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1961 3000 Restoration

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DerekJ said:
Very nice.

Don't go for the 100% anally perfect concours look. They don't look right.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that is possible with this car, but i do understand what you are saying! This car is being restored to be enjoyed. However, since we are going through this much trouble, I do want to make sure that some of the areas where small repairs and patches were made look neat and clean.
 
I am just beginning reassembly of my BT7. A friend stopped by and after looking over the progress, asked why I hadn't removed all the dents on the bottom of the frame. I told him I was responsible for all of those dings and dents over the past 50 years and can remember some of the events that created many of them. Since they were a part of my and the car's history, I decided to leave them there. Neither the car or I am in the same shape as we were back when we met, but I'm OK with that. Of course I plan on removing the dents on the body and having a nice paint job, but I don't want to lose all of the evidence of the joys I've had driving the Healey.
 
I applied seam sealer to the cockpit. This is made by lord fusor and is very easy to apply.





I then cleaned the heat shields, blasted the washers and painted them, then installed the shields. I also started running the wiring harness.





Pedal Assembly Before...not bad, but a little rusty with overspray from a previous repaint.





Blasted



After. I painted it semi-flat black. Im not sure if that is the right color or not. Was it originally gloss black?



 
One Shock reconditioned. Im pretty sure the arms are supposed to be gloss black, but i am not sure about the body. I went by some pictures i found online and painted the main body a natural cast color.





Heater Box Before



Heater Box After disassembling, blasting, and fresh paint.



Heater and fresh air tubing in place.



 
Looking fantastic ! Your attention to detail is unreal and continue to look forward to more pictures as you progress. Are you thinking of the coves a different color ? I had a black with red coves BN6 which looked stunning, particularly with a red interior.
Regards
Mike
 
Don't forget the bumper rubber under the shocker arm
Looks great !!
 
bighealeysource said:
Looking fantastic ! Your attention to detail is unreal and continue to look forward to more pictures as you progress. Are you thinking of the coves a different color ? I had a black with red coves BN6 which looked stunning, particularly with a red interior.
Regards
Mike
Click to expand...

I love that color combo, particularly on a 100M.
 
Why didn't you seam seal then paint ?
 
bighealeysource said:
Looking fantastic ! Your attention to detail is unreal and continue to look forward to more pictures as you progress. Are you thinking of the coves a different color ? I had a black with red coves BN6 which looked stunning, particularly with a red interior.
Regards
Mike
Click to expand...

Full black on the outside.
 
Thank for the nice comments!

I transferred the car off the dollie provided by the paint shop and onto jack stands earlier this week.





I'm very thankful I took a lot of photos during the tear down process. Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare trying to figure out where all the electrical components mount.



The paint from eastwood showed up yesterday, so I will be working on reconditioning the control arms and rear end next. It might be a roller by next weekend.
 
It's been a while since I have posted. The car was put on hold for a bit because I had to work on my own projects...have to make money somehow!
Anyway, she is now a roller. I reconditioned all of the suspension components, replaced bushings where necessary, and installed new rear leaf springs and front coil springs.

healeyroller_zps0c72f9ef.jpg
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Front suspension before reconditioning.


Front spring installation after blasting and reconditioning components.


Installing the front coil springs on the healey is pretty uneventful when compared to the installation process on Sixties American Muscle Cars!
 

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The mechanic finally finished the engine, which only took 15 months!:censored: I wet sanded the primer he applied then sprayed it with some correct Healy Green I purchased in a quart container. I have to say that using a paint gun to spray the engine turns out a lot nicer than spraying from a rattle can, but I guess that goes without saying.



 
BTW, a special thanks to Bruce at Healey Werks!!!! The mechanic said he called Bruce and talked to him several times with questions about the engine. I am sure that was annoying and if you see this, thank you so much for sparing your valuable time to speak with him!
 
I bead blasted the intake and exhaust manifolds today, amongst many other small tasks.

After blasting


Exhaust manifold painted with high temp paint and intake glass bead blasted.


I started the installation of the exhaust manifolds, but couldn't take the heat anymore and had to call it a day.


New Stainless Exhaust. This system looks incredible against the black paint on the underside!!!
 
A beautiful work of art!

I worked on my '63 BJ7 engine yesterday. My car is also black. Seeing your project is great incentive for me to keep mine going.
Dale
 
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