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Bought My first Project car! 1956 Humber!

Mattwizz3

Mattwizz3

Web-er-web user...
Well, I went ahead and bought my first project car. A nice 1956 Humber Super Snipe with a 4liter straight 6.

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I think its not bad considering it cost $650! Best thing is, its a complete car with nothing missing but one of the small light lenses on the back, a strip of chrome on the drivers side and half the chrome on the windscreen.

I have one question for you guys and hopefully someone might know: How heavy is this car? I cant seem to find any info on the weight. Just that its "Heavy" I have to tow it from Sydney down to Melbourne and don't want the wrong towing gear for it. Especially since its a 9-10 hour drive, probably 12 hours on the way back. Any idea anyone?

EDIT: After a bit of digging around, It seems its around the 1.8 ton mark. I managed to find a 2 ton trailer near where I live for hire for $50 a day. Stoked!
Any advice as to what my first steps on this car should be? My thoughts are engine first, brakes/tires/wheels second and after that is sorted tear her down and begin the body and interior work.
 
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That's a neat looking car Matt. Yeah, you're on the right track. Get her running then tackle the rest. I'll bet she'll be a head turner with some new paint and interior. Good on ya for saving it from the crusher.
 
if you cant find the correct metal rubber filler you could use the plastic stuff or rubber stuff .i think these should be available on a roll .
shame its not here in the uk as it will be test exempt in nov.
same year as my live in bus by the way .
 
I remember these on the roads here in Britain. The Police used them as well.

I also remember that the Austin Princess, the big one of the 50's, though a bit later, also had a 4 litre 6 which was the smallest Rolls Royce engine. Is this an RR engine?
 
I know it will bring countless hours of "entertainment". Looks fairly solid, I think rust is the biggest enemy during a restoration.
I'm not sure you want to try to get it running before dis-assembly. Old fuel and contaminants can do harm to engines that have not been run in a long time. Chances are, during your project all the fuel and brake lines will be replaced, carb rebuilt, engine freshened up and so on. So if it landed in my lap first on the agenda is a good look-see at potential problem areas (mostly for damage that I can't repair). Then careful dis-assembly, taking lots of notes and tons of pictures. Don't throw anything away, even if it's killed, until you have the replacement in you hand.
I'm sure there is plenty of helpful advice out there. OTOH, I'm willing to bet over half is from folks with very little knowledge. (the internet is your best friend or worst enemy) So use common sense and don't go overboard.
Have fun and good luck!
 
I'm planning on disconnecting the carb from the fuel lines before giving it a shot at starting it. I figure if it can move and stop its self, then its legal to drive it on the roads with a temporary registration, which means I can take it to people who know better than I do. I am particularly nervous about the floors/chassis being rusted out at this point! I'm just going to have to wait until I see it in a few weeks.

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Not sure about the engine, other than apparently it was based off a "commer" truck engine? Apparently it put out a whopping 84kW (113 bhp) of power!

This one has an Auto gear box. Anyone know if they are a 2 speed or a 3 speed?
 
Any idea on when it ran last? Old gas in the carb will have to be drained. Most likely the float bowl is full of crud. Also old oil can separate and become corrosive, so a flush may be in order. Take the plugs out and squirt a healthy blast of lubricant in the holes, turn over by hand a few times, then repeat a couple times.
The car doesn't look half bad from the pics. When considering a resto it's usually a good idea to know what the value is when finished. It will give you an idea how much money and effort you are willing to put into it. That is unless you never plan to sell, of course.
Looking forward to following your project as it moves along.
 
bit unusual to have an auto box fitted .might have been converted ?
it looks like it might just start up to me .. that windscreen wash bottle looks fairly new to me ..original may have been a bag type one .. i know its nothing to do with the engine but why is it fitted if it doesn't run .
it might need converting to run on lead free free petrol but i would think the valves and seats will be work hardened anyway .never had a problem with my bedford bus engine and i run it on lpg .
 
Oh Yea, You'll have loads of Fun restoring.
Doesn't look too bad and those cars are Steel...More than likely the rust and corrosion is mainly at the surface.
Good Luck.
 
Looks like your basic, OHV straight six. 4 liters ? Yeah, that's about 250 cubic inches, give or take. Dependable, not too much to go wrong about them, & usually easy to put right if it does... Styling looks somewhat like a 1949 model Chevy or Plymouth, Oz must not have got fins, wraparound windscreens & 2 & 3 tone paint jobs til later. The auto box is interesting, but I wouldn't be too concerned about it either...IIRC, Humbers were sorta "Upmarket" cars, hence the six & the slushbox.. Have fun !
 
Another goodie from the Rootes Group. Cool ! The car looks solid. Good luck with your restoration.
 
I wish you all the best of luck. It's an unusual choice of make and model so are you anticipating lots of strife sourcing parts? BTW are you renting the trailer in Melbourne or were you able to find a national company that would allow a one way trip? I'm sure that there's quite a few here who will be following your lightning fast progress so I'll assume updates will be the order of the day.:D
You've inspired me to share my "other" passion...VW Mk1 Golfs...6 at last count.:scratch2:
 
Apparently the car was driven to where it is now about 8 years ago, and started up 6 years ago. Also the auto will probably be original, as in 1956 they made an auto gearbox an option. I guess it is an unusual choice, but that's why I like it. The criteria for choosing this car were: Does it look cool and do I have a reasonable chance of being able to actually restore it.

I'm not really one of those people that dreams of a muscle car, and to me it seems every bloke and his dog has a mustang so an old car that wouldn't usually get much love seems perfect to me. I don't think I've ever seen one of these at a car show before. Should be a sweet car to cruise in I think!

Renting a trailer near where I live, as it was the most affordable and one of the few that was actaully rated high enough to bear the weight of the Humber.
 
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Hmmmm...Are there many Yank Tanks Down Under ? I'd guess the cost of shipping one there has to be astronomical...Not even counting spare parts..
 
By Yank Tanks I assume you mean Hummers? You do see them around, you could buy them locally. I remember walking past a Hummer dealer. Not the most popular of cars on the road though.
 
I think he's referring to the likes of Galaxies, Impalas, Parisiennes (?) etc.

They are around in smallish numbers, mostly having been tarted up to the nth degree probably in a similar manner to what happens in the US. The people that do them absolutely love them but the vast majority of us are more amused than anything.
 
Just a quick question regarding towing: The tow car is a Ford Fairlane with a V8 and plenty of power and a heavy duty hitch BUT, the tow capacity is rated to 2300KG. The humber will eat up about 1800KG, the trailer will probably be around 600KG and then we have 4 people in the car... Its a long trip and not my car so I'm a little concerned about burning out the transmission, brakes, engine.... Should this car be OK? Its well taken cared for. Or should I track down a big SUV or diesel? I'd probably be able to borrow a jeep grand cherokee with a tow capacity of 3.3 but the thing has been beat down bad and the auto runs like ass so I think I'd almost be better off in my Mazda than that thing.... HMMMMM
 
I'm pretty sure the towing regs vary from state to state so to be sure maybe you'd better check out Vic and NSW limits. I have the feeling that one or the other may present a problem. Good luck with it.
 
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