Rootes Group Cars

I thought I'd share pictures of the Hillman Husky I bought a few weeks ago. The conversion was apparently done by an engineer who put 18,000 miles on it (according the odometer) and sold to to another guy about a year ago. He didn't really do anything with it and now I'm left to figure it out. It has an Olds Quad 4 that is claimed to be a '92 with 30,000 miles, a T5 of unknown source, and a Thunderbird 8.8 with disc brakes. There is a lot of really neat quality work on it that I'm still discovering. Tilton master cylinders with balance bar, custom stainless gas tank, full stainless exhaust, custom stainless header (and I have the autocad drawing that he made before building it), aftermarket wiring harness, classic instrument gauges, dunlop 15" wires; I'm not even sure where the bellhousing came from or if it's custom. I can't figure out why someone would go to all this work and then give up on it.

I drove it home 40 miles, I didn't do anything crazy with an unknown car but it is obviously too fast for the worn out stock front suspension and drum brakes. I'm still not sure what to do with that. For now I'm going to fix the rust, put a quick paint job on it and get some windows and interior. There is a good bit of cosmetic rust that I can fix easily, the worst is the rear frame rails are rotten where the shackles mount. Probably why the project was jettisoned.






















Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2009 11:55PM by mgbreis.

Nice ride Ryan. Looks like your welder's gonna get a work out. Where's the alternator?

I really like that car.
I did a little internet search. It would make a great hot rod.

[www.cruisenewsonline.com]

Dale

It's a backwards project, but could be finished up into a sweet ride. I say backwards because the converter started with the drivetrain instead of suspension and brakes and that often does result in an abandoned project, after the initial test drive when it's discovered the car is unsafe. The builder gets discouraged after all that work and doesn't want to tackle the remaining tasks, which was why he started on the drivetrain in the first place.

As long as you don't mind taking on those things which should have been done first to begin with, you can reap huge benefits from the PO's efforts and shorten the conversion time a great deal. I think you've found yourself a very nice project and one that will be a tremendous amount of fun once it is properly completed. I wouldn't be too concerned about the rusted suspension pick up points, it's mostly sheet metal and can be easily rebuilt. There are solutions for just about any problem you are likely to find, and you do have the advantage that the car was at one time apparently driven reliably.

Jim

Yup, the welder's gonna get a workout. I already picked out a nice set of fenders from the u-pull-it to replace the rear wheel lips. Also have the channels cut to fix the frame rails and got some tube to replace the shackle mounts. Rob, the alternator is down low under the intake. Actually, I can't wait to drive this car! This thing shares front suspension with a Sunbeam Alpine, and I found some indication on an Alpine forum that you can adapt Mustang II spindles to it, which would definitely help in the brake department. We'll see. It'll take awhile to get the rust under control.

Cool project

looks like a cool project. I wish I could find one around me. Please keep us updated as you work on it more.

Don't mind the "abandoned project" patrol they seem to e out in full force lately.

Ryan,
Nice ride! I have a '59 Husky as well and though I have not yet collected all the funds needed to start my project your pics really inspire me. These are cool cars and were built well. My plans are to install anew front crossmember, a rack,4 wheel disc and a strong 60 degree V6. I catch a lot of static with that last one as everyone says I will be saying "I could have had a V8" Honestly these cars are small and I intend on having it more user friendly if you will. I want a car I can travel with free of break-downs and those V6's from '93 to '95 Camaro/Firebirds seem to be a great motor. Keep us informed on how it goes with yours. I am happy for you!
Doug

Easiest way to a good front brake upgrade is to swap the spindles for Sunbeam Alpine/Tiger spindles, as there are kits available to mount Wilwood discs and calipers. They should match well with the rears.

As for the rear spring mounts, you can either fabricate or get repair panels from the UK. Fortunately the Husky shares it's floorpan with the Alpine and Tiger, so repair panels are available. It's a great project, congrats and good luck!

Hey Jon, thanks for the interest in this old thread! I'm still working on it. The rust is all fixed and I've started the body work/filler. Unfortunately I bought a different house in June and the car work is on hiatus until the remodeling slows down. I did manage to find a series iv alpine front suspension and have all the stuff to rebuild it. I'm going to put ventilated gm rotors and metric calipers on it. That oughta make it stop.

The GM rotors and calipers will make it stop, no problem. Tip: use the 11 1/4" Grand Prix rotors rather than 10 1/2". They make for an easier installation as well as better brakes. The only downside is they will not fit inside 13" wheels, but that is not a problem with your car.

If you are looking at the way I did my brakes, you will do well to rethink the rotor/hub attachment. What I did was necessary for use with the smaller rotors and wheels. Larger components will allow a simpler methodology.

Bill

Bill, it's been awhile since I read your posts over at the saoca, so I just went back and looked again. If you see this, I'd love to hear what's different about the rotor/hub attachment with the bigger rotors.

I'm glad you asked this question, it has made me rethink the whole issue and made me realize my statement is not exactly correct.

A primary goal was to stuff all that brake inside 13" wheels. I did, but things are so tight it caused everything to be pushed toward the inside of the wheel where the I.D. is somewhat larger, creating some tough issues that I've equated with using the smaller rotors. Using a larger wheel would relieve several of those problems, but it has been so long ago I can no longer separate all the issues in my mind. At the present time I can say that use of the larger rotor will move the caliper away from the spindle upright, allowing the Speedway caliper adaptor to be bolted directly onto the upright and that is a major simplification.

In the meantime, I and Barry Knight ("Barry" on SAOCA), who was instrumental in helping me with the conversion, have moved on to 15" wheels and he has offered to give me a set of unaltered hubs to use to work out the details of the easiest and cleanest 11 1/4" rotor install. I think I will take him up on that for next winters project. Of course everything will be on line. In the meantime, if you decide to use the GM brakes, I am confident in saying there is no advantage in using the smaller rotors.

Bill



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2010 03:56PM by Orange Alpine.

Thanks Bill! I live about 40 miles from Speedway and got a gift certificate for christmas, so I think I'm going to pick up some calipers and the brackets this week. I'd like to get this all sorted out this winter and get the alpine crossmember under the Hillman by spring. It still needs paint but at least I can get the mechanicals in line.