Healey Sports Cars

mods & upgrades for Healey (Nash, Austin, or Jensen) cars, including engine swaps

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mgbrv8
David Hetrick
McAllen Texas
(78 posts)

Registered:
03/09/2008 12:49PM

Main British Car:
MGBs- 1977,1969 Vettes-1965,1984,2003 ZO6 LS1s in MGs

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Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: mgbrv8
Date: March 17, 2009 12:56PM

I can't find much more about this car. Except what hot rod has listed.

[www.hotrod.com]

Any one know were to find some build photos?


Dave
austin_healey+front_view.jpg


kev_the_mole
Ian Osborne
Purbeck, England
(1 posts)

Registered:
01/21/2009 02:59PM

Main British Car:
(1) 1954 Austin Healey 100 BN1 383 cu. in. Chevy Smallblock, 419 bhp &amp

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Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: kev_the_mole
Date: March 19, 2009 06:48PM

This car was also in 'Wheelspinner', the Modified Healey magazine, but with no more photos. Nice front suspension though!


Bugeyev8
Brian Marshall
San Leandro CA
(32 posts)

Registered:
12/16/2008 08:53PM

Main British Car:
1960 Bugeye, 1974 MGB,Triumph TR8 1.2 115 Hp 1275 in the Bugeye, Nissan Ka24DE in MG

Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: Bugeyev8
Date: July 10, 2009 03:37PM

was also in an issue of Moss Motoring


B-Fast B-Strong
William Smith

(144 posts)

Registered:
10/17/2009 11:28PM

Main British Car:
Bugeye Bodied Spriget

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Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: B-Fast B-Strong
Date: May 21, 2010 11:03PM

David ,
Your not going to find any build photo's of the car. The guy who did the build stands accused of stealing three Healey's he was working on and folded his business Healey Masters in San Fernando, California .
Will

[www.thefreelibrary.com] < here's a link to the story !


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: January 14, 2016 03:19AM

Yes, it is my car and my build with my friends including Wayne at Healey Masters. Healey Masters erroneously got full credit for the build when Dan Kahn wrote an article about the car for British Motoring and Hot Rod Magazine, This was corrected in the Roadster, the magazine of the mother club, The Healey Drivers Club (England). Here are correct details giving credit where credit is due::

1963 Austin Healey BJ7 3000 MkII convertible fabricated by me and Jim Glenn/G-Fab with modified body by Healey Masters utilizing body elements from 100-4 and 3000 roadsters with custom Rick Cresse/Tri-C Engineering grill emulating the 100S and louvered side vents, lay down windshield, functional air scoop mated to an aluminum cold air box, custom 100-4 style three-quarter inch billet aluminum dash by Walt Stevens/A&A Precision CNC Machine with oversized AutoMeter Phantom gages and hidden switches. Body and paint by Doug’s Custom and chrome by Christensen Chrome. Final detail by “Mr. Bill” Larzelere.

Powered by an Ed Doyle custom built Donovan aluminum “410” Chevrolet engine producing 607 hp with 543 foot-pounds of torque (dyno’d by Bill Maropulos) with AFR aluminum heads, Reed Oliver custom designed Crower roller cam, Crower lightweight crank and billet rods, J&E flat top pistons, and Aviaid/Paterson dry sump system; MSD 6AL ignition and billet electronic distributor; Holly 4150 double pumper carburetor by Brad/The Carburetor Shop reworked to flow 918 cfm encased in cold air box attached to the hood and port matched Weiand Team G ProFlow intake manifold; Mike Hamm double ceramic coated inside and out step headers with custom Borla stainless 3 inch exhaust system passing through the frame. Drive train includes Richmond Gear 5 speed transmission, Center Force clutch with hydraulic throw out bearing and Speedway Engineering Minilite floater 9” Ford rear end with US Gear Traction Lock limited slip. Sixteen inch drive shaft by Wenco. Custom 17” wheels by Colorado Custom with Dunlop SR9000 235/275 Z rated tires.

Heavily modified chrome moly frame with Speedway rack and pinion steering, custom push rod front suspension with Schroeder Engineering sway bar, adjustable four bar rear suspension, Watts linkage, drop link sway bar, fully adjustable Strange Engineering coil-over shocks and Wilwood dual master cylinder braking system with 6 piston aluminum billet calipers and 12 inch vented, cross-drilled grooved rotors. On-board fire system by SafeCraft.

Aerodynamic down force provided by front splitter/wing in the form a a front chin scoop, flat bottom with tunnels and NACA duct diffusers.

Weight/balance:
2465# dry weight, 2515# curb weight, 2593# wet weight (1178# front 45%/1416# rear 55%)
AH 2003-01.20 001.JPG
AH 2002-11.20 001.jpg
AH 2003-01.20 008.JPG
AH 2004-01.25 009 GNRS.jpg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2016 03:28AM by rcweingart@msn.com.


HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

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Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: January 14, 2016 12:08PM

Thanks for the great pictures and detailed write-up.

Rick


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: January 14, 2016 07:14PM

Hi Rick, I see you have '63 as well, a BJ7 or a roadster? Photos? I drafted a more in depth narrative of the evolution of my Healey over a 30 year period from my first small block circa 1970 to its final form finished in late 2003 as a driver, not a show car, but friends convinced me to enter it in the 2004 Grand national Roadster show where it won best in class. The bottom photo above is backing the Healey into it booth at the show. I'm attaching a couple more GNR show photos. Best, Ron

AH 2004-01.25 017 GNRS.jpg
AH 2004-01.25 016 GNRS.jpg
AH 2004-01.25 010 GNRS.jpg
AH 2004-01.25 007 GNRS.JPG



BWA


(344 posts)

Registered:
04/13/2010 08:13PM

Main British Car:


Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: BWA
Date: January 14, 2016 11:51PM

That car is almost too pretty to be driven!!
Top notch workmanship.

Cheers
Byron


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: January 16, 2016 08:27AM

Hi Byron,
Not so much any more but she does get to stretch her legs.
Ron
HEALEY WALLPAPER WIDESCREEN 2 EDITED - Copy.jpg


DiDueColpi
Fred Key
West coast - Canada
(1365 posts)

Registered:
05/14/2010 03:06AM

Main British Car:
I really thought that I'd be an action figure by now!

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Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: DiDueColpi
Date: January 18, 2016 04:36AM

Gogeous car. Wish it was mine,
I have no more words.

cheers
Fred


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: January 23, 2016 01:39AM

Here's the little one with a couple of her stable mates (can you identify them?) and a shot of the front suspension showing how we utilized the old shocks and converted them into bell cranks for the coil-over push rod front suspension


AUTOMEDIA SHOOT 023.jpg
AH 2002-02.09 006.JPG


HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

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Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: January 24, 2016 08:05PM

Hi Ron,

We've talked before, I think on ClubCobra. Nice garage you have there. L _ Ferrari Daytona Spyder r. Pete Brock Daytona Coupe.
Thought you'd get a kick of this V8 Healey from the 1959 Oakland Roadster Show (right down front)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/ddstnkmp/Stude-a-mino/HRDS-070033-WHERE-1-HR.jpg

Link to my BJ7 convertible build, pretty pedestrian compared to yours:


[forum.britishv8.org]


dbeliveau
Daniel Beliveau
Manchester NH
(33 posts)

Registered:
07/18/2015 07:41PM

Main British Car:
1972 Triumph Stag, 1972 Ford 302 1974 Jensen Healey, Lotus 907 stroked to 2.2 Ltr,

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: dbeliveau
Date: January 24, 2016 10:15PM

Rick,
Anything new on your Healey build?
Dan
72stag1 (300 x 225).jpg
This is what I'm starting with a 72 Stag w/ Ford 302



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2016 10:16PM by dbeliveau.


HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: January 24, 2016 10:39PM

Hey Dan,

My Healey is "finished" (to the extent they ever are) Here I am at the British Invasion in Stowe in 2014:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/healeyrick/Stowe1_zpsv2xgpz4o.jpg

Car runs great, I'm very happy with it. I've replaced the radiator on the build page with an aluminum one from Wizard Cooling which has helped quite a bit. The speedo drive gear in my tranny has apparently sheared and I'm looking at some possible fixes. And a disappointing day at the dyno leads me to believe my Sunbeam Tiger iron manifolds are costing me a lot of hp. Come spring, I'm going to try to fit some block hugger headers I got from Summit, which is likely to involve some more cutting in the footboxes and maybe pulling the motor. We'll see.


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: January 25, 2016 05:58AM

Hi Rick,
I grew up in Malden and go to the North Shore when I come back to visit.
Thanks for the Oakland photo. The Oakland Roadster Show is now the Grand National Roadster Show and, from my experience, they like hot rodded Healeys.
Looking at your build (very, very nice in detail and execution) reminded me of when I dropped my first small block in my BJ7. Bit by bit I addressed the issues a small block raises and with the increasing power with my successive engines, more and more issues resulting in changes. As for heating, I eventually went to an aluminum horizontal cross flow radiator which opened up the space under the hood scoop so I could make the hood scoop functional instead of just being a space for the radiator cap which I then added an attached cold air box so I would be sucking in all that hot engine compartment air. The factory style team works fender vents really pull a lot of hot air out but that brings you to having to decide if you want to deviate from the stock appearance. At first I kept the stock BJ7 outward appearance but had to go to the works style fender vents to get the hot engine compartment air out. I had to go to disc wheels as I was pulling spokes out of the wire wheels as horsepower increased and from there I pulled the door windows and wind wings and fabricated an aluminum tonneau to cover the rear seats for a more roadster look. At that point I wanted to get rid of the convertible doors as they were no longer functional and the chrome extension on top of the doors then looked out of place but it wasn't until my friend nearly totalled the car and I had to virtually start from scratch rebuilding it that I could do just about anything I wanted which led to my car's conversion from a four seat convertible to a two seat roadster.
Yes. 365GTB/4 Daytona Spyder and Shelby Daytona Coupe used by Carroll when he introduced it to automotive press and signed by him as well as Pete Brock and Jack Roush.
Best,
Ron
_HDL7821.JPG
_HDL7813.JPG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2016 05:59AM by rcweingart@msn.com.



bayhealey
Janelle Sahr

(18 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2015 05:54PM

Main British Car:
1956 Austin Healey 100 BN2 Chevrolet 400

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: bayhealey
Date: January 27, 2016 02:30PM

Hi Ron, Love your Healey but the Daytona coupe always gets me! I was looking into jumping into a Factory Five Type 65 coupe build with a buddy who built custom Cobras back in the day... until he had a client who wanted to sell a modified Healey 100 that my buddy had built back in the late 1980's. I took one look at the Healey and fell in love. I was completely enamored when we got it driving again. A lot cheaper than the Type 65 build (so far) but I have to say the Cobra Daytona is still my favorite race car. P.S. How did you handle the fuel tank? My Chevy is very thirsty so I'm thinking of upgrading... and the mice made homes in the boot so it needs a good cleaning. Here's me bringing it home after getting the beast running after 20 years. First time it started it blew nesting material out of one of the side pipes right under the just removed hard top causing the old headliner to catch fire. Luckily a fire extinguisher was at hand. Hope to see your car in the V8 drive I see that's being planned for August starting in the East Bay. I hope to get my beast sorted enough to join in the fun.
IMG_6542.jpg


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: February 10, 2016 11:40PM

Hi Dan, (1) My beast drinks like crazy. I get between 6 and 8 mph on 100+ fuel. One and a half HP per normally aspirated cube comes at a cost. I have a custom built 20 gallon fuel cell with a 1/2" diameter tube as my fuel line to feed the beast. (2) I was originally looking at the FFF Type 65 (I went to the factory on the Cape) but I wasn't happy with what I saw. I then learned about the Superformance Coupe, liked it, got one and helped with the engineering (including the removable tranny cross member, power windows, and such) and, then when Carroll Shelby agreed to license and then distribute the car as a Shelby, he used my car for the photo shoot as you saw above. (3) Love your car, great photo! How do you like the side pipes? I used to have side pipes with dual outlets on each side just before the rear wheels but my car is so loud that I would get terrible headaches and ended up routing my 3" exhaust pipes through the frame and then into 1 x 2's on each side to get the four tips under and out the rear of the car. Best, Ron


bayhealey
Janelle Sahr

(18 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2015 05:54PM

Main British Car:
1956 Austin Healey 100 BN2 Chevrolet 400

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: bayhealey
Date: February 24, 2016 03:28PM

A short time after getting the old gal running (after 20 years of slumber) I took my Healey to a small hot rod show that our neighborhood pizza place hosts that’s about 4 blocks from my house. There was local guy there with a lovely Superformance Cobra. He was admiring my Healey and he noted somewhat wistfully that he had just rebuilt his engine and that the Cobra was a bit of a handful. I noticed his bandaged calf. He had burned it on his side pipes. The location of my pipes relative to the door makes it nearly impossible to burn your legs getting out so that’s a plus. They work great and aren’t to noisy but they are just so visually big.

The CAM is very mild and the car isn’t too shouty unless prompted; a very nice driver. The 400 block is very torquey almost like a diesel. There’s a plate on the shifter that says “Built by S-Car-Go”. There is a San Rafael Porsche speed shop with that name so I’ve been meaning to bug them to see if they remember back in the late 1980’s building a Chevy for a Healey.

Yeah Superformance has a very nice product but the Factory-Five was more in line with the budget I promised to keep myself limited. When the old Healey needed a new home I couldn’t resist. Bonus was that for the same budget (I hope) I’ll get the car just how I want it and keep another Healey on the road.

As for gas mileage I think I’m getting about 8-10 mpg. The old Lucas sender hooked-up to a Stewart Warner gauge is more of a suggestion. I’m planning to upgrade the tank capacity with something that can handle longer trips. Maybe a fuel cell for safety… the things you think about when you realize your rear “crumple-zone” is a 60 year old gas tank.

Here’s a short clip of my car warming-up on a cold day in my garage: [youtu.be]

P.S. I missed this year but might try and make this next year.. somehow I think your car would fit right in... [www.drivingwhileawesome.com]


rcweingart@msn.com
RONALD WEINGART
Agoura, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
01/13/2016 05:13PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 aluminum Donovan (sm block Chevy) 407 CID, 607 HP

authors avatar
Re: Can you idenify this healey
Posted by: rcweingart@msn.com
Date: February 25, 2016 12:48AM

I burnt my calf once exiting the Daytona Coupe, just once, and now I know to extend my legs far enough to clear the two mufflers. Once burnt is enough. My Daytona Coupe has a 585 HP Roush 427 small block with DFI and eight velocity stacks but the Healey gets more power per cube than the Roush. It is a one ever Donovan aluminum 400 small block, 406 cubes, putting out 609 HP. a genuine one and a half HP per cube. Obviously I have a radical cam but I kept the compression ratio to only 11.5:1 for the street and the cam is sweet enough that she is very streetable so long as I keep the revs at least 1500 plus. Peak HP is a 6600 but stays above 500 HP well past 7500 rpm. With a dry sump and lightened billet rotating components she revs quickly and red lines at 9000 although I set the rev limiter at 8000 but, even so, I routinely hit the rev limiter when I get on the throttle she revs so quickly and so high. I port matched everything and kept the cross section of my runners small so the velocity through the induction system is very high and throttle response is instantaneous as opposed to the typical large heads and runners that flow a lot of air to get the high HP but at slower induction velocities resulting in slower throttle response and not uncommonly throttle bog. The Healey also has 3" exhaust pipes with unbaffled straight flow custom 3" Borla mufflers and step headers so exhaust restriction is minimal but sound maximum. You can hear the Healey coming from miles away so my wife says - and that's at street revs, she really roars at higher revs and with gear drive she sounds like she has a supercharger between the whirring of the timing gears and the 928 cfm Holley sucking copious amounts of air - which explains 6 to 8 mpg on 100 plus octane.


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