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Advice for a new BJ8 owner

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I totaly agree with Healey Z

I picked up my BJ8 just north of Aberdeen in Scotland and drove it to my home near Bordeaux France.( 1000Miles +) Originally I thought a respray was all that was needed ( how naive)and 3 years later after a total A-Z rebuild she is finished!!
That drive taught me a lot about the car and what I wanted from it and although it was totally roadworthy I completely changed my plans for restoration. My shoes melted !!
Check it is roadworthy and go for it. A fantastic introduction to Healey ownership.These cars need to be driven.
Andy
 
I think it is best to learn about your car slowly rather than suddenly. When I bought my car, I contacted haulers that were moving cars to and from auto actions. I found one moving cars from the Boise area to Reno for Hot August Nights and they moved my Healey from Boise to Tahoe for $275 as they were going to be in the "neighborhood". It took several days as they had 6 or 7 other deliveries. As mine was the last to be delivered, she got top shelf. I felt sorry for the cars below due to an oil leak. The driver said he could have sold it a dozen times with all the people asking about my car. Check out auto auctions, you could be surprised.
P.S. When I took my first ride, the generator came loose throwing the fan belt. That was only the beginning of having to go over everything. That took two years. Very glad I didn't drive her home. The car was suppose to have been gone over by a "Master Mechanic".
 
Have to agree with RJC.

The trip is just way too long and you could cause some serious damage to the car that has been dormant plus risk personal injury on the road or worse.

I don't even feel a test drive is adaquate insurance for a 800 mile trip, unless the mechanic is TOTALLY familar with the 'nature' of an Austin Healey and looks it over with a fine tooth comb. Even then, you always have to accept some margin of error or fluke circumstances happening along the way, unbeknown even to a qualified mechanic.

My car looked really good when I first bought it. But as I worked on the mechanical aspects I noticed just how many things needed work (radiator and oil leaks appearing among other leaks, brake failure, generator squealing and non charging, other electrical issues ongoing, bearings, clutch hydraulics going bad, bolts missing, stalling issues, cracked tires and other corroded parts, bad belt, corroded bushings--and I am still discovering as I go).

Have it shipped. Go exposed flatbed, if necessary. Then enjoy it once it is safely HOME.

Paul

PS - I should note that and if anyone is wondering what's going on with my progress, I did drive my Healey for over 3 hours yesterday, both on the highway and on local roads. Fruits of my labor are paying off, so yes, I do mean, ENJOY it.
 
Recommend that you err on the side of caution and have the Healey shipped or trailered.

Should you decide to make the drive, even if nothing breaks or fails, you will still be learning the characteristics of your new purchase on unfamiliar roads. Somewhere I read that if you are putting a classic car into service, your first drive should be about 5 miles, and if there are no problems, then you can try a 50-mile round trip. If problems occur, they are remedied, and the length of the drive is repeated. If you first ship or trailer your BJ8 to your home, then take the shorter drives, you are ensuring yourself that any problem that may arise will happen close to home.

You yourself are also an important component of any trip. That 40+year-old driver's seat cushion and back may give your bottom and back enough support for a short drive, but not for a long one.

Jerry
 
Couple of months back I was flown to Reno Nev. to act as a rolling mechanic for a friend who was buying an 87 step van [Craigslist] and intended to drive it back to San Luis Obispo, California. Boy was he glad he brought me with him. The running lights shorted, I fixed them. The fan belt blew, I fixed it. One of the batteries blew up due to overcharge. The previous owner had wired a battery in the rear of the van himself, no reg, questionable wiring, and after about 500 miles the thing blew and vented hydrogen gas into the van bigtime. HE HAD NEVER DRIVEN IT FAR ENOUGH AT ONE TIME TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM. Other stuff happened. If you go to get it... bring a friend that has more than a passing acquaintance with auto mechanics... Oh, one thing... familiarize yourself with the little wire that runs forward from the bat. cutoff switch. It can put you dead in the water, intermittently. I know. :cheers:
 
Welcome to the Healey world! Your first wise move was to come to this forum! The 2nd wise move would be to trailer your new investment home! As romantic as it seems to drive your new toy home, You are really taking a risk doing damage to yourself,fellow motorist and the Healey! Don't trust anything the previous owner said about the cars condition and current state of road worthyness..... Get it home and and go over everything from front to back inside and out before you even think of driving it. I am talking from experence, (long story) First thing when you get it home is to pull the oil pan and clean the sludge out, Reseal it with a new gasket and lots of gasket sealer. Get rid of the original oil filter canister and filter and buy a modern spin-on type oil filter adapter.(Trust me on this one) The original oil canister is a piece of junk and is a disaster waiting to happen! Go through all the brake system front to back replacing anything that looks suspect, check your knock offs to see if they are all tight, with the wheels off the ground and shake and pull on things to see if anything is lose or worn like wheel bearings ect.... Check all your drive shaft u-joint bolts for tightness, adjust your steering box as needed, Go over all your cooling system and check for leaks around the water pump, radiator and hoses. top off all fluids and rear end. Check for fuel leaks at the bottom of the carbs and all fuel lines. When where the last time the brake calipers and rear wheel cylinders where replaced?? and brake hoses?? clutch and oil pressure hoses? The list goes on and on....So buy a official bentley repair manual and study it! Most things you can do yourself and learn as you go along even if you are not mechanical! A big part of ownership is do it yourself as you will gain confidence as you go! Good Luck
 
drambuie said:
... pull the oil pan and clean the sludge out, Reseal it with a new gasket and lots of gasket sealer. ...
Click to expand...


I would qualify that statement with: 'use gasket sealer if you like, but use it judiciously as excess may end up clogging the oil pickup screen, the pump and various critical passages and openings.'

Respectfully disagree that 'the original oil canister is a piece of junk.' They are not particularly convenient and have to be installed correctly, but are well-made and typical for the genre of car. The class-leading race and rally cars seemed to do OK with them--I've never heard of any letting the teams down. FWIW, I have a spin-on adapter on my BJ8 for convenience (but kept the original).
 
Thanks to all for the excellent advice and perspective. After much deliberation, I've decided to trailer her home via Intercity transport, which was recommended to me more than once. I didn't give up on the drive, however, as the plan now is to get the car home, get me used to her, and have a trusted mechanic (mine is a late model specialist, soI'm now looking for a classics specialist on Long Island) get her safe and running smoothly, and instead of driving with the family to a North Carolina summer vacation to instead drive down in myself in the 3000. Can't wait to start on the easier projects myself- seems she may need new front brake pads and the treating of some rust inside the bumpers, which seems like a great place for me to start. thanks to all for the warm welcome. Chris.
 
Spacerman

I wise descision, there will be plenty of time for the long hauls once you get used to the car and the snags are ironed out.

Best of luck

:cheers:

Bob
 
Chicken.... :laugh:. Just kidding. Be sure to post some pics when it arrives.
 
Good move.

As it was, I broke down tonight only 20 miles away. But luckily, I had a flashlight and was able to see at night and to discover one of my generator bolts somehow dislodged while driving, causing the generator to collapse and the fan belt just dangling, not to mention this horrible grinding sound it was making.

But no damage to the generator or anything else, thank goodness. And I was able to retrieve the bolt a few blocks back and was able to secure it back into place and continue on my merry way.

Just goes to show you all the surprises that can happen. Of course, it would help if I tightened the bolt in the first place to prevent this from even happening, but oh well!

Paul
 
What was ment, when resealing the oil pan, apply a large bead of sealer all around the gasket and mating surface.....No way would applying the sealant in this way reach the oil pickup or risk clogging any passages, Of course the new sealant should be left to cure before adding your new oil. Been doing this for years on all my vintage cars, Having peace of mind that old sludge was removed and not circulating in my motors , Resuting in extending the motor life and avoiding a costly rebuild. In fact, cleaning the oil sump is part of the routine maintance listed in your healey manual. Case and point: After buying my 1967 bj8 with only 39,000 original miles I knew it was in storage a very long period. BEFORE attempting to start the car, As always, I pulled the oil pan for inspection! I found almost a half inch of black sludge laying in the bottom of the pan, I knew from the oil sitting so long, the dirt suspended in the oil would separate and settle in the oil pan over time. I have made cleaning the sumps as first priority on all my vintage cars as soon as I got them home! As well as removing the rocker cover and turning the motor by hand to check for sticky valves and to pre-lube the motor at the crankshaft and rockers, And also priming the oil filter before startup. All this plus cleaning the whole fuel system from the gas tank to carbs, I usually just replace the fuel tank with a new moss replacement and rebuild the carbs plus add a inline fuel filter. Ok.... I could ramble on.... But lets get back to that (piece of junk) oil filter canister..... Even if you center the knife sharp edge of the canister with the little rubber O RING..... After you guess.... How far to tighten the bolt, The sharp edge of the oil canister cuts and shreds the new rubber o ring.....Resulting in oil seeping onto your starter.... Or in my case, Dumping a quart of new oil on my driveway after a 17 mile drive.. I still thank God it let go soon as I pulled in to my drive got out of the car to open the garage door and happened to see a pool of oil under my healey....Now you can't tell me all you healeyIst out there don't have doubts about that stock oil canister being seated just right every time you change your oi!!! I Know you do! I always had doubts, And sure enough it let go! I have been a Machinist and have worked in mechanical engineering for 29 years. I know a flawed design when I see it! Just giving this gentleman a heads up and some good advice! Install a spin on oil filter adaptor from moss and start using a modern day oil filter that seals safely and properly, won't spill oil on your starter, filters better, easy to change and cheaper!
 
Rebuilding the calipers when you do the brakes is a very good idea. My caliper pistons were rusted after 50 years from water in the brake fluid. It is an easy and inexpensive repair. I got my replacement pistons from Moss.
 
Thanks again, gents- seems my Moss list is growing, and I don't even have the car yet! Brake pads, caliper pistons, spin-on oil filter conversion, new W/S Washer pump assembly, new firewall plugs, 160 degree sleeved thermostat, and maybe some Dynamat for the footwells to hold me over until I pull all the interior carpet over the winter....... Not sure how you guys find time to actually drive these beauties, but it seems I have my work cut out for me!
 
I noted you plan to install dyna mat....Save yourself a lot of money,Go to pep boys and buy a roll of carpet insulation for much cheaper.....only 25 bucks! It has juke felt on one side and foil on the other.....install with the foil side down of course using silicone to hold the foil side in place. and cover the transmission tunnel and toe boards as well. Wow..... Makes a huge improvement keeping the interior cool and quite and adds a more quality feel when driving. So.... Forget the over priced dyna mat!
 
Thanks, Drambuie. I got the impression felt padding was "standard" in the AH's and folks were adding dynamat in addition to the felt, not using one or the other. The pics I have of my footwells seems to show felt on the bottom of the carpet already- I'll have the car in another week and a half and will check it out.
 
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