1937 Austin Austin 7 Nippy

Nippy, (also called a Chummy) Roadster (convertible)--2 door

750 cc

4--speed with synchro

EB261808

Clear

Gasoline

I purchased this car in 1996 from an East Coast seller; it was supposidly out of Canada, had been sitting in a barn for 30 years and in need of a full restoration which was begun shortly after receiving the car in CA. The frame and tub(body) were in good condition with some minor rust which was removed. The body wood was in good condition and the tub was restored and eventually painted with Glasurid undercoat and base coat including clearcoat top coat. Everything in the car has been repaired or replaced; examples are: Engine, dyno(generator), starter, radiator; the frame and body and wheels were cleaned of their paint and recoated with black frame paint. The tires are new Coker tires of the original design. All chromed parts have been triple coat chromed. The Brooklands steering wheel had to be completely rebuilt and I have moved the horn button to the steering column. The gas tank was chemically cleaned and coated. The brake linings were all replaced. The wiring was replaced with a new Austin wiring harness and the various instruments are currently being reused. The engine is an Austin American engine which was put in the cars sold in the USA as Austin Americans. The electrical system is 6 Volt positive ground and I have added a 6 volt electric fuel pump. The windshield was replaced with new safety glass when the surround was rechromed. The top was made from scratch using pieces of the original fabric as a pattern. The new material is the same used in Porsche and Mercedes convertible tops. I purchased full hides at Hershey's and completely rebuilt the seats. Because the bolts/fasteners are Wintworth I had to buy a new set of tools early in the repair process and a full set of wrench's come in a tool roll along with the original jack, air pump, and spare wheel. Most all the body bolts have been replaced with stainless SAE bolts. I still have all the original bolts. As I have moved a couple times during the restoration the car has always come along and has been garaged and under cover and protected. I am now pretty much done with the car and ready to move on to another. As most people that have tried such an effort know, the cost of an old car restoration far outweighs any possible recovery; so I philosophicaly have considered this an educational process and during these many years have forgotten more about early English cars than I can ever hope to remember. I do have a lot of records and information (notes) and these cars are still popular in Great Britian so parts and components are usually available. The car runs, moves and stops but is not what I would call a daily driver as it is equivalent to a Model T Ford in expected performance. I have always considered it a display car or an occasional (cool weather) parade car although I have seen some Austin 7 specials run at the Monterey Historics and they are suprisingly quick. I can be contacted at 541 855 9646 for further information. I strongly recommend that a buyer look at the car personally or have a qualified party you trust come and see the car.