Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[alastairq]

175/80 x 16 taxi tyres would probably suit, as Peter says.
They will have 6 or 8 ply sidewalls, so will be quite stiff....so will suit the weight of the Lanchester nicely.
Best make would be Michelin XC4S Taxis....but there are other choices [cheaper], with a more van-like tyre tread pattern.

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m91b0s5660p0/Van_Tyres_-_Trailer_Tyres_-_Caravan_Tyres_-_Motorhome_Tyres_-_Minibus_Tyres_-_16_inch_R16_inch_-_175_80_16_175_80R16_R16_inch_-_175_16_175R16

Link above gives a reasonable choice..[fit-yer-own?]...
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[Vulgalour]

Thank you, that's very useful! The tyres we'd managed to find that seemed like they might be suitable were in the £150 each sort of price, so seeing those Taxi ones at under £100 each offers quite a saving. I've never actually fitted my own tyres, always just taken the wheels and tyres to a shop and had them fit and balance for me instead, that way I never get over-torqued wheel nuts and I don't have the faff and labour of doing it myself, fitting my own tyres has never looked like a particularly appealing job.

[Vulgalour]

I realised there's the pictures on the advert I can stick in here so you can see a bit better what we saw on the day. These photos are surprisingly honest, the only deception being that the car is wet which makes it look a bit cleaner and shinier than it really is. Otherwise, what you see really did seem to be how the car is.

Passenger side is the worst side, as usual. This is the side that looks to have had a replacement front wing, the worst of the rust on the outer sill, and the only rust holes of note we could find on the inner arch.


The driver's side is much tidier, though the outer sill does of course need a little attention which is really to be expected, especially when you see how easily dirt and moisture can get trapped on the back of the outer sill panel. It's got a bit of a whiskey dent (cheers for that, Coldwarmotors) on the front wing and a little filler, though some panel beating would probably see this right again since it's not serious.


At the back, the paint is quite thin on the bootlid, which is aluminium, and the bumper has had a bit of a bump, unsurprisingly, so you have to ease the overrider a tiny bit for it to clear the boot lid. Surprisingly has a locking fuel cap, I hadn't expected that.




Inside, there's no carpet and the door cards are a bit saggy and tired. The seats are still quite comfortable, even though they're a little cracked in places and have a couple of tears. We haven't decided if we're getting the seats reupholstered with new, or are going to just attempt to repair the damage and retain the aged look. A new carpet will be going in, that's not particularly difficult or expensive on a car this small and simple.


The woodwork is in suprisingly good shape, as are the headlining and sunvisors. The battery box under the rear seat was nice and solid and all of the floor boards are in excellent shape. The car must have spent a lot of its life indoors, it's so dry and free of sun damage inside it would be hard to believe it had spent any significant amount of time outdoors. I failed to take a note of the mileage, though I wouldn't be surprised if its been around the clock at least once.

I will of course take some more in depth shots when it arrives, and of what we uncover as we work through everything. I shall also establish a new thread in the relevant section of the forum for folks who wish to follow along with this mission.

[mikeC]

If that photo shows the upholstery at its worst, then retaining the original material is a no-brainer. Those tears should be capable of repair with little effort, a full re-trim will cost twice the value of the car!
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Rick]

[peter scott]

..and another vote for retaining the original leather.

https://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Leather_Colourant_Kit_Reviews

I have no connection with the above company but a friend has used their repair and colouring kits very successfully in the past.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Vulgalour]

Keeping the original would be preferred, retrims always look too fresh and on a car like this particularly, we don't want to erase the character of the interior entirely, just made it look more careworn than neglected. The leather is surprisingly soft, we were expecting it to be quite dry and brittle, so hopefully that bodes well for repairing what's there.

What you see in the pictures is fairly representative, you can't see the cat scratching damage so well on the passenger front seat, and from memory there is a big tear on the back seat. That said, there's not really any missing material, so hopefully it's a case of bridging tears from the back and using the filler and dye kits to bring back the strength and colour.