pics of my bt7

I'm 25 and this car has been in the family forty years it's an heirloom. I'm also a realist I know it's gonna need a restoration becasue my driver side outrigger is close to gone where it meets the outerpanel. Also there's a dent in the rear passenger fender when someone backed up into it. the passender front fender needs metal because my dad ran over a curve. My driver door has some holes. I know at the very least i have to pull all the outer panels off to repair them. I plan on spending 20k for the restoration. When I get a career I'll save four grand for five years and then take it to a brit restoration shop or someone who knows what they're doing. My dad did the resto in the eighties pulled all the panels off pulled the drivetrain had it rebuilt by healey surgeons (have all documentation). But in the end you don't know how bad your car is untill your tear it apart. My hope would be to do a nice resto without removing the drivetrain. Ill post more pics when i can. also the chassis rails are in great shape and floorpans have no rust the bottom is pretty clean mainly surface rust. except for that driver outrigger and one in the trunk. I would love for a real bmc man to look at the car and tell me what's up. Beacause to me a healey is in the end a healey. And if i sell it i'd buy another one at the same time because i can't bbe without one i dont know guys. I realize restorations can quickly put somebody way in over their heads. and it's allot difeerent than the routine maintenance i perform give me some info or feedback anything...
https://pradazzi.imgur.com/all/

until last year the car was outside since 1995 bearing all the elements with nothing more than a car cover. so i know rust is my enemy it makes me sad but like i said i can't be without a healey....i think it's in decent shape by seeing how the bottom of other healeys look from the northwest for example. I'm gonna need to go to bare frame. And I think with patience and help from the bcf, i can put her back together...but i don't know how much money i will end up spending. i'm young and i got time on my side. I just am scared as heck. I don't know what a ground up restoration would cost and everyone says whatever you think triple it!! well how on earth would i know!! I think 20 grand is plenty just for body work. I could disassemble most of the car. Outer panels seems pretty straightforward just some Bolts and patience. The drivetrain is solid and it's numbers matching. I could do the interior myself. but the body i mean darn. MOst of what i see is surface rust except for the two outriggers. and some patchwork here and there. when i see a healey i see my dad and i don't plan on having kids or anything until the healey is taken care of. or i buy another one and sell mine. This car is my top prioirity and has been since my father passed. I love healeys any tips thoughts? maybe if someone could tell me how much they spent for a ground up i'd know if it's more than thirty....well that's bad. Like i said the rails are good and i don't see rot anywhere except that outrigger? I don't need a concorse car just something to drive strong and give to my son

uploading more pics right now

please someone take pity on me

Hey Tri_Carb

Have you made viewing your photos available to every one? can not seem to be able to view 'em



Bob

changed

just put two pics of the real bad rust on the driver out rigger and the trunk outrigger...the rest is bs surface rust that will be fixed when i restore

That's better

You have some work to do, but it looks as if you can drive it off the forecourt as it is. What are the shut lines like?



Bob

im assuming shut lines are where the panels bolt to the chassis. if so they're in good shape i could easily remove the panels

Hey Tri Carb,
First of all, it's really cool that you have your Dad's car and want to restore it and keep it in the family ! Secondly, asking for help when looking to restore one of these is highly recommended too. The VERY FIRST thing I would suggest is you join one or both of the national Austin Healey Clubs as got to be a lot of members in south Florida who could offer you some local help at least from looking at your Healey. Here are their websites as once you join you can get a directory online and look up who lives close to you and then give 'em a call and yell "HELP, what do I do ?".

www.healey.org - Austin Healey Club of USA
www.healeyclub.org - Austin Healey Club of America

The USA club has a great series of restoration articles by Roger Moment and Gary Anderson, two of the premier Healey guru's, that you can download as a pdf file and is best source I have seen to detail a restoration.

I would try to get someone from of the clubs to help you review your car before you start taking off panels, parts, pieces, etc. I just took a quick look and there are at least a dozen members of the AHCUSA that live in south Florida so maybe one of them can take a look at your Healey.

AS to your car, try to get more pictures posted on your website but as Bob said it doesn't look too bad from what we can see but obviously you need to address the outrigger/s as you already know. Cannot tell what shape the inner and outer sills are in - rocker panels to us yanks - as if the outrigger is bad the inner sill -on inside of rocker panel area- might be bad too. Post some pictures of that area, area behind the door shut line - dog leg - as those are the first areas to go bad from the tin worm. Sure a lot of guys on the forum will offer help. BTW, shut lines are the gaps created when you close your doors as they should be equal all around,and the swage lines - crease running down the sides - should line up.

Good luck and continue to ask for help !
Regards,
Mike
Beaufort,SC

Very cool!

There is nothing that can't be fixed and made servicable for years and years to come. My path would be to get all the car in good running order and the rust taken care of. I wouldn't do paint or interior until you have a garage you could keep it in. From the pics I see, I think you could do rust, body, paint and interior for under the $20K mark, but you really don't know what you have until it is on a lift and inspected.

Keep us posted!

Tri Carb, your car is in great shape except for the few places eaten away. With your lack of funds, I wouldn't worry about anything painted white. Repair the fenders and rockers and the outriggers. Then you'd only have to repaint the red area. Take it to a body shop and get an estimate. I'd think way less than $5,000. Then get new carpet for about $500.
You may also try to get an appraisal of your car in it's current condition and see what restored ones are selling for. That would give you some idea of the worth of going all the way. Your father would be proud of your passion for his legacy to you. My son has never even asked to drive mine.

Tri Carb- thanks for sharing the pics link, and glad to see another younger member interested in Healeys. I'm 39 and have always considered myself younger than most of the Healey enthusiasts I come across. Having been down the same road as you- full of enthusiasm but lacking funds- and because you asked for it- I suggest a few things until you establish a career and steady income:

- As mentioned here already by Mike, Bob, Healey Z, Tim, etc, join a local Healey Club. Take advantage of the vast years of knowledge which resides in their member base. Most Healey owners are proud to share their knowledge and help whenever possible, along with parts resources. Show up to a meeting with your car, take a look at their cars and ask a lot of questions. If they aren't helpful, don't be discouraged- find another less-grumpy owner who remembers what it was like when they were 25 and full of enthusiasm for their car. Don't be surprised when you find that 75-year old club member has just as much enthusiasm as you, and a lot more experience. Listen to them, learn from them and respect what they tell you.

- In my opinion, from looking at your pictures- your car looks very presentable as-is and has the advantage of a rebuilt drivetrain. Keep it in safe running, driving condition until you have a steady income and some funds saved up. As mentioned, have a knowledgeable club member look at your car...you might find that they suggest some relatively minor things to keep it in driving shape until you have the funds and experience to tackle a lot more.

- Already mentioned- get the car in a garage- this will help battle your biggest enemy- rust. The rust that's present in the outriggers shouldn't prevent you from driving the car. Others might disagree but you could find a guy who welds and have some angle-iron welded as a temporary cap over the outriggers to reinforce the area, until you can do a full restoration. Of course he'll want to cut out the rusted metal and apply some rust-preventative coating to keep rust at bay.

- Buy a Haynes manual for your car, or get a Moss Motors catalog for free- both include diagrams of the frame.

- Sand that 5" dented exposed passenger side dent to clean metal and apply some rust-converting primer and paint to keep rust from forming there.

- Avoid feeling overwhelmed. Make a list of priorities and stick to it. As you pointed out- time is on your side.

- Resist the temptation to tear your car apart....because before you know if 2 years will pass and trying to remember how things go back together will be fuzzy at best. If you do decide to take things apart- take advantage of technology- take lots of digital pics, especially close-ups- so you'll have a reference for assembly in the future. And don't throw anything away- you might need the old part for reference later.

- Drive your Healey at least once a week to keep the hydraulics functioning (brakes, clutch). These cars like to be exercised.

- Keep it original and establish a stock, reliable baseline. Although a few of my cars are modified, I bought them that way. Resist the temptation to install beefier anti-sway bars, a hot cam, bumpin' stereo, nitrous etc. until you take care of some of the necessary things (brakes, suspension bushings, good wire wheels and tires) so that you can stop safely and drive down the road without shaking all over the place. A stock Healey in good running condition is fun to drive, gets way more attention than the most tricked-out Miata, and will hold it's value. If you decide to do some performance upgrades, keep the original parts.

- Stick with what's important to you. I saw your pics of the Miata and assume it's yours. Those are great daily-drivers. But I'm guessing it doesn't hold the sentimental value that your Healey has, so always try to keep that in mind. I've dabbled with other cars; I have a 993 and a '93 rx-7 FD, but there are thousands of them around. There's only one Healey which belonged to your dad. I don't think you will, but try not to forget that and in a flurry of frustration decide to sell your car and buy the latest turbocharged Mazda, Honda S2000, Subaru WRX etc. If you do, you might really regret it later.

That's my 2 cents. The search function on this forum is very useful, so try that first before hitting the panic button. You've taken an important step by reaching out to the members here. There are some really helpful people on this forum and in the wider Healey community.
Good luck!
Austin

the shut lines are even on both sides and the crease lines up well....but should i drive the car? i drive it once a week. start it every day. and i drive it lightly about forty and never on the highway.....? just basically around the block to grab an esspresso. i may have given the impression that i'm going to start pulling everything apart. not the case it's at least six years away. i will try to find a welder though. and join the healey clubs!!

Very good advice above. I would add to keep all parts you remove and take pictures of everything as you take it off. Old parts have value and most can be rebuilt. Many new parts aren't as good as the originals.
I take exception to that age thing. Our cars keep us young.

Hey Tri Carb,
I'd make sure it checks out as safe to drive, meaning brakes, steering, and then drive it as much as you can ! Great that you want to drive it and if it does check out okay, don't be afraid to get on a highway and enjoy it at 60 to 70 mph. Will put a real smile on your face and Healey's need to be driven to keep 'em running better. The fact that your Dad had Healey Surgeons rebuild the engine is great since they do fantastic work. Just make sure it's safe to drive and enjoy it for now.
Regards,
Mike

have to bleed the brakes and the healey will be beack in no time. the car stops straight as an arrow and drives very straight!

Resist the temptation to tear your car apart...

Tri-carb-
While you're inspecting the brakes- check the condition of the 2 rubber front brake hoses and the one flexible rubber hose above the rear axle. They tend to dry up and crack over time. They are cheap to replace and it's a pretty simple DIY job if you're planning to bleed the brakes anyway. Plus it's good insurance (see Mike's advice above). Also check the oil level in the steering box and top up if necessary. When was the last time the thermostat and radiator hoses were replaced? I'd consider replacing those as well. In hot Florida summers, I'd pay attention to that temp gauge.

ahealey1004, excellent advice. Thank you for taking the time to write such well thought responses.