Renovation of 1932 Talbot 14/45
click image 
The Talbot car manufacturing business was in some difficulty in the early
1920's. A new range of car models was needed badly, and they
produced the 14/45 in 1926.
This car was fairly typical of the period having a heavy coach-built body mounted on a substantial girder chassis running on artillery wheels. It differed from its competitors in a number of ways, some quirky but innovative, others incorporating good engineering practice which made them reliable and allowed a reasonable performance in their day.
The engine was a low-capacity six-cylinder overhead valve unit with air-cooled gearbox and torque-tube drive thereby eliminating some of the problems relating to drive through a live rear axle. Quality was high on the manufacturer's agenda, and many of these cars and their derivatives are on the road today. The 14/45 spawned an ever increasingly powerful range of road cars culminating in the 110 - so called as it was capable of 110mph. The Talbot fraternity appreciate the humble 14/45 because of its success at a difficult time. There are several hundred of these cars in various guises on the STD (Sunbeam Talbot Darraq) register, however the basic 14/45 saloon, the subject of this page, is quite rare (only 12 in the register although there are probably as many again awaiting restoration). They may never be restored because preserving them is not financially viable.
I purchased our 1932 example in derelict condition in 1985 with a view to a quick rebuild - how wrong can you be! It took 8 years from purchase to obtaining its first MoT. The first two years involved work most evenings and weekends. At that point, I lost interest, and only worked on it occasionally. I then found myself out of work, but could only undertake work where the cost was low. Later, my wife Ann inherited a modest sum which she invested in the expensive jobs required to complete the project (ie headlining and roof covering). This combined with my lack of work enabled me to complete the renovation.
The car was almost complete, missing the dashboard clock, side-lamps and temperature-gauge mascot. It was last used in 1958 (according to the tax disc), but although dry-stored since then, was a sad sight to behold. Originally maroon over black with brown carpets and upholstery, it was very Victorian - I decided to jazz it up by changing the colour to cream over black leaving brasswork exposed; carpeting would be a light brown/beige to lighten the interior. I considered that this scheme would make it a good wedding car, and indeed, I have used it for three weddings including my younger son's. My insurance company insists on treating wedding use (for gain) as if the car is a taxi. The insurance is prohibitive, and this means that starting a small business in this line is virtually impossible.
As purchased
last
tax disc
There are more pictures here including a few taken during the dismantling stage
The Rebuild:
neat
ending with .......
FINISHED CAR 
in all its glory
RUNNING THE CAR
Initially, the engine was very tight, and the new pistons were inclined to bind when the car was hot. It let me down at traffic lights in Dereham when it became very hot (not boiling), and the starter motor could not turn it over (a problem of the dynostart's direct drive onto the crankshaft is that it does not have as much leverage as the normal engagement on the ring-gear on the flywheel). It started happily after about five minutes. I was unlucky the have a rotor-arm failure - it shorted through the plastic, and I wasn't carrying a spare; apparently this is very rare.
The engine does not like unleaded fuel - although the leaded modern equivalent (rather expensive) is still made from a very light oil, it runs better on this. I have not tried additives.
Apart from replacing both wheel-bearings in the rear axle, I have had no other repairs to undertake. The car suffers from under use, but our friends love it so we do the odd pub-crawl and vintage car gathering.. The most notable of these was the 70th anniversary of the launch of the 14/45 which was combined with the annual STD event in 1996. This was a wonderful event staged over two days at Shugburgh Hall (Lord Lichfield) and Ingestry Hall near Stafford. The organisers hoped for 100 vintage and veteran car, and in the event, over 120 attended. I was delighted to meet Jack Sears (who I used to watch open-mouthed as he raced against the likes of Mike Hawthorne at Goodwood). It was particularly interesting as I had had some dealings with his son, David through Argo Cars, and Dynamic Suspensions. I have a personal video of the occasion which I would be happy to copy for interested parties (there is an official video also).
2003 - 10 years after the renovation, to improve the running of the engine, the head was removed, new exhaust valves were lapped in and a better head gasket fitted. The inlet/exhaust manifold has been milled flat to eliminate leakages. A set of shorter push rods will stop the rockers from jamming up to the fulcrums (fulcra?). I enquired about fitting valve seat inserts suitable for lead-free fuel, but was told that the cylinder head design does not lend itself to this mod; anyway, should not be a problem with a standard engine running at normal speeds/loads.
INGESTRY 1996
Jack Sears' veteran Talbot arrives at the hall - my wife made a bid for the car - her initials are 'AP'