Singer Collection Saved

Back in the 1970’s, our NASOC Editor and Pre-War Registrar, Phillip Avis, made contact with a fellow in Caistor Centre, Ontario, who had a large collection of Singer cars. At that point in time, any Singer was a real find, but a collection was simply amazing. The cars included a ’38 Bantam saloon, a Gazelle Estate, a ‘49 A Series, a ’50 4A and a ’54 4AD-T. This ‘chorus’ was brought together in the 1960’s and probably formed the largest private collection in North America at the time. Sadly, the owner abruptly moved and contact was lost.

Fast-forward to 2007 and with the Singer community being so small, it was not surprising that Phillip received a tip-off from a friend who is a member of the British Saloon Car Club, that a brace of Singers had been sighted in Hamilton Ontario. The owner, a Bill Riley, had once been the keeper of five Singers: a pre-war Bantam, an A Series Roadster, a 4A, 4ADT and a Gazelle. Sadly, a divorce, time and work constraints had left little opportunity for Bill to restore his collection and eventually the Bantam was sold off and Gazelle scrapped. He had kept the Roadsters, but the decision had now been made to find a new home for the remains of his collection. Phillip re-connected with Bill and offered to help in any way we could.

Plans were made to go and see the cars and determine how best we could help, so a trip to Hamilton was the next order of business. Bill met us part way and guided us to a local scrap dealer who had allowed him to store the A and 4A for the past 7 years. Time and the elements were not kind to the A and most of the wood and metal was rotting away. The car was little more than a shell at this point in time.

The 4A had been covered during its storage so the damage was not as great, but the car would need to be saved soon as another year or two would make a big difference. An inspection of the 4A showed that the car was amazingly original! Bill had driven the car to the storage facility so the mechanical history of the car was promising.

Leaving the scrap yard, we drove on to Bill's house where the 4ADT was stored. We entered the garage and found buried in the back a nicely preserved Roadster! Although nicely bundled in the corner of the garage we could tell that this car too was very original with the hints of the original Coronation blue paint, beige vinyl dash and the grey leather interior.

We were invited inside to chat about cars, the Roadster restorations and Singers in general. Although we had only known Bill and his wife Judy for a short time, we chatted and joked as if we had known each other for years. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

With our departure time imminent, Bill approached us and said that he wanted us to have the cars. Our time with him was almost like an interview and he wanted to ensure that the new owners of these cars would share his passion for Singers and would be able to get them back on the road once again. We were quite taken aback. We had planned to evaluate the cars and assist Bill to find perspective buyers, but the offer was tempting! Phillip and I returned to Montreal with the promise to come up with an offer that would satisfy all involved. This was an important factor in our decision. No party wants to take advantage of the other and we wanted to be able to keep Bill in the loop with updates on our progress and the contact for their future owners.

A few days later we contacted Bill with our offer, which was kindly accepted. The price was less important to Bill than the knowledge that the 4A and 4ADT would be in the hands of true fans of the Marque and would one day see the road again. For us, we were pleased to see two more Singers that would eventually find new homes and a new lease on life. The condition of the sale was that the cars had to go to other Singer enthusiasts if we did not keep them.

With fall almost over and winter fast approaching, we had to move fast to get the cars back to Montreal. Bill was losing the storage on the A and 4A and his wife needed to move the contents of her gift shop to the garage where the 4ADT was stored, so ‘ASAP’ was the order of the day. ‘Team Singer Rescue’, in the shape of me, along with my son Alex, with my van and trailer, plus Phillip with his rig, hit the road on a very wet and stormy Friday evening in October. Hamilton is about an eight hour drive for us from Montreal, so it was very early Saturday morning when we reached our hotel in Burlington, west of Toronto.

Saturday morning dawned all too soon, but the weather had cleared. We drove the last half hour and met Bill at the usual rendezvous location before heading on to the scrap yard. Once there, we quickly deployed to sort out the cars for transport. Bill is a videographer by trade- an experience that he and Phillip share- so out came the equipment as he had also decided to document the event with his camcorder!

It quickly became apparent that the A Series had pretty much decomposed on the spot and that it would have to be dismantled in order to transport it. It took two hours, but we reduced the outwardly complete carcass to a pile of parts and duly stowed them in our vans. The 4A proved much easier and, after pumping up the tyres, we were able to load it onto my trailer. The A series frame was pushed onto Phillip’s trailer and we made our way to Bill’s house to retrieve the 4ADT.

Once at Bill’s and with the garage door open, we had a moment of panic. The garage was jammed packed with Judy’s fragile merchandise…with the 4ADT at the back! With time at daylight at a premium, we formed a human chain and removed everything- one box at a time. Finally, the 4ADT was revealed, but the tyres were flat and wouldn’t hold air. Bill hooked a chain to his van and hauled the Singer into daylight for the first time in many years. We were able to manhandle the car into position and photos of Bill in the car were taken. This proved very emotional for Bill as it was the first time since the 1960’s that he had actually sat behind the wheel. He was sad, but equally excited that these cars were going to new homes where they would be appreciated.

The A chassis would have to be stored at Bill’s for a while as we could not get the rusted chassis apart, but Len Pearcey had agreed to pick it up at a later date (this has since been done) With Phillip’s trailer cleared, we struggled to get the 4ADT on without the aid of a winch or air in the tyres! It was a struggle, but we managed.

With everything loaded, we then had to return all of Judy’s stock to the garage. Once done, we adjourned for tea and to collect the Singer literature that Bill was including in the sale. These will be scanned and passed onto our NASOC Librarian. There are a number of brochures, including ones for the 4AB Roadster, the Super Ten and a rare item on the Super Twelve, as well as parts books, the Book of the Singer and some Lucas spec sheets for the Roadsters.

With darkness descending, we unfortunately had to bid Bill and Judy farewell and so with lingering goodbyes, we made our way to the highway with Bill still filming all the way. The traffic across Toronto was extremely heavy and so it was early Sunday morning before we finally made it home with out treasures- exhausted but elated that this Singer collection had been saved.

A Grand Day Out

With the "rush" of Stowe still riding high, we were invited for a visit to see the progress of NASOC Member Lori Seller's 4AD restoration. Not ones to refuse to go see a Singer, a few of "Les Boys", Robert Moreau, Phillip Avis and Paul Bouchard, made the trek to picturesque Hemminford Quebec. Robert was to meet us part way so that we could car pool and we were surprised to see him in his 1948 A Series Roadster parked in the meeting place! Robert had just finished the car a week or so before taking it to Stowe for the first time as a complete car. He knocked the socks off everyone there and won the hearts of the Concourse judges!

With none of us wanting to leave the Roadster in a mall parking lot and room for only 2 "full sized" adults, Phillip and I drew straws to see who would ride shotgun with Robert. Phil won and we were on our way. I will confirm that the "Moreaudster" motors! This slammed-hotrod- Roadster looks low and lean as it zips down the road.


We arrived just in time for lunch. Lori, with Ivan and Shirley (Lori's parents) put on a lovely meal and that gave us a chance to get to know each other as well as more of the history of the car and a run down of what had been done. After lunch we took a stroll through the forest behind the house. Ivan is a remarkable fellow as was evident in the pathway that he made through the trees using gravel that he made in his rock crusher! As we wound our way back we passed through a few outbuildings filled with parts and equipment that Ivan had gathered together through the years. From trucks to tractors to stationary engines all neatly tucked away and preserved.


The tour ended with Ivan's garage. As the local mechanic for over 50 years, the Seller's Texaco Garage was where you could get your car looked after, and from what we were told, the men would gather to gossip. The garage has closed for regular service, but the work inside continues. A few gems are also stored there including this MG last driven in 1964! Seems like Lori's brother has dibs on this one but then again, she did get the Singer.


We made our way to a where Lori has her 4AD. Able to work on it only a day or two a week when not working or going to school, she has made terrific progress and the results show! Lori's car was given to her by a family friend who had left it in a field after getting a more "modern" replacement. While it was on the road, it was used as a daily driver going to and from Montreal where one day our Editor saw it parked on the side of the street. Although many years ago, he was already a keen Singer enthusiast and left a note for the owner. They were in touch for a while until the car disappeared.

But that's not for now...


The 4AD is undergoing a full frame-up restoration. The engine had been replaced with a Volvo transplant at some time in its life so Lori was able to locate and original 1500 to set things straight. Mechanics was but one aspect of the work that needed to be done. Lori has also replaced just about all of the ash framing - a feat not to be taken lightly. Her father Ivan is close by, no doubt with the advice gained from 50 years as a mechanic, but Lori gets right in there and has done the lion(esse's) share of the work.

Not satisfied with the body and mechanical work, Lori is also taking care of the interior as well. In the end, she plans to have the car painted similar to the original gunmetal which should make for a very striking car.




Lori too gets a ride in Robert's 1948 A Series Roadster - ( "A" for A bit modified).

Thank you to Lori and her family for a truly memorable day.

Robert's New Toy

After over a decade of restoration, Robert Moreau's 1948 A Series Roadster have been unveiled to the world! Many of you will remember Robert's long-term restoration where he rescued not much more than a body shell and a frame from being scrapped. In the end, he blended an MGB engine and front axle, replaced most of the steel with stainless, widened the front wings and running boards (to accommodate the wider track of the MGB). Top that all off with a beautiful coat of paint, new interior, top and tonneau and you got yourself quite the neat Roadster. Robert will be driving this beauty to Stowe on Friday. Enjoy the ride Bobby!

(Scroll down the blog to see an earlier photo of Robert's Roadster)

Photos used with permission, thanks Robert!

Here is some video!!!

A - 4A Throttle Cable: The Mystery is Revealed!

Imagine finding an A or 4A Roadster ready to restore. As you delve into the minutiae of its various parts you discover that the throttle cable is in the box ‘o bits that came with the car. No problem! A cable in a sleeve, hook it up to the pedal and voila. Problem is thought, that the pedal does not pull on the cable, and nothing in the floorboards or anything else can give you a clue on how it works… or does it?

EXHIBIT “A” the throttle cable: Simple enough, a cable inside a larger cover. The inner cable is longer than its cover. No problems so far.

EXHIBIT “B” the toe-board: Above the hole for the pedal we see a small hole. Interestingly enough that hole lines up directly with the hole in the pedal. There is a bracket on the toe-board above the hole. That bracket holds a wire the same diameter as the inner throttle cable.

EXHIBIT “C” the throttle pedal: Spring loaded to return to the “off” position, the throttle pedal also has a small tube welded on the pedal arm in line with the movement of the pedal. This tube has different diameter openings at the back vs the front. The back opening is larger, the same diameter as the outer throttle cable cover, the front opening is the same as the inner throttle cable. Hmmm.

EXHIBIT “D” The clamp on the valve cover: This clamp is designed to secure the outer throttle cable cover, yet it is bolted to the valve cover and not the carburettor.

How everything goes together:

This is definitely a situation where one must think “outside the box”. First we will install the inner throttle cable. The “toe-board” end is passed through the tube on the throttle pedal and through the hole in the toe-board. Once through, it is secured from the inside of the passenger compartment. The throttle pedal MUST be able to move freely and the cable should not interfere or bind as the pedal moves back and forth.

Now we can slide the outer throttle cable cover over the inner throttle cable. The “pedal” end of the tube will fit in the larger (front) end of the tube. The combined cable is then clipped to the inner wing (right – or driver’s side) by the way of a clip through one of the bolts for the bonnet clamp. The “carburettor” end of the cable is secured in the bracket on the valve cover.

With the “carburettor” end throttle cable secured, the inner cable can now be attached to the arm of the butterfly valve of the carburettor.

How it works:

With this setup, the inner cable is not physically pulled by the throttle cable. In actuality, it is the outer cable that is affected directly by depressing the throttle. With the carburettor end of the outer cable secured, it is compressed by depressing the throttle pedal. This action has the effect of pulling the inner cable though the outer one and in turn pulls the butterfly valve open.

When an original throttle cable is not available, a bicycle brake cable can be used! Here is how:

(click on the graphic below for a closer look)

Who would have guessed?

Roadster Carpets Revealed

One of my first questions when I bought my roadster was how to install the carpets. Before I could do that I need to know what they looked like! I searched far and wide to get information, but alas, nothing definitive. I had drawn up some possible solutions, but nothing that could be nailed down, so to speak. The parts list indicates the number of clips, but so far I have yet to see an original carpet from a Roadster. The closest thing that I could find was neatly packed in the boot of Wallis, my “new” Super Ten.

What I found was the original Ten carpeting. With the Ten being manufactured in 1947, I figured that the style, material and construction methods should be similar to that of the Roadster of that time. I also figured that installation time and material expense would also have a part to play in how they were done. The end result is a simple design and easy to install.

The end result is a strip of carpet is tailored to fit the contours of the floor with cut-outs for the seat runners. A slit is cut between the runners, from the far side of the carpet, to allow it to be installed under the seat without having to remove the runners. Snaps are installed to secure it to the floor.

On the driver’s side, a rectangular rubber mat is installed. On my example, this is secured directly to the carpet by butterfly rivets and washers. On the Ten this may be due to the metal flooring, on I have heard of the mat being directly screwed to the plywood floor of the Roadster.

The toe board carpet has slits for the pedals, steering column, dipper switch, wiring and oil line. As for the prop shaft tunnel and the vertical face at the rear of the floor, the carpet was simply glued on.

The only edging done on the Ten’s carpets was around the slits for the pedals. In photos from Roadster brochures, there was edging on the outside edges, especially for the doors. The Ten has rubber edges where the carpet slips underneath, so no edging here.

Again, this is how the Ten’s carpet was done and I am not convinced that this is how every model of Roadster carpet was made. However this does give a good idea of how it was done and given that there are few if any examples of original carpeting left. One such example ids the toe board carpet from Ed Ballam’s A Series Roadster. Ed happened to have this bit for his family’s picnic display at Stowe in 2005. Here we can see some minor differences from the Ten toe board, but the basics are there.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

(Photo courtesy of Paul Bouchard Collection)
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