Work carried out since 1970

1970s Car purchased and restored extensively (and probably expensively!) to a very high standard by Ron Footit of Cleobury Mortimer Garage for June Butler. (Ron Footit campaigned the special COGNAC)

It is unclear to me where the car came from, some say from Yorkshire, and others from the Exchange and Mart.

Sometime in the 1970s she raced the car at Silverstone, maybe just the one time. It appears that scrutineering at the time only required the fitting of bonnet straps and an on/off label by the ignition switch.

In the 1980s the 1098cc Morris 1000 engine was fitted and June took the car on Singer Owner Club trips to the continent. June took the car to France in 1982 to the Loire Valley and Angers and Le Mans. On other years she visited Belgium and on another trip Holland with the SOC. Naturally while in France the car was taken around the Le Mans circuit as a recognition of its heritage. I understand that on these trips the car was nicknamed "The Little Black Number".

Around 2000 the car passed to June's son Stephen and it was from him that I purchased it in August 2010.

Since that time I have:-

Replaced the worn out twin 1 1/4" SU carburettors with a single SU HIF44.

Changed the cylinder head for a 1275 one. No particular reason for this except that I got the head in, as new condition, and unleaded conversion for little money, so I fitted it.

As a result of the extra power being unleashed the car rewarded me by snapping off the off side engine plate mounting, so this has had to be re-fabricated.

All tyres have been replaced with Lucas.

Steering box refurbished by Steering Services.

The off side wheel showed play when shaken and this turned out to be wear where the half shaft enters the differential. Once stripped a broken tooth on the crown wheel and pinion required a replacement diff which was not as worn, but one new half shaft was fitted as well. All is well now.

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Steering box removed for overhaul and now re-installed. Free play at steering wheel down from 5" to 1.5"

Box back in looks just the same as before!

Moffat patiently waiting for work to finish.

The new engine mount

Oct 2014, brake overhaul

November 23, 2014