Converting a BJ8 into a racer

[The Cone of Silence]

I have a '67 BJ8 that I love driving at weekends but it's time to scratch the considerable itch that I have and make some modifications so that I can really increase performance, use the car on a track on a regular basis and eventually do some racing as well as driving the car on the road too.

In short, I want to improve the handling, braking and stopping, performance and safety but I don't want to break the bank doing it.

I have a list of jobs that need to be done but I am trying to figure out how much it will all cost and was wondering if anyone has done something like this before and to what degree?

Bobby

 

[Healey_Z]

Racing = $$$. No two ways about it. Is your desire to keep the modifications period correct? True to Austin Healey?

 

[DerekJ]

What do you mean by 'racer'. My car is pretty fast compared to an original and its putting out 215 bhp, (standard BJ8 is about 130bhp) but I'm afraid that is nothing compared to full race Healeys which have about 275bhp from all steel engines that rev to 7500 and cost a fortune.

My car still has a normal crank and iron head and you can still have a lot of fun with it on track. But it does run triple Webers, a rally cam, forged pistons, alloy sump, LSD, straight cut gears, competition overdrive, lightweight flywheel, 11.1 compression, 6 branch manifold, side exhaust, roll bar, race seat, race belts, competition crank damper, alloy pulley, all balanced etc... Not as much as a full blown racer but you still have to budget a lot of money.

Cheapest upgrade is to improve handling by lowering the front suspension. Then add a 7/8 or 1 inch anti roll bar. The BJ8 brakes are fine as they are, just chose appropriate pads and linings. Cheapest way to get some some appreciable power increase is to change the cam to a DWR8 or DWR3. The twin 2 inch SUs still work OK with those but you'll need to increase the compression ratio.

The list is endless. You really have to define exactly what it is you are going to do. Track days?, Sprints and Hillclimbs? Racing? .You can't sensibly drive a full race car on the road. I drive my car to and from events without a problem although the DWR3 camshaft means you have to rev it to get going.

 

[Jeepster]

Reminds me of the old quote -

" speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?"

 

[Legal Bill]

Bobby,

Your post suggests that you want to experience tracking and road racing and that you may not have much prior experience. You can do all the things you want to do and have a lot of fun by buying someone else's Spec Miata for between $9 and $15K. If you find you enjoy it, then look into vintage racing and the cost of converting your Healey. If you don't, then you have avoided spending a lot of money to convert your car into a racer and not really being able to enjoy it on the streets any longer. In either case, you can sell the Miata when you are done with it and not have lost too much $$

 

[Michael Oritt]

Bill's post makes great sense and if you want to explore racing in a car of similar genre and vintage to your BJ7 you can acquire a spridget or other low-cost car and see if racing is for you before spending big bucks on setting up your Healey for the track and going over to the dark side.

Personally I don't think Healeys make ideal platforms for race cars--to be sure several are raced successfully but the equipment for doing so is quite expensive compared to that for MG's, TR's or spridgets. When I first considered vintage racing I explored what it would cost to make my 100 competitive and it was a big hit, plus the fact that once cars are seriously set up for the track they rarely make their way back to the street. It made much more sense for me to acquire an entry-level racer and even when I opted for a Courier I was still many $$ ahead and had a car that was reasonably competitive.

The days of driving one's car to the track, taping the headlights, putting in colder plugs and hitting the track are history. If you try to make your Healey into a so-called "dual purpose" car and do the stuff to make your car admissible onto the grid--never mind competitive--and still keep it street-legal at best you will wind up with a car that does neither job well.

All that said, please keep us posted!

 

[Randy Forbes]

All good advice. Just reading the thread title, my immediate thought was to recommend you buy somebody else's racecar; they are far, far cheaper to buy than they are to build. Additionally, you'll get yourself out on the track sooner, before your interest wanes, or God forbid, you get too old to participate (Note: I have no idea of your age, could be 28, or 78, but health factors besides age can prevent you from participating...).

The spec Miata is the best idea yet; fairly level playing field, and you'll quickly see how you stack up as a driver and competitor. My closest neighbor wanted to turn his clapped-out Miata into a S-R, and he had to agree with me that he could buy one for half of what it would take to build the one he already has. Those guys are moving up all the time, so get your feelers out before the end of the season.

The Healey you save might be your own

 

[healeyblue]

Some good advise guys, but I don't know if they have spec miata's down under.

 

[DerekJ]

Here in the UK you can buy a full blown, race, square body Spridget for £5000- £7000. They put out around 120bhp and weigh 600 kilos. They beat Big Healeys up hills and around most tracks. Miatas are good cars but they are modern and won't give you the old car feel.