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Doug Cody USA

Author: Doug Cody USA
Total 5 posts - Started on 2024-04-22



IMG 6282
So now on to restoration. The first step was to remove the interior and dash as seen in the prior post. As an interim to keep everything organized, a temporary dash was fabricated out of grill mats. This way the wiring has a stable ground during testing. I had to buy a new turn signal switch, pigtails for the headlights and a dip switch for the high beams. Turns out the dipswitch wiring emerges from the harness in the engine compartment above the passenger footwell, a confusing turn of events, but not the last! I constructed a 6ft extension set of wires that cross over to the driver side...



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Brendan MacRae USA

Author: Brendan MacRae USA
Total 15 posts - Started on 2014-04-27



IMG 8338
So, the car is finally built. The interior is now done. The engine bay is complete and dressed. But of course, there’s always more to do before road testing can begin. I need to recheck the end float on the front wheel bearings as the wheels appear a teensy bit loose. I re-bled the clutch and then come the rest of the fluids and final checks. No convertible top or frame fitted for now and that may be something I’ll put off for some time. I don’t intend to drive the car in the rain but it will happen at some point. As is common with the rubber seals, the doors and the boot lid don’t fit...



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Graham Boardman CAN

Author: Graham Boardman CAN
Total 32 posts - Started on 2021-10-27



IMG 1228
Done



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Raymond Mason CAN

Author: Raymond Mason CAN
Total 19 posts - Started on 2020-11-13



3B10C39F 1D64 4177 A89D DAB3A0091F95
Easy picking!




Peter Hunt GBR

Author: Peter Hunt GBR
Total 9 posts - Started on 2018-02-01



IMG 8103
6 years and 3 months since the start and I can see the end in sight. After all the welding was finished I set about painting. The floors and chassis were brush painted over an epoxy base and I decided to spray the outer panels myself as I it seemed a shame after so long to give the final glory to an unknown sprayer. I bought a surplus refugee tent from Oxfam and turned it into a temporary spray booth with suitable extraction and air fed respirator. I then bought a decent devilbiss spray gun and began practicing before committing paint to the car. I chose to spray all the panels individually...




Ian Cassley Silver Member CAN

Author: Ian Cassley Silver Member CAN
Total 24 posts - Started on 2017-03-24



IMG 20230113 103334773 2
Things don't always go according to plan ????! While installing new lights in the garage I dropped an electrical box and it landed on the Bugeye's bonnet. Some touchups are now in order!




Stephen C GBR

Author: Stephen C GBR
Total 112 posts - Started on 2019-09-20



Held into position prior to tack welding together
First photo shows the two corner pieces clamped in place on the cowl. The clamps where they just to hold them in the correct position. The piece on the right still has the rivet fixing holes so were used to locate it in the correct position prior to tack welding into position. The second photo shows the two pieces welded together. The next photo shows the completed channel and in position. Finally given a coating of epoxy primer.




C C AUS

Author: C C AUS
Total 12 posts - Started on 2015-09-15



Sold due to ill health




Chris U GBR

Author: Chris U GBR
Total 22 posts - Started on 2015-04-26



Brazing abortion
So, while cleaning my scuttle plate off, I decided to continue down the A pillars and remove what was on them also. So, the usual 6 or so layers of paint came off but then I hit...…….BONDO!!! God, I hate that stuff. After pulling out all the Bondo, both A pillars had some very strange damage to them. It appears that both have a crease down where the after part of the A pillar inner runs down. On the left side, the line is uniform and runs totally in line with the metal behind it. There is a part of the A pillar that has been brazed and I thought that this may have caused the...




Erik Hall USA

Author: Erik Hall USA
Total 63 posts - Started on 2016-11-04



How cool is that
21 JUL 18 A question remained in my mind while we were pulling Tracy apart. "How are we going to move the body around once we fully disassemble it?" Jax had an easy solution, we'd pick it up. That's fine except I knew that we would have to roll it over to get to the bottom for cleaning. This is when I remembered my early comments regarding how far we would take this rebuild. "We will not take the car completely apart. At most we'll get a quick Maco paint job when we're done." I didn't stick to that obviously. But, then Jax came to the rescue with a home built rotisserie...




Ken Bonnema USA

Author: Ken Bonnema USA
Total 10 posts - Started on 2016-09-15



Going into the trailer for the ride home
Our last driven in 1980 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII BJ8 came home fully restored on April 2nd, 2018. Break-in of the rebuilt engine is underway with leisurely country road drives spanning moderate speed ranges and all five gears, none for extended periods. She is noisy and drafty and a little numb around steering wheel center and very warm against your right knee. In other words, just like I remember her and a joy to finally drive again.




Keith Smith USA

Author: Keith Smith USA
Total 47 posts - Started on 2014-10-12



We live in the country so it gets dirty before we
The mechanical issues seem to be up and running. We have made three short drives now, working out the bugs after each drive. Ultimately I will tackle the body issues. The car was made the year my wife was born, thus, the user name.




andy foley USA

Author: andy foley USA
Total 6 posts - Started on 2011-11-23



Well I'm at it again. total teardown and repaint. Made the mistake of using the duplicolor ready to spray paint. Total junk. I decided to do some other mods as well. changed up the rear valance. fixing all the body work that I did quickly last time. Don't see this being finished anytime soon.




Ray Peebles USA

Author: Ray Peebles USA
Total 7 posts - Started on 2014-03-01



Healey 010616 3
The 100-6 BN4 was painted over the fall. Thought I would paint it myself but since I have not painted a full car in about 30 years I decided a professional would be a better choice. Found a local body shop needing the work a gave me a very reasonable rate to do the final sanding and filling plus paint. I wanted enamel which is very uncommon to body shops these days. Most shops do the base coat clear coat routine and I will admit the paint looks good but not a type of paint that would have been on a Healey even back in the 70's. So .... I got enamel... maybe I should have gone for the base...




David Cutler USA

Author: David Cutler USA
Total 5 posts - Started on 2013-09-23



Small coolant leak. Looks like it is the heater core which I just bypassed, Tiem to get it running better. It is variously running rich and lean. Found a leak at the intake gasket for the 40 DCOE. Replaced gasket and the lousy cannon intake manifold for a straight shot. Took a look at the weber. PO had 2 inch runners on it which nearly touched the end plate of the iar cleaner, effectively blocking air flow. Went in and totally rebuilt the carb, re-jetted it, and after some further adjustment of the idle jet, have it running very nicely. I have a 23D distributor (non vacuum) and...




Thomas Barry USA

Author: Thomas Barry USA
Total 9 posts - Started on 2014-11-05



Generator and Old Mounting Plate Removed
The past weekend I finally installed all the pieces on my car. Removing the generator and existing mounting plate was pretty straightforward. The old gasket pretty much disintegrated when the old plate came off. I also had to buy new bolts to mount the new plate. The old bolts just weren't long enough once they went through a washer, the new plate and the new gasket. Picture one shows the generator and plate removed. The next picture shows the new plate installed and the coil bolted into it's new position. I wasn't sure where I was going to put the coil until I saw a picture of...




Steve B USA

Author: Steve B USA
Total 6 posts - Started on 2015-06-09



It Had To Happen I never believed I would see it happen in my lifetime, but recent sales records have shown that it has! If you had told me, even a year ago, that AN6, AN7, AN8 and AN9 Sprites would start selling into the HIGH four figure market, I just would not have believed it. Nonetheless it is true. I have been following the Austin Healey sales market, and in recent years, I am in total disbelief as to the fact that Bugeye Sprites, AN5's, are now selling for well over 10K and some recent restorations as high as 20K. Now I do want to caution the reader that you do have to know...




Tim Hendy CAN

Author: Tim Hendy CAN
Total 6 posts - Started on 2013-07-17



I am slowly collecting bits and pieces I need for the build, I found a nice Howley manifold from a Mini that should fit, and both HS4 and HIF6 carbs have come my way. I plan to fit a single SU for simplicity, at least at the start. I now have a 998cc motor from a Mini with a rebuilt stock head, so that will be converted to RWD using the 1098 Midget motor that came (in pieces) with the Sprite. the 1100 probably has less than 10k on it, but it was taken apart decades ago and everything has a coating of rust making the Mini a more feasible unit to resurrect. The 12g295 Head with need some...




Roger Butt GBR

Author: Roger Butt GBR
Total 14 posts - Started on 2013-06-14



BDRA Easter Meeting 11 04 1966 J A Pearce entries
The British Drag Racing Association meeting at Santa Pod on 11th April 1966 included three cars entered by John Pearce: In the Production Saloon Cars (2,001 – 5,000cc) category, there was his Ferrari 250GTE which Pearce drove to win the class. In the Sports & GT Cars (2,001 – 3,500cc) category, there was his Ferrari GTO in which he was runner-up to his own Austin-Healey which David Bueb (son of Ivor) drove to win the class. To read more, use this link to our website blog: http://japearceengineering.com/general/john-pearce-at-santa-pod-11th-april-1966/




Mark M USA

Author: Mark M USA
Total 26 posts - Started on 2012-01-13



scan0010
When my older brother bought the Healey in 1970 I knew that the previous owner had been killed in action in Vietnam that previous year. After I took possesion of the car I had asked the DMV for past records looking to see how many previous owners there had been. In those days you recieved photocopies of every piece of paper that was in the car file with the State. None of the names or addresses were "blacked out" either. I learned that there had been three other owners after the car was transferred to my home state from New Jersey. Many years later, in 2009, after surviving a bout with...




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