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What a magnificent example, Harley! I would keep the original paint on the interior, it is the glue that keeps all the car’s stories together. Just get the mechanicals working and see how it turns out.

Yellow would be fun 😊

Such a cool wee car. I’d prefer to see this restored just to tidy operating condition and used by a child as was intended by its builders. I remember my Dad making an “airplane” for me when I was about 4 from two crossed scaffold planks with a stick nailed the front of one of them for a propeller. To me with my then fertile imagination it seemed very realistic and the bee’s knees. So this car would blow a kid’s mind!

Looks like the rear axle may be bent too ive restored a few pedal cars the front could be duplicated by any good shop . all in all that car looks very good and heavy !!

Good start to an interesting restoration, all ways good to have a plan of action and a schedule of work. I would keep the underside and internal original as possible and make the outside look very nice. Good luck with your your school project an excellent programme. (Your Dad is a great reference point as you develop your skills). All the best Bob

I sure whatever you decide to do with your project it will turn out the way you want it to and that's all that counts

Restoration to minty would be a mistake, I think. Yes, in that condition they draw many thousands of pounds in the collector market, but I agree with treating the rusty surface and painting it. I don't know how far you need to go for the project grade, but spray painting it on the outside would be my recommendation then once it is completely dry perhaps "ageing" it with the oily rag treatment. Give the seat a bit of upholstery with some second hand vintage material. It is not so much a restoration as a rejuvenation to operating condition as I see it. You two make a good team!

What a shame when people get these opportunities and haven't got a clue

Have you seen Dominic Chinea on TH-cam restoring a. J40, just finished it, very bling.

Well I will go against most and am not one for "patina" it just looks like a rusty car ,it would not look like that when the guy got it for Christmas I would make it concourse , I have restored three Raleigh choppers to mint they get more appreciation than rusty ones 🤔 but I know your dad is one for "oiled rust "😁

Harley..again a nice video....if the pedal car was mine, i clean the original paint on the inside with a polish cleaner, then wax it to preserve the paint, you can do the same thing with the original paint on the wheels..(an advice, as a bicycle restorer i always make a lot of pictures of details, before i take anything apart, just for reference and to see what the condition was as found)...when the project is finished, you can use the pictures for before en after pictures...the outside of the car i would paint with semi-gloss instead of high-gloss, it looks a little bit older/original when it s not 100% shiny, for the seat i would probably use old dark red leather... Harley, i will continue to follow your work with interest..Sorry for my poor English language, i am from the Netherlands...Greetings Jeroen

Had on̈e similar 60 odd years ago with 3 spoke wheels .

Great to see restoration started 😮 Will keep watching the progress Keep up the good work Harley😊😊😊😮😮 They were well made when new so it’s should be great😊😮

Hi 👋 I think you neex to take it to the dump. Only joking. I think it would be better to keep it as original as possible. But then I don't know about these things. It's going to be interesting following your progress with it . 👍

I think I would go for a complete refurbishment myself, but I’d probably be wrong in doing so. Your idea of keeping as much of the history of the vehicle is far more interesting Harley. Really exciting project 👌

Morning! It's a super start to your college project. For what it's worth, what would make your final examiner see what you have done is to restore as much originality a s possible, and hopefully all you own work helped not too much my expert dad. Moreover, if it is pristine and all sprayed up etc, it would smack of professional restoration which was perhaps paid for. I am sure the academic 'rules' of the project are to be able to see your work, though under advice, which you videos will prove.. So this 80 year-old says keep it as original as possible. It's a great thing to do and it will make the Pathfinder stand out as a non-professional restoration which will inevitable be seen. It will make it stand and and create questions at show where you will hopefully eventually show it, thus proving your superb enthusiasm and admirable effort.. Go for it!😐 Rob

Great to see the restoration process under way. Since I first subscribed to Car Traction and Old Classic Car, I have learned and agreed/accepted that the best restoration is one that is as original as possible. So in terms of what to do with the Austin, my thoughts are to apply new paint to the outside (because the old paint has been removed), and clean/oil the existing wheel and interior paint. I think to be able to be able to say at the completion of the job, "this is the paint the original owners saw in 1953", is pretty darn special.

I am going to enjoy this series Harley. Now, who are you going to get to do the first test drive?

You get up far too early! 😂 try for a lie in on a Sunday in this weather! 😂

A beautiful bike, Harley. My first bike had a back pedal brakes and when I upgraded to the new two wheel grip brakes it was like changing from drum brakes to four wheel discs! Still there is something about older vehicles of all kinds that newer things just don’t have: Soul.

I've always loved standard 8 and 10 , what are the weak points , love to get one

Ahh great 👍 best car show around just as they were years ago we may be biased as members of the millmeece society

You say do we have memories of any of the cars well what about these two . The Morris Minor split screen and the low lights ,my friend Frank Thompson and I had one exactly the same even the colour ,and used to drive it round his dads farm when we were about eleven,I am now 71 and the farm tracks we used were where you are queuing to get through the dreaded Dartford Tunnel about 2 miles on the Kent side ,the M25 cuts the farm in half and is no longer there,I don't remember much compensation being paid. How ever the farm was used for 2 stages of the Mexico Rally Championship and Roger Clarke was down to do it but didn't show . The VX490 FB I was now 13 my dad had a brand new Victor 101 and while on holiday in Cornwall Drove it on the farm where we were staying and got it stuck in the mud, not popular, however one of the other guests had a VX490 and asked if Would like to drive it ,when we got to the road I stoped he asked why ,I said I wasn't old enough to drive on the road ,dont worry he said nothing ever comes down here so we carried on and turned right across St Ival airfield, which again he assured me nothing ever used. We met a Lotus Cortina rally car coming the other way at about a 100MPH on 3 wheels ,I was hooked and went on to win the ASEMC rally championship but not in a VX or Lotus Cortina ,great memories

With regards to the tractor wheel The spokes open outwards and form a wheel cage Or so an 80 year old farmer said???

The thumbnail for this video with the two Fords was just great. In other news I wonder if Harley has seen any videos from Jonathan W in North Carolina? Mr W. had done all kinds of engineering and repairs on old cars and machinery, and is now building an impressive collection of steam engines and related machinery which he often gets working.

What a fantastic video of such an amazing event! 🎉

Hi Harley, great video with lots of tasty motors. So you'll be taking your driving test soon? I'm sure you'll pass first time! When the time comes for your first car I reckon it could be the Standard 8,small engine so keeping down the insurance cost which will be horrific 👍

Fantastic video and event in a top venue😊 Great to watch steam pumps😮😊😊the Alvis cars look great Hats off to volunteers for their work there 😮credit to them😊 Thanks for your presenting Harley as always 😮😊😊

Great video, the p4 is put away now until spring.👍

Great show and excellent commentary as usual loved the 2 Rover's, Cheers

Fabulous show - loved the old steam and stationary engines.

The P4 is indeed a magnificent car commonly referred to as The Poor Mans Rolls Royce. A good brekkie viewing video and a good variety of subjects. Steam engines are an engineering feat of genius I feel and very complex. I doubt one could be manufactured today, we lack the skills and the costs would be prohibitive.The lubricating systems themselves are a marvel of engineering.

great video Harley, love the old machinery. keep em coming.

I loved the more relaxed and un regimented show made super by the pumping house. Two memorable cars featured. A Triumph herald, a model with which I managed to right off a coal wagon on a Lakeland narrow road, and an Et-ype Morris that I practised my driving skills with up and down the drive like you at an young age. A great vid Harley. Mature, pr🙂ofessional, well edited and scripted. Rob

Hi 👋 Harley. Have you been saving your pocket money up for your first car ? It will be interesting just to see what you do end up getting. My favorites of this show are the red Triumph Herald , the white Daimler Dart , both Rover P4 's , and the display of the magnificent row of old Alvis cars. Excellent show. Thankyou.

What a great event ! So thats another place I hope to visit some day !

It's interesting how these old bikes have a longer wheelbase than modern ones, as shown by the big gap between the seat tube and the rear wheel. The gap is already smaller on the 1952 bike, and on a modern road bike the rear tyre is hard up against the seat tube. I don't know why this shortening set in or what it is supposed to do, other than maybe save a couple of ounces in weight. Does it help the handling? My current bike is a Moulton AM22, which of course breaks all the nprmal rules, and this has the old long wheelbase for its little 17 inch wheels.

That is a great looking bike!

I'm pushing 70 and to a young person like yourself into the old bikes like I am made my day! I restore and restomod every Schwinn I can get my hands on. Finding a very, very old bikes with the frame mounted pump is very rare - - they are always missing. A little tip from an old timer - - store the bike with the Sturmey Acher hub in high gear so the cable is slack. And I have found nothing works better on a Brooks saddle than the leather dressing Brooks sells. Keep them going!!!!!!!!!

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Is CWS the co-operative wholesale society ?

Funny how things go through seasons, isn't it? The style of the under-slung handlebars reminds me quite a lot of the late 1970's Healing 10-speed bike I used to ride everywhere. The hub-centric braking system reminds me of the early 70's Triang Dragster I rode before I got the 10-speed. The Dragster was a superb bike for an 8-12 year old and I did many miles on it around the village I lived in. Finally got a speedo for it and racked up over 300 miles in the last 6 months I rode it - bearing in mind this wee beasty had a 14" front wheel and a 16" rear, that Howick in Auckland, NZ is not a pancake by even the wildest stretch of the imagination (so it was tough going for a while) and I had a Need For Speed and had that bike pulling 25mph downhill on a regular basis. I think I got it to 28 once or twice, but never got to 30....and all with just that hub-centric brake to stop me. ....And yes, if you press hard, it does lock up the rear - and I learned that in the wet, your rear wheel can start to overtake you if you lose traction going down a steep hill.....and if you've never drifted sideways through an intersection and then over a bank onto another road, letting off the brake and trying to bring the bike back into line as it kept fish-tailing, I'd certainly not recommend it - especially at 12 years old! Did it stop me riding fast in the wet? No....but it DID make me immediately go to the bike shop and invest in a clamp-style front brake! That rear hub brake was fantastic in its engineering though and I remember taking it apart to clean it out and regrease everything after the bike got drowned in a rather severe summer storm that turned our back yard (and out neighbours on two sides) into a very deep pool. Took two days for it to drain away sufficiently that I could again see my bike's handlebars and that it was still - somehow - propped up by it's stand. The 10-speed could do just over 40 down the same hill I had so much fun on with the Dragster and I once had a tail wind that pushed it to 44, but I'd no sooner hit that speed than I started braking for that nasty intersection. I used to go through a set of rubber brake pads every 400 miles or so on that thing and considering I clocked up around 13,000 miles in the four years I rode that beast full time, that's a fair few pad changes. I can't recall how many tyres I used either, but they never seemed to last long and it seemed the money I got from my paper round, lawn mowing rounds and chores around home was always disappearing to pay for one thing or another for it! Set me up well for the experience of owning a car when I started driving though! The handlebars on the 10-speed were more tightly slung around in the vertical than the Path Racer, but I believe they were used to similar effect - to get the rider to lean forward further to reduce drag / wind resistance. The 10-speed had auxiliary brake handles in line with the flat bar closer to the steering shaft, so you could cruise on it as well as full-out fly along, but you can guess which I preferred! I had two mirrors mounted on the bars too - low down underneath the bars so I could still use them in "race mode". The gearing was only good enough to get me up to 25-30 before it was impossible to pump the legs up and down any faster to gain speed and I was in discussions with the bloke in the bike shop about all manner of improvements that could be done to increase the top end, but in truth there were few, really. I might have been able to get an extra 5-10mph out of it with an 18- or 21-speed gear set, but that was a whole new cluster, new derailleurs, new shifters (although I figured that as the 10-speed's shifters were not stepped, I should have been able to get away with using the originals) new triple front cog and shaft assembly and possibly a replacement chain....and maybe going from a 26" to a 28" wheel....but the money I was going to have to save was around the cost (and a bit more) of a new 18-speed....and as it was, I put the money toward my first car instead. This trip down memory lane has been a fun one, actually. Makes me want to see if I can find a first-gen 10-speed - either Healing or Raleigh would be fine - and get back into riding.....but a more modern, lighter, close-ratio geared cruiser is probably a better bet! (haha) All the best

Just a suggestion. With old leather saddles, treat the underside first to allow the oil/conditioner to soak into the rough surface. This will soak through the material to keep it soft. then treat the upper surface lightly and wipe the excess off.

Hi harley enjoy your new bike keep up the good work your channel and your videos on youtube

There’s al lot of interest in vintage cycles and rightly to It’s great to see someone of your age interested in them 😮😮😊 I wish you well Harley😮 Keep that oil can going😮 They will last forever😊😊

Nice one. What engine does the old grey frgie have?

In the US, we call that style rear hub a "coaster brake." Many riders would have flipped that seatpost around so the offset faces forward. This is how they compensated for the extremely shallow seat tube angle that was common in that era. These shallow angles worked well on the kinds of road surfaces common when the bike was new. From looking at you riding the bike, you should have the saddle up a bit higher. We typically recommend starting with the saddle height set with the leg straight when the heel is on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke, then making small adjustments from there. Be sure to give yourself plenty of miles before making each small adjustment. Congratulations on finding these old classics!

I had a Lucas acetylene lamp (still have it) and used it on my 1960s Palm Beach. Got stopped by a policeman once and had to explain to him how it worked.