67 Barnfind, pulled the trigger

[hottvr]

Found this car in a garage under a plane. Been sitting since 86. Got it home and have been working steadily to get her on the road. Still haven't turned the key or put a battery in. Fuel tank and radiator are getting serviced, brakes and clutch system are done, working on cooling system now. Engine and electrics are next. Cosmetics will come last when she's on the road. Rick

 

[rjc157]

Wow how lucky are you how much did it cost

 

[aeronca65t]

Wow! It'll be a challenge of course. But looks like a great find!

 

[hottvr]

Bought it from the original owner (had original title). He was a pilot and she was an attendant. Found lots of foreign coins and bullets of different calibers in the glove box. Car came with another set of HD 8's and a manifold, new top and patch panels for the affected areas. Chrome is fabulous paint is shot. Outriggers and floorboards are great. Still positive ground. Seats are nice, need a carpet kit. Need to redo the wood. Original owner pickeled the engine well before putting away so I've got high hopes it will start without an engine rebuild. Ran when parked.

 

[nevets]

Impressive panel fits

 

[hottvr]

Just realized what number post that was. Thought I'd post another one to get off 666.

 

[HealeyRick]

Looks like some outer sills and doglegs will fix up your rust repairs. That's great. What are your plans for the exterior?

 

[hottvr]

Plan on fixing the sills and doglegs with the included patch panels and paint it at home.

 

[Keoke]

Well the only solution for the rest of us is to move where they have a whole lot of Barns !!.:congratulatory:

 

[HealeyRick]

Plan on fixing the sills and doglegs with the included patch panels and paint it at home.

Probably a very good candidate for painting at home. Just my thoughts, but I'd probably remove all the fender and doors, hood and trunk, fix the rust, and repaint. A solid red isn't so sensitive to painting the parts off the car as a metallic is. You'll probably want to take the windshield off, too, to do a really nice job. The hardtop, as a non-factory, isn't a real improvement to the look of the car.

Well the only solution for the rest of us is to move where they have a whole lot of Barns !!.:congratulatory:

Funny, I was just having this conversation this past weekend with some Cobra replica guys that those of us who live in New England have a big advantage. Old cars (like my SCCA racer) used to get pushed into the barn when they were no longer at the top of the game. But for the barn, they would've been sold or trashed. No barns - no old cars.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Plan on fixing the sills and doglegs with the included patch panels and paint it at home.

Do you have dogleg repair panels with the wrapped-wire 'lip' on the wheel well side? One of the first things a Healey-knowledgeable person (potential buyer) will do is run their fingers along the wheel well edges to see if there's been a repair. Best if you can do the repair and leave the original lip intact. Also, some of the aftermarket sills don't have the slight curve along the bottom that distinguishes Healeys (for all intents and purposes there isn't a perfectly straight line anywhere on the body). Kilmartin has both, and are the best (remaining) repair panel suppliers.

Nice acquisition, BTW.

 

[Jerry]

Barnfinds, Barnfinds, I keep hearing about that and so I went out to my barn and found a TR4. Not an Austin Healey. Maybe if I leave it for a few more years, it will change into a Healey?
Jerry

 

[BJ8Healeys]

Congratulations on your find, hottvr! Good luck on the restoration.

I hope you will allow me to add the car to the BJ8 Registry. If you haven't noticed the BJ8 REGISTRY button at the top of the Healeys forum page, you can use that to get to the questionnaire page where you can contribute the details of your car to the registry. As of today, the registry has data and records for 8,462 of the 17,712 BJ8s originally manufactured (48%). Over the 16 years that I have been the BJ8 Registrar, the registry as a resource and database has been very beneficial to lot of owners who have had occasion to use it.

 

[pan]

That is one great find. A lot of originality there like the trim. Such a find deserves a full restoration.

 

[DrEntropy]

A little mutant told me you've got the radiator back in, Rick. How goes the effort?

 

[hottvr]

Brake system done, clutch done, cooling system done, working on suspension now. Still haven't tried to turn the key on it yet.