Car & Classic: The Rescues - Austin A30

In this, the first episode of Car & Classic: The Rescues, can our Editor, Chris Pollitt, and Richard Brunning of bad Obsession Motorsport, bring this forgotten 1953 Austin A30 back to life?
It's been languishing in a garage for over a decade, but it's only a little A Series, so it should be simple, right? No TV magic, no shiny parts, no forced deadlines, no 'dude, sweet' talk. This is real world classic car rescuing. Enjoy!

[@petersargeant1555]

The first step is to get it on a trailer before the owner changes their mind, and into your garage where it's dry, and there's tea.

[@erbse999]

@johann rüstmann creamtea :) grüße aus belgien...

[@chadsimmons6347]

and a hot beef sandwich

[@mooneyes2k478]

@ No. Tea. One does not do beer while working on a car.

[@garycamara9955]

Tea. Hell coffee!

[@BradcoxMr2]

Nothing in this world beats the sound of an old car coming back to life!

[@ronmartinmhg2804]

I liked this. I bought my wife an old A30 in 1961. Her friend used to sit with the starting handle on her lap. The joke was the local garage used to shut shop when they saw her coming down the road.

[@chriskennedy7534]

A30 was my bush bashing car as a kid, family bought a 5 acre block in Victoria Australia when I was about 13 or 14 yrs old, and it came with 2 old Austin's, learned a lot from driving them around, great fun, watching this brought back many happy memories.

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Bush bashing?

[@chriskennedy7534]

@martinmcdonald4207 Bush Bashing is, after a hard day at the office, you come home and choose a weapon, to take your frustrations out on the shrubbery, instead of your spouse or offspring 😉😉😉

[@lucylewis7072]

Wow! Haven’t seen her running in 15+ years, the sound of the engine brings back some great memories. So happy to see her live and kicking again. Thank you!

[@petelattimer6808]

brings back memories of when garages were actually the right size for a car! most modern cars wouldnt fit in that garage, especially if you wanted to be able to get out of the car after putting it in there!

[@shartingfish5761]

I think my cars wheelbase is longer than this car is long..

[@avrilcrisp5725]

I used to share drive one of these with my mum in the 1980's. I learnt to double d-clutch under mum's direction. The steering wheel is huge. I loved that car we were so sad when she had to go because there was no one who had expertise to repair her. Grey with red leather seats. We had a really bad winter and she started every time, although she had her own felt blanket for the engine, and drove through the deep snow better than the modern cars around. Happy days.

[@ericgeorge5483]

I don't know much about the A30 but my dad had a couple of A35's and they were excellent. Completely reliable and just ran and ran. Great video, thanks for uploading.

[@deathofcommonsense]

Talk about nostalgia! This was my first car after passing my test as a 17yo in 1968, cost me 30 quid, loved it :)

[@steveshirley9853]

Same for me in 1969 cost me 10 shillings as had a been in a shunt and the front wing and headlight were buggered.

[@clivehorridge]

My first car too at 17, £50 in 1970.. 1955 A30, SOF 135

[@reburdoc4647]

My first in 67 Portsmouth to Stafford most weekends.

[@cannedcatfood377]

As an old Ford nut, I was yelling into the screen "Check and recheck the points then the coil". Oh the drama. My wife thinks I've lost my mind. Great video.

[@FPVREVIEWS]

ford or not, absolutely was thinking the same thing... obvious. they shoudl have set the dwell first, then the timing. oh, well.

[@54macdog]

I learned to drive in my mum's A30 which she had christened Agatha. Great memories; great video.

[@WISOTT]

A30 was second car I owned in 1968. Absolute heap of rust. Abandoned it around back of student hall of residence Christmas 1968 and hoped it didn't follow me home

[@renatosvajcar960]

Despise all critics -good job ,lads!! You brought one cite small car back to life and that makes every "Oldy" lovers happy..It's sad to see many "old wheels" abandoned and forgotten....keep up with good work!! Thumbs up! !!!

[@Chuck59ish]

My late father had a Canadian version of the A30 back in the 1950s, sunroof, picnic trunk lid, it was a great car. After he died in 1960, I was only 8 years old, I never knew what happened to it.

[@marknelson5929]

Well done guys! And a great little car to boot. Looks to be in very good condition for its years.

[@garfield1415]

I loved it when he said "there are a lot of spiders in there so I brought "a man" you legend Mr Brunning well worth a sub too!

[@chopperhehehe]

I second this comment too 👍👍👍😜🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦄🎣😁✌️

[@antbrown1632]

Really enjoyed this. Looking forward to future episodes.

[@rydermike33]

Well done chaps. Just knew the wonderful A series wouldn't let you down.

[@davidskeeterskeeter1835]

I think it’s really important that these old cars are preserved folks,👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🇬🇧

[@alexwoods1094]

Brilliant stuff mate. What a great find! Will look forward to more video’s.

[@deathofcommonsense]

Ha, the A30 was my first 'well used' car, I was 17 in 1968...talk about bringing back memories :) Years later I also bought a well used A40 :) loved em both.

[@iansanderson4664]

Brought back memories. My uncle bought a new A30 in 1953 (replacing his 1937 Austin 7) and had it until about 1960. We had a 1957 A35 from 1965-9, problems with HT leads, distributor and corroding fuse box came flooding back into my mind. Checking compression was part of life back then too.

[@compwiz101]

Whether it's fixing my old 70s mopeds or repairing guitar amps, it's the same feeling - spending ages wrestling with "it doesn't work and that MAKES NO SENSE" and then the rush of success when it finally sputters to life.

[@SailorAllan]

SPOILER ALERT--NO brackets were made in order to get this car running ! Congrats to Mr. Pollitt for using time tested techniques to get new subscribers to his channel, a celebrity and lots of nudity. well done sir !

[@contentcars]

Great Work Guys - Looking forward to the next adventure!

[@leecosworth]

Had one of these a few years ago, great little cars 👍

[@nickhickson8738]

My first car after passing driving test after one go. Was 17 at the time. Bought it on HP from Car Mart Croydon. Reg No PLG 510 in pale grey.

[@davidgillettuk9638]

Blimey, I haven't heard the name Gold Seal Engine in 35 years. I had one on my Princess.

[@michaelloach9461]

Great vid guys. Much respect for standing in our delightful British weather to do that. All the best.............

[@paultanker5606]

as an expat brit I always like to see this kind of thing happen to the cars I remember, nice one gents ,interior looks ok too ,lovely little car!

[@johngoodall7097]

Well done lads the old Austin is alive and even drives, outstanding!!! Rescue fulfilled!!!

[@marcijunebug]

Omg! You guys are great! KZbin recommended and I subbed within first 2 min! Love it from the USA!

[@lifelong5425]

1953...OMG..same age as me self...Oh how we've changed. Great job lads..you well deserved a pint after that.

[@robertcartwright3533]

15 thou for points, 25 thou for plugs.

[@goodmorning5120]

Good effort by 2 relatively young guys plus filming crew to restart this car which is certainly older than these fellows. Older generations of mechanics had deeper knowledge of the fundamentals to troubleshoot engine faults. But these skills are not taught anymore.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

Yep. It's a shame there are so many sad gits in the comments that don't realise that these dudes probably haven't touched a car made before the '70s. Stuff like points that old farts take for granted are completely alien to most people under 50 years old.

[@michaelkeen5010]

Very early A30 I would say. I had one back in the late 80’s, great car.

[@tonygarrett7214]

Well done. I owned a 1954 model. My first car. I paid £25 for it in 1969. Always started first time.

[@ljhm6816]

You can tell the morale is waning towards the end of the video, it looking likely that the a30 won't start up, a lesser known fact was the a30 was their only means of getting home that evening, so you can see the genuine relief on the bearded guy's face when it suddenly splutters into life, the big guys thinking 'a few real ales tonight from the offie on the way home, call at a chippy too' finish the glorious ending with a cornetto! Tres Bien!

[@rosewood1]

It's alive! Well done. Have just spent many months of daily work bringing an Austin Atlantic alive. In my case it meant completely rebuilding every aspect of the fuel system, brake system, cooling and covered suspension drive train oil lubrication everything. Why well fuel tank was rusty inside, all fuel lines were perished rusty or leaked. Brakes the same, gearbox no oil. And so on. The car now runs and drives beautifully.

[@davidlloyd3116]

All I can say is brilliant. Well done chaps.

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Congratulations. You had a success. May you have many more.

[@robertgarrett4046]

Great stuff lad's to get an old Austin A 30 / 35 , going again after that length of time .

[@gerraymomd392]

Great too see these old cars brought back to life ,well done

[@tectoramia-sz1lu]

I remember a chap back in the early 60's who had one of these. Doug Saich, who worked in Romford for Ind Coope. It was a lovely green and cream two toned A30 with the registration "7 JPU" It's funny the things you remember.

[@TimNelson]

Fascinating! Well done boys. We Yanks share this passion. Bravo.

[@seanpollard3467]

Well done guys this was great to watch love your determination and the will not to give up 🎩 off to you both 👍

[@infidelzombie9382]

My dad owned one when I was a kid. Had it for over 20 yrs then he decided to buy a new car a morris marina which was a complete lemon. Lost his shirt on that POS but after two years of constant repair he off loaded it and came home with a cortina glx. That was a great car

[@theogbeardedwonder]

Just had a similar experience with an MGB. Felt every ounce of your pain. Well done 👍

[@chrisgrant845]

I HAD 2 A35s , and they were great little cars . It was a very enjoyable video, WELL DONE CHAPS.

[@Levenstone132]

Love the visor and spotlight.Very cool.

[@stranraerwal]

perfect British weather for rescuing an old car.

[@seanwillingham6199]

Nice to see a olde car up and running again

[@rasmushjs5318]

That is such a cool car, and that patina is priceless. AWESOME

[@alexhayes224]

20.30 made me smile, well done 👍🏼

[@jamesdoyle3885]

Not a car fanatic but really enjoyed watching this! . That little car has character in abundance, great to see it running proud!

[@billywhizz98]

Well done looking forward to seeing the restoration

[@OdykKayne]

Great video gents! Subscribed! :D Looking forward to seeing more!

[@116fletch]

I just bought one, a 2 door in green! Only been stud 3yrs, Pick it up next week 😊

I will always remember my best mate Jack Davies late of the Hartlepool Mail driving his A30 backwards and forwards to work, his right arm thrust out of the window holding the door closed (because the lock was broken). It outlived Jack..and like the one above it ended up 'forgotten' in a Hartlepool lockup...It may still be there...

[@iansanderson4664]

Had that door problem with our A35. The lock spring had rusted to the point where it had broken into 3 pieces. Easily fixed.

[@Dan-sq5cv]

Nice old Austin, great find. It actually sounds good and fairly solid, I am sure it will really look good cleaned up. Years ago I had a 54 Healey and that looks almost like the same engine.

[@geo66656]

loved this vid,brits do it best,if i had a car in the garage i would donate just to watch you pair .....great :)

[@miller200d]

Lovely little car,so very Brittish.Nice job.

[@carolbibby3055]

The first car I remember my Dad having when I was about 7 years old (1965) was the larger version of this, Austin A70. It was beautiful, leather seats and sticky out indicators, reg no. YMT870. Sadly it went to the scrappy when he bought his next car (Austin Westminster). Cars from this era are still the best for me.

[@dillerud95]

This was an amazing show. Make more series please. It’s enjoyable entertainment

[@timobrien7342]

Well done lads.Hard work and perseverance will conquer all.. 💪😄👍🇦🇺

[@justinpyne968]

My mum had a A30 van when I wish a kid used to love that thing😍

[@yetanotherperson6436]

My seriously old dad had one.

[@stevedickson5853]

Wallace and Grommet would be proud 👍

[@garysweetland32]

It's always the points when they've been stored up. Come to think of it, it's usually the points when there's a problem.

[@reburdoc4647]

Points or condenser

[@Cooliemasteroz]

That’s a good point.

[@Cooliemasteroz]

@@markdowling5962 isn’t it great that we are able to make contact.

[@rougenoggin]

There aren’t many of these left in existence (Brexit supporters)! 😆

[@nigelbaldwin6438]

Really enjoyed this video......keep up the good work

[@andythurlow1614]

Love a the comments in here because these types of video's are like a magnet for "armchair experts" haha.

[@ianrutherford878]

Love away----some stuff is just common knowledge----armchair experts V camera amateurs

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

@@ianrutherford878 OK boomer

[@briannickson6631]

Had one of these in 1963 (7yrs old). One thing I learned when it (regularly) wouldn’t start, you should follow the standard check routine (assuming the battery turned the engine over) :- Petrol, Plugs, Points, Plug leads, Coil. Still got the scar on my head from the lethal bonnet catch. Loved 🥰 the experience.

[@jerrybootneck1736]

Early 70's and my very first car was the A35 and what a great little reliable car. I still remember the registration number PHJ 820 and I can't remember what I did yesterday lol I never possessed a set of feelers in those days and I used a section of a cigarette pack to set the points gap and it worked. Great trip down memory lane with this video. Thanks guy's

[@jeffysvo7850]

Can't wait to see more of this series!

[@philgc11111]

lovely old car, always wanted one.

[@mowler8042]

I can't believe I found this thank you KZbin I'm so looking forward to this! the headliner is so insane it looks like pillows.

[@wcstevens7]

Perfect. Many thanks.

[@williamwilliams8145]

I hope project Binky gets fired up within 10 years.

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Excellent job guys nice one.

[@roryhall1592]

Out with new and in with the old....I Luv it!

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

I love this car!!! Keep you Lambourghinis Ill ave this thanks :)

[@jeremytravis360]

I knew a student who had one of these cars. I always found them adorable and would love to own one now.

[@nicholasdavies6264]

What a little beauty !

[@zingzing5077]

New subscriber, waiting for the next similar video. Love the format. All the best.

[@Equiluxe1]

I was told by a mechanic way back in the late 60's "always check the wires by tugging on them gently" this is something I still do.

[@andrebartels1690]

What a nice little car. I hope you enjoy it a lot 👍

[@jokermaan1]

My first car was a 1959 Austin A35, just after I passed my test at 17, in 1965. They were the basis for the Sprite and they actually felt quite sporty compared to other old cars of the time. Fun to drive!

[@davidnash8586]

Great little video !

[@rogerphillips1679]

Charming video. You got a new subscriber from here in the colonies!

[@williamduncan5679]

My dad had one and I used to drive it about, it was a great little runner. 👍👍👌😅

[@billsticker]

Happy memories. Helping get an old A30 into a mates garage so we could lift the engine for a swap out. A30's and Moggy Thousands.

[@jezchazania1336]

😊 well done lads great vid and a good job. A classic saved 👍

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

At 13:23....checking for spark almost 15 minutes into the job....c'mon lads...first thing you do right?

[@chopperhehehe]

I second this comment Stil more real than TV channels we all pay for lol 👍👍👍😜🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦄🎣😁✌️

[@1951split]

No... The first thing you should check for is oil... Otherwise there's a chance that the joy of getting an engine running will probably not last very long...

[@janinapalmer8368]

@@1951split no ... the first thing you check on is have you got some beer bottles on hand🍺 !

[@BilgemasterBill]

I wish someone would give me such a solid little Austin A30 that it could just chug off under its own steam after some air in the tires and bit of fiddling with the points! What an adorable, thrifty, practical (in its day) and very "English" car. I'll bet it has that lovely musty old British car smell too.

[@cratecruncher6687]

1) Check if engine is seized. 2) Check oil for contamination. 3) Turn over AND CHECK FOR SPARK. 4) Check for bad gas. 5 Check brakes (they're almost always bad) and clutch. 6) Go to pub. This car was loved because the owner that stored it ran it out of petrol and drained the coolant. That NEVER happens!

[@razifmahathir2437]

real world stuff. Brilliant video of a trip down memory lane - simple to work on and fix cos no electronic gizmos requiring an IT and Engineering degree with loads of specialist diagnostic equipment to find out what's wrong at $$$$ per hour. Subbed your channel and look forward to your future projects. Cheers guys. ATB from Malaysia

[@philglover2973]

Well done top job 🇬🇧

[@soledweller]

I had the opportunity to buy one of those as a tidy runner a good few years ago, I already own a Morris traveller and a series Landy, iv always fancied adding one of these. Full of character!!😊

[@1tulip]

Wow! Dash-cam still working at the beginning of the video. Awesome!

[@joshuarosen6242]

Those 50's dashcams were built to last.

[@gregtaylor6146]

I see Richard Brunning, I like/subscribe .....simple! Thank you gentlemen, this sort of content I really like.

[@daleskidmore1685]

Richard having a day off from bracketry. Good looking car. People were smaller in those days, but the car looks tightish in that garage too. I think Tescos use out of date dimensions for their parking boxes, as cars are so much bigger now.

[@chasmcl42]

Great video, took me back my dad had one of those cars, that engine was designed to run on leaded petrol.