BARNFIND 1957 AUSTIN LONDON CAB ANGLIA CHEVY PROJECT PARTS THAMES GASSER RAT ROD

Description

This sale is for a 1957 London Cab. I am listing this for my father and will do my best to describe. If you have specific questions please email and I will get the answers for you.
What I know.This was found in an estate. When found the front fenders and drivers door had been off in what appeared to be a restoration attempt many years ago. While the parts were removed they had been leaning against a wall in another area away from the car. That lead to the rust at the bottom edges.Which is an easy repair Other then that the car looks pretty good. Being a commercial car there is no right or wrong way to restore. Many have and were patched and parts swapped around. Anything to keep them motoring. We put drivers door and front fenders back together and the car is remarkably complete. We have the running boards not pictured as well as the front bumper with the rare fog light. The bumper is tweaked but may still be repairable.
The car is a time warp still having it's i.d. and period advertising still in the rear passenger area. Unique still is the working Taxi "for hire" meter. It is the original reverse on glass lens. The driver has privacy glass all around him to separate himself from passengers and the luggage area. Tire are authentic and original as well. The brand is Blue Peter Taxicords.
Previous owners family stated that it was running. It turns over and should run again. It is a diesel. It has a manual transmission and shifts in all gears. My father friends wanted him to install a reliable 22RE and 5 spd. from a Toyota truck. His friends also wanted to make a gasser with a Chevy motor. It is thought a glass nose from an Anglia or Prefect will fit right on. Everyone sees a blank canvas.
Interesting facts I have learned. The Beatles Hard Days Night Movie features an FX3 Taxi like this and put the FX3 on the map. Many taxi's like this are found only to have no title. We DO have a clear title in our name and is free and clear. It rolls and steers fine. It is located in Jackson,Ohio 45640. Would make a great advertisement or a fun Rat rod that no one else would have.
Please bid with confidence. Although it looks like I am new I am not. I just changed my user id from the generic one ebay issued me when I first signed up so it would be easier to remember. You are welcome to come and look in person by appointment. If you have questions please email and I will get you the answers.
We are selling the car as is and as seen. There is a small reserve. At any point we may remove the reserve so please pay attention if you are the high bidder. If you cannot wait until the sale ends make us an offer. Shipping is up to the buyer. We will assist your shipper. Thanks for looking.

On Jun-13-16 at 06:11:30 PDT, seller added the following information:

More history
The FX3 was made from 1948-1958 making the total production of all years only 7267 being built.
FX3 has a traditional 3-door body with an open luggage platform rather than a front passenger seat beside the driver. The FX3 was fitted with easy to maintain and work on mechanical brakes, with rod operation, beam axles on leaf springs and a built-in Jackall hydraulic jacking system. This means if there was a flat or a need to raise the car the built in Jacks were already mounted under the chassis. You just go to either corner and jack that side up. Fun to drive it has a tight turning circle of 25ft (7.6m) diameter.
Gasoline engines in the earlier vehicles proved to be inefficient so a shift to diesel engines were made. Earlier versions used a Perkins Diesel engine. Mann &Overton(the supplier of Taxi cabs in London)prompted the Austin Motor Company to develop their own diesel.This appeared in 1956 and quickly became the most popular choice in the FX3. (Like the car above) The manual transmission has four forward speeds plus reverse.
It is estimated only a hand full of FX3's made their way to the US. This makes an excellent find plus being the later version with the Austin diesel. There are many collectors and businesses around the world that specialize in the restoration of the FX3. Many parts interchange with other Austin vehicles of the era and parts can easily be found in the US as well. Keep in mind this car needs restored. It is not running or driving. It is a fantasticopportunity that I wish we could keep.
Hope this helps withmaking your buyingdecision.