New Project! Austin J40 Pedal Car | Not A Great Start... | Ep.1

Originally produced in the 1950s, the Austin J40 pedal car is a passion project for classic car collectors. Based on the 1948 Austin A40, these cars were built by disabled ex-miners, using waste materials from the Austin factory. Made even more notable by having their own race at Goodwood Revival, fully-restored cars are highly-valued, and I'm going to build my own!
This one's been sitting in the workshop for a few years - but have you even noticed it?!
With some help from my friends at Austin Pedal Cars, this will be a fun one! www.austinpeda...
Thanks for watching! If you're enjoying my videos, please subscribe for free! You'll receive notifications when I upload a new video - every Sunday at 5pm (GMT)!
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LINKS:
www.dominicchinea.com
Dom's Instagram: / dominicchinea
Honest Jon's Instagram: / honestjon_
Ranalah Ltd's Instagram: / ranalahltd​​
Edited by Dan Cross: / djcfilms

[@fiat500enthusiasts]

This car needs to be in Ranalah racing livery

[@Neontrifle]

Definitely, Dom's the man to hand paint the logo. It'll look great.

[@mikerinn6187]

Dom, He’s right. Ranalah Racing.

[@mikerinn6187]

Dom, He’s right. Ranalah Racing livery needed.

[@davidquirk8097]

I can see you using one of your Ranalahs on this project. Fitting, to use a piece of British history to repair a piece of British history.

[@markbonham]

Oh the fun we had with the one my mate had in 1960s. Really takes me back and love the thought of your rescue of this little car. 👍👏

[@davidsaxby5400]

“Mustn’t get carried away, it’s just a toy”. So what does Dom do?😂

[@colinhiggins1412]

Bloody hell Dom, you dont do things by halves do you. All the time i was watching this i was thinking if this was an episode of the repair shop you would have it done in 20 minutes. Just shows you what actually goes into a project. Keep it up, its an iconic toy and it needs saving.

[@threeriversforge1997]

Not by halves, maybe, but certainly by eighths! Or did he chop that beauty into sixteenths? 🤣

[@PhilG0BVD]

Looks like you and a Ranalah will be busy making panels 🙂another great project to watch being restored.

[@mattdow9039]

maybe the mini Ranalah?

[@tomswindler64]

Gonna be a nice little restoration,,just has a lotta,lotta work to be done to it.good start.just keep doing your thing.great video as always 😎😎😎👍👍👍

[@Bill_H]

Dom. I love watching your craftsmanship. So therapeutic. Thanks for not scrapping her. Blessings from Ohio USA.

[@tomlipscomb2211]

Should be called Trigger’s Broom when it’s done. Fear not Dom, you’ve got this.

[@JohnGoodall-fi4xc]

I remember longing for a J40 when I was a schoolboy in the mid 50’s. I passed the local Austin dealer each day on my way to and from school and gazed at the two examples in the showroom. Unfortunately I never did become the owner of one; too dear was dad’s reply!! I’m looking forward watching your journey with this example, good luck Dom

[@simes205]

Love a J40. These machines were cheap as chips until the Settrington cup started at Goodwood Revival!

[@bobt3374]

Hi Dom. Well this is a job in the making but with the equipment you have we look forward to the end product & you are good at what you do. So looking forward to the next episode. Take care & enjoy repair shop this week.

[@davidtaylor8244]

The mini Ranalah will be perfect for wheeling the mini panels for the mini J40😀😀

[@ritualchaos7182]

I had one at 5yrs old. My dad bought one and put a little old Villiers single cylinder in it... So I was wizzing up and down the council estate around 1962-63. Wish I still had it as it was a one off.

[@SteveMikre44]

Great restoration project while waiting for parts to arrive for the Porsche. Very enjoyable episode...

[@KyushaStyleTuning]

So glad you decided to save it! Looking forward to watching you make the new panels. 😎👍🛠🚗

[@ianashton1593]

Was born in 54 and remember seeing these as a kid but it was only the better off that could afford them. We made soap box carts with pram wheels but still had lots of fun, especially going down hills 😂 Looking forward to the restoration of this little car 👍

[@macbilling6410]

What a brilliant project to do. Good luck Dom.

[@JeremyMakesThings]

There’s something so satisfying about saving something that’s not worth saving.

[@frances7243]

Great to see you take this one on. Plus the variety of your projects makes the show. Hope we get to see one of your Ranalahs used to restore the Austin. Here's to the next 100k subscribers.

[@LordCsGarage]

I bought my son one when he was 4yrs old and we restored it together, my wife said I was mad and why had I bought him a rusty old thing when all his friend were getting shiny new plastic ones. He loved it and now has something worth thousands whilst all his friends plastic ones are in landfill. It might be worth speaking to Lewis at Whiteland restorations as he made a good few of the panels and made presses for them

[@user-hi6vn1yn4y]

Hi, I did almost the same thing but it was for my sons 2nd birthday, have now restored it for his children and purchased 3 others ( 1 restored and 2 pending ) so my 4 Grandchildren have one each.😊

[@LordCsGarage]

@@user-hi6vn1yn4y they are great legacy gifts

[@marciabaldwin2506]

Like many others in the comments they are thinking about the J40 you restored on the repair shop, your a true craftsman Dom.we all know you can restore this absolutely brilliant pedal car, it's in safe hands you have so much at your disposal the Ranalah wheeling machines and of course help and guidance from Geoff and Jon and even Austin pedal cars. It would be amazing to see the repair sections being made. Your work is always amazing ❤

[@jonm7272]

Fair play Dom, you're not scared to get stuck in 😂. Really looking forward to seeing your metal working skills on display here. Will be great practice for the Porsche. Good luck!

[@rjay4197]

I gazed longingly at these when I was a boy, with no chance of ever owning/pedalling one. Welcome to Dom’s channel where he keeps going to the limit just to prove that no job is too daunting! ❤

[@weldybren]

Did one for my daughter about 6or 7 years ago. The shell wasn’t quite as bad as this but it still took about 400 hours in total. Crazy amount of work. I had make a new front front panel behind the bumper, boot floor and crank covers with just a bead roller; would have been so much easier with a ranalah! Have fun!

[@cayminlast]

Looking forward to a fascinating project, I'm very excited to see how you built the jig and sectioned the bodywork, can't wait for the next episode. Thanks you.

[@R.Craig.Collins]

Great background on the pedal car... fun project for us to watch while you are waiting on parts

[@BrittCHelmsSr]

Off on another project adventure with you.......

[@paulatkinson2849]

Looking forward to its reserection

[@ianlainchbury]

Love it. More Sunday night magic!

[@chris.6232]

yes Dom ,full break down.Bet its frightning.

[@andrewbrook5687]

My brother had one which I inherited when he was too big for it. Used to drive it around the paths on the estate we lived on. When were too big it lived in my mums hall for years (we moved it around so that we could get into a hall cupboard). Then it was given to a family friend who had young children so they could have fun in it

[@JimmyJamesMarquees]

So happy you decided to keep and restore it! This is what I love about youtube, just enthusiasm for a little car. Who knows, I'll also just might try rebuilding one 😄

[@everestyeti]

Really glad you decided to save it, its a piece of this countries car manufacturing heritage so its important. Am sure its going to look brilliant when you've finished. 👍

[@stevedane787]

At 16:52 - "One piece at a time". Didn't Johnny Cash have a song about someone who built a Cadillac like that? Seriously, all the best with the project and I'm really looking forward to each week's episode.

[@dugaldcameron4208]

What a fun project. Beautiful welding.

[@robinbell7389]

Be careful with the panel behind the seat and boot lid. They have different profiles top to bottom and the edges need some tweaking after bead rolling. I can make some templates from my projects or make them for you if it helps.

[@stephenlines9431]

I love the stuff you've done on the Porsche, but this is really quite similar (how the heck is he going to fix that - there's nothing left...). Being smaller, you may even finish it within my lifetime. I'll be glued to your videos, and know a few people who need to know about this. 👍👍👍

[@italyforme1053]

Dan is side tracked as ever, wouldn't be the surprise without it ! Will enjoy this and think it fits nicely with practice for the Porsche making parts and seeing the Ranalah at work. You'll need some clever filming if we see you driving it at the end !!

[@Gscottheron70]

My grandad gave me a pair of these back in 1970 and I used to think it was fun to run them in to solid objects to put man-sized dents in the wings. Later I painted both circa 1973 and was surprised when offered more than I think they were worth at the time by the local cycle shop in Purley.

[@anthonykinrade8642]

Good to see you using the guard on the cutting disk, I have 2 friends who have had nasty accidents when the cutting disk shattered!

[@robgrant1540]

I am well on rebuilding a J40 starting off with a very sound body. Nothing like the basket case this is in. Very interesting video though.

[@paulelliott2861]

O my days I had one off theses cars . As a boy about 10 i think. My cousin pushed me down this slop. Well it felt like I was going about 50 mph. Poor can and I Ended up in a ditch mud and assorts in the water. Being country side I hate to think what was in the water. Car wasn’t impressed either lol. Yes def do it as a build we can follow. Great stuff Dom. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@brianmicky7596]

Hi Dom, Yes you done the right thing 😁, with you all the way 😅, Go luck , All the best Brian 😃

[@tonydavey4171]

Looks like another challenge. Will be interesting to see if any "spares" appear from anywhere. Can't wait to see the progress. Good Luck!🛠

[@jonathanb3458]

Just don't burn yourself out Dom, quality not quantity. Best wishes.

[@marting4042]

You’re amazing really. You’ve spent £900 just so you can make some templates in order to (at this stage) fabricate from new, the panels you’ve just cut up. Plus the remaining parts for the pedal traction that you’ve salvaged. This is almost a from scratch build. Can’t wait to see how well it turns out.

[@ACCORDriver_NL]

Everybody has his own way of working, but I would have cut of one panel, recreate that, attach it to something that is still good (enough), before I take of the next panel... This looks very drastic to me. But I'm confident you will make it all work, exactly like it needs to. Finding replacement panels would be great, saving you a lot of work.

[@Redf322]

My friend had one of these. It had a music box for a radio in the dash.

[@AlsETypeResto]

It doesn’t seem to matter what you are working on, I always find it interesting! I’m as keen to see this back together as I am to see you proceed with the Porsche.

[@grahamfoster9404]

Oh my gawd Dom ,,, your being ambitious but I have every faith that your going to to make a fantastic job of this .. Keep em coming I cant wait.

[@janellevoigt5481]

I'm enjoying watching what's going on, its a learning experience for me, as I don't have these skills that you are showing. And its interesting. Thanks Dom, I watch both shows and am enjoying them both. Love the videos!

[@nickduffy8482]

Congratulations on the 100K - very well deserved, love the channel.

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you very much!

[@Craiglish22]

Really looking forward to this one! Can’t wait to see the finished car. Cheers as always Dom! 👍👍

[@charlesmarsh9608]

The J40, much more fun than the 356.

[@noonehere1793]

I second the Ranalah livery racing scheme!

[@DominicChineas]

Love this idea!

[@simongregory5691]

I had a second hand one of these as a kid in the 60’s. My Dad had to literally tip the bin men to take it away. If only we knew….!

[@peterbus4066]

Perfect project for the baby Ranalah 😁 Good luck mate!

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks 👍

[@MeganHerdrich]

I really appreciate the work you do. I enjoy the longer episodes.

[@larryreece1403]

Come on Dom! You have a number of Ranalah's! You can do this! Good on you for making the right choice!

[@paulcooper9135]

Going to be a fun project to watch!!! Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

[@judithbarnett2966]

YES! This is wonderful. I've been looking at that pedal car hanging on the wall, on and off since you've been making videos. (And there was that cute little one you repaired at TRS.) Sad it's a bit "lacey" but you can do it! Very fun 👏👏

[@tonysheabo]

Perfect job for the mini Ranalah! Good luck.

[@rossplevey9724]

Another great project Dom. Now that the Ranalah name has been Revived, maybe the Austin J40 should be your next Revival project.

[@frogandspanner]

Stuff the Porsche - this is much more historically (and hysterically) important ! A pal of mine had one of these.

[@nilo70]

I ALWAYS enjoy any kind/type of your work Dom , I really do ! Cheers From California 😎

[@jmg765]

Dom - this project is going to be exciting!!!

[@nico-xp9hg]

Your work it just simply awesome!

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@davidneale-lorello2954]

Austin of Theseus? Just found your channel; really enjoy it. Thanks for sharing your work!

[@oheso]

Easy -- this is the red Porsche!

[@BikerBelf]

Very much enjoyed this episode. They all still continue to be entertaining 👍

[@franksmodels29]

Very cool and congratulations on hitting 100k 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Herbybandit]

There's no going back now! But these little cars are worth it, they are beautiful. Do you remember at the fair there was a ride with an oval track and a pack of Austin J40's end to end?

[@PeterJewell2]

(Joby) Carter's Steam Fair restored one of those rides and toured it for many years. I can remember visiting their yard on an open day when they had just repainted it. My son was delighted to have a ride, but was a bit old for it and almost got stuck trying to get out again! I think that's one of the rides that has now been sold. I'm too young to remember them as pedal cars -- I had only seen them on the fairground rides and they always intrigued me.

[@GARRY-xv9me]

Reminds of when I first started my metal shaping hobby a friend had one and a lot of parts where missing and i said i would help . I made the pedals, the front axil, stub axils, steering shaft and tie rods, front valance panal where bumper attaches and rear and also two sets an exact copy of the original mag wheels very time consuming.

[@davidquirk8097]

You do love a challenge, don't you? I'm really looking forward to seeing how you do this project.

[@georgeclements2742]

Like you, I love the J40 pedal cars, and also watching the children racing them so enthusiastically at Goodwood. I am sure that you are always pressed for time, but I would recommend watching the youtube videos of Yorkshire Car Restorations and GT1900garage showing how they tackle similar awfully rotted bodywork. The very talented guy who posts the GT1900garage videos also shows the cumulative number of hours he has spent on the restoration. I look forward to future instalments. Best wishes.

[@jsidorable]

Dom, it looked so good up there on the wall!

[@chrischallis4240]

More than a toy, Dom....childhood revisited with love and enthusiasm..it’s finite work - one step at a time, soon be done..!

[@johnvaluk1401]

Thanks for the video and update about the 356 and waiting on parts for USA.

[@user-Rich-1969]

Save the pedal car at all costs!!!,,lol.. I wish i had one in my shed. Rich,

[@jeffreynemitz8060]

you should try "Soda Blasting" which is far gentler on the metal than "Sand Blasting". Soda Blasting uses "Talcum Powder" or "Baby Powder" under high pressure.

[@PaulG.x]

Soda blasting uses blasting grade sodium bicarbonate that has been manufactured to a specific crystal size to be an effective abrasive. It is used specifically because it dissolve in water and can be easily cleaned out of things such as carburettors . Talc is magnesium silicate and does not dissolve.

[@Bloodshed.restorations]

Great project, think this is going to be an interesting one👍🏻

[@TheCNCDen]

I'm late to the party, busy day. Well done for deciding to save it.

[@julianadams3738]

A great new project Dom, I am looking forward to watching your progress .Good luck.

[@hpevans9041]

Another fabrication and welding project, great practice before tackling more of the Porsche.

[@rayhitchman4741]

Glad you've decided to save the Austin Car, the right choice Dom

[@robertngreen6]

What an amazing project. Can't wait to see how you get on! Congrats on 100k followers!

[@ejharrop1416]

Excellent project. May I suggest using the Johnny Cash tune, “One part at a time” as background music while you do the work, copyrights aside. 😊. I hope Repair Shop will do a short summary of this massive toy when you are done. You deserve the recognition and publicity. Thank you and cheers mate.

[@norbertr823]

Boy Dom you’re not afraid of a challenge ! Congratulations on 100k, nicely done

[@terrytopliss9506]

My you’re a glutton for punishment Dom,like the Porsche you can’t rush it. It’s good you’ve made a jig for it. Looking forward to further videos. Thanks for the video.👍👍

[@volt8684]

Had one of these. Wish had kept it

[@That_ole_Dodge]

This is going to be a fun project to follow

[@michaellane9873]

That's going to be an interesting project Dom.

[@richardraby6266]

Looks like the mini Ranalah will get a look-in on the new panels fabrication, but I do not envy you the calculation of the flat, pre-formed piece of sheet plate to cut! On a positive note however; That chassis jig that you just knocked-up would probably be very Hireable or sellable. Personally I'd hire it out at £200 for a months rental, renter picks up and returns with an extra deposit applied! Oh! and thanks so much for yet more totally absorbing video and projects. I really look forward to Sunday evenings out here, just for your update. Cheers. Richard, a Brit in Brazil.

[@oldbonesfabricationsltd]

Shes a toasty one Dom, i feel your pain 😅

[@ianstewartbrown5308]

Jumping way ahead, Baby Blue or a Pale Grey would look good as a colour scheme

[@DominicChineas]

Nice baby blue would be good

[@apislapis]

Looks like a golden opportunity to showcase a Ranalah? Or may be try out the mini 'Moss' Ranalah? Kerching! Still it has outlasted most Austin 1100s Dom.

[@davidsinclair6802]

Good luck Dom....that looks gnarly.

[@miguelpaixao1317]

Do whatever you Want! Do whatever you want! Forget the Porche and do whatever you like. I like too that you jump from project to project.😂

[@three-phase562]

Congratulations on the 100k, well deserved! See you are taking on Yorkshire Car Restoration for the most rusty project!

[@user-qi5ub1pp4n]

Ya love a challenge lad dont ya. Well worth saving Dom, well done so far

[@jimharwood4819]

Dom have a look at the latest Norfolk man cave episode, in the oasis cafe, there was an English wheel of some sorts in one of the sheds

[@luicunninghamritchie4806]

Congratulations on the 100k plus followers, well deserved