Engine's Firing on All Cylinders

I agreed to purchase the Healey back in January; however, I didn’t have the time to pick her up until May. Fortunately, the owner was gracious enough to keep the Healey in his barn while I finished moving. Finally, in late May we loaded the Healey up onto a flatbed truck and took her to her new home.

Once the Healey was in our garage, we got to work right away to get her up and running again. We flushed the gas tank and radiator, changed the oil, etc. Once we put in a charged battery, we were ready to see if she’d start up. She didn’t. We took apart the electric system and found the point set, condenser, and rotor were worn out and needed to be replaced. We obtained the required parts from a local mechanic, and they did the trick! Here are the results:

The timing is still a little off and there's couple of leaks to fix (well, British cars always leak, but I just need to get it to the normal amount for a British car). The rumbling of the Healey engine is invigorating!

Next, we wanted to see if the Healey would shift in gear. However, the clutch did not engage when the clutch pedal was pushed down. After adjusting the connecting rod, the clutch engage perfectly! I started her up and drove her in first gear. The brakes needed to be redone, so I couldn’t go very far or very fast. 

My next step is to get all the brake parts (shoes, rebuild kits for the cylinders) and to detail the Healey from bumper to bumper. Stay tuned for more updates!

Another Barn Find

Several months have passed since my last update on my Healey project. My wife and I were busy selling our home and buying a new one. This process consumed all of my time and energy.

Much has happened with the Healey project since my last post. In the journey to track down parts for my Healey, an acquaintance, knew of someone looking to sell a complete 1955 Austin Healey BN1. The backstory was intriguing. He had purchased the Healey in the mid-90s and spent about a decade bringing her back to life. He had completed about 95 percent of the restoration when he was unable to continue with the project. From about 2005 to 2015, the unfinished Healey sat in his garage.

After several conversations with him over the phone, my friend, Travis, and I took the two hour drive to see the Healey in January. We found the Healey covered in barnyard dust. Parts of the car were scattered throughout the barn, but she was complete. 

I told the owner I was interested but needed to talk about it with my wife first (I do not adhere to the old adage that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission). And, a few days removed from seeing the car, I agreed to purchase the Healey!

Purchasing my second Healey left me in a quandary, which Healey do I keep? I contemplated three viable options. First, I could put the second Healey back together and sell it, using the money to finish my first Healey. Second, I could use the second Healey as a parts car and sell what I didn’t use. Lastly, I could sell the first Healey and keep the second Healey.

I was heavily leaning towards option two, but after being persuaded by both my good friend Tim and my father-in-law, I chose option three. Ultimately, I went with this option because it got me to my overall goal in this venture quicker; namely, I wanted to own and drive an Austin Healey 100-4.

This means, of course, that I will be selling my first Healey. My goal is to just recoup the money I have invested. Now I just need to find a buyer. Though I am sad not to see the first Healey to the end, I am excited to know I will have a complete and beautiful Healey to work on and get back on the road!

The British Parts Guy

Back in my Austin Healey Sprite days, I spent much of my time (when I should have been in school) at European Sports Car Garage. They proved to be useful in ordering parts for my Sprite.  This same place came to mind when I need parts for Austin Healey 100/4. I simply had too many parts to track down individually and knew I needed a parts place if I was ever going to restore this car.

I performed a Google search of British parts store with the intent to see if European Sports Car Garage had a website. However, in my Google search, another British car place comes up, British Car Specialts. As I checked out their website and online catalog, I found they have almost everything I need. The icing on the cake was that this British car parts store was located in Stockton, California. I couldn't believe my luck! Out of all places where such a place could be located to have it so close (only 40 miles away) was a relief! But maybe it’s too good to be true. So I called them. They were just as knowledge and friendly as I had hoped they would be. Dave, the owner of British Car Specialists, encouraged me to come and visit his shop to see some Austin Healeys under restoration, see his parts warehouse, and to touch base with him as I begin this restoration process.

In late-September 2014, George and I took a quick road trip to Stockton to visit the British car specialist. From the moment we go there we were treated with great customer service. Dave escorted us around, showed various Austin Healeys in his shop, and showed us his parts warehouse. He answered all of our questions and gave us invaluable information about my Austin Healey. He had every part available I would need to rebuild the car.

He even encouraged me to think seriously about putting in the original engine and transmission back into the car. According to him, it would add about $40,000 in value.  However, it will cost me approximately $15,000 to go that route. Now I have to do a cost-benefit analysis (I knew the policy analyst in me was going to come up). I will be thinking about this in the months to come. 

Moving forward, British Car Specialists will prove to my main resource for parts and will make this restoration process so much smoother!