• 20250102 - Re-skinning the Skeleton

‍    It just keeps getting better. Kevin has had to modify a few bolt patterns, but basically the bonnet and the front fenders have gone together as they should. As shown in the photos he's about ready to put the radiator shell over the bracket that holds the radiator. Next will be choosing the front bumper from an assortment of British bumpers I had. He claims at this point, having got the front hydraulic brakes bled and functioning along with the mechanical rear brakes, and that if there wasn't so much junk in front of it he could drive the Singer out on the street! Needless to mention this is like a dream come true since we are now in our seventh year in the shop. Another breakthrough thanks to Kevin is that he found a rubber grommet just the right size to stabilize the gearshift lever from free wheeling back-and-forth.

 

• 20250103 - Parts and Progress

• I took a box of assorted automotive parts to Kevin which contained the headlight shells and a few other miscellaneous parts. We then opened the large tub I had stored random parts in all along and discovered the turn signal housings, the brackets for the windscreen, and some other pieces that made Kevin smile.

• The radiator shell is mounted and only needs the top Singer ornament which I forgot to bring. Kevin modified the vertical splines to better fit the radiator shell. I didn't have the nerve to tell him those were chrome towel racks I collected from Goodwill over the years!

• He's installed the rear fenders and has made some progress on the wiring. In addition he has cleaned out the interior of the tub which revealed the spacer board I made which elevates the battery box and would have saved him moving the foot pedal assembly for the accelerator.

• Kevin has the coolest tool for tracing electronic circuits. It quickly keeps track of the positive ground necessary, but oh so unnatural, to a contemporary mechanic.

 

20250124 - Lamps

• I brought the radiator ornament and had to borrow some lubricant to get the chromed nuts to move down the bolts. It's going to be tricky to fit this on the radiator shell after cutting a rubber gasket to fit underneath the ornament and possibly putting lock washers underneath the nuts. Kevin has done some magic before…

• He has mounted the headlights and the turn signals and evidently made rubber gaskets were necessary. I couldn't tell if they were wired and operable yet. Kevin was not there. He had the cover off of the voltage regulator. I hope that is not a bad sign. I am anxious to talk to him and will do so on Monday or Tuesday when I go back to pick up the battery which was quite dead on the Prius.

• It appears as if the chrome bumper has been attached. Shouldn't the apron below the radiator be attached first?

• Also, I found the sack of missing chrome items lodged behind a parts cabinet in the home garage!

 

20250306 - Singer transfers to the other side

• Today I took Eric Baker (former student) over to see the progress on the Singer. We were both blown away by the extent of progress!

 

• The Singer was actually upon a lift in the north end of the garage. It hadn't been pushed or towed, rather driven out the door of the south garage around into the street and into the north garage ready to be lifted. In typical British fashion, it had leaked oil out of an oil pressure sending unit the whole way, but was fixed and soldered once it arrived. Kevin had just received a special bend in the tailpipe material such that it could attach to the exhaust header pipe and join with the small muffler under the driver side door which connected to the tailpipe to complete the exhaust system!

 

• Kevin had fashioned door latches, found and attached the license plate holder and light (albeit upside down – – an easy 180° fix), finished wiring the dashboard instruments and lights, affirmed that the brakes were working, the lighting system was working, the horn, the trafficators flipping and lighting (the left one still a bit sticky) and the motor running smoothly. 

 

• Loose ends: hub caps, a generator that would extend travel beyond the capacity of the battery, a speedometer cable, a fix for a sometimes balky starter motor, resolving the push switch warning lights on the dash, putting the plywood spacer board under the sheet metal pan that holds the battery,

 

• My homework list was to see if I had an extra generator, hubcaps and tool holder clips. In addition I want to show the appropriate fasteners to hold the upholstery panels for the door and the backseat side panels.

 

• I later took up the convertible top that I bought at Sears 47 years ago, the hubcaps I found in my garage, the mounting system screws and washers for the upholstery side panels and the go ahead to have the generator rebuilt next-door. The $315 MG generator from Moss is unavailable.

 

• Check for rubber cowl that covers transmission housing.

 

20250319 - Another Starter and Wipers!

• In a box of goodies from the late Bill Bolendonk, I found two relatively new speedometer cables. While they didn't quite fit, Kevin shorten the longest one and made it happy at both ends. Not that speeding will ever be an issue in this car, at least we have evidence of how slow we are going.

 

• There has been lots of progress in the past several weeks. The muffler and tailpipe are attached. The generator which we feared was not working was actually a victim of the voltage regulator which I was able to order from Moss Motors and is now sending 14.3 volts back to the battery to keep it happy.

 

• The balky starter continued to be a problem which needed a smack with a hammer and screwdriver in order to cooperate and start the car will be replaced as so that's the new one arrives. Three of us are quite sure that the same starter I bought for the MG is the one they used on the Singer. So, I ordered another one tonight.

 

• One of the most serendipity discoveries of the seven year process happened this week when Brad and Kevin were discussing the rough idle of the engine and what that strange crimped copper tube leading off of the front carburetor was meant for, and lightbulbs went on! Kevin and I had discussed the fact that the windshield wiper was run by vacuum from somewhere, but neither of us could find the source. The cramped copper was the source! And once some rubber tubing was hooked from it and snaked up around the windscreen to the wiper motor, we not only have working windshield wipers, but a very smooth idle to the engine!

 

• Finding a body shop that will be willing to smooth out the dents and welds and ill-fitting trunk parts has been very hard to find. I have a new clue which I will follow up, but those with whom I've already talked either have no interest in taking on the project, or want outrageous sums of money to even consider it.

 

• The brakes on the passenger side were leaking from an ancient cracked brake line, but once again Moss motors came through, and I think the replacement brake line from an Austin Healey 100 will do the job.

 

20250403 - VIN Verified but Different from Title

• Nearing the end, the latest puzzle has involved a mystery as to which numbers match the VIN number. The title and the license plate registration that I purchased in 1975 before towing the car to Colorado have one number. The firewall oval plate has another. The engine, of course, has another number and a brass plate on the tool rack is stamped with yet another number. While going through my Singer memorabilia I found a short article called “Dating your Singer". This article describes pre-war and post war Singers and their inclusive chassis numbers.
• I stopped by with this article to see if Kevin had accidentally found a number to match any of these, and so we walked back to the niche behind the paint booth where the Singer is now stored. He bent down and looked behind the right front suspension on the frame and called out a series of numbers that were stamped there – – BINGO they matched the stamping on the brass plate!
• Unfortunately, it was not the number printed on the title. However, a vehicle inspection will verify that I have found the correct VIN number and a new title for Colorado has to be made to match this new number. 

 

20250529 - The Release

• Went to see Kevin and Brad and made arrangements for Kevin to drive and Brad follow in the pick up carrying my tools and all of the spare parts and bring the little singer home for the first time in seven years! At that point they can take the MG back to the shop and start some needed work on it. It's been a journey…

 

20250603 - Fast Work

• I got my Singer documents together and set off at 10 AM looking for a body shop. Because of a tip off from Cathy, I tried the Corona Street Garage which really isn’t a garage and was a dead end. From there, I went up on Union to a used car lot to ask questions about a vehicle inspection and the lady who owns the car lot set the whole thing up even without seeing the car so that I had the correct vehicle inspection form at 10:47!

• The lady also gave me a phone number of a guy name Quincy that she thought was a good body man and had him call me later in the day. He had me text him some photos and call back later saying that he would do the job for $30,000! I thanked him and told him that was way beyond my budget.

 

20250604 - Homecoming - Singer Sandwich

• It worked. I led the parade in the Tesla followed closely by Kevin in the Singer followed by Brad in his truck with all of the extra upholstery, tools, bumpers and crap that had been stored at First Rate Auto for seven years. Why the sandwich? The title and registration have not been handled, and no plates. Only this morning did I get insurance by putting the Singer on the MG policy with Condon and Skelly.

• Once home, I started up the engine for the first time and drove the Singer 30 feet into the garage. That was all that was necessary to realize it still has a long ways to go. Compared to the MG everything is too stiff or too loose. The short drive, however, gave me a long laundry list of things to handle before I turn it over to someone to do the bodywork and painting. I have a list of 13 local body shops which I intend to interview in the near future. More likely I will have to do some serious sales talking to get them to agree to do the job for way less money than my previous quotes.

• One of the first things I did was unpack a convertible top that I bought from Sears Roebuck back in December 1975. I expected it to come out in crumbling pieces from the box but was amazed to find it in absolutely new condition, and the sucker fits perfectly! I should go buy a lottery ticket.