stop and tail lamps are

thebra

e facia

floor when

in.

~vaI~able

the

strument

whenthe side lights or headlights are in use.

s should be dipped.

automat

ically switched

ke ped al is depressed. '

pan

el is a courtesy light to illuminatethe

doors are opened. ., . '

pan

el is lit .byconcealed interior lamps

th

ese

pan

el li

ght

s indicatesthat,the

sidelamps have also been switched on. .

Th

ere is.a warning l has been left on with if the generator is not c

Thetr

~roll

in

late a se of a .s

.i

ste

afficators, ofthe solenoid-operated type, are con..

ed

from a switch tothe ri

early models,

r '

mod

els. .

The

windscreen wipers are ele

pa

rate control. .. . '

The he

at

er, when fitted, circulates h

ma

ll electric fan controlled from

'I

he electric

.ering wheel

amp

to showthe driver ifthe-.ignition

th

e engine statio

ha

rging. . .

ghtofth

andatthe c

horn

is controlled from

and

operates independently of

entr

ctr

ically ope

nary

.

e steering wheel

e of

the

eatedair

the

thecentre

It

also shows

dashbo

rated

and

by means

facia panel.

the

ignition

switch, ,. .

side-

the

side

head-

when

ard

have

of th e

iii

-

CH

APTER

II

FOR THE BEGINNER

E

FOLLOWING

that

the

T

y may be helpful to a new driver who it is a sumed is al road curtesy.

Th

that are to be learned from expe

dctrirn

perf

nta

l practices

rrnance and

durationofthenorma

This chapter describes some of pro dure. habits~oavoid,

at

will

th

If

atthe

youmay

not

only enable you to

A35 but will also avoid undue mechanical wear

Although an

cons i nti

f

llOWlI

By

<;>usly loo.ked

~g

inanimat

th

e in amply repaid fo.r care and a thousands of miles of pleasurable motoringthat

Fir

st let us refer tothe in

tr

at 1 in

rel~van

Fig-

s. z and 3, by si

t illu

stra

tions

HINT

S are given inthe hope

ready

familiar withthe

rudiment

s of

ere are not only.the niceties of driving

ne

nce,

but

also various

th~t

may re

sult

in reducing potential

l life of

th

out

set you are not clear

train

yours

e

object

aft

~r

str

as

uctions youWIll findthat you

tte

e correct methods of

el~

to

arn

adopt

the

obt

a car requires to be

much .as a horse or a dog.

ntionbyenjoying

the

about

a technique

best from yo

and

tear.

the

many

car.

the

ur

are

lie ahead.

strum

ava

ilable.

entsand

tti

ng inthe car withthe

It

is

imp

ort

controls illus-

ant

to be able

to find, and use, any appropriate control without hesitation .

The id al to foot .on movmg

th may seem, it is surprising how sary to look for a

congested state ofthe roads at bearing in m m"lst. have

In

also and yo,?r

your abilityto op

autom

car switched on so gear or

brake

the controlshould be ope

B 9

att

th

ain is to be able to

e control desired

withoutthe necessity of re-

pla

ce the h

and

e eyes fromthe road. Obvious as this advice

many

nyparti

indthe n

sup~~

me

cular co

ormalroad

confidence notonly in your

erate

ati

~all

y

. . At ni

ght

efficiently If you must

you

drivers finditneces-

ntrolthey want.

the

present

In

timeand

speed of traffic: you

car

t.he various controls swiftly

cannot

havethe interior

expect to control

top

thatyou can determinethe position of

levers.

It

is also

rated

import

ant

in order to give th necessary

to know how

or

the

but

light

the

I O

THE

BOOK

OF

THE

AUSTIN

A3S

FORTHE

BEGINNER

II

I Choke C

4 Oil Pr essure 7 Air C

II

re abilit untilth

can be wheel

ontr

ol. 2 Dir ecti on Indicator Switch . 3 Headlamp Beam Warning Light .

War

ont

rol. 8 Demister/Defrost cr, 9

Fuel

Gaug

e. 12 Ignition Warn ing Ligh t. 13 Mileage Recorder. 14 Speedometer.

sults

. By carefully p

y to controlthe car on the roadby

e oper

Within

certain limitsthe positions of b

adjust

byopera

side of each seat.

F I G.2.-F

ning Li

ght.

ation

becomes aut omatic.

ed nearer to or f

ting a hand lever an d c

Th

in the desired positions when

The adjustment of

th th

bo with ease . Make s

nga

e maymove rearw to, say, the b

easily leadto f long j

e clutch and fo

urethatth

ge one ofthe slots inthe ru nners,otherwisethe s

ards

rake

pedal. An un

ati

ourn

eys. .Itwill rew

gue or even to

in selecting the most comfo

with

To deal

left is the clutch

the foot co

peda

forward it disconnects

ully

allowing it to ret

f

ctsthe power ofthe engine tothe gearbox andthence

conne to

th

Make

clu

tchpeda

e rearax

le, thus causingthe car to move for

an

inflexible rule never to rest

l exc

ept

when necessar y to op

ACIA

PAN

EL

5 Heater Motor Switch. 6 Win dscreen Wiper Switch.

Pan

el Light Switch.10Ignition Switch.

15 Starter Control

ract

ising , you will increase yo

oth

arth

er from the s

atc

h on the

e seatsmay be moved and locked

the

drive

ot-b

thecontro

r's

seat s

rake

pedals can be operated

l is released.

hou

ld be such that

e lockin g device does actually

unexpect edly ifpres

suit

sur

able position

cramp,par

ard

you to spend a few moments

rta

ble adjus

ntro

ls;that

l (4, Fig. 3).

th

e dri ve fromthe engine. Care-

urn

grad

ually withth

tme

atthe ext reme

Wh

en pressed fully

e engine in gear

the

era

day

or ni

front

teer

e is applied ticula

rly

nt .

ward

foot on

te it.

ur

ght

seats

ing

out

er

eat

may

on

.

the

Some

I emistlng Vents. 2 Lighting and Dip Switch. 3 Horn Bu tton. 4 Clutc h Pedal.

5 Brake P eda l. 6 H andbrake. 7 Accelerat or Pedal. 8 Gear Lever

d iv rs t end to use it as a foot-re st , a

r I' it not only causes

11

' assnriIy but can contribute also to cl

)\ l ' essitat an expensive rep

witin yo I annot get

'l'his I ross

The

I cdul in

FIG.3.-DRIVINGC ON TROLS

habit

to be avoided,

theclut

th

d.

e centre isthe fo

forward appliesthe hydr aulically o

ch mech

air

job

and

e car home!

ani

sm to wear

utc

h slip. This will

also

embarr

otbr

ake (5, Fig. 3).

un-

assm

perated

ent

I ruk 'S on all four wheels, so bringingthe car to rest.

n th extreme ri

Tid ' I dal is connected by a short cable

I'111'

tt

lIsing 1lie engine speed to increase

or.

l when travelling along

Tit's ar the only controls for which

.t. j

11

onjunct ion w

ghtisth

Pr

essingthe pedal fo

ith

the steering wheel, t

e accelerato r pedal (7, Fig. 3).

andconduittoth

rward

opens

the

thedri

thethrottl

car to move

ver

uses his

hey

are

the

road

and

.

n ntr ols.

e

e,

12

THE

BOOK OF T

HE

AUSTIN A35

Dashboard Controls and Instruments

Th

e in

strum

ent

panel is well placed and as

th

e la

yout

seen

mentisth

speed of

the

small panel showing

Above

light

th

thatglows red when headli ahead (3, Fig. guished by

In

centre p

(II

, Fig. 2) showing

Wh

en filling up with fuel, switch on ignition and gauge will

is essentiallypractical. The

e easily read speedometerthat indi

car. Belowthe 40 mile per hour figure is a

th

e t

otal

mileage covered.

e 20 miles per h

2). When beams are dipped it is

turnin

g li

artition

pet

ourfigur

ght

switch to second position.

e on dial is the warning

ght

beams are directed full

below speedometer isthe petrol gauge

rol levelwhen ignition switch

record rise in tank level as fuel is supplied from pump

. th

e left of th e fuel gauge isthe oil-pressure warning

To

ght

light. This li

hed

switc

on and is extinguished when engineis oil pressure builds-up. Should running speeds and a check of the oil level made, to the engine

(4, Fig. 2) glows green when ignition is

thi

s li

ght

th

e engine should be stopped immediately

may

result. So fool-proof is the oil-pressure

come on at normal

oth

erwise severe damage

will

maininstru-

catesthe

ext

is'

th

e garage

sta

rted and

road

in-

on '.

system, however, that this normally would not occur.

It

is imp

no indic

ati

merely shows th

ortant

to realize

that

this warning li

on ofthe quantity of oil pres

at

pressure is inthe system.

ent

in the sump- it

If

you r

ght

gives

ound a corner and the oil-pressure lightflickers it may be regarded as a warning Your daily oil check by ensure

thatoil is maintained at

Th

e ignition warning li

of fuel gauge. This li switched on to indicate

When indicating Should

the

light warns

ba

tterymay when indication

and

thatcurrent is being drawn from

th

e engine speed is increased the light is extinguished,

that

the

engine st op wi

become

the

engine is runningatits normal speed it is an

that

thatthe sump level is unduly low.

th

e dip-stick (see page 19) shou ld

ght

the

correct level.

(12,

Fi

g. 2) is situated to ri

glows red when ignition is

whenthe engine is stationary or idling,

the

batt

the

generator is charging the

that

thoutitha

ignition remains on

undu

ly discharged.

the

gene

rat

or is

ving been switched off

not

If

charging. Investi-

batt

and

that

th

e lightglows

ght

ery.

the

be

FOR

THE

BEGI

NNER

gation should be made to establish

not

should ator

If

pan

el with loud-speaker in pocket to left of speedometer.

Th

be driven for any len

not charging or

the

batt

ery will become discharged.

a radio is fitted it may be placed below e two controls (6

and

9, Fig. 2) above demi

thefault

gthy

period withthe gener-

are respectively windscreen wiper and panel li

To

start

wipers, switch on control W. To

arm

switch off when pushthe arms across

Wh

en control is

s areatthe

the

turn

ed 90°the blades start to work wipers are driven by a motor th

e bonnet, coupled to a flexible cable r

tran

smits drive to wiper spindles. Mounted at

end oftheir stroke. Do

windscreen.

and

gearbox

ack

. The car

instrument

stercontro

ght

park

mount

ed under

mechanism

bottom

switch.

wipers

not

The

that

windscreen, they are so placed as to clear wide arcs in front of driver's

passenger's seats. An

int

eresting saf

ety

and

feature incorporated in wiper motor eliminates any possi-

bility of damage to mechanism should wiper blades as, for example, on ice or packed snow. autom

atically rest Switch off when blades are at att

empt

to pushthem across by hand, or drive mechanism

art

when the obstruction is cleared.

th

eir end oftravel. Do

Themotor

jam-

will

not

may be damaged . Wiper motor can be operated only when

tch

ignition is swi

Pan

el light control (9, Fig. 2) on concealed lights to illumin switch

will

Below parcel

th

when

ese accessories are fitted. As an optional extra. are

given on page 132.

ed on.

turnsthrou

at

e in

gh 90° to switch

strum

ent

pan

el. This

operate only when sidelights are ' on '.

tra

y is h

eaterand

Inst

ructions for operating

demister control for use

with

radio, heater is

the

controls

Below speedometer is key-operated ignition switch (ro,

2).

Turn

Fig.

clockwise

for'

on'

and

anti-clockwise for

, off,'. As previously explained, switching-on of ignition

into

circuit

the

other

until

driver's

illuminates warning light and also brings

accessories. Ignition key cannot be withdrawn

switch is

tation

s

ary.

'off'.

Do

not

Th

e same key is used

leave ignition ' on ' with engine

to

lock

door.

ter

At each side of speedome

atatthe

Th starting from cold

left is

the

this

choke control (I, Fig. 2). When

control should remain fully pulled

are two further controls.

13

ls

of

THE BOOK

u~til

out push for w

It

engine fires,

1D knob so

armi

ng-up.

is good practice to pu sh control home as soon as possible, otherwise engine will dilute a greater

In

rate

than

a corresponding position to choke control, (15, Fig. 2) is starter-motor control. until

ignition is switched on. Start

disengages without any action on driver's

OF

THE

AU

STI

N A3S

Dir

ectly engine is running,partly

thata medium-rich mixture is

theundul

th

e oil and

y rich mi

contribu

xtur

e drawn

te to cylinder wear

normal.

but

Thi

s will not operate

er motor engages and

part,

ava

ilable

on ri

otherth

int

ght

an

pulling of cont rol outwards.

Two impor control should never be op or when car is in gear. make a heavy drain on ba This

can

tant

points to bear in

era

ted when engine is running

Apa

rt from the factthat

ttery

, the car will lurch forw

mind

arethat

thi

s would

thi

ard

be dangerous should anyone be standing in front,

Should engine fail to start or suddenly stop do not again opera te control may

be caused tothe ring g

untilithas come to rest, otherwise

ear

on flywheel or to starter-

dam

age

motor pinion drive.

If

engine does not start at first few turns, do not keep

starter in action for a

battery

will be

Instead, find

finding chart on

Combined lighting and dip swit ch is mo

extending to

th

e ri

ny

considerable length of

run

down.

out

what is wrong by referring to fault -

pa

ge 2

18

.

ght

below steering column (2, Fig, 3).

unt

ed on an arm

tim

e or

Turning this clockwise to first notch switches on side and tail li

ghts;to second, headli

the

thir

d, headli thelightattop headli

ghts

when

th

ey are dipp ed.

Thehom

and can be op

Flasher indic

ght

s to full ahead. Aspreviouslyexplained,

of speedom

areatfull-ah

button

(3, Fig. 3) is in centre of

erat

ed when ignition switch is off.

ator

control is and above speedometer. Move ing ri

ght

and anti-clockwise for left. A warning li

ght

s in dipped positi

eter

ead

face is illuminated when

position and is extinguished

ste

ering wheel

mount

ed at

it

clockwise to show turn-

centr

on;

a nd

e of panel

ght incorporated with switch shows when flashers are in use.

FOR

THE BEGI NN

ER

15

Gear Lever

The gears are operated by a direct-acting lever located centrally in a Th

o

at

e head of the gear lever falls n

andprovides a direct and positive gear control. Reference

to Fig. 4 will show

position and in zontal play.

turretmounti

that

ng directly under

the gear lever has a

thisithas a considerable

With

engine stationary it may

the

atur

ally tothe left h

centr

amount

not

dashboard.

and

al n

eutr

of hori-

be possible

al

s

.

FI

G. 4.

-G

EAR

POSITIO

NS

to move the lever

wheels may be

therefore. remember to depress

ur« moving the gear lever so as to get '

To

ellgage first gear press th e gear lever to

111" \' 1' il forward. For second gear draw

\1',11'1

1"

1111'011/-:

II

l1l1d

~.id(',

h'\,('1 1'

1

lllJ'l

IIII' IIMIII II:IIIII sid." To cngage reverse gear raise the lever

11

1\':11.1 iulo nt-ul r.rl, move it to

1Will .1'1 WIIl'II il will Iw ill the required position. For

l,

dllll

V II I., 1.,\,(,

11111

'1'" ('

int

o th e various positions since th e gear

'ed

ge on '.

If

th

e engine is

th

e clutch pedal whilst you

therunofth

th

e left and

th

e lever back-

(: ne

utr

al position, keepingitto the left-

lia

ng(: into third from second, push

th

e right

1'

backwards keeping it pressed towards

runn

ing,

e gears '.

the

and

then

top

16

by pullingitupw fully tothe ri spn ng pressure

adjac lever being pulled up and rearw tothe rear wheels. A

position by.a

the Sometimes, and particularly if the

with

r

ear or by clearing with the

to apply brak on. gr this m in cases where brake cannot readily be released, brake p

the

THE

BOOK

ght

andbrake

ent

to his ri

tr.igger and a pawl.

pa

wl IS disengaged

some force,itis necess

wheel

brak

es either by pressing

wingthe h

th

e h

andbrak

Ther

dra

e are two

e pedalatth

The

leverage obtained on

eat

er t hanthat

eth

od ofapplication may befound helpful p

the

OF

THE

AUS

ard

s againstthe spring pressure, move

andthen rearw

ent

s its being engaged accide

lever is to

ght

hand.

ratch

andthe

ard

s. The resi

therightofth

lt

is of the pull-on type, the

ard

s to apply

et locksthe lever in

By

squeezing this trigger handbr br

ake has been applied

arytotakethe weight offthe

the

and

brak

tri

gger.

tip

s you may like to know.

e slightly h

e verysecurely, press downthe foot-

e same

tim

e pulling

the

developed by the

car is left on a g

thehand

foot-brake is

han

radient.

pr

edal;

thi

s will be found of assistance in releasing

pawl.

Th

e doors ofthe A35, either the two- or four-door may be opened from either inside or senger doors can be locked from inside handles

upw

ards

beyond. driver's door is locked from key. When raised, no doors automatically

are raised. Remember to to pre

vent

inside door

lt

is useful to make a

ignition key so

thus

locked,

can

the

sliding front door windows, whenthey

and

be opened. This position also locks

shut

anyone from insertinga stickto release one of

handlesand

so gain entrance to

noteofthe

that

you

may

ment without delay should

key can be obtained

The luggage

the

ignition

car

when necessary.

compartment

key

at

any

enabling you to leave your luggage in the

the

insidebyraisingthe

the

normal position.

outside

with

handles of other doors

all the windows suffici

be able to

the

need arise. A duplicate

time

through

boot

has

TIN

A3S

it

stan

ce by

nta

the

lly.

seat

brake

' on '

e driver's

ake is released.

foot-brake pedal

ard

er on and

If

then

you want

brake lever

rath

er

dbrak

e lever

If

arti

th

e hand-

and

cularlv

ess downthe foot-

mod

out

side.

Th

el,

e pas-

Th

withthe ign

ition

ently

the

car

.

code number of the

obtain

a replace-

your dealer .

a lock

that

accepts

capable

the

~un.

reta

17

the

in

FOR

THE

Th

ere are se venient roof above

and

helpful.

the

veralbod

y fittings

Forinstan

windscreen on

of being readily hin ged down,

lt

can

also be moved sideways within limits and ISspnng-

loaded to provide

it

in

the

desired position.

th

e necessary degree of friction to

BEGI

NNER

tha

t

will

ce, a visor fitted to

the

driver's side,

redu

ces glare from.

be found con-

and

Checking Radiators

Before taking should be made. radi

ator

mark

and

on

the

car

on the r

Theremu

the

engine-oil levelmust be

dip-sti

ck-not

st be suffic

more

oadatleast two checks -

ient

wat

er in

the

n

e~r

the

'

than

t m, below It.

Fu~

,

e

Fro

. 5.

-BoNNET

1'

111

11

. ' I' 'v ry t ime th e car is used

it will not be necessary to attend to

til l b h k d periodically. Grasp

mot

, .

if nthe bonnet front. This releases

CATCH. I n setsh

owssafetycatch

butboth

.these points

and

hinge forward

the

se

the

l It an 1 allowsthe bonnet to be lifted slightly.

I t b fully raised because it .is reta

in

ed by a

~afet

y

'h n b r leased by inserting the fing rs (FIg. 5)·

18

to its shapeddepr th

e lower end ofthe strut can be fitted.

fully down

will prev until such

The r clockwise required, filling so that

filler-plug

use rain some areas

THE

BOOK

Thebonnet

under

can be held open by using

side

and

ession inthe

The

bonnet is locked in the closed position by pressing

ward

s.

F IG.

6.-

D I P-STI CK L OCATI ON . Inset shows ' F U LL ' ma

atwhich oil level should be mainta

\J

ent

it rising

time

as it is pressed fully hom e.

adiator

water-

filler cap is removed

and

pressing it fully downwards. Add wat er if

thr

eads when

this contains no harmful deposits

tap

water

OF

THEAUSTIN

hinged downw

topoftheradiator

If

it is not so secured

but

it probably will vibrate

the

level is

the

just

engine is cold. Preferably,

can tend to fur formation. Replace

A35

the

stru

ard

s. There is a cup-

t clipped

into

the

safety catch

ined

and

by

turning it

belowthe

topofth

-for

which

rk

rat

tle

ant

in

FOR

THE

BEGIN

the cap securely. You will notice ized type, a detail de

Chec

it

kingEngine

The

moving

engine-oil level can readily be checked by first re-

th

engineatth

e engine dip-stick fitted onthe near SIde of

e front. ground when checking reading will result. Aft er out , wipethe lower end

alt

with

Oil

It

is as well to havethe

th

e oil level otherwise a misleading

th

and

home. On again withdrawing

vel is indicated onthe scale by

ig.6).

o

A po owed to fall u

11

is excess oil will be

Do

If

necessary, add suffici

the

full mark.

inttonot

e is nduly

that

whilstthe level should never be

, do

not

mark is exceeded. Apartfrom causing over-oiling,

wast

not

be t

empt

ed to use inferior or un

notonly

may

ce

for

the

th

ese

engine

n prove expensive in

ed.

contribute to diffic

become too stiff to

the

NER

thatit is of the pressur-

more fully in Chapter X.

the

car

on level

e dip-stick ha.s been I?ull

replacethe stick pushing l.t

it

you will see

the

ent

oil marking (

oil to bringthe

addsomuch

suitabl

long

run

that

the

Ins

amount

oil

that

the

elubricating

ult

star

ting-

turn-bu

t they

because of their

e.d

011

et,

ior lubricating properties.

switching on

once be evident

uld

th

ure

ump has a priming lever fitt ed to

n ily supply fuel to

ng h engine (see page

t 1ull the lever upwards several

t Ir ly

y full or

opl:)rn.tingcam.

u

i-

t

e

1l'II11

i n with

urn to

lng1 v r again, ceasing to do so when

r

thi:

th

e ignitionthe state ofthe petrol supply

by

the

reading onthe fuel gauge .

e car have been standing for any length of time

tt

or floatchamber may have become

it,

the

float chamber without

II

7). To primethe cartim

es.

and

If

empt with

it

is fe

itmay mean eitherthatthe floatchamb er

that

thediaphra

Inthe

latt

th

e released position.

ma

ns thatthecarbur

er case,

e starting

gm is held down byits

turnthe engine

handl

e whenthe dia

Th

en operatethe

it

ettor

is felt to work

floatchamber is

throu

phra

gh

gm

y.

it

lt

th rre t level.

th bonnet , making sure that

th

e catch secures it,

ready to drive away .

20

BOOK OF

THE

AUSTI N A3S

THE

Starting the Engine

After

tak

on, i.e. pulled up,

on-thatis,

positi thr

ough its ce

hav

e been caused by failure to take this routme precaution,

When s

we

ath

han

ta

er, it is helpful to

dle a few times before switching on. This relieves its

andthatthe gear lever is in

whe.r~

ntral

it can ?e.

position. Thi s

rting from cold, particularly during fros

turnthe engine by the starting

initial stiffness and greatly reduces

ta

ing your seat see thatth

rter motor and- much

s

It

is also good practice to press downthe clutch pedal for

this again reduces

mor

e important- onthe ba

th

e load and eliminates the drag of

e handbrake lever is

the

e.asil

y moved

IS

I~port

the

load both onthe

sid~ways

~ntasaccId~

neutral

nts

tte

ry.

the

oil on the gear wheels. .

If

th is held frictionally in any i Pull to run.

If

control bothsta

resisting the temptation to .keep It m use l?nger. t necessary under up more quickly if this is done. It is b drive away slowly since allowingthe choke to befully released

e engine is cold. pull outthe choke control. This

nt

th

e starter knob

Dir

the engine

until

andthe engine should soon commence

ectly it does so, release the starter control.

'cu

ts out ' and stops do not again usethe

the engine is at rest otherwisethe drive of

ermediate position ifturned.

rter and flywheel may be damaged. .

When

th

e engine is

run

ning,

th

e impression t

th

g

ra~u~lly

hat

releasethe

the

engme will warm

ett

er practice to

e engine will then w

s?o

n~r.~yadoptI~g

chok~,

han

arm

"?-p,

this procedure not only willthe lubricatingOJI reta.m ItS properties longer, because it will not tend to become dil by excess petrol, but p

etr

ol will

not

be wasted.

ut

Starting When Warm

Once

the

engine is warmed up it is

ary

to usethe choke

s

and

, of course,the accelerator

be left inthe normal idling position.

the

so opening

throttle,

not

only will

not

normally neces-

If

it ispressed down,

the

idling

must

jet rendered inoperative- since it relies for its action on the suction set accelerating cause difficult

up

pump

star

bythe

may

ting should

virtu inject

ally closed

petro~

into

the

mixtur

throttle-but

the

manifold ?-nd

e become too

th

nch.

ty

ed

be

IS

FOR

THE

BEGINNER

This

matter

Carburettor (Chapter

If

the advisable t o use having circuited with petrol happ

ens, push in

pr

essing down theunduly engine commences to fire, gradually it is felt to pick

If

the

cleaning. The simplest me

thathave

choking ' the engine is to place them on

th

eir'business

and

allow the petrol to useful accessory a oth

erwise wipe away the soot with a rag. Before replacmg

th

em in the engine

points is not bridged with carbon or flu

Th

e golden rule is to use

is covered more fully when we deal with

VIII).

engine has cooled down a little it may be found

th

themixtur

the

rich mi

e choke momentarily.

e too rich for thenthel?lugsmay be

and

no sp

the

choke control fullyatthe

ark

accelerator so that asthe engme xtur

e will be cleared. As soon as

up

speed and agam

will occur.

:ele

ase

run

If

so, beware of

s~me

the

choke when

normally.

engine still refuses to start ren::ovethe plugs for

th

become w

-ends'

ett

ed with petrol as

together, apply a li

od oftre

burn

'fi

make

le-car

off.

d',

surethat

the

atmg

spa

rkmg plugs

result of ' over-

th~

ground with

ght

ed m

have

that

up w

gap between

ff.

fron::the.rag.

brush

If

the

you

them

the

choke WIth discretion,

shor~

If

time

turns

atch

most

ith

th!s ;

2I

the

~hIS

the

Driving Hints

Before you can take

o

bta

in a provisional driving licence so

ta

ught to drivebyan experienced friend orbyone of

many

motoring schools in theoffi by

cial driving test you must always be accompamed

a driver who holds a current driving licence. desirable to take among repu be

move it

e

that

If

your

tati

set

To st

the

fully towards

the

this

acquaintances or

on. Eve n so,the following instructions

down and borne in mind :

art

from rest, first press down

gear lever to

the

lever will

occurs,

return

clutch, declutch

the

car on to

the

road you

that

stru

ctors. U

your

lessons with some co

the

bottom-gear positionbypressing

at

ntil

you have

a school

the

clutch pedal

mpet

left andthen forwards. You

not

readily enter

the

bottom

it to neutral , momentarily engage

and

again move

the

gear lever to

you

may

be

the

must

pa

s~ed

It

is most

ent driver

with

a good

may

well

and

may

find

-gear position. the

the

bottom-gear position when it should fully engage. This

THE

22

BOOK OF

difficulty sometimes arises duetothe

eth

are

gear te mesh. Allowing

alt

ers

their

'edge

the

rel

ati

ve positions

THE

AUSTIN A3S

fact

that

the

sliding

on'

to each

other

and

thus

cannot

clutch pedal to engage momentarily

and

so permits

them

engage.

Now release

thehandbr wards slightly to ease free

the

rat

chet

and

If

it is difficult to release

th

e foot-brake pedal to relievethe tension on

on brak

e linkage. .

Pr

ess downthe accelerator slightly atthe same time

th

allowing

e clut ch pedal to come gently up move forward as not

e isthatthe simultaneous actuation-one up

-ofthe clutch and acceler

down and

possibly uneven clutch engagement may ensue. Per-

push

the

severe, however, for it is only

mind

Bear in clutch engagement harmful for

thatthe hall-mark of a good driver is smooth

andthat

it

causes severe mechanical stress.

ake lever, first pullingitup-

the

pressure, squeeze

the

lever forwards

the

holding

the

and

rat

downwards .

chet,press firmly

and

clutch engages. The first

ator

pedals is

masteredby

harsh clut ch engagement is

trigger to

the

hand-

the

car will

point

and

one

not

easy

experience.

Gear Changing

When

th

e car is moving forward steadily it will be neces-

th

ght

e main bug-

th

e accelerator

tim

e pushing '

without

resistance

Whenthe

the

gears will

may

sary to change into second gear. One of bears of eliminated by

th

e novice-gear changing- is almost entirely

th

e synchromesh device.

To change from first to second gear, allow

return

to down the clutch pedal as far as unduehast a ste be felt

synchromesh device has come

to its closed position atthe same

it

ady

pre

but

e, move

ssure on

maintain

the

gear lever rearwards maintaining '

the

lever. A sli

the

pressure onthe knob.

into

will go. Then,

action mesh and second gear will be engaged noiselessly. Allow the

clutch pedaltoreturn

the

down

accelerator when

gently. At

the

car

will move forward

the

same time press

with

increased speed.

third

To change from second to

accelerator and depressthe clutch pedal. Move

lever deliberately forward into

similarly release

the

neutral position main-

the

gear

to

the

FOR

THE

taining a pressure to forward into and

control the speed ofthe car by

The acceler th

e gear lever rearwards

pr

essure on

a

Practi

third

final change at

or pedal, depressingthe clutch pedal,

se gear changing in

the

speed. Allowthe clutch pedal to return

intotop

into

the

lever towardsthe right-hand side.

BEGIN NER

right throughthe

the

gate

accelerator pedal.

gear is effected by releasing the

and

top-gear position, maintaining

thismanneruntil

the

car moves

23

andthen

moving

forward smoothly and steadily after each gear change. Carefully synchronize pedal movement to ensure smooth

ta

engagement in all circums

To Change

It

is equally necessary to learn how to change down

Down

to a Lower Gear

from a higher to a lower gear. This is essen climbing a hill that normallythe car could top

gear or whichever other gear may be in useatthe

tim

e. Also,

more slowly

In

changing down from top to third gear and from to second adop t pressure on

th

push

tra

ffic conditions may necess

th

an normally is permitted by top or

th

e gear lever

e following procedure. Maintainthe

e accelera

stea

nces.

tia

l

ascend

third

wh

gear.

not

ita

te travelling

thi

tor

and de-clutch. Simu

lta

neously,

dily into the desired position. The synchromesh device again comes into action to give a silent change. Release

th

e clutch pedal, controllingthe speed of

the car by using the accelerator pedal as necessary.

ent

A slightly differ changing down from second to bo is no synchromesh device. An easy change can be however, by adopting de-clutching '. Although this procedure be complicated it is simple and you should

procedure should be adopted when

tt

om as in

thi

s casethere

mad

th

e technique known as ' double

may

appear to

pra

ctise until

you are proficient.

Pr

oceed as follow

(a) De-clutch. Move

th

e pressure on

(b)

Allow clutch to engage, with gear lever in neutral,

and

(c) Release

accel

move gear lever

s:

th

e gear lever

the

accelerat or.

eratethe

pre

ssure on accelerator pedal, de-clutch and

engine.

int

o first-gear positionatonce.

int

o n

eutr

al, releasing

~n

III

rd

e,

THE

BOOK

(d)

Engage clutch, operate accelerator tomaintain

~

~.

Practisethis drill

cer

tai

n an d

pa

rticularly when ascending hills on which b

couldhave been used.

Tostop

cel

erator

Justbefore

dut

ch.

gear

intoneutral

rapi

the

car, firstof all take your foot offthe ac-

and

moveitover tothe fo

the

Wh

en s

OF

THE

AUSTIN A3S

desired

until

you can be sure of

d gear change in any circumstances,

ot-

brake t o

vehicle comes to a standstill depressthe

topp

ed applythehan

andthen release

the

clutch and fo

dbra

ott

ke,

makin

g a

om gear

the

left.

movethe

otb

rake,

Reversing

When

stationary.

is moving forwards will cause severe strain or the

With'the

'd utch

will rise no further. theright intothe reverse position. it forw r

eturn

andagain

and gen

Almost the steering is now reversed. steering wheel tothe ri temporarily the r become familiar l

earn

:practise re versing betweenthem- for instance, asifback -

In

novi so pia. mudguard and carthat is ah ad of you. A li show you how much room

engaging reverse gear the car

Any

attempt

transmi

It

into a line of parked vehicles. Nothing indicates

ssion

syst

car

station

and

lift

the

maintainingthe lift. Ne

ards

momentarily allowing the clutch p

as when engaging firstgear. De-clutch once more

movethe leverback

tly

acceleratewhenthe car will move backwards.

the

firstthing you will realize, of course, is

ear-t

withthese cha

how to

is a helpful idea to erect two guide marks

bac

k your carne

much

as inabi

not forget to allow for

bump

to go

int

em.

ary

and

the

gear lever

Th

ght

o move tothe left .

er w

upw

en move it

If

it

does not engage fully, move

wards.Engageth

Thatis to say,turningthe

causesthe front of

nged

atlyintoth

lity

to back his

hen

pulling

ttl

e practice

you

may

o reverse whenthe car

conditions,however,

mu

st always be

dama

engine

ardsuntilyou

through

xt,

the

runn

the

pullitrearwards

You

e desired

swing of

out

car

from

posit

and

neatly

will

allow.

the

v

ge to

ing, de-

feel it

gate

edal

e clutch

that

car-

will

soon

and

ion.

then

into

the

front

behind

ery

soon

the

to

.

a

FOR

THE

BEGINNER

Skidding

The

brak efficient except, of course, in emergency. tyre

life as well as straining

Ev

•

never of some whenthe unpleasant feeling control.

first !

immediately releasethe them this factor is

What sideways towards roa

d. Often

the

steering wheel in the skid develops. direction you

Do may control inanisol bus

drivers

to t eachthem

Tr

y to bearin

(I)

(2) Do

(3) Do not (4) Do

es on

butitis

ery

novice fears a skid. Whilstit is easy to

provoke a

otherper

sur

It

If

you

avoiding

generally

not

forget

be of gr

and

Ste

er a steady course . Ne

not

harshly. if your

not

falls so

to

vibrate

Running-in a Reconditio

When become

the

beyond

your

Au

bad

dri

skid'

son's

face is wet.

that

slides forward

have

timetomake

any

tendency

the

cause of a skid.

happensisthat

the

skid

If

may

finish up acrossthe

that

eat

accele driv

road

that

knowing what to do in an emergency

value.

ated

dri

vers of police cars use a ' greas

the

correct technique.

mind

rate

e onthe crown of

speed is low. Keep well to

allowthe engine to labour.

the

unduly

stin

ving tec

thecargenera

you

may

stupidity,tojam

Then

the

carisnotentire

and

brakes.Then

to lockthe wheels. Often

gutter

will become co

the

pla

engine

or tothe lower side of the

same direction as

you

turnthe wheel in

If

you are able to

ce you

the

following four p

nor

apply

runs

, change down to a lower gear.

ned

engine has done consid

furthe

r r

epair-inthat

A35

are

hniqu

e to use them harshly

Har

be compelled, because

youmay experience the

not

a split-second decision,

the rearwheels swing

ntr

will

realizethe reason why

ver

the

heavily, pinks, or appears

Eng

ine

era

powerful

sh braking reduces

lly.

on your

ly under

necessarilyradiator

carefully re-apply

ollable if you

that

road!

swerve abrup

brakessudd

road,

ble serviceitmay

case a reconditioned

brakes

to which

the

pract

ise skid

e-patch'

oints:

tly

enly or

particularly

the

If

the

25

and

say

your

turn

other

.

left.

speed

26 T

engine may be Consultyour'Austin agent who will a

HE

BOOK

obt

OF

THE

AUSTIN

ained fromthe Austin M

rra

A3S

otor

ngethe

Co.Ltd.

matt

er for

you. An allowance may be made for yourold engine.

Forthe first500 miles-or, if your can manage it , for

th

e first1,000 miles- handlethe new engine with care. it is carefully run-in repaid by smooth and efficient performance for a long

your

consideration and trouble will be

tim

afterwards.

Wh

en starting from cold, do not're

Releasethe choke co

ntr

ol as soon as possible.

driving away avoid rapid accele

The

engine is produced

withinext

rat

v-up'th

e engine.

Wh

ion.

remely fine limits in

en

so far asthe bearing surfaces are concerned. In order to

allow the working parts to become that surface

hardn

essthat

ensures long life, high engine

run

in and to a

tta

revolutions and excessive speeds should be restricted during

th

e ea

rly your car can th

e ru nnin g-in period has been completed. arethe suggested max duringthe

trav

el nor to ma

imum

runnin

g-in period, changing down as road con-

stages. Do not be in a

hurr

intain

y to see how fa

high

road

speeds until

The

following

speeds inthe various gears

ditions dictate:

Bottomgear: Second Third Top

End

eavour

engine

to become acc

makesatthese sary to driveatanyparti the engine to

run

easily withinthe

7 miles per h 15 25

0

4

usto

runnin

g-in speeds.

cular

our

med tothe soundthat

It

is

runnin

ran

g-in speed

ges t

abulat

not

but

ed.

the

neces-

allow

If

th engine feels stiff, stop for a time to allow it to ' ease off '. All the working p side and care in the ea

art

s are assembled somewhat onthe tight

rly

stages will enablethem to bed

in satisfactorily.

/ I.S th e engine becomes

run

-in you will quickly sense

the added power and response.

Some owners like to use a running-in compound. are several on provided it is

the

mar

theprodu

ket, any one of which may be used

ct of a mak er of r

eputeand

Th

ere

that

FOR TH E

the

proportions used are as advised. Some of th ese graphite

BEGINNER

27

compo unds may tend to become separa ted out in filter s

ofthe full-flow type.

If

e

desirable to fit a new element whenthe oil is changed the first 500 miles.

General Check at

Whenth

e reconditioned engine has miles, the engine oil shouldbe drai replenished approved br

do not do it

in

inst ead.

with and

with

.

At the same timethe cylinder-headnuts should be te

and tigh

st

initial tightening, th e cylinder head should not require further

will copper-asbestos

tenedintheord

attention.

Thethi

n steel cylinder-head gasket used onthe A35

not

compress to

typ

check the overhead-valve rocker clearance afte r ti

the cylinder-head

If

thatoc

50

0

miles

new oil ofthe co

If

it is necessary to flush

paraffin

but

use a suit able flushing oil

er shown in Fig. 32. After this

the

same degree as a gasket of

e. Nev

nut

erth

eless, it is advisable to

s (see page 96).

cursit

run

ned

rrect

may be found

for some 500

and

the sump

grad

e and of an

outthe sump

ght

aft

ste

any

the

ening

er

d

Check also that the sparking plug gaps are '025 in.

(,64 mm.) (see page 179, and Fig. 72).

The contact-breaker gap should be checked and set at from 0'014 to 0'016 in. and t he ind ex scale mi be re-set at

thi

s stage (see page 174).

Now thatthe engine is running more freely,the carb

tor

adju

Fullin

stm ent should be checked

stru

ctions are given on page 109.

and

re-set if necessary.

A check on nuts arid bolts is worth while to

e

thatth

it

runnin

Cho

e reconditioned engine has bedded-down

is secure in its mountings

g.

ice

of Petrol

Th

e choice of p

arti

cularbr

aft

er the init ial 500 miles

and

of petrol is a m

your individual decision as also isthatofth

differentm

The

formance.

att

er from

parti

cular grade of fuel used will affect engine per-

In

general, a

brand

lte

.

ring

the

ignition

ght

mak

e gra

adv

ance is all

usefully

uret

e sure

andthat

att

er for de-a

-

28 THE BOOK OF

that

is required to obtain different grades of fuel available. fuels, however, full advantage increasingthe compression ratio, a procedure generally tributionofth road testing setting, is described on page 177.

At

ally available. These are

Regular is somewhat similar to war-time Premium corresponds roughly to No. I petrol available before

Premium

perties giving improved performance.

the

worth

whileatpresent due to

is special grade of petrol.

the

car

time

of writing, there are two main grades gener-

War.

grad

es contain some

In addition, in determining which grade to use,

must

also be pression increased one originally fitted.

Whenitcleared

was

adjusted ignition setting, Premium fuel may benefit. This advantage ignition is ignition

Conversely, an engine Premium Regular grade is used. Again,the-ignition should be adjusted to

taken

ratio,and

by

settosuit

must

fuel will suit

into considerationthe m

whether

the

introduction of a different gasketto

the

to accept Regular fuel.

be advanced (see page 177).

not

it. '

THE

AUSTIN A3S

the

maximum

can

to obtain

Works,

this grade of petrol. Usu ally

with

the

'Regular'

additivesthat

this

ration

your

may

be obtained only if

ignition

give a good performance if

benefits from

For

the

only be

most efficient ignition

reconditioned engine

timed

higher octane

obtained

thatisnot

the

limited dis-

The

method

and

' Premium'.

confer pro-

atter

has been lowered or

With

this

not

give

the

to operate

the

by

'Pool'.

there

of com-

the

original

fullest

the the

with

the

of

CHAPTER

III

GENERAL MAINTENANCE

Body,

Wheels

HOSE MOTORISTS who are of the opinion thata

chassis is a metal frame the

T

supportthe

chassis

th

e wheels, axles, springs, steering connect ions, tyres, etc.

These components do

but

tion pr

operly lubricated will do much to remove the squeaks

and

rattlesthat

the world

Keeping

Manufacturers today use torque spanners to enable a definite degree of rubb

er gaskets are used in m to control tightness of nu ts securing tension is achieved individual assessm

It

is advisable to periodically examine all ness. rattles, squeaks andaccelerated wear will result. Some bolts are secured by tab washers, some there remove and

re-tighten. Do

have

pins

and

from becoming loose.

A

cotter

or

stud so positioned making it impossible to withdraw any

slackening of

body

may

wonder

can

require. Actually,the term chassis embraces

not

care in keeping

are

not

the

owner's neglect.

Nuts

and

Bolts Tight

tightn

by

ent

s of wh

If

neglected they will become

is evidencethat such bolts are

the

pin or

been

tight

tab-washers

pin passed through a hole in

passes through

bend

not

ened. Cotter (or sometimes called split)

are

the

ends of

the

nut

and

Tyres

pur

pose of which is to

whatmaint

require a great amount of a

nuts

and bolts tightand all

only annoying but advertise to

ess to be obtained. As cork or

anyparts

pre-set loadings

at'

seems to be

not

back

the

29

split

tab

pin the

forget to secure

two means ofpreventing

slots in a castellated

the

itself.

enance such a

it is

very

desirable

th

ese parts. Correct

rather

rapidly

by correctly tightened

washer as required

them

the

are

tight

nuts

cotter

end

nut bent and

than enough '. for tight-

looser

pins.

when

of a

. When

back

preventing

tte

part

and

they

nuts

nut

thus

n-

s

by

If

30 T

Removing

It

thathav screw spanner bein!5placed on

If

theenthu

thatth

If

bolt reasonable time for

Always use a setpossible. An usually springs a little an d is apt to

HE

BOOK OF T

HE

AUSTIN

Nuts and Bolts

often becomes necess

e rusted. Some bolts

into

nut

s thatare inaccessible so preventing a second

ary

to unscrew nuts

-forinsta

t~

em

to s

top

nce, in

them f

siastic ownertnes to unscrewthese it is possible

e nut,

hav

ing firmly rusted, will refuse to unscrew.

there is any doubtabout it,

thread

s and apply

adju

par

affin or pen

thi

s to do its work.

spann

stable

er or box-sp

spa

brushth

etr

ati

ann

nner, even ofthe best t ype,

dam

agethe sides of

A3S

and

the

bod

rom

turnin

e mud off the

ng oil, allowing

er wherever

thenut.

A split pin can often A useful tool for th e ground down to a pomted the h

ead firm grip is the spanner on rath

nut

of th e pin, enabling it to be levered

obtain

bolt

head

the

er one of despair forthe

can

be

dam has been unscrewed, assuming order,

punchoutthe pinthat

hole of

the

bolt.

prov

e surprisingly difficult to remove.

~urpose

ed.

with

one spanner and, using

nut

, s

is an old screwdriver carefully

pron

g. This can be ins

If

th

e pin cannot be extracted hold

another set-

hea

r off th e pin.

thr

eads ofthe

Thispractic

bolt

ert

out

once a

andofth

aged by this procedure. After the nut

thatthe

thr

ead

s are in good

stiJl remains inthe drilled

Road Springs and Shackles

The

rear road springs should be examined periodically to

see

thatthe

they become loose the centre boltmay

nuts

are full ti

ght

ened (5

and6,Fi

g. 7).

shear or the spring

leavesbreak. .

Simmonds lo

forthe spring-clip bolts, i.e.those bolts holding

of

the

spring tothe rear axle.

The

upper

prings is adj ustable sothat

(Fig. 7).

knock

may

cknut

s or single self-locking

end of each shackle at the

there should be no end-float

If

the

re is t oo much end-float a

be heard.

Any

adju

stm

nuts

rea

r of the road

ent

required should

are

thecentre

per

ceptible

bemade as described below.

Firs

t loosenthe lo

cknut

, or o

uterm

ost

nutofthe

bolts

y-

ed in

e is

used

two,

g.

GENE

RAL MA

onthe shackle, holding

doing so.

e

the adju

The

single nutatthe

FI

I Shackle Nipple. 2 Pin Bush. 3 Rea r Shackle and

Brushes . 5 Nut

G. 7.-RE AR S P

and

Washer Lower and 6 Upper P ins. 7 S

stm

ent so it must always be tighten up th e inn er nutcarefully clearance between the side ofthe shackle sprin

If

g eye. Do not overti friction nut

and

wear. Ti

to prevent

the

ght

adjustment being

INTENANCE

the

inner one if neces

oth

er end does

RINGSHACKLEASSEM

Pins

kept

untilth

ere is just running

plat

ght

en or there will be

en the locknut, holding

alte

red.

sar

not

BLY

. 4 Spring

hackl

e, Inner

tight.

e and

the

y whil

affect

Then

undu

inner

3I

st

the

e

Brake Linkage

If

at

any

tim

brake linkage, takeparticular care not to a

e it is necessary to disconnect any of

se

tting

. Any h linkage is strongly to be be correctly balanced for full efficie Detailed ins given in Ch

aphazard

tru

ctions regarding

apterVI.

att

empt to

depr

ecated forthe system

adjustthe

ncy

the

brake

to be obtained.

lter

linkage are

the rod

brak

the

e-rod

must

32

THE

BOOK OF

THE

AUSTIN A3S

Steering Gear

The ali

t

ant the front wheels are not. ment occur but

with proper lubric car has steering arms

shall point together slightly to the front. the distance at hub heig

*to t in. less

edge. The reason for this is separate slightly to the most efficient position. refer to page 57, where

impor strained or bent it is best to let your Austin dealer inspect the

Gr

va to place and assume may have been damaged (possibly it may have beeri hit. accidentally with a spanner), or the passage become choked. In either case the lubric when the untilthe t

hat

u l rs on, for instance,

can r h the brake linings. th

causing it to wear much more rapidly than would be

case if it were adequately lubricated.

gnmentofth

point. Whilstthe rear wheels are definitely fixed,

atthe steering linkage not only can

th

e steering can be affected.

The steering connections are of the

bump

ed into a curb, for instance, one of the

may

The standard se

than

The steering linkage and front suspension are very

ta

nt points

part

s to make sure everything is in order.

eas

e, Oil and Lubricants

The

chapter

rious p

Oil and gr ase

at prev

art

s to be greased or oiled.

th

e oil gun on a lubricator, press it several tim es

the

th

e grease gun is applied to it. When lubricating

chassis, therefore, it is always good practice to continue

lubric

is receiving

ent

s water

e front wheels is an extremely impor-

If

th

ere is any incorrect

ati

on will give long service, but ifthe

have become bent.

tt

ing of

the corresponding dimension at ta

and

on lubrication (see page 193) describes

job is well done. The lubri

ant

can be seen escaping from

att

ention. This does not apply to lubri-

not

and

the

frontwheels is that

ht

measured between the wheels is

tha

ke up this ini

thisad

if you feelthatthere is some p

th

only lubricate

grit from enteringthe

t in use th e wheels tend to

tial'

If

you wish to checkthe ' toe-

justment is described.

e wheels, where excess lubricant

undu

adju

stable type and

In

toe-in'and so run in

It

is

ant

but

also form a seal

adju

e tyre wear

other words,

the

not

sufficient

cator

ma

y have

will

not enter

the

bearing

bear

ing

st-

the

rear

in'

art

the

itself

and

the

GENERAL

the

Hence if necessary so grit or on -the bearing surfaces.

If

a lubric

it

than bearing runmng dry and wearing should. The bearing the

small charge forthe lubricator. Assuming

c

ann

ot force any thing

y

able to replace it wi free, however, it can only mean become choked for cleaning. C to harden in use

good lubri manufacturer of r

Keep

sump. A coating of

th

e sump to keepthe oil cool. Paraffin

of brush will be found most convenient for

importance of operatingthe gun several times

wat

to leave it in place for

thatth

er, is forced

ator

cant

th

e b

ottomofth

has been damaged, it is cheaper to replace

and

ert

ain grades of cheap lubric

and

of correct grade and

eput

MAINTENANCE 33

e old lubricant, ca

out

and

clean grease

thiscan

th

us damaged

throughth

th

a new one.

it

choke

e.

mud

will

that

be necessary to dismantle it

the

passages. Always buy a

e engine clean, p

prevents air acting onthe walls

rry

ing with it

tak

only result in

out

much earlier than it

can

cost m

e lubri

cat

or, it is advis-

If

th

e lubri

the

bearin g itself has

ant

type

marketed by a

art

and

thi

es its place

any

that

cat

are liable

icularly

a stiff

s.

any

the

times

you

or is

the

paint

Careofthe Bodywork

Althoughthe mod

use

than

the

varnish finish of earlier cars ,

way

s in which

mar

it" lustre.

Do not be t water. Road du quantiti

surfa~e

of been considerably dulled.

a hose soft cloth. An imp clear of accidentally pressed against deep scratches.

not

application, particularly in

es of water are used to float

the

mmute

The

Dry

be

cloth, acting on

scratches. In a shorttime

first rule,then, is to wash and

running water in conjunction

the

car with a chamois leather

tempt

ern

body finish will

the

owner even with

empt

ed to dust

st

is an abrasive

ortant

body.

ed to overdo

In

evitably it collects grit

stand

much rougher

ther

e are certain

the

best

int

the

car down without using

and

unless Iiberal

thisdust

the

dust, willproduce myriads

point is to keep

the

finish

the

car, using preferably

with

a sponge or

the

body

or wings can cause

and

then

polish. Too frequent an

case of wax polishes, can

polish. Do

ent

ions can

off

will

hav

hose itself and

when

the

e

34 actually dull

polish protects oth one, for it cannot be adequately polished and to a to apply

THE

BOOK

th

er hand, a

tt

ract dust so dulling the lustre. The bestm

th

e polish

thi

OFTHE

e surface.

AU

STI

N A3S

Prop

erly applied, a film of

e body and gives a good gloss. On

ck coatis not twice as good as one thin

spa

ringly, rubbing it on evenly and

mu

st tend

eth

od is

the

then polishing it vigorously.

The windscreen

le

ath

er. Do not omitthe rear window because clear vision

from

th

e rear is essential.

and

windows should be cleaned with wash

When washing the car a minor point to note is to avoid

water on

th

e brake plates and drums. Although it will not do any permanent harm, it will reduce imm ediate b

rak

ing efficiency. When takingthe

th

e first

tim to test obvious several t imes whilst effect of warming

Many owners, p give the in protecting but using a portable elect

, do

it when evaporate too quickly. On is unsuitable, a solvent will

M

eth

wax on a pad of

e after it has been washed It ISgoodpractice

th

e brakes and gauge their performance.

thatwater has reachedthe shoes, apply them

th

e car is in use. This will havethe

th

e d

rum

s and evaporatingthe mois

arti

car

cularly

an occasional waxtreatment as a

and

maintai~in

tho

g

the finish.. Some apply wa,x

nc

tool as supplied for h

yourself ' t asks. To get best

it

is not very hot so that solvent m

theoth

eva

od of application is imp

mutt

on-cl

oth water. Apply evenly over a small area, half a door panel.

im

mediat mut has

ely by fast

ton

-cl

oth.Carryoninthi

been covered.

Wh

en wax has been spread, polish

str

okes

with

s way until all

Exp

erience alone willtell polish to use and how large an area can be doneata Remember to include

int

erior mouldings wax polish may be used to bri around

Removing

will be lucky if you can

Summ

windows

Tar

er usually

and

windscreen.

brin

gs tar-

spra

av

oid collecting at l

c~r

~m

the road

If

se living nearthe

furth

er aid

and

wax

yman

does not

mid

r e

sul~s

work on a day

er hand, a hu

porate too slowly. .

ort

ant.

slightly damped w

Take up a Iittle

ith

say

, for in

stan

a clean linen rag or

body

you

and

ghtenrubber

surface

how

much

alsothat

mouldings

yers into action, and you

east

a few spots

~o

it is

tur

s e~,

day

cold

ce,

tim

GEN ERAL MAIN

TE

NANCE 35

on your car. They can usually be removed, however, by dipping a soft cloth in linseed oil and possible, tacklethe job before tar has time to set. are really obstinate, one of engine oil.

tr

y a mi

With

xtur

cloth around one finger moisten in solution and rub spots. Avoid applying agent to any

oth

er p

arts

of car. I mmediately tar spot

rubbin

e of two p

g gently.

If

art

s pe

thi

s cleaning

spots

trol

If

to

it

has been removed, wash away all traces of petrol and oil mi

xtur

e and re-polish.

Touching-up E

It

is inevitable th at the synthetic-enamelled p

r

the car will be sc stones. surfaces and g

namel

rat

If

neglected, rust will a

ched or possibly damaged by flying

rad

ually cause the surrounding enamel to

ttac

k the bare m

art

s of

eta

l

flake off. The careful owner will find it most advantageous to touch up such bare places as soon as practicable. . Not

e.

only will depreciate far less rapidly. Do not touch up a s th

at

very fine glass

s

app for the l

at colour m conside

theapp

has already rusted but carefully

earance of t he car be preserved, but It WIll

ur

rub

pa

per untilthe bare metal is bri

it down with

ght

before

face

lyingthe enamel. Use quick-drying synthetic enamel

pur

ter have a different we

pose and not one of the cellulose type.

at

ch is good at first it may soon change its tint

rab

ly and call

att

ath

ering rate, and even if the

ention to the minor blemish it

Th

ese

"vas desired to conceal.

Care of the Interior

It

is important to keepthe

int

erior ofthe body free from dust or road grit. To prevent road grit from being carried inside

th

e car is impossible,

into th e carpet

e.

if available, is interior.

and

damagesthe fibres. A vacuum cleaner,

th

e most convenient way of cleaningthe

It

may

also be used to keepthe

Seat covers are a worth-while investm

but

onceitisthere it is trodden

uph

olstery clean .

ent

for they t

end to keepthe original upholstery in good condition. When the time comes to sell t he car, a clean and pea

rance is a good sales fea

tur

e so far as the upholstery

att

ract

ive ap-

is concerned.

eath

er upholstery may be cleaned by using a

L

clothhaving a

littl

e soap onitand

app

lied briskly to

damp

the

THE

BOOK OF

THE

AUSTI N A3S

leather. The soap film should be rubbed off with another

damp

cloth.

Th

e upholstery can be finishedbypolishing

with a soft, dry cloth.

Do not be t

uphol

stery

passengers,

a

ppr

eciate the sensation of sticking to

th

eir co

If

desired, a good qualityfurniture cream

on

the

thupholstery can be cleaned w

Clo

tetrach

empt

for this sometimes makes it

ed to use an unsuitable polish on leather

tacky

parti

cularly your lady passengers, will not

the

seats orhaving

and your

stumesmarked!

may

leather when it is

tho

roughly dry.

ith

one ofthe carbon

be rubbed

loride liquid cleaners. But,the best advice is

to

avoid getting it dirty inthe first place !

Doors,

Locks

The

working parts ofthe door-lock striker plate and lock should be lightly lubricated- not only to cause parts to work smoothly but also to eliminate

It

is advisable to examine and ti

and Hinges

un

ght

en periodically,

th

due wear.

. necessary, the various screws securingthe door locks,

s

tr

iker plates andhinges.

th

Sometimes it may be necessary to remove handles obvious.

but,

if so, their method of a

Byadopt

ingthe following procedure no difficulty

ttach

ment is

e interior

not

always

should be experienced.

the

First, push

away

from the handle as far as possible. Then a pin will

be seen in

outofth

haft

s

the

e shank whenthe handle

.

To refit the handle first

the sq

uarethathas a drilled hole to align with the one in

the

handl

e. Check to make sure thatth

is the one th

turn

half a

Check

out

the film of oil on work freely. Nothing is with a sliding seat will slide to and

and

the

slides for this

leave marks.

chrome-plat ed washer, or escutcheon,

handle shank and this can readily be pushed

may

be pulled off the

make

sure

thatthe

hand

le is on

e handle position

at

is most convenient. Replace the handle when it may be found more suitable.

seat slides for free movement. Usually a

th

e working parts will assistthe slide to

not

lock. Avoid

that

may

mor

e annoyingthan to

will

not

slide- or,

app

lying excessive lubri

come in contact

strug

alt

ernati

vely,

cant

with clothing

gle

NERAL

GE

Protection

During

Before placing car in storage

cellulose finish and plated p

MAINTENANCE

Storage

art

37

it

is advisable to

s by applying a heavy film

protect

of wax and leaving it witho ut polishing. When car is to be used again, remove this liquid car polish and following up

atm

ent.

tre

Carpets should be

pr

otected

withananti

cleaning

with

a normal wax

-moth prep

with

ara

-

wax

coa

ting

by

tion after interior has been tho roughly brushed out.

att

eries should be sentto your local Austin dealer or

B

Lucas Service

Stat

ion for

maint

enance duringthe

tim

e car

is laid up (see page 168).

TYRES

Ty

res eliminate high-frequency vibrations and minimize

e

if

shocks due to inequalities in

because amount of

ati

compar but

vely small area. Not only

also

stron

g enough to con

tr

road

surfaces. They function

ead in contact withroad covers a

must

tai

n air

tyres be flexible

underpr

essure, tough

enough to resist damage, giving long mileage, and be able

tr

ansmit driving and braking forces satisfactorily.

to Furth

er,they mustprovide road grip, stability and good

ste

ering properties. Tothis somewhat formidable list of requirem and tyres

ent

s tyre manufacturers have nobly responded,

tod

ay seldom trouble us.

Modern tyres have a strong casing built up of several

tl

plies of cord fabric- or, more recen steel wire

-formin

g a tough wall andtread.

y, of rayon or even

They

are

secured to wheel rim position by wire bead cores.

art

of the work donebydeflection of tyres on a moving

P

c

ar

is converted into heat withinthem. This is easily demonstrated if you place your run

. You will find it quite warm, sometimes excessively

so.

Both

rubber an d fabric are indiff

at,

and

int

ernal

hea

he temp

eratur

es weaken tyre structure and reducetre

t is

han

d on a tyre after a f

erent

conductors of

not

easily dissipated. Such

ast

ad

resistance to general wear.

Importance

Tyres are designed for use

tions,

and

of

Correct Tyre Pressure

underpr

e-determined condi-

tables are available to showpressures to be used

THE

38

under differ

ensure

thattyres are always

BOOK

ent

loads and deflections.

recommended by

considerable labor mended pressure for front and rear, giving a su pa

rtoftyr

persons. W

e in contact

ith

a full loadthe pressureo~the

should be increased to 23 lb. per sq.

OF

THE

AUSTIN A3S

maint

th

eir

mak

ers, forthese are

ator

y work andpr

th

e A35 is 20 lb. per sq. in.

itab

with

road surface.

le di

act

str

ibution of loadto

It

is importantto

ained

atpres

sur

theresult

ical tests. Recom-

both

tha

Thi

s is fortwo

rear

Ty

re size :

tyr

Ill

.

5'20-13.

tte

Do not a

mpt to judge pres Check with pressure gauge, who will infl Check cold and

at

by

e your tyres to correct pressure on request.

app lying gauge directly to valve when tyres are

not

when they have attained

Appearance of a tyre may be normal,

it

gauge shows cause a

bnor

to be nn der-inflated. ThIS IS sufficient to

maltread wear.

Some owners consider sure gives more comfo so there are disti too low. One is

rt

nct

drawbacks in

thattyre will be damaged inte since plies- due to excessive flexing- deteriorate sooner than normally. Consequently there may thatexact

contr

ol as isthe case when

sur

e merely by appearance.

obta

inab le from your dealer

runn

ing temperature.

desJ?it

~

the

fa~

t

tha

thata slig

htly

reduced tyrepres-

able riding. Even ifthis were

hav

ing tyre pressures

rna

lly

mu

not

tyre

pressures are held at recommended figures. Under-infl ation causes unnecessa eve mended fi

ry

tyre wear-on an average 13 per ce

ry

10 per cent. reducti

gure.Th

is results .m

0J.!

in

p

~ essur

e

unm

istakable evidence on

belo

:-v

nt.

for

recom-

ch be

es of

es

GENE RAL MAI

NTENANCE

39

tread and causes considerable fricti on and excessive temperature

On

th resulting in discomf in

t

excessive wear, especially in r

imm

ediat elythey lift inthe air. againth surface and in This cycle of even

within

e other h

casing (Fig. 8).

and

, over-infl

ort

to occup

ati

on causes wheel

ants

of car.

ear

wheels, forthey spin

Whentheytou

eir speed is suddenly reducedbyc

thatbrief inst

ts

is continually repeated, for no ro

anttheirtread

ont

It

act

boun

ce,

also results

ch ground

with

road

is abraded.

ad surface is quite smooth nor is anyshock-absorber system perfect . Excessive

pr

essure also redu ces comfort

and tread life, forthere is a concentration of load and wear on a

sma

ller

wheel wobble. P

areaoftr

t

wear at steering connections or swivel axles, or if local wear in ference

atcentr

ead. On front wheelsitc

arti

cularly is thisthe case ifthere is some

theform

of a narrow b

e oftread.

ontribut

and

aroundthe circum-

th

es to

ere is

Even when in good condition, pressure is lost due to chemical diffusion of compressed air inner

tube.Rat

or about 10 per ce

e of loss is from I to 3 lb.ysq.in. per week,

nt.ofth

e originalpres it is advisable to check all tyres once a week and m pressures at rec leaking

by

omm

end

ed fi

over-inflating, nor reduce pressurethat increased owing to a rise in temper on a

hotday-foritwill be reduced to normal

thro

ugh walls ofthe

sure.Th

gur

es. Do not anticipate

atu

res- for example, as

with

erefore,

aintain

has

the

cool

of evening.

It

will be seen tha t or down, result in reduced each week in checking

ary

necess

is time well spent.

Although the spare wheel is a real help in time of

ma

ny an ownerhas found to his discomfort required it is flat, or its pres forget, r

outin

the

refore, to check

e.

var

iations in

tyre

life. A few mom

pr

essures

sur

e is below normal. Do not

itspressure also as

tyre

pressure, either up

and

correcting them if

part

ent

s spent

troubl

that

when

of normal

e,

FIG

. S .-EX CESSI VE W E AR CAUSEDBY

UNDER

I NFLATION

Tubeless

Tub A35 models. ventional int

ernal air pressure.Ifpunctured,

eless

Tyres

tyr

esarefitted as sta

Theyhavemany

type

in which a

tubeund

nda

rd equipment to allAustin

advantag

er tensionis

es overthe con-

stre

saybya nail,the hole

tched

by

40

immedi With in thata journe pleted without wheel-change. a special protection against r

Fig

( li

tt

caused they

the

chance of

conventional

THE

BOOK

ately

enlarges

a tubeless tyre, however,

the

cover, in which case

y-ev

int

erior liner as an

OF

andthe

en of a

apid

THE

AUSTIN A3S

tyre

often deflates suddenly.

the

any

escape of

hundr

ed milesor Tu

beless tyres incorporate

int

egral part of the

air loss when

nail is usually r

air

so-

the

tyre is punctured

. 9).

Tub

eless tyres give a high mileage becausethey generate

le heatand are e

FIG. g

A Air Retaining Liner. B Air Seal. C Sealed Valve

by

und

xtr

emely flexible. Excessive wear

.-SECTION OF T U BELESS T Y

er- or over-inflation is eliminated because

keep their correctpressure for a longer period.

If

a

tubel

wheel can be changed in

esstyre is

thishapp

tyr

dam

aged so

ening is

that

the

normal manner,

much

less remote

it becomes deflated,

e and tube. For an emergency repair an

inner tube may be fitted.

An air-tight seal between wheel and

ate

accur rims.

forming of b

In

addition some side of beads provided with sealing ribs, and

carefully fo

ead

bases to

tyr

thatcontact

es have sealing ribs formed in

side of rim. On

the

rmed

surfaces to provide an efficient seal.

tyr

e is achie

suit

contour of wheel

beads have

will

c

RE

than

very

etain

be so slow

may

be com-

tyre

giving

but

with

ved

tyresnot

smooth

ed

the

by

GENE RAL MAINTENANCE

Pr

ocedure for removing

similar to

but

that

the

for conventionaltube

following details should be carefully observed.

Before installing a tyre ensure

and

installing

and

thatrim

tub

tyre

is cl

eless

tyr

assemblies,

ean

and free

es is

from rust or damage. Do not use a hammer or tyre lever to free around easing beads over rim take carethat

tyr

e beads from rim,

tyr

e withthe feet, keeping cl

but

do so by

ear

of beads.

they

are

not

'tr

dam

eading '

When

aged

by tyre levers.

Whe

n infla

ting

as follow

s:

(a) Before installing

quick shots of air into tyre to force

a t yre immediately

(b)

In

stall valve core and inflate tyre to 40 lb. per sq. in. Check for air leaks by submerging wheel in water. After ensuring th

atthere are no air leaks at base of valve or valve core, wheel rivets or bead s recommended pressure, e.g.

If

diffic

ulty

is experienced in seating beads they must be

by

spread achieved w

constricting centre of

ithatyr

e constrictor tool, or alternatively a

piece of rope can be used ar

a tyre lever in

themann

20

ound

er of a tourniquet .

To assist in prevention of

that

inspected regularly so

any objects likely to cause

aft

er fitting, proceed

va

lve core, inject a few

bea

ds on to

and

bea

tyr

e assembly

eat

s, deflate to

d seats.

lb. per sq. in. (two persons).

tread

. This

tread

and

pun

ctures, tyres should be

tigh

tenedwith

can

punctures may be removed.

Repair

of serious

mark similar objects

tyre from wheel. Two methods of effecting repair are

Methods

Repair of

the

tub

eless tyrcs,though r

ath

conventional inner tubes, does not pres

pr

oblem. There are several repair kits on

et with full instructions.

Punctur

es of

the

type normally causedbysmall nails or

can

usually be repaired w

the

' Sealing Gun Method ' andthe

er differentfrom

ent

ithout

removing

th

is type of

that

any

the

'Plu

Method '.

When dealing

cut

, it is neces

by

methods mentioned below.

thatyou consult

S

EA

LIN

with

sary

your

puncturesha

to remove

Austin dealer or tyre service depot.

vinganirregular-shaped

tyre

from wheel

It

is suggested, however,

G GUN METHOD. This type of

and

repa

ir is suitable

repair

only for sealing small nail-holes. After reducing inflation

D

41

be

g

42 T pressure

is cleaned sealing

PLUG ME

a

rubbercement

inse

rted

HE

BOOK

to

5 lb. per.sq. in.

and

tread-filler injected into It W

gun

. . bi

THOD.

OF

After removing the

is applied to

with

a special needle. Needle IS

leaving plug in position.

tr

ead.

flush with tyre

Plu

large, medium and small.

THE

AUSTIN

and

r

em~

vin

g

pun

the

hole .and a ru"?ber plug

Out

er end of

I?lU

gs are supplied m

A3S

.the ?-ail,

th~n~Ithdrawn,

g.IS

Ith

ctunng

tnmme threeSIz

the

h~le

a special

0 ject

.d off

es :

GENERA

L MA

INTENANCE

unduly due to a leaking valve. As valve caps also additional prevent dust and water from tyre inflation any

Air-ti

of

itsint andthen ins bubbles appear, f

air

sealsthey should be k

th

oth

er d

ghtn

ey should not be placed onthe road or on

usty

surface.

ess of a valve depends on correct functioning

erior. Testbyrotating

ertitin an egg-cup of

aulty

ept

fully

tight

ent

ering. . When removed for

wheel

unt

il valve isattop

water

(Fig. 10).

seating should be removed

replaced by a new one.

43

act

as

ened to

If

and

,

FIG

. l o .

-TE

STINGAIR-TIGHTNE

COLDPATCH M

solv

entthen filled with tread-filler from outside. After

roughening

pecial cold patching maten

ETHOD.

and

c

~eaningi~sid~

Puncture is first

al ISaffixed. Any

i r moved from between patch

l (

hr.

r 'I'

I

~()I

clcalliJl~

o

ut

Tyre

Sometimes when

ATCHMETHOD. After cleamng ,Pu

( II ;i. filled w

fi n l pr

an l

1.

I •

ith

tread

pa

ratory oper

1.1

1 anized inthe norm al

-filler from outside. ati

Valves

tit

ar is standing pres

SS OFVAL

VE

cl~an

of tyre around

trapped

and

tyre

with

a corrugated

. . h

ncture

Necess~

ons inside tyre are carried

way

.

surema

ed

w

ith

punctur

~,

air

WIt

ry

y drop

Installin

m m any type of rim . th

flush against rim. Place the flat

g theValve

There are two types of valves for

eta

l cl

amp

-in

et

al cl

typeand

amp

-in type (left, Fig.

It

the

rubb II)

should be fitted by inserting valve

belesstyres

er snap-in type.

is suitable for use with

-the

tu

rough valve hole in rim , making surethat the washer is

rubb

er washer W over

stem and against rim . Apply metal washer M (with raised

NUT

'M'METAl

':~SlHAE

;

RUBBER

WASHE R

~

~~~§~RIM

~

~~~r

FIG.lI.

(Left) : Metal Clamp-in. (Right) : Ru bber Snap-in

side up) and

nut

flush with edge of

On some rims that

the

snap-in valve (right, Fig.II) which is simpler in some

ways, although a special tool To fit this type of valve, solution. in rim from

hand, screw

Push

tyr

knurl

/ FLANGEO

RUBBER

~

WASNER

- V A LVES

. Ti

metal

valve

e side of rim .

FOR

T UBELE SSTVRE S

ght

en until

rubb

er washer is almost

washer.

hav

e a deeper wellitis possible to fit

must

beused for installation.

icate with

Hold

valve base

thread

lubr ed-end first

ed knob of lever tool into

wat

throu

gh valve hole

er or so

with

mouth

one

Th

ap

e

of

44

valve, lever valve gently

THE BOOK OF THE AUSTIN A3S

rest

rubber-covered

part

of tool against rim base

untilitjumps

into position.

and

CausesofTyre Wear

Uneven patches on tyres factors such as incorrect wear, slack

bush

es, wheels

Speed has a considerable effect on being twice as much at 50 as due to more deflections of deflection are fierce

and

recovery.

acceleration,heavy negotiating bends or corners. the

wheels to

that

an abnormal amount of

att

ain maximum braking. To do so means

to no considerable purpose. do nothing

but

increase wear

Tyres are also affected

For

instance, correct from binding are of considerable importance. Braking vary

between one wheel position arid foreign free that complete sets mended material

matter

and

correctly balanced. Therefore, it is recommended

brak

on shoes even whenbrake mechanism is

es should be relined

and

not bythe Austin Motor Co. may

have unsuitable characteristics, especially if

linings differ between one wheel position

way

such a larly condition

as to ups et balance.

tha

t of near-side 'wheel, are

that

adds to

may

be due to a combination of

tyre

pressures, front-wheel bearing

out

at

per

minuteand Oth

of track, or a b

tyre

30 m.p.h. This is largely

er causes of abno

wear,

a more

ent

rapid

rmal

spindle.

the

wear

braking and skidding when

rubber 'Drivin

by

brake

lining clearances

Itisnot

very

factors other

and

necessary to lock

will be g on

consider

anoth

torn

off

tread

thebrakes'

ably

.

than

braking.

and

freedom

er, duetooil or

drums reconditioned in

individually. Use material recom-

Ltd.,

for

any

other

and

another

Front

the

severity of front

tyres,and

very

sensitive to

particu-

braking

rat

rate

can

may

any

relation to rear.

, Pick brake may

ing-up'

grab

be caused

of shoe lining leading edges tends to cause

and

can reduce

by

brake

tyre

life. Local flats on

drum

eccentricity (Fig. IZ).

tread

Braking effect varies during revolution of each wheel as uneven excessive

partsofdrum

tyre

wear is

examined and if necessary replaced

Anoth tions,

er cause of wear can be traced to climatic condi-

and

especially to those appertaining overseas.

in this country,

pass alternatively over shoes.

appar

ent, you should have drums

by

your

rateoftread

wear during a

Austin dealer.

Even

dry

warm

GENERAL

MAINTENANCE

45

e

F IG . 12

.-LoCAL

summer

may Resistance of Consequently, or

with

higher temperatures overseas. because w

in

Cornering and negotiating road bends has a severe effect

tyr

on

ater

es. A car issteeredbyslightly mis-aligning its wheels

FL

ATS

DUE

TOBRAKE

DRUM

E CCE NTR

be twice as much as during an average winter.

tread

decreases

tyre

wear is greater during summer

Wearismuch

tends to

with

increase in temperature.

that

are normal in countries

less on

act

wet

as a lubricant to

roads

months

than

on

thetread.

lCITY

dry

in

s

If

CE

NTREOFTuRN

W IT H 1\,10S LIP

A NG LE

FIG.13.-ILLUST

RATINGSLIP

A NGLE S

THE

BOOK

relative to direction of tyres as to incr

ease rate of w

and

front

otherfactor

s (Fig. 13).

Whendrawingupto

should be exercised to

ctures'

fra thisdam a

nyth

absorbed by t

causing

age is caused wit

ingunu

sual

yr

e and roadsprings .

OF

THE AU

tra

vel.

Thi ones. Re ear

sultin

according t o speed, load,

kerb

prevent

dam

age

hout

has oc

curr

s applies equally to r

g tyre slip and dist

, or

parkin

what are known as '

to

casing cords. S

owner being

ed,

init

cover when first signs of damage are may suddenly fail c di

sastrou

and

s re

It

is ofthe grea

thi

sultsifyour

s detail should be regul Mis-alignment causes l al

readym

t

ha

enti

t of line oftravel.

Keep an eye on fr

tr

eads.Duetothe'

will w

ear

mor

dition such as '

omplet

ely

anda'blow-out'

aretravelling at speeds.

testimport

oned, n

atural

ont

ancethat

arl

at

eral wear ontread because, as

y checked (see page 57).

direction

tyr

es andpart icularly ontheir

camber ' of the fr

e on one side

feath

er-edges'(Fig. 14), oruneven p

thanthe

STIN

A35

ortio

road

camber

g against it,

impa

ometim

awareth

ial shock

It

is desirable to

noti

havi

ced, for

ng been

ren

laterit

can

wheels are aligned

of whee l differs from

ont

wheelsthetread

otherbut

any con-

atch

ear

car

ct es at

ew

have

es.

NER

GE

should be suspect.

n

e

by drawing

thentheoth

and thenth

Une

of

fact

ing

wear, slack swivel-pin bushes, wheels

ent

b

Whe

mak

e. A set of of miles and and

an inferior one is really trifling. An inferior

let

you

feel it was

th

e fingers acrossthetreadfirstin one direction

e wheel to e-in requires corre

ven

patch

ors such as inc

spindle.

n bu ying new tyres always buythose of a known

the

downata most inconveni

not

AL MAINTENANCE

'Feat

er.

If

es onthe

orr

tyr

es will

her-edges ' can be f

a di

stin

ctly sharp edge can be f

cting

tyr

es ma y be

ect tyrepres

norm

ally

due

sur

run

elt

on a tyre

(see page 58).

to a combination

e, fro

nt-wh

eel be

outoftra

many

thou

ck, or a

difference in cost between a good make

tyr

e may

ent

mom

ent

really so cheap

aft

er all.

andthen you

47

elt

ar-

sands

Equalizing Tyre Wear

To equalize tyre wear it is a good plan every 5

ont

to change fr

wheels to rear. on any individu al tyre by compe of we

ar

experienced in fr

spar

Also, bring

to

allow a new spare tyre t o remain idleuntil other tyres

e wheel are being worn out as it

Diagonal

int

erchanging between near fr

intothis

may

and between off frontand most ro

tation

satisfactory

for each wheel (Fig. 15).

alte

rnati

ont

Thispr

nsa

andrear

eventsundue

ting for different kinds

plan, foritis

deterior

atefrom

near rear position, on, for it reverses

,0

00 miles

wear

wheel positions.

bad

policy

lack of use.

ont

and off

prov

directi

ides

lear,

the

on of

F I G. 1 4

.-'

F E ATHE R

EDGE'

DUE

TO

WHEEL

M IS -AL

IGNME);T

FIG.15.-T

YRE RE-P O

SITI

ONI N G

4

8

Change

THE

BOOK

the

wheels as follows :

OF

THE

AUSTIN A35

Spare to off-side rear. Off-side rearto near-side front. Nea

r-side front to near-side

Near-side rearto off-side fro

rea nt.

r.

Off-side front to spare.

Wheel Balancing

Corr

ect

rotational-balance of all wheels, and

of fr

ont

longtyre life are to beob

ones, is essen

tia

l if smooth high-speed tai

ned.Itis particul

on all cars having independ

ent

front suspension.

part

icula

runningand

arl

y necessa

rly

ry

obviates vibration, steering wheel tremor, andensures

precise s

tee

Wh

ring.

eels and tyres sho

uldbesta

tically and dynamically balanced after every tyre change. When a new tyre is fit

ted-or ifitshould be sus

pect

ed that in normal use tyre andwheel balance have been affected- rotationalbalance should be checked. Y machinethat sary, corrected

Tyr

es are now mad e w

indicate li

enables balance to be checked and, if neces-

with

ghtest

part

Coloured spot should be a t the valve position for tubeless tyres

FIG. r 6

outside standardbalance

issue, This is done

cov r casing.

In repairpatchesthey are embossed Ru

bber '.

Th

ese patches, or sometimes discs, sho

no accountbe removed or b

Original balance subsequently may be affectedbyun

t

read

wear or by repairs. Also,

increasingly sensitive to

our

Austin dealer

out

removingthe wheels.

ith

coloured sp

ma

y have a

ots

on bead to

s (Fig. 16). 1£ sometyres are sli

.-T

Y RE BALANCI

limitsth

byattac

hingloaded

orderthatthese are

alan

unb

alance due to normal wear on

NG

ey are co

rrecte

patche

not

'Ba

mistaken for

lance Ad

ce will be upset .

the

car

may become'

ghtl

d before

s inside

justmen

uld

even

It

on

GENERAL

mov

ing

parts.

tro

ubles develop, wheel

and

adju

sted.

Should

MAINTENANCE

roughness, or high-speed steering

and

tyre

bal

ance should be checked

49

Jacking-up the Car

TheAustin

the

type

t~ese

p

?intsisund either n wheels on ei jack

under either axle.

withthis

A fe'Ywords

an

offside wheel in a road on which there is a con

str

eam of traffic. Shoulditbe

th

e roadinto

so

thatthe wheel to be changed is on

A35 is pro

of jack known as

ght

or l

eft

side to be raised. As the fr

thersidearerai

jac

king system is

ab?ut

erneath

Th

jackin

vid

ed with t wo

Smith's'Stead

each side of

sed

ther

e is no need to ins

e effort

relat

ively small.

requ

point

y-lift'.

vehi

ired to raise

g-up. .~fpossible, never change

impr

act ic

abl

a quiet lan e or lay-by, drive tothe other side

the

side

s for using

One of

cle, enabling

ont

andrear

ert

the

car

tinu

e to

turn

away

from

al

off

the passingtraffic.

Before jacking-up

betw

een

the

hub

Thenext

y

Re~ov

placmg It Thus

the

car and

when raised.

thin

e.

th

e

~pa

adjac

carisnotsta

mak

e sure

thatthere is sufficient room

the

curb

forthe wheel to be lifted off

g to do is to apply th e h

re

wheel fromthe luggage compartment ,

ent

to the wheelthat

nding

with

out

andbrak

e firmly.

is to be changed.

a wheel

any

longer

thanis necessary.

Before fitting,

test

the pressure of

the

spare wheel to

make surethatitis fully inflated.

No.w re lev edge. a

time

Openthe front door

pro~d

lug IS fully engaged in of

t

to the car

Removethe br ace from

. removethe wheel and fitthe

Enterthenut

!l1

0ve

th

~

hub

enn

g It off WIth a com or screwdriver applied at

The

road-wheel

nut

and then the car is r

di.scthat

and

ins

ed

underth

e vehicle (Fig. 17). Be certain

the

jack

has

a firm footing on

the

hea.d of

tool kit. T

the

j.ackthe wheel-nut

urnina clockwise dir ection to raise

coversthe wheel

s sho

uld

be loosened a

ead

y to be jacked up.

ertthejack lug

socket

and

the

ground. Now

into

alsothat

brace

offthe ground onthe side to whichitis a

thejack, unscrewthe wheel

spar

e wheel.

s, coned ends first, so thatthe

nuts

by

the

littleat

the

socket

that

the

base

att

ach

supplied in

the

ttac

hed.

nuts

wheel is

,

50 T

HE

BOOK

OF

THE

AUSTIN

A3S

CH

APTE

R IV

STEERING GEAR

FIG. I 7 .- S MITH'S ' S T E ADY-LI F T '

correc

tly

cent

ralized. Slightly tighten up each nut diagonally, a l evenly against the hub.

Lower

clockwise and so release arid detach the jack.

Finally,

and

Check

e

nd

indefinitely.

ittl

e at a

th

e car to t he groundby

tightenthe wheel

fitthe disc cover.

thenut

ofthe day, after whichthey should remain secure

tim

e, to ensure thatthe wheel seats

nut

s with

s ofthe wheel you have just fitt ed atthe

JA

turningth

the

CK

e brace anti-

wheel-br ace

HE STE ERING cam-and-lever

T

manceuvrability when neg steering box, which is mounted just forwa rd of provides a short st eering column of great rigidity. A crosstube runs beh anism ample protection. .

The lower e a cam m th

e double lever is endwith th

e cam groove.

th

As

in

th

e cam.

th

e double lever andthis, in linkage

Inthe steering linkage, which has independ wheel suspension, one of tubes-i

lever of the steering gear. swivel arm of th

e double lever is conn ected movement to an

idler shaft and bracket. This is bolted tothe memb er, symmetrically opposite in mounting to ing gearbox, again thi

s idler lever is another side-tube connected to

by

way of its swivel arm. steering gear to side-tubes to normal road inequalities, any deviati ons will be equal for each wheel.

Th

e working

Pro

viding

will be enjoyed before any

indthe engine and gives the steering mech-

ndofth

ount

ed onball races.

a conically shaped pegpressed i

e steering shaft is

Thi

andfront

s connec

theright-h

the

-e

nsures

thatthe level is correc

GEARofth

typ

e with a r

e steering inner column terminates in

bolt

ed has a s

s p

ted

th

e front whee

part

turn

artly

rotatesth

wheels.

thetu

directly tothe front arm ofthe double

and

left-h

and

with

a double lever.

Thi

tha

t as each wheel rises and falls, due

s of

the

adjustm

e Austin A35 is of

ati

o of

12:I,

giving easy

oti

ating sh

Th hort

ed,the peg followsthe groove

turn

It

s other

wheel. To

the

wheel

s m

ls-

steering gear operate in oil.

tlymaint

51

arp

corners. The

th

etoe-board,

e rocker sh

cam leveratits

e rocker shaft moving

, actuatesthe steering

bes- referred to as side-

end

cross-tube .

throughthe

ethod

through equally

ent

is required.

aft

nto

contact with

is joined to the

rear end of

It

Fromthe rear of

of connectingthe

ained, long service

the

to which

inner

ent

front

the

tran

smits

medium of

oth

er side

th

e steer-

the

wheel

mount

ed

Austin A35 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

PREFACE

INTRODUCING THE AUSTIN A35

FOR THE BEGINNER

GENERAL MAINTENANCE

STEERING GEAR