Ben Coleman, contributor to Practical Classics magazine and friend of Vintage Tyres considers the next steps with his A30.
My new A30 may be a tiny car, but I think it’s going to need a huge amount of welding to put it safely back on the road. As I mentioned in part two of this blog, the decay is quite considerable, with the roof appearing to be the only panel that isn’t going to require repair or replacement. But I reckon the baby Austin is going to be well worth the time and effort to put it right.
Despite the MoT exemption for cars more than 40 years old (which doesn’t make sense), I make sure that every car I own has a valid MoT, regardless of its age. So the A30 will certainly need to be repaired properly, to make it safe to use once more. At a glance, some of the rusty bodywork areas look like they will be straightforward to fabricate repair sections for, although other areas look a bit more complicated. Once the MIG welder and angle grinder come out, I guess all will be revealed.
It almost goes without saying that the ancient tyres, which have been on the car for many years, will be swapped for a brand new set of 155/80R13 radials. While the entire braking system will need to be stripped down and rebuilt, to ensure it’s in top order – there is no room for compromise when it comes to brakes and tyres.
So what’s the ultimate goal for this project? Will I press the A30 into service as my primary means of transport? Probably not. I do enjoy commuting in a characterful classic, and the Austin would certainly be reliable enough, but instead I’ll use my comfy Rover 75 for trundling to work; I must be going soft. So maybe weekend trips and occasional adventures will become the A30’s raison d’etre? Whatever it gets used for, I’m certainly looking forward to driving it.
