100/6 vs 3000 driving experiences

[Brinkerhoff]

Welcome first time Healey restorer ! May the light of your optimism never dim and may the Goddess of proper door gaps lead you on to success.

 

[HealeyRick]

Bob,

Wanna know what makes spot welding easy? "Big Blue", a $25k welder in my auto body voke tech class:

Here it is in action welding the under bonnet bracing back in that was removed in order to louver it:

After a couple of minutes of instruction, I can proudly say "I are a welder".

 

[tdskip]

Thanks Bob, very helpful.

These are the best for gap pictures I have.

 

[dougie]

Bob -

Looks like a great project with many adventures ahead. PM me when you get to the engine and suspension, my spares are pilling up, even my wife noticed :chargrined:. BJ8 400lbs front coil springs and 4-pot front disc brakes are a nice addition (I have extra of both).

 

[tdskip]

Thanks for the discussion gentlemen, will take all the wind in my sails you all can offer.

The car comes with a disc brake bits, but not the calipers and rotors. Do I need different wheels than factory to run those?

 

[steveg]

Bob -

Looks like a great project with many adventures ahead. PM me when you get to the engine and suspension, my spares are pilling up, even my wife noticed :chargrined:. BJ8 400lbs front coil springs and 4-pot front disc brakes are a nice addition (I have extra of both).

Are those calipers Volvo or Jag Girlings?

 

[steveg]

Thanks for the discussion gentlemen, will take all the wind in my sails you all can offer.

The car comes with a disc brake bits, but not the calipers and rotors. Do I need different wheels than factory to run those?

You'll need 72 or 60 spoke replacements as those 48s are unsafe.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Thanks Bob, very helpful.

These are the best for gap pictures I have.

View attachment 51776View attachment 51777 View attachment 51778 View attachment 51779

YW. Those gaps look very good to me; the right side is perhaps better than the left. The last photo shows the correct bottom curve and the line of the rear dogleg. It's possible this car has never had serious body or chassis damage, or if it has it was repaired skillfully. This makes this car an excellent restoration prospect. Drivetrain work pales in comparison to the work and expense of repairing the bodies of Healeys, but the body is what we love (well, that AND the drivetrain).

 

[Bob_Spidell]

"Wanna know what makes spot welding easy? "Big Blue", a $25k welder in my auto body voke tech class:"

No fair! Like bringing a SAW to a knife fight!

 

[dougie]

Are those calipers Volvo or Jag Girlings?[/QUOTE

Neither.....They're Coopercraft

https://www.coopercraft.co.uk/index.php/2010/11/kit-1-cast-iron-non-vented-front/

 

[tdskip]

Thanks Steve.

Assuming Dayton Wire Wheel tubeless are the ticket? OR, tubeless minilights.

 

[tdskip]

YW. Those gaps look very good to me; the right side is perhaps better than the left. The last photo shows the correct bottom curve and the line of the rear dogleg. It's possible this car has never had serious body or chassis damage, or if it has it was repaired skillfully. This makes this car an excellent restoration prospect. Drivetrain work pales in comparison to the work and expense of repairing the bodies of Healeys, but the body is what we love (well, that AND the drivetrain).

That is encouraging to hear. She has been off the road for 38 years, supposedly a California car originally and then stored inside in Oregon.

 

[Randy Forbes]

"Wanna know what makes spot welding easy? "Big Blue", a $25k welder in my auto body voke tech class:"

No fair! Like bringing a SAW to a knife fight!

You can find a decent facsimile on ebay; paid less than $600.00 for this (new Lenco @ $1200.00).

Though re-branded by Snap-On (and sold for twice the price__$2400.00!!) this Lenco Spot II has already proven to be quite handy in the shop, and could be worth its weight in gold if I ever did another set of floors/sills/rockers on a Healey! It will produce a pair (2) of spot-welds from one (1) side of the panel at once, or you can use the clamp-type accessory for joining parts near their edges.

Because of the height I normally work at__NOT BENT OVER__I made up a stand to elevate it so the cables could reach. I also had the stand and cover powder-coated Blue to match the other machines in the shop

The business end

And the clamp-type; suitable for joining sill halves, and maybe the bottom of the rockers (3-layers might be too much stack-height?)

Some test strikes

I bought it to do a factory replica job of replacing the trunkfloor in this E-46 wagon; nothing wrong with the existing floor, but the owner was building an M3 version, and to fit its factory exhaust system, the floor had to be changed out (yes, some BMW owners are just as deranged as we are... :hammer: )

Clamp-tool works great__anywhere it can reach!

But the pistol-grips have few limits where they can go!

I've done ther plug-weld thing__restored two (2) Big Healeys and an MGB that way__but the 2-handled spot-welder is the way to go; much faster and easier installation, and next to zero post-weld grinding. If tool budget is an issue, find a decent one on ebay, get your project done and then sell it on (but once you use it, it'll be hard to let it go...).

Sorry about all the non-Healey pictures, but I was just trying to get my point across. Oh, and the wagon's owner was floored by how nice it turned out; almost as if BMW had caved to demand and built an M3 Touring (wagon)!

 

[tdskip]

More tools, yum.

Nice work!

 

[Michael Oritt]

Randy--

With the welder weighing 120 pounds, according to these guys that will come to $2,247,193.63 per unit:

https://onlygold.com/m/Prices/YourWeightInGold.asp

Let's call it a cool $2,000,000.00 per welder, so how many would you like?

 

[DerekJ]

IMHO for any run of the mill Healey (ie not a famous works car, 100S etc) a replacement engine is no problem at all. There are many such cars around, mine included. Matching numbers is a concept promoted by dealers in an attempt to maximise prices. I couldn't care less. In addition, many cars claiming to be matching numbers might not be as the engine number only exists on a small metallic tag riveted on to the block. Many have fallen off and been lost during restorations and it is so easy to order a replacement tag with any number you want. Don't worry, enjoy the car and the restoration.

 

[John Turney]

Thanks Steve.

Assuming Dayton Wire Wheel tubeless are the ticket? OR, tubeless minilights.

Dayton yes, Minilite would not be correct. Some people run with them, but they might not be accepted for your events.

As for the calipers, most everyone, (me included) use Girling calipers, but if the organizers get sticky (and some organizations do), Dunlops from a 100S are correct. You might need to check with Denis Welch Motorsports, https://www.bighealey.co.uk/healey-100s/100s-brakes.

 

[steveg]

Dayton yes, Minilite would not be correct. Some people run with them, but they might not be accepted for your events.

As for the calipers, most everyone, (me included) use Girling calipers, but if the organizers get sticky (and some organizations do), Dunlops from a 100S are correct. You might need to check with Denis Welch Motorsports, https://www.bighealey.co.uk/healey-100s/100s-brakes.

Start adding up all those DW pieces and pretty soon you're in the stratosphere. Hard to believe any event organizer would refund your $7000 because you had Girlings instead of Dunlops.

In the California Mille last year there were modified Speedsters and a BN2 with fuel injection and a crank-fired ignition. It's the spirit of the event that counts.

 

[John Turney]

Start adding up all those DW pieces and pretty soon you're in the stratosphere. Hard to believe any event organizer would refund your $7000 because you had Girlings instead of Dunlops.

In the California Mille last year there were modified Speedsters and a BN2 with fuel injection and a crank-fired ignition. It's the spirit of the event that counts.

Thanks for doing the addition. I have heard of some European events that require the Dunlops.

 

[steveg]

Thanks for doing the addition. I have heard of some European events that require the Dunlops.

Maybe the real Italian mille miglia.