Austin A30

[Beeezer]

I want one for my daily drive..
Am I loosing the plot??
I work less than a mile from where i live and have a unit about five miles in the other direction so I do around fifteen/twenty mile a day depending if I go to the shop or not.
Any other commuting woul be in my camper van or the wife’s motor..
Your thoughts??

 

[Jack_K]

The biggest issue is just getting parts when something goes wrong.

The issue isn't that they are much more likely to break down compared to when new, it's just that decades ago when one broke down they could find a local business with suitable parts. Now if one breaks down the parts aren't available easily so the vehicle needs to be towed. I drive my mini 300km per week to and from work. Even with a mini, I have to rely on stocking parts myself. 1950s cars are much more difficult.

 

[AVI_8]

If you want one then get one, life is too short for regrets, I’m guessing you’re good with spanner’s regarding keeping it on the road.

 

[MetalMonkey]

The novelty will soon wear off.

 

[frank horton]

go ahead.......great idea.....
biggest headache is the SU fuel pump if it was fitted to that model....
the new fuel pumps from China work well and last...
on the rebuild I'm doing it will get 2 pumps side by side just in case...easy to swop wires n pipes....mine will end up a wedding car....
the other thing I've done is to get the dizzy modified to electronic ign....the copies of the good ol Lucas points are not that reliable.....plus on ur's it's down a deep hole.....
have ur fun, speed aint every thing.....

 

[oldbikedavey]

I believe that the little blighters can be made to go like stink, and handle very well indeed......

 

[droopsnoot]

I believe that the little blighters can be made to go like stink, and handle very well indeed......

Well, this one does, but then I think it's known as "A302" on account of the slightly larger-than-standard engine.

 

[Tim.S]

Back in the eighties my brother had an A35 as a daily driver and I used it a couple of times, I remember the brakes were useless in reverse, leading shoe don't work well backwards and because the steering wheel was so big because the steering was heavy he used to catch his hand on the quarter light catch, really cut it up bad, being a teenager at the time, I thought it was the funniest thing ever.

 

[RWD3M]

go ahead.......great idea.....
biggest headache is the SU fuel pump if it was fitted to that model....
the new fuel pumps from China work well and last...
on the rebuild I'm doing it will get 2 pumps side by side just in case...easy to swop wires n pipes....mine will end up a wedding car....
the other thing I've done is to get the dizzy modified to electronic ign....the copies of the good ol Lucas points are not that reliable.....plus on ur's it's down a deep hole.....
have ur fun, speed aint every thing.....

Hi Frank, Have you tried Burlen services, Salisbury?

Burlen Ltd | Vintage and Classic Vehicle Fuel System Specialist

Burlen Ltd are a leading online retailer of classic SU, Amal and Zenith carburetters, fuel pumps and components, based in Salisbury, UK.

burlen.co.uk

They now own SU (afaik).

 

[daleyd]

Friend of mine has an A35 (think the A30 has trafficators?) - lovely little thing, I guess no reason why the engine shouldn’t carry on for many years as long as the bodywork holds up (like all of us really )

 

[RWD3M]

Definitely do it. Cheap and very cheerful motoring. Just be wary of insurance if you are commuting (most classic policies don't include it) and unleaded fuel (your lead memory will disappear quickly (if it has one) doing those sort of mileages.

 

[Nomad]

I ran a Hillman Hunter as daily transport for 10 years until recently, sourcing panels was tricky (choices are be patient, pay top £££, or make your own) - people either want megabucks as they are rare or give you them for free (they want to sell and who else is going to buy them??), mechanicals on that were very easy as the significant parts (brakes, suspension, electricals) were interchangeable with Ford

I'm now using a Marina, same idea in principle, same issues with body panels but some mechanical parts are a lot more difficult to find, they are also "odd" for maintenance jobs as I was brought up on Fords.

When using older cars as daily transport my well practiced routine is weld up anything before you start (patching rust every year for an MOT soon gets tiring - ask me how I know), full check and overhaul of brakes & steering ( if it's ok I keep it, anything else I renew esp brakes, my last 2 got all pipes replaced, new calipers & rear cylinders...), new headlights / uprated bulbs powered by relays, fit electronic ignition & elec fuel pump (helps a lot, soon primes the carb if the car has been standing a while). Think about security, I use big yellow "Bin Lid" locks on the steering wheel as an obvious deterrent... Join the "oddball car" forums, there are a lot of experienced people around, and spares exist if you can find them !

Go for it and have fun, life's to short not to

 

[Bullet2012]

Just build a more modern one , all MX5 squeezed and squished in.

 

[octo0072000]

A35 better than A30 brakes on A30 are rod at the rear lots of upgrades for A35 lot of midget bits will fit

 

[Johnnybravo]

Must finish my van

 

[rtcosic]

A friend ran an A30 back in 'varsity days.
He paid £5 for it.

Started life with an 803cc I believe. Over the years the local scrapyard provided 875, 1098 and finally 1275cc A series motors.
He had a wide range of diffs too from the stupidly low original c. 5.22 :1 to one out of a Spridget. Working together we could change a diff from drive in to drive out in under 30 minutes. So he ran a short diff in term time to surprise more moderns with its acceleration; tall ones for the 75mph cruise home.

Definitely seek out or upgrade to A35 rear brakes.

A 1275 A series with a nice little supercharger would be fun.

They were surprisingly competitive in their day until the Mini came along and pee'd on their chips - and those of the MkII Jaguars.

A35 Academy

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Go for an A35 rather than an A30. I've had both. The A35 is a fun little car and even with a 948cc engine it's quite nippy. Rot biggest problem so decent vehicles can be expensive. Front wings are horrendous price - if available. Regret selling mine.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

A35 better than A30 brakes on A30 are rod at the rear lots of upgrades for A35 lot of midget bits will fit

A35 rear brakes are same as A30 - and work fine. Handbrake will stop the car. There is a slave cylinder that operates the rod mechanism together with the hydraulic fronts. A40 Farina parts can be used to convert rears and provided larger fronts.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

go ahead.......great idea.....
biggest headache is the SU fuel pump if it was fitted to that model....
the new fuel pumps from China work well and last...
on the rebuild I'm doing it will get 2 pumps side by side just in case...easy to swop wires n pipes....mine will end up a wedding car....
the other thing I've done is to get the dizzy modified to electronic ign....the copies of the good ol Lucas points are not that reliable.....plus on ur's it's down a deep hole.....
have ur fun, speed aint every thing.....

A30 and A35 have a mechanical fuel pump. If Midget 1275 fitted then electric pump required.

 

[minimutly]

A35 better than A30 brakes on A30 are rod at the rear lots of upgrades for A35 lot of midget bits will fit

And midget bits are really plentiful. Marina1300 engines plentiful too...
I saw an Allegro 2 door advertised locally yeaterday, for a full 5 minutes I thought about it - Rover 2l 16V mechanicals etc...