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Nasty back to original???

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Jerry

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I have been thinking of a new project to work on and probably want to do another AH (my third). I own two extra engines and have been looking for a potential car project that may have been a nasty so I can use an engine. But, I am not sure if that is a good plan. What do you think Nastys are selling for these days?

Jerry
 
Jerry, from what I see the Nasties sell for much less than original cars. But it can take quite a bit more than an engine to restore a nasty back to stock. In my experience, the conversions remove many of the stock parts and alter the chassis/body of the car.
 
Each Nasty Boy will present different challenges reverting back to original. Some are more highly modified than others. It's easier to make a modified car by removing lots of vital parts than it is to try to preserve as much of the Healey as possible. I'd be leery of trying to bring back a car with a lot of chassis mods unless you're ready to spring for a new chassis. Also you need to check for any chassis twisting from overenthusiastic launches. Here's what I'd look for in evaluating a potentional car. Try to find an old conversion without the motor and trans, these sometimes go for short money on eBay. A Ford conversion takes less room than a Chevy, so that would be preferable. Look to see how the motor mounts were handled, sometimes the Healey ones are torched off, making problems later. Check the chassis for any alterations. Sometimes a Chevy conversion will involve notching the chassis for clearance of the starter which would be a negative. The footboxes will be narrowed in any case, Chevy's more than Fords so plan on rebuilding them. Check the transmission mount that you'll need to remove. The tunnel has also been modified, thee question is how much. The rear axle has probably been replaced, see whether the suspension and shock mounts have been hacked. If the car ran headers instead of iron manifolds, there may have been mods in the front chassis area, check for them. Those are the main things I can think of, but converting to a V8 can also mean a lot of little mods, too, like throttle linkages, radiator mounting, clutch linkages, etc. Like evaluating any prospective project, it's all in choosing the right car and choosing the wrong one could be very expensive. However, I've seen some pretty rusty stock cars brought back as well. When I did my conversion, I tried to do the fewest modifications possible to allow someone to convert it back if they wish. Take a look at my build to get an idea what mods will be done: https://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,8264
 
I recently looked at a BN7 someone had nastied up. I thought the same about converting it back. Nice body but flared rear fenders. Price way below what one would bring stock. A PO had cut the rear frame, at least 18" out of each side so a Chevy rear could go in and then boxed over it. A lot of time and money spent. What a shame, that car could of been worth 3/4 times what he was asking had it been stock. I didn't even make an offer.

marv
 
Hey Jerry, we should have gotten together when I bought my MKII with the Datsun motor in it. I'm just down the road from you in Loomis. It was in decent condition, but needed a motor/clutch. I picked it up for $12-$13k. I looked for a Healey drivetrain, which was my initial thought, but the math didn't pencil out. The car is gone, but my point is that they are out there.
 
Yea, 13K is looking good for a project now. I saw one on ebay that was only 9k but the frame was gone. I will keep my eyes out. I also have an extra cooper 1275 engine and transmission. Maybe I can find a mini instead.

Jerry
 
if i were to do that i would find a very nice conversion with mostly stock parts and start from there. i bought a very nice bj7 with a chevy motor and powerglide transmission.. i did not intend to revert back to original but i did want it to appear as original as possible. spend lots of dollars doing that....then i bought a 100-6 two seater in very good condition...and, i prefer to drive the nasty...stock healeys are just to slow for me and it has been my experience that a proper conversion drives and handles much better than an original with the heavy and overheating front end....the sixes they sound really good but the roar of a properly tuned v8 aint bad either. there is a rough conversion on ebay right now! good luck
 

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I saw that on ebay. With all the dents in the body, I wonder how bad that rust on the frame is. All the fenders had dents, almost looks like your race car. (just joking)

I think a good project will show up!

Jerry
 
dougie said:
Here's something to look at: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...cf06bd8f3&item=261731637491&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
Click to expand...

A few observations about this one that illustrate my points above. Engine mount towers are still intact, good. Motor has been installed without a lot of cutting (in fact, clearance looks really tight, spark plug changes must have been tough. Trans tunnel original?(did they get the shift lever through the original sideshift hole, I'm not familiar with the BN6 tunnel?) MGB rear end is a strange choice, less robust than the Healey, but probably installed with original mounting points. One more thing I forgot to mention if the car ran dual exhausts as most did, the right side outrigger will be clearanced for the pipe, check to see if it was bodged. Floors look good and doesn't appear to be a lot of body rust. OTOH, side arrows are backwards, so probably a deal breaker.
 
I think if you find a nasty with an engine, you should tidy it up as needed to be a nice driver and not overheat the engine or passengers in Sacramento weather.
 
I like that one as it is. It would be way too much work to redo the fenders and other changes. Besides, it might be fun to drive!

Jerry
 
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