Am I crazy?

[Harold brandner]

I had the crazy idea to stick a Viper engine into a 1960 3000 two seater. I even have someone that might finance it. Might be possible with frame reinforcements, all the electronic work, modern brake system, special rear differential, etc etc. Would be the fastest Healey around and only one in the world /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Am I crazy?

 

[Klepper]

I am a purist at heart, so I wouldn't want to see a nice BN7 modified. The BN7 is also rare, with only 2800 or so built. But that is just my humble opinion!

Hey, if you are going to modifiy it though, I'll buy the 3000 engine, brakes, and swap your BN7 vin tag with my BN6 tag!

 

[stever]

Sounds to me a lot like the MIG 25 design: Put a big enough engine in something and it sure will go fast! I, frankly, must be missing the point somehow. Yes, I suppose I would have to answer with: "Yes".

 

[bradal]

Yes, Harold, you're crazy. AL Bradley

 

[Bruce Bowker]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, Harold, you're crazy. AL Bradley

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. Rarish car. Preserve it. Would be interesting though to see if it even fits.

 

[Harold brandner]

wasn't really my idea....the guy that wants to finance it contacted me to see if it was possible. he owns a few one of a kind cars and hotrods and such.
with enough money anything is possible....

 

[Patton]

Get him to do it to a Saxon or one of the other Healey style kit cars. It wouldn't waste a perfectlly good Healey, and he could have the appearance along with upgrades.

 

[bradal]

Personally, I believe this goes to prove that money cannot buy good taste. Would this guy agree to pick on a Chevrolet or Studebaker and sell the Healey to someone who would enjoy it for what it is? AL Bradley

 

[Harold brandner]

I've never butchered a Healey with a V8 or some other garbage. I've seen a 100M that someone wasted and did a V8 conversion on (what were they thinking??). I think I'm just going to tell him its not doable on a Healey and keep the car to restore myself.

 

[aeronca65t]

If I wanted to use a Viper engine in a recreated classic car, I'd look at something like Jay Leno's Chrysler-powered "Tank-Car" (which has a Chrysler-built V-12 engine taken from a Patton Army tank).....maybe build something from scratch that looked like the giant aero-engined roadster/racers of the 30's (and save that AH for restoration).

But I guess it's possible....lengthwise, you might pull it off, especially is you used some sort of IRS, with a frame-mounted diff and short-short drive shaft. I'd guess that width would be the problem. It might end up looking more bloated than the experimental Austin Healey 4000 (which I believe was widened after being cut longitudinally).


Leno's Tank Car

 

[Patton]

Wow, what a car!

I may not like Leno in the tonight show, but I do like him as a car collector. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

[ QUOTE ]
If I wanted to use a Viper engine in a recreated classic car, I'd look at something like Jay Leno's Chrysler-powered "Tank-Car"

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[John Loftus]

Not much crazier than this:

https://www.ntahc.org/modifiedhealeys/Photos/126Marian/Marian.htm

Cheers,
John

 

[Cottontop]

I perked up at the comment about putting a Viper engine in a Healey 3000 and was almost put off by the comment about having “never butchered a Healey with a V8 or some other garbage”.

Rather than assuming that ALL Healey V8 engine swaps and other modifications are “butchered”, I invite you to visit our web site and see the level of engineering and the quality of the work that these Healey owners have. There are over 180 big Healeys, Sprites, and Jensens to see.

I’d like to point out two things.

Without exception, these owners of these cars have done ALL of their own engineering and ALL of their own assembly. Unlike owning a stock Healey, there IS NO place that a Modified owner can go and just write a check and have someone else do the work for them.

Almost without exception, the owners of these cars did not “ruin a perfectly good Healey” to get the car that you’ll see. Nearly ALL started with an abandoned or unused relic or rescued car from a junkyard. Look at car # 6 and car # 124. How many Healey enthusiasts would spend the money to rebuilt THOSE ? Also, few among us would take a $50K 100-M and turn it into a $20K Modified.

I invite you all to take a look at the cars on the web site. Especially THESE:
www.ntahc.org/modifiedhealeys

3 – Matthews – Racetrack clocked at 158 MPH

6 – Wright – Runs in the 11’s @ 126 MPH in the ¼. Radiator in the TRUNK

13 – Bancar – 850 HP ‘Nuff Said !

14 – Beasley – Jaguar 120 engine in a 100M - Nice Job !

34 – Delzer – Supercharged Gurney/Westlake Chevy in a 100-4 - Beautiful !

35 – Deringer – Aluminum Buick V8 in a 100-4

61 – Wicker – Tuned Port Chevy V8 in a BJ8

124 – Boles – NASCAR Crate Motor

126 – Marian – BIG BLOCK HEMI in a Sprite

130 – Grauman – Ford SHO in a 100-4

158 – Davies – West Coast Show Award Winner

160 – Farmer – Formula 1 race car with a Healey body.

185 – Sachs – Supercharged Ford in a BN-1

I’m not trying to change your, or anybody else’s, mind, but given the level of engineering, mechanical skill, attention to detail, to say nothing about the amount of money, invested in their cars, (whether you’d do it or not) AND for keeping another Healey on the road, I think that these Healey owners deserve some respect.

As far as the Viper/Healey being the fastest car around…. He’d have to stand in line.

Tim Moran (Car 1) – Web Master
Modified Austin Healey Registry - www.ntahc.org/modifiedhealeys

 

[Guest]

Harold you arent crazy but the other guy is loony! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
jv

 

[Guest]

yes you're crazy but so am I /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Ralph F.]

If your customer is looking for a one-of-a-kind car to build, why not put the Viper engine in a kit car chassis, like the Superformance Cobra ? Then you could upgrade with the proper size brakes, etc. and do it right.
Engine conversions in Healeys just don't make good economic sense these days (if they ever did), and they end up destroying the resale value of the car. I vote on the side of the purists.

 

[PC]

I would disagree with the statement "... there IS NO place that a Modified owner can go and just write a check and have someone else do the work for them." There are outfits that do one-of-a-kind projects, customs and modifications. You just have to write REALLY BIG checks.

I would agree that a radical custom, done skillfully, is a better fate for a classic than the crusher.

Since you will need to cut, paste, bend, fold, spindle and mutilate everything in the car for a project like that there is no point in starting with a good car.

I say find a basket case that nobody will be restoring anyway and go for it.


PC.

 

[jayarbee]

I had a ride in Richard Grauman's car (#130) and was very impressed--and the car looks bone stock! He also has a very good chronology describing everything that went into his project--very good reading. BTW, back in 1964, when I owned my first Healey, a BN2, the purists were just as adamant about "destroying" a Healey. I paid $790 for an eight year old Healey which ran great, and sold it at a loss one year later for $650. These cars were cool (alot cooler than MGAs) but they were not yet classics.

 

[Cottontop]

I, too, have ridden in the 100-4 that Richard built. It is indeed a UNIQUE masterpiece !
https://members.cox.net/rdgrauman/Healey.html

It is amazing how he took a transverse mounted Ford SHO engine and turned it around and put it into the 100-4.

What is interesting is that below 3,000 RPMs it truly sounds like a Healey, but over 3,000 it screams like a Ferrarri ! All while looking BOX STOCK.

JRB, while you were with Richard, did you see his 100-6 project ? Imagine... TWO 4-hole fuel injection set-ups for his V8. Better than 4 Webbers. I can't wait till August to see what he has accomplished. He is truly a master engineer and crafstman.

Tim

 

[ThomP]

It's his car, money and taste, if it makes sense to you; do it! I've seen cars that weren't worth restoring that turned into beautiful Hot Rods. The 7 you speak of could already be "dead" and this is the path to resurrection.

You are definately crazy, but that goes without saying, you're a "car guy". In a practical sense, anything beyond basic, point a to point b transportation is crazy. You want to Hot Rod a Healey; you aren't the first, you won't be the last.