Starting Handle & hole at front to put it in?

Ken_R

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The 100E was the later Poplar/Prefect/Anglia/Thames van variants [from memory]. Side valve engine [1197cc?] and a top hose that was best secured to the head block with Evostik.

The E93A was what most would describe as the 'sit up and beg' style.
 

barnaclebill15

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My first car a 1931 Austin 7 had a starting handle permanently fixed with a spring to keep it clear until you needed it.
The worst was on my first ship in 1968 a six cylinder Ruston with a two man handle, it had a clutch to a Hamworthy compressor that pushed air down to a steam duplex pump so in an emergency you could use the pump as a fire pump when there was no steam, the first time I had to start it there was only me, cranking it ok but when you reached the decompression lever you lost power, lucky it was only a drill but I finally got it to go on the last attempt just as the horn sounded for the end of the drill.
I was young and fit then, happy days.
 

LostKiwi

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My mum had a (now incredibly rare I would imagine) NZ assembled 100E she called Rafferty. I rather disparagingly called it Rattlely. That would have been around 1974 and she replaced it with a Mini 850 in 1975.
 
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PINBALL

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The 100E was the later Poplar/Prefect/Anglia/Thames van variants [from memory]. Side valve engine [1197cc?] and a top hose that was best secured to the head block with Evostik.

The E93A was what most would describe as the 'sit up and beg' style.

This was it ...

upload_2018-3-4_21-17-27.jpeg
 

umblecumbuz

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Sidevalve monstrosity.
My father used to pour boiling water over the head on cold days, and it still would not start.
So he then used to remove the plugs and bake them on the gas cooker, rush out to the garage with a few phrases I've thankfully forgotten, insert them as fast as he could - and sometimes it started.
Every 10k miles, a decoke and valve grind. 30k miles and the engine was finished.

Maybe we have made progress after all.
 

JT1

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davidsl500

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The mInis never came with a starting handle, But there was an aftermarket kit available. So it would seem some people were prepared to pay £4 for them.
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/imgre.../74ea78874a8b5020d70370fbd87ca29ad099ccee.jpg

I agree, it never came factory fitted. I remember Oseli very well, they used to make all sorts of goodies for mini's and others. I had an Oseli water heated inlet manifold from them... My mate had an A35 and like the Minors, that had a starting dog on the crank pulley - really useful for setting the points, timing, rocker clearances etc., The kick back from the 1340 A Series engine that ended up in there was not something you want to experience too often!
 

antijam

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Snap! As well as a GS Club estate, which as you say had a starting handle, I also had a later 1986 GSA which also had one - though I don't remember ever using it on either. I'm pretty sure the GSA was the last production car to be introduced with one.
 

Rappey69

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I have a morris 1.5 diesel in my boat, which has the fitting for inserting a cranking handle !
Two problems, first being how are you actually meant to hand crank a 1.5 diesel? and secondly, the boat floor is in the way so would only manage 180 degrees at the most !
 

L John

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When I was a young lad I started a diesel dumper truck by hand.
There was a small lever that had to be raised and then the handle could be wound to build up some momentum. Stop cranking and then drop the lever and it fired up.
From memory it seemed to feel like the lever stopped the compression cycle but it may have been some sort of inertia starter.
I have an old Landrover that has a starting handle and have to say it's a great feeling to start it by crank.
Having said that, I also like to stat my camp fires by rubbing sticks together, my brother says just use a ***** match.
Why do people not want to use old skills anymore even in leisure time?
 

Taffy7hfa

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Yes, back in the late 70s my 1950 S1 Landy had one mounted on clips behind the seats, used it a quite few times, although as has been said it could be very painful if it went wrong and kicked back which it sometimes did, I used to get the handle positioned just passed the 12 o'clock position and push it down hard with my foot whilst standing on the bumper.

You tell the kids of today that ....etc.
 

A.J.

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Can anyone remember the last car they owned that came with a starting handle supplied with car from new?

My old Standard 10 and early minis with floor mounted starting button were all supplied with these.

Fond memories of my uncle almost dislocating his shoulder trying to get his Humber Hawk restarted after battery flattening out.

The knack to it as i recall was to find the most resistant stroke before pushing down in a strenuous way and letting go immediately before it kicked back and fractured your arm in some cases.
Maybe similar to the kickstart on old BSA / TRIUMPH'S.

Do motorbikes still come with a kick start ?
Mine was a Standard 10 too, in dark green. Lovely smooth engine in those ! :)
 

Rappey69

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When I was a young lad I started a diesel dumper truck by hand.
There was a small lever that had to be raised and then the handle could be wound to build up some momentum. Stop cranking and then drop the lever and it fired up.
From memory it seemed to feel like the lever stopped the compression cycle but it may have been some sort of inertia starter.

Lister diesel? the lever you refer to is a decompression lever... without decompressing you would never crank the engine over.
 

L John

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Lister diesel? the lever you refer to is a decompression lever... without decompressing you would never crank the engine over.

It was only about 45 years ago but that sounds right from how I remember the sounds and the feel of the cranking handle which was captive. It sounded like a single cylinder as it sped up to a fast tickover.
I'll have a look on you tube for decompression lever, thankyou.
 

L John

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Thanks again, found this video. Sounds quite different to the one I started as a kid but same principle.

 

dionysus

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I had a 1961 Triumph Herald convertible which had the starting handle dog at the end of the crankshaft and a support bracket behind the bumper but no hole in the rubber bumper. Apparently they had discontinued the use of starting handles but were using up the parts. Another odd fact about the Herald is that when they introduced it in 1959 it came with a spare key taped inside one of the rear tail lights in case you ever lost your key or locked yourself out.
 

Frontstep

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I still have the scar on my leg from a starting handle I won't mention what make as it might make me weep when I see how much they fetch these days.

Weirdly I remember it gave me a very neat hole that hardly bled.
 

umblecumbuz

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I have a morris 1.5 diesel in my boat, which has the fitting for inserting a cranking handle !
Two problems, first being how are you actually meant to hand crank a 1.5 diesel? and secondly, the boat floor is in the way so would only manage 180 degrees at the most !

Easy - cut a hole in the hull of your boat. That should give you clearance!

On my Boston Whaler I have a 90 horse motor, with provision for fitting a pull cord, just like on a lawnmower, which is supposed to be used if the battery won't start the engine!
There's no way I'm going to risk life and limb trying to start it with a pull cord. It would probably fire me over the side on my first attempt. That's what VHF is for.
 


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