Everything you need to know before purchasing an Austin Healey

[giwplay1]

I am hoping the title of this post will not only help me, but also others, concerning the purhcase and ownership of an Austin Healey 3000 MKIII. I am in the market and am looking for information pertaining to the subject title, whether a book or an expert. Questions pertain to registration, insurance, electrolytic corrosion, corrosion, body integrity, undercarriage, engine maintenance, etc? Such a beautiful car, but is the car fraught with problems? And then finally, and I live in S. California, would it make sense to hire a local owner of a Austin Healey to accompany me to a prospective purchase to identify all potential problems and concerns? Thank you,

 

[BobHaskell]

See if there's a local club. Join it. You'll find folks that can bring you up to speed on what to look for and what to look out for, help inspect a car, provide leads on cars for sale, advice on where to get work done. May-be give you a ride or let you drive one to see if it's what you really want. If not a local club, there may be members of the national clubs - Austin-Healey Club USA or Austin-Healey Club of America in your area that might be able to assist. You might check with British Car Specialists in Sacramento.

 

[giwplay1]

I joined the local (Long Beach) club a few days ago. There is a plethora of events. I plan on attending and do just what you suggested. Thank you

 

[roscoe]

If you go to some events, most likley those who have cars should be willing to tell you what to look for. Those that are at shows and aren't willing to talk about weak points of their mark probably don't exist.

It sounds like you are looking for a car that is already well sorted and not in need of restoration. Corrosion is a particularly nasty issue with these cars as the center shrouds are aluminum and fenders are generally steel. Where they are bolted together ( where the chrome beading is) is prone to dissimilar metal corrosion. There are also countless body nooks and crannies that can accumulate road dirt and moisture. Years of floor mats not being removed and poor undercarrage corrosion resistance just due to the alloys used and some owners not worrying much about corrosion prevention can compromise floor panels or a frame that has many holes drilled in it for clamps etc..

A test drive, even as a passenger will obviously tell you a lot. The Laycock-de-Normanville overdrive units are prone to a variety of flaky electrical and hydraulic issues but are a joy if operating normally.. And more often than not IMO, are fixed with external repairs or adjustments. There is a ton of information on this and other sites about OD issues and gearbox issues. Gearboxes are fine if in good condition and most parts are available, even if you need to go overseas to find them. I have a Toyota W58 5 speed gearbox which is a fairly common conversion. I'm mainly interested in making the car more reliable rather than nut and bolt original. I also changed out the rear end 4.11 gear set for a 3.54 ratio for improved lower rpm driving on the freeway. Stainless steel braided brake lines are a great upgrade.

The cloth wrapped wire harnesses can troublesome if they are original. The electrics are old Lucas if that means anything to you. The wire connectors are often the cause of minor electrical issues. There are lots of electrical upgrades that often don't change the look of thngs but are big improvments over original. Alternators and added in line fuses or circuit breakers for some circuits can be important for some circuits that were inadequately protected. Flasher relays and voltage regulators that are solid state are available and look like original units.

Heat dissapation is often an issue in these cars. Footwells, especially driver side can be, shall we say, on the warm side. Engine temps can be mitigated by improved radiators, added electric fans, and improved belt driven fans. A test drive on a hot day and stopped in traffic for a while can tell you a lot.

Last, I'll suggest you just do a search on this forum for anything you have questions about. Folks here are a goldmine of info. My experience has been that most are more than willing to chat privately with email or by phone, I know I am but I'll be the first to say there are many more who know way more than I do, especially about the 6 cylinder cars.

At the risk of being chided by Moderator Reid, I will mention one California company you should know about. That is British Car Specialits in Stockton. They are a Moss Motors dealer and have been in a family run business since the 1950s. They were a BMC dealer back when there was such a thing. Norman Nock, the father passed away but they still offer a bound book of " tech tips" and articles that I think are still being added to by his son David. I don't know what it costs now but what ever it is is well worth buying. It really is, in some ways, more useful than the factory shop manual for real world problems and explanations of how stuff works and how to troubleshoot. Good luck.

 

[giwplay1]

Outstanding. And thus why I titled the post for not just me, but for the many others that will have similar questions. Thank you

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Depends on how you define 'fraught with problems.' They're old cars, and old cars have problems; and some new ones do too (I'm wondering if we'll ever get airbags that don't grenade randomly). They are, for the most part, state-of-the art technology for, oh, 1940 but are butt-simple to work on. One thing that seems to baffle many stateside mechanics are S.U. carburettors--you'll learn new words with odd spellings--which are of the 'variable choke' type, operated by one Mr. Bernoulli (a variation of which was employed on early Rolls Royce Merlin engines, of Battle of Britain fame). I believe some motorbikes use a variation of them; the venturi cross-section is changed depending on load, as opposed to American cars' with fixed 'choke,' which require several jets and circuits and may still have a 'flat spot' or two. My Honda quad has a variable choke carb whose 'choke' piston is raised and lowered mechanically. IMO, the S.U.s are a more elegant design than the fixed choke carbs--for example, the Holly 'teapot' on my dad's '55 T-Bird, which was an abomination--and, once sorted, require no further futzing for many miles. Fuel pumps have been my biggest bugaboo over the years, but can be OK if you find a good one and I can change one on the side of the road in 20 minutes (my inherited 2000 Lincoln LS seems to go through them pretty regualarly too, but it has a Jaguar engine).

You'll hear the term 'Lucas Electricals,' usually spoken in a derisive tone. The electricals can be glitchy, and are the source of much comedic material--right up there with lawyer jokes--but can be managed. I was a bit surprised that my '67 3000's wiring used bullet-type connectors identical to those used on our 2 Model As (the youngest was a 1931). These, I believe, are the cause of many of the electrical issues as they encourage corrosion and are mechanically weak. This can be mitigated by packing the connectors with dielectric grease before inserting the wiring tips and routing and securing the harness properly. Repop electrical parts are available but sometimes of suspect quality. Also, it seems to me the insulation used on harness wires is particularly thick for only 12V, and I think it gets brittle and prone to cracking over the years. The good news is the harnesses can be replaced in situ in one long day's work.

The 600lb cast iron engine can have porosity issues, but I don't think they are terribly common. Also, since it's a flat tappet valve train you need to be judicious about break-in procedures and oil types (Castrol and Valvoline 20W-50 are a couple faves).

In a word (or two), the cars are a commitment; better IMO if you can do at least some of the work yourself but many owners find a mechanic/shop they trust and that's fine too. The cars' values have dropped somewhat over the last decade or so, but owners' enthusiasm has not.

 

[John Turney]

Hopefully, you joined the Austin-Healey Association of Southern California. They have members spread out over a big chunk of California. There are several good shops in SoCal and the Club can help you there. They also have a marketplace. Several of our NorCal members (Golden-Gate Austin Healey Club) have bought cars listed there.

As others have noted, corrosion is a problem between the aluminum shrouds and steel fenders, but it doesn't seem to be as big a problem in California as in the East Coast. Unless the car has been right on the Coast, California air is pretty dry. West-Coast cars seem to limit the corrosion to the bottom of the doors, sills under the doors, the rear fender between the door and wheel opening, the front fender between the wheel opening and door, and the frame outriggers between the main frame rails and the sills.

As with any old car, especially British, they tend to be fiddly, and require frequent looking after, unlike modern cars which have the souls of a refrigerator. The good news is that they are designed such that an owner can do much of the work.

 

[tahoe healey]

All the negative you may hear disappear with the joy of driving these machines and hanging with other owners.

 

[Editor_Reid]

At the risk of being chided by Moderator Reid, I will mention one California company you should know about. That is British Car Specialits in Stockton. They are a Moss Motors dealer and have been in a family run business since the 1950s. They were a BMC dealer back when there was such a thing. Norman Nock, the father passed away but they still offer a bound book of " tech tips" and articles that I think are still being added to by his son David. I don't know what it costs now but what ever it is is well worth buying. It really is, in some ways, more useful than the factory shop manual for real world problems and explanations of how stuff works and how to troubleshoot. Good luck.

Jon, I'm not at all sure why I would chide you for mentioning British Car Specialists of Stockton, California. (In fact, I'm curious.)

British Car Specialists (BCS) is a loyal advertiser in the Healey magazine I edit and publish (and just to be clear, I do NOT get a cut of the advertising income!), I am a BCS customer myself, and David Nock is a personal friend. BCS is a real asset to the British car community and I hope they continue to thrive for a very long time.

By the way, I spent many, many-an-hour editing Norman Nock's tech articles for publication beginning in 1984 when I first became editor of a Healey magazine with national scope. Norman would mail his articles as a photocopy (I guess he kept the originals) of handwritten, all capitals text, and without trying to be too snide, let's just say that Norman's best talents were not as a writer. I have occasionally wondered if I am acknowledged in his Tech Talk book - that they still advertise in Healey Marque magazine - due to the huge amount of time I spent making his articles "ready for publication," but even if not, it's all for the cause!

 

[Editor_Reid]

And as long as we're on the subject, you could do worse than the "Essential Buyer's Guide" for Big Healeys published by Veloce Publishing. It's available on amazon.com among other outlets I suppose. I believe it's a good starting point for learning about buying a Big Healey.

I don't know why it is so expensive (currently listed at $33.47 for some reason - out of print?), but it's also available in Kindle format for $9.99, and I see that there is a German translation, and it's currently available for only $12.05. Jawohl!

Full disclosure: I get a royalty for the sale of each copy, although I have no idea of how much it is. Given the size of my annual royalty check I'd guess I get about a dime ($0.10) per copy sold, but as somebody said, it's all for the cause!

 

[tahoe healey]

Norman was a great artist in his technical articles. It is a must have guide if you are not into order but the index makes things easy. I think Dave has finally updated all the articles.

 

[roscoe]

Reid,
I was pretty sure it would not be a faux pas to mention BCS in a positive light. That being correct, it begs the question that if someone really slams a vendor, even if for reasonable cause or heaven forbid, slams a person who is just posting their opinion, it would probably be frowned on and perhaps might evoke a different response from the moderator?

Although my relationship to BCS has really only been for parts, I did get one piece of advice from Norman Nock that still serves and pleases me today. He was at the Dixon all British gathering near me before I bought my Healey-in-a-basket and I was talking to him about looking for a 3000, pretty much because I didn't yet get the difference between the various big healey models. He gently steered me towards looking for a 100 after figuring out I was looking for something to restore and liked the idea of really basic stuff. I think I may have said something about being dragged kicking and screaming to purchase my first car without a carburetor. As if by providence, within a month or so I found the perfect BN2 for me and it was close by. Brief conversations can be most meaninful sometimes.

 

[HealeyRick]

By all means do a personal inspection when looking at a Healey and bring a knowledgeable Healey person with you. There are just too many ways to cover up bad things on the online auctions to preclude having a look-see first. Having said that, though, watch the Bring a Trailer.com auctions for the comment section. They will often point out known trouble spots that you can use in deciding any car you look at. Also, just because a car is sold in SoCal doesn't mean it's always been there, but finding a dry Cali car is ideal. Mechanical problems are a regularly easy fix, but body, rust, and paint work is really expensive.

 

[HealeyRick]

And just because a car has a body and paint "restoration" doesn't mean it's a good one. As Johnny Rivers famously sang in "Secret Agent MaN" "Beware of pretty faces that you find A pretty face can hide an evil mind". This is a picture of a very high-end MGB in the UK that was brought into another shop. Note the thickness of the body filler. It's pretty normal to have a skim coat of filler on a car to smooth everything out, but when you get depth like this you're looking at cracking in your future. Not a bad idea to have a filler/paint depth meter when inspecting a car.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I neglected to mention the common problem Big Healeys have with running hot. Since OP is in So. Cal. I believe it is something to consider. The topic has been thrashed to death, but there is no 'silver bullet' solution except, possibly with fitting supplemental cooling including electric fans and 'bilge pump' carb coolers. Both my Healeys, a BN2 and a BJ8 behave exactly the same: They're fine as long as they're moving, but sitting at idle on an only warm day will cause the coolant temp to rise, and hot starts usually cause stumbling until the air gets moving around the engine (the consensus cause of the issue is low airflow in the engine compartment). 'Texas Cooler-type' fans help some, but SS flex fans work better but are noisy.

 

[pan]

Depends on how you define 'fraught with problems.' They're old cars, and old cars have problems; and some new ones do too (I'm wondering if we'll ever get airbags that don't grenade randomly). They are, for the most part, state-of-the art technology for, oh, 1940 but are butt-simple to work on. One thing that seems to baffle many stateside mechanics are S.U. carburettors--you'll learn new words with odd spellings--which are of the 'variable choke' type, operated by one Mr. Bernoulli (a variation of which was employed on early Rolls Royce Merlin engines, of Battle of Britain fame). I believe some motorbikes use a variation of them; the venturi cross-section is changed depending on load, as opposed to American cars' with fixed 'choke,' which require several jets and circuits and may still have a 'flat spot' or two. My Honda quad has a variable choke carb whose 'choke' piston is raised and lowered mechanically. IMO, the S.U.s are a more elegant design than the fixed choke carbs--for example, the Holly 'teapot' on my dad's '55 T-Bird, which was an abomination--and, once sorted, require no further futzing for many miles. Fuel pumps have been my biggest bugaboo over the years, but can be OK if you find a good one and I can change one on the side of the road in 20 minutes (my inherited 2000 Lincoln LS seems to go through them pretty regualarly too, but it has a Jaguar engine).

You'll hear the term 'Lucas Electricals,' usually spoken in a derisive tone. The electricals can be glitchy, and are the source of much comedic material--right up there with lawyer jokes--but can be managed. I was a bit surprised that my '67 3000's wiring used bullet-type connectors identical to those used on our 2 Model As (the youngest was a 1931). These, I believe, are the cause of many of the electrical issues as they encourage corrosion and are mechanically weak. This can be mitigated by packing the connectors with dielectric grease before inserting the wiring tips and routing and securing the harness properly. Repop electrical parts are available but sometimes of suspect quality. Also, it seems to me the insulation used on harness wires is particularly thick for only 12V, and I think it gets brittle and prone to cracking over the years. The good news is the harnesses can be replaced in situ in one long day's work.

The 600lb cast iron engine can have porosity issues, but I don't think they are terribly common. Also, since it's a flat tappet valve train you need to be judicious about break-in procedures and oil types (Castrol and Valvoline 20W-50 are a couple faves).

In a word (or two), the cars are a commitment; better IMO if you can do at least some of the work yourself but many owners find a mechanic/shop they trust and that's fine too. The cars' values have dropped somewhat over the last decade or so, but owners' enthusiasm has not.

G'day Bob,
This is off topic but your mention of "Mr Bernoulli" reminded me that I learned several years ago that the condition that allows aircraft wings to function is known as the "Bernoulli Effect". Some years ago I was browsing in a book shop and came across this information. I remember it clearly because by coincidence, only a few weeks prior I had started working for a company that was located in Bernoulli Street in a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. I'd never heard of Bernoulli before!
Cheers,
Alwyn