Engine Pictures

[LAW75]

LAW75, good luck with your concours event.
Here's what I see needs to be addressed (I've numbered them for further discussion) to be concours correct:

1) Bumble bee wire not correct
2) Rubber Elbow crankcase to engine should be painted engine green. (Would assume clip too)
3) Brake booster hose is one piece
4) Clip that the holds the front carb cable should be all metal
5) Black carb cables shouldn't have any printing
6) Red wire has a blue plastic crimp on the end, not correct, plus it shouldn't be ground to the harness clip.
7) Black wire is grounded to the same place as the red wire, wrong place to ground it.
8) White wire from the voltage regulator doesn't run where it currently is.
9) Hood latch spring should have a black plastic sleeve
10) Hood connecting lever to slider rod, there should only be one
11) Hood rubber buffers, the two front ones, the split rivets are facing the wrong way, should be bent over too.
12) Brake/clutch can, missing decal, "break clutch".
13) Missing the hood rod support bracket (spring attaches to that also)
14) Missing the rubber tie that holds the capillary tube to the heater to return pipe hose.
15) Fan shroud was painted red with a brush, so it should show brush marks. (Concours judging)

These things I'm not sure about, other will hopefully chime in.
16) Hood rubber buffers, does the rivet go through both sides of rubber buffer, or is the rivet head inside the rubber channel? Rivet shaft exits out the rubber on the engine side, the ends are bent out.
17) Rocker cover cap nuts painted engine green or plated?
18) Radiator cap, looks aftermarket, OEM I think had something different stamped on it
19) Vacuum pipe, is it bent correctly, shouldn't it be held in place with clips and should it be copper, steel or painted?
20) Should the reinforcement brackets for the throttle return springs and the front carburetor cable be painted black, engine green, or plated?
21) There are two black wires exiting under the heater blower hose. (From the heater?) One wire looks like it's grounded to the harness wire clip, not a grounding place. I don't think those wires are run correctly to be seen the way they are.
22) Should the bolts that attach the hinges to the hood be painted car color? They are pointed the correct way, nice.

Some things I've mentioned may not be correct, others please point out any misinformation I've referenced.

Hello "A". You da bomb! (or something like that, I guess is said). Your help is always priceless. (dont get too excited, your not getting paid). Will contact you after golf today. I have lots of follow up: "what did you say" moments.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Unless someone can PROVE otherwise (theory and stats), I don't think bumblebee ignition secondary wiring--primary is 12V DC to the coil--adds any 'performance' at all. All sparking power is generated by the coil, the wires' only job is to transfer voltage to the plugs; current is minimal and, actually, undesirable (current is what erodes plug terminals and points, one of the reasons for resistor plugs). Copper stranded wires like bumblebee and ordinary 7mm 'stock' wires offers essentially no resistance to current, and a couple strands would probably provide sufficient voltage to fire the plugs.

Note modern suppressor wires have a carbon core, with teflon, silicon or other shielding (wound wire) which is a bit ironic, as carbon is what's used in resistors, to decrease voltage by resisting current flow (these usually have 1 KOhm/foot nominal resistance). They're used to shield RFI--radio frequency interference--which can make you very unpopular with other drivers as it's what causes static on radios*. Modern cars have dispensed with them entirely, putting individual coils attached directly to the plugs (sometimes problematic). Most problems with secondary wires are from improper assembly or breakage; it's a crapshoot sometimes to get caps and distributors attached to the stranded-wire secondaries used on Healeys, but shielded cables often don't like being pierces by spikes either. All sorts of aftermarket 'performance' wires are sold because, well, it's something easy for shadetree mechanics to mess with; they don't so much as add performance as possibly, remove any deficiencies in the OEM wiring.

* As an aside, there used to be a building in Sunnyvale, CA near Hwy 99 known locally as the 'The Blue Cube.' It was allegedly operated by the CIA to receive signals from a few large dish antennas nearby. It was a 'Tempest' building, where shielding was taken to the extreme; the building was enclosed by conductive wire mesh and grounded hundreds of feet into the ground. This prevented the signals from being easily captured by an adversary, who otherwise could sit across the street with a radio and record the transmissions.

 

[John Turney]

I'm sure bumblbee wires are not really any better, or worse, than black stranded wire, but they are a period "performance" option. They are certainly more period correct than blue or red silicone wires.

 

[DerekJ]

My memory failed me again! Ignore my comment about the water hose clips, they are correct.

 

[AUSMHLY]

To be concours correct, I'll assume that applies to correct routing of wires and hoses.
I believe the gas line to the front carb goes behind the chamber.
It can be positioned where it doesn't come in contact with the dashpot nor the inside of the bonnet.

 

[LAW75]

Thank you A (again) and Derek. Any retired, or otherwise, Concours Judges that would be willing to spend a small amount of their time looking over pics of my engine once I complete the items previously suggested? Thanks

 

[AUSMHLY]

What's the correct routing for the break booster hose?
Was the break booster the same for the BJ7 as the BJ8?
Was there a design change during the BJ8 period?
Is my booster correct or an aftermarket design change?

My booster seems to be inward of the scuttle support brace compared to the booster in Anderson/Moment's guide. (That section covers BJ7/BJ8. It's not clear which model the photo's are referencing. I'll assume it's the BJ8)
My hose is straight, attaches straight down. The AM seems to be curved and exits the side.
I looked up the hose in Moss, the end seems to be moulded curved.
The curved hose makes sense for the booster that exits out the side and I guess I could put the curved hose on mine but it appears our boosters are different? Another part that's not factory correct nor routed correctly?... stop the madness.

 

[AUSMHLY]

LAW75, good luck with your concours event.
Here's what I see needs to be addressed (I've numbered them for further discussion) to be concours correct:

19) Vacuum pipe, is it bent correctly, shouldn't it be held in place with clips and should it be copper, steel or painted?

From the Moment/Anderson, text page 156, photo page 153

 

[LAW75]

Thanks again A. By the way, the pic of your carb section is very impressive. Is your engine still squeaking clean?

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Your servo appears to be a correct Girling Mk2A booster; note how the vacuum line from the manifold is clamped to the check valve. Pics 4&6 from your sequence appear to be of a different servo, possibly a Mk2B but the orientation of the vacuum inlet doesn't look correct. Here are images of the two types:

https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/Girling%20Hydralic%20Servo%20unit%20MK%202A%20and%202B-1.pdf

I have read that the 2B may have been used in late production BJ8s, and as replacements for 2As. My BJ8 has a 2A, and I've never seen a 2B in a Healey.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Thanks Bob. Is your hose straight (not pre-bent like Moss's) and routed like mine?

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I think last time I replaced the vacuum hose I used regular hose, but I believe the pre-bent hose to be correct (I have one in my parts bin). My hose has been shortened a bit; it can be a bear to get them off after a few years (I recommend putting a little silicone grease on the inside of hoses). I'm not sure about the 'correct' positioning of the support strap; it made sense to me to put it on the 'T' for more support; you don't want the hose rubbing in the valve cover (in a couple hundred thousand miles it could wear through).

My servo ain't pretty; it's got 210K miles on it, and I'm not sure it's the correct routing, but there's a eighth-inch or so of clearance.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Thank you Bob for your effort/time to take the photos.

 

[John Turney]

Thanks again A. By the way, the pic of your carb section is very impressive. Is your engine still squeaking clean?

No. He had to rebuild it. The squeak drove the cats nuts.