1965 Austin London Taxi Muscle car restoration, auto restoration, classic cars, Chicago, Indiana

1965 Austin London Taxi

This is an authentic London Taxi owned by Duane and Kelly Mazzacavallo of St Louis. It originally came with a 4 cylinder Diesel engine and 4 speed. It is right hand drive so being on the wrong side and shifting with your left hand is challenging. The Diesel had a high noise and vibration level so they wanted a more comfortable car for cruising. One of the interesting features of these taxis is a 24 foot turning radius for U Turns on narrow streets to pick up fares.

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We installed a GM 4.3L V6 which was a nice fit for the engine compartment but required some modifications to get the exhaust manifolds to clear the frame.

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We extensively modified the firewall in order to provide more room behind the dash for a new Old Air Products Hurricane AC/Heater unit.

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This what was cut out of the firewall.

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We added a power brake booster from Kugel Komponents

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A new instrument cluster and dash is being added. along with a new wiring harness. The Lucas Electrical System was never known for reliability.

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The console and Old Air unit are installed.

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