New USA owner 47 Austin 10 questions

[aspookyghost]

Hi! I was in the process of selling a project Austin 7. When I spotted a 10 for sale locally. Think it lived most of its life in New Zealand before making its way to the states.

I'm missing a few bits, a dip stick, and headlight glass to start..
Engine was locked, but it was mainly the starter stuck. Valves are a little sticky too.

I've got a old owners manual coming. So a few questions.

How long, and at what length is the dip stick & markings?
Who would you recommend for getting parts from for it?
What kind of oils does it like? Some sort of 30 or 40w for the engine id guess

Then a gl4(brass safe) gear oil for the Trans, and rear.

I'm not finding nearly as much out about it, as a 7..

Thanks

[Rod]

Can't help with specific A10 advice, and everyone has their own preferences, but the general feeling is a single weight oil in the engine. Same oil in the gearbox and some sort of SAE 140 in the rear axle.
These are what I use in my Fourteen (this may spark some discussion!!) I am in New Zealand so bear in mind our temperatures seldom go below freezing.

Austin recommended 30W for the engine in the UK for summer and winter for all pre-52 cars, according to my data.
I run Penrite 25W-70 (API SC/CC) in my Fourteen, but I desludged it first so caution is advised if you plan to go multi-grade/detergent.
Gearbox original spec was 40W, I run a synthetic Castrol Transmax Universal (80/90W GL5/GL4) which is brass-safe and according to the hype has "Excellent gearshift capability", mostly because I had access to redundant product.
So far as the rear axle goes, I use Castrol Classic D-140 (GL-3) or Penrite Transoil 140 (GL-1).

Personally I believe the brass corrosion thing has been vastly overstated, but you do need to watch out for bevel vs hypoid axles and choose your oil accordingly. The Fourteen is bevel, but post-war cars might be hypoid, I know A-series cars generally are.

It also might be worth contacting the NZ Vintage Austin Register (they have a web presence) because the previous owner(s) if they've been members will be interested in where their car has ended up.

[aspookyghost]

Thanks for the tips.

[peter_winney]

For your post-war Austin 10 the best handbook is The Cassell Book by Ellison Hawks. https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/ ... s-ellison/

Page 45 suggested lubricants are:

• Engine: summer SAE30, Winter SAE20. Interestingly these are thinner oils than was recommended in the earlier Ten engine (1932-39)
• Gearbox SAE 40
• Back Axle SAE 140

Many 10 drivers use 20/50 multigrade in the engine but there is a risk if changing from non-detergent (most single SAE oils) to detergent oils (multigrades) that old sludge will be dislodged and block the oilways. I used multigrade on my 1st Ten as it had a rebuilt engine and on my Cambridge because the previous owner had.

Thick oils should not be used in the gearbox as they interfere with the action of the synchromesh and can cause problems with the bronze sleeve bearing between the input & output shafts, according to Newnes Motor Repair & Overhaul Manual.

PeterW