Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[TopCat327]

Hello i have a 1962 Austin A40 and want to upgrade the starter motor and Aultanater to help her start on cold days but cant seem to find any upgrades on ebay or anywhere
now i have herd from someone that Austin Mini parts fit on the engine its only the gearbox that differs is this true??
thankyou for your time

[baconsdozen]

With a decent battery and the starter motor brushes etc in good oreder you should find an A series engine will start in the coldest weather the English climate can provide.
I'd be inclined to spand money on getting the original equipment up to scratch rather than modifying anything, other than maybe fitting electronic ignition.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[TopCat327]

yahh true but with the alutnator its not going to push out enough power with the extras im having like spotlights inside lights cd player + speakers
and heater its all gonna run the battery down

please note i am 18 and all the parts i take off to upgrade im keeping to put back on at a later date
Not gonna ave flashy Alloys
Not gonna have window tint
Not gonna have big chavy exhaust
Not gonna have bucket seats
Not gonna have chavy decals
Not gonna have flashy neon lights
i love classic cars and im gonna keep it that way

[Rick]

I'd have thought an alternator conversion would be reasonably straightforward. Saying that, I ran my 1960 A40 for years with the standard setup and had no problems with it starting, and I had a tape player plus spotlight on it too. So long as it's all in good nick, it should be fine.

The starting handle will always get you out of trouble if the batt does run down!

RJ
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[TopCat327]

yahh it is a very straight forward job is it the same engine as the mini?
like will the SU's or weber's fit
or a austin mini starter motor
or stage1 manifold (with some cutting and welding to the downpipe exit point to face it to the rear of the car

[Julian]

Have a look here:

http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops/Rat_Sport/index.php?cat=Dynator

Upgrade to a Lucas C40L dynamo and you get 20 amps. That's quite a bit and enough to run what you propose maybe? The Lucas 15ACR would be the normal alternator on a vehicle like yours at 28amps, or a 17ACR at 38 amps would be better.

The only real problem with a dynamo is a lack of charge when the engine is idling - this is just down to pulley sizing as a pulley size that allowed a charge at idle would make the thing turn too fast at max revs.

Like others have suggested, sort out the dynamo, regulator, battery and all the normal forgotten things like engine earth points etc and you'll have no problems.

[Rick]

[TopCat327]

thankyou this has helped alot now i have a different problem
which is both hinges on my top tailgate have snapped and i cant find any on line to replace them with
do you lot have any ideas

[Rick]

Have you joined the A40 owners' club yet? I remember that being a useful group to be with when it comes to obscure bits and pieces.

(I take it the guy on ebay with the tailgate doesn't have any hinges?)

RJ
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[TopCat327]

naaa he dont and at the moment i cant afford the membership price of £15.00 for the a40 forum i know its just £15.00 but for what it is and my lack of income ta the moment

[Richard H]

Hello mate, welcome from another young Austin enthusiast I'm 21 but was 15 when I got my first A35. An alternator is a good modification, you can get one off any Mini or Metro, with that fitted you should be able to power pretty much anything! I wouldn't worry about changing the starter, it should be more than up to the job.

I'd like to fit a discreet sound system to my A55 as well, I'm thinking of buying one of those period radios on Ebay with an MP3 attached. I've got a small sub as well, just got to find someone who will fit it for me. (I'm happy to shape metal and weld but car electrics defeat me).

ESM Morris Minors are good for parts, also I'd join the A30-35 club forum as there's a whole section on tuning. Lastly where in the country are you?

Richard
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Richard Hughes

[TopCat327]

yahh it defeats me too give me a carb over an ECU anyday
that's what i want to a nice little sound system but the problem im thinking is Sound Proofing as i don't know about yours but mine is quit loud and could
so im thinking about wiring up some plug in heaters to a switch
im in Lyndhurst SOUTHAMPTON (Hampshire)

[TopCat327]

and what does the running gear come off on the a40 a
morris minor??

[Bitumen Boy]

Regarding the electrics, I think an alternator conversion would be a good move - a modern (OK modern-ish) CD player will most likely draw rather more current than a cassette unit ever would. I used to have no problems with my Herald driving on nasty wet nights with a cassette player, but nowadays the dynamo - which is working OK - struggles with CD, headlights and heater, never mind the wipers.

If you're not using your car most days one of those battery conditioner widgets might be a good investment - I mean one of the ones you can leave connected all the time, that work on a trickle charge/slow discharge cycle (but always leave enough juice to start the engine). Mine didn't cost much and a cheapy 2-year battery from the local factors has lasted 6 years so far...