Hey there Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
These technical articles are provided to assist other Austin Healey enthusiasts in getting more out of their Healey in terms of competition performance. These articles are Copyright© Chris Dimmock 1999 - 2001. Many have been previously published in various forms in the AHOC NSW club magazine 'Flat Chat' or on the healeys@autox.team.net mailing list.
Disclaimer: I can take no responsibility for what you do to your car in the privacy of your own garage. There is no guarantee that the issues discussed here will be suitable for you, your car, or the purpose for which you use your car. I can take no responsibility for anything you do to your car - it is your car - you can do what you like - but don't blame me. This information is based on what I have done, or researched - but it is not a full step by step workshop manual guide - so if you don't understand the implications or processes - then don't attempt it. E & OE. No animals were harmed during the writing of these articles. I trust that covers all the required disclaimers.......
If you want to reproduce any of these in a Healey Club mag - please email me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some observations on Healey Sway bar fitment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you who have fitted a larger e.g. 7/8 inch diameter front sway bar - and still have their front bumper bar fitted to the car - here's something you may care to check.
On my BJ8, I noticed there was very little clearance between the bottom of the bumper bar bracket, and the top edge of the sway bar arms. The shiny marks on the bottom edge of the bumper bracket - and corresponding marks on the sway bar at the 'corners' - confirmed my suspicion - the 'arms' of the larger diameter bar were hitting the bumper bar bracket. This is a bad thing. If the swaybar arms hit/ bind on the bumper bracket, they will limit the suspension movement causing understeer.
However, the situation is easily remedied. Mark the width of the swaybar on the bumperbar bracket - and the location of the two (per side) bumperbar location bolts to the chassis (which helps when you go to refit the bumper bar to the car - in the same location - later!). Remove the front bumperbar with its brackets, and, using a large semicircular file (or angle grinder), file/ grind the offending area of the bumperbar bracket, in a nice 'scallop', so it clears the sway bar 'arms'. You need to allow about an extra .25 of an inch (probably more if you have standard springs) either side (especially to the rear) of the rollbar diameter, to allow for the movement of the bar arms. The depth of the scallop you file will (depending on how stiff your front springs are) have to be at least .25in to .4in deep directly above the centre of the rollbar - possibly more if you have original 'soft' front springs.
If you are driving close to the limit when the suspension becomes 'solid' - i.e. when the swaybar arms bind on the bumper bar bracket - your Healey will understeer badly. So - its worth checking - especially if you have a heavier front sway bar fitted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oils ain't oils....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So which type of oil should you use in a Healey overdrive gearbox? I spent a heck of a lot of time quite a while back trying to research this quandary.
Why is this such an issue? Primarily because the literature on the subject is confusing and contradictory. Here are the basic issues I uncovered. It appears the Healey gearbox/ overdrive requires a lubricant which satisfies seven criteria:
1. Overdrives are operated hydraulically - ie pressure is what makes the overdrive operate - so the oil has to also act as a hydraulic fluid.
2. The Overdrive has a wet clutch - ie there is a clutch which spends its life inmmersed in oil (like motorcycles)
3. Syncromesh operates on the gears using friction - ie if you reduce the friction, (as in use a 'friction modified oil' ) - then the syncros won't operate correctly
4. Temperature is also an issue - typically Non synthetic (i.e. mineral based) engine oil is thinner at lower temperatures than gear oil (not such an issue with synthetic engine oil)
5. Pre BJ8 gearboxes have brass rather than steel syncros - and 'older' EP mineral gearoils apparently have additives which attack the brass - (hence I believe the 'traditional' factory statement about using engine oil rather than gearoil)
6. The oil has to be capable of lubricating the gearbox - i.e. provide 'shear' protection in an environment which is like a box full of eggbeaters i.e. gearboxes aerate oil by their design. And - refer to point 1 above - no hydraulic system can operate successfully with aerated lubricant
7. Gearboxes don't have a filter like car engines - so having an engine oil which is designed to 'carry around' the impurities in suspension (by addition of detergents) - so that they can be removed by the filter - probably isn't a good idea in a gearbox - better to let any imputities settle on the bottom...
I think the 'gear oil versus engine oil' issue is a bit of a red herring in 2001. The 1950's - 60's BMC 'gearbox oil strategy" - I believe - was based on what was "practical & commercial & available" - rather than purely technical issues.... and it doesn't take into account the technological advancements made over the past 40 years - eg Synthetic oils. Would anyone seriously argue that their car handled better on the original fitment crossply tyres than on say Yokohama A008RS assymetric directional radials today?
Original BMC literature says said the Healey gearbox & overdrive should use a MINERAL engine oil. But the exact same overdrive (which is fitted on the back of the gearbox - and uses the same oil as the gearbox) on a big Healey is also fitted to a Triumph - and guess what? Triumph's literature all says only use a gear oil...aaaaaarrgghhh
Whats the answer? I asked everyone. You name a Healey racer or Australian / English Healey specialist - and I have either phoned or emailed them. I even emailed the manufacturer of the Healey overdrive to ask them why Austin Healey & Triumph gave contrary advice on oil for their product. And guess what? The correct answer is... that there is no correct magic single answer.
But - the best advice I can give from my research, is:
1. If you want to use a mineral based oil - Most experts agreed that Brass syncro gearboxes (eg BN1 etc) should probably use engine oil. This is because SOME MINERAL gear oils have additives which can corrode some brass syncros - so to be safe - always use an engine oil if you have brass syncros or use a SYNTHETIC gearbox oil.
2. However, if you do use an engine oil - all experts agreed that you should NEVER use a 'friction modified" engine oil. Because a syncro cone relies on friction - i.e. a syncros whole purpose is to 'slow' the gear, in order for the gear to be easily selected - i.e. it relies on friction to operate... . If the oil is too slippery (ie friction modified) - then guess what - the syncro won't work - new oil and real slow graunchy gearchanges (do you like that word - I do - graunchy) !! That is the major reason many people use eg Penrite HPR (30 or 40) - a mineral engine oil which doesn't have friction modifiers - in their gearboxes.
3. It was unanimous that lubricants have come a long way in the past 40 years. Just because the factory used a particular tyre 40 years ago - it doesn't mean they would use the same tyres again today. My point - oils aren't the same today as they were in the 1950's. Synthetic oils were not in the mass market back then.
4. Engine oil tends to aerate more than gear oil - and tend to hold the bits of metal etc. in suspension (the properties of engine oil are designed to hold in suspension the by products of combustion - and remove them via a filter) Gear oils are designed for a Gear box which doesn't have a filter (note that your overdrive has a 'strainer' - not a filter)
Much of this research pointed towards a synthetic gear oil as the answer.
My advice - read the stuff at Redline Oil website and make up your own mind, based on your own use of the car. Personally - in my fully rebuilt, using 95% brand new parts (all new gears, all new shafts, all new bearings, all new seals, all new syncros - only used the 'original' selector forks & 3/4th syncroniser & casing) gearbox in my Healey 3000 - and a fully rebuilt overdrive - the transformation achieved by switching to Redline MT90 gear oil was amazing - and that was after I tried 4 different brands of non synthetic engine oil . Redline is not cheap compared to Penrite HPR 30 (which I was using just prior to the change to Redline) - but believe me - either was my gearbox/ overdrive....... I've been running Redline MT90 in my gearbox/overdrive for over 2 years now - and Redline 75W90 in the diff (either a Detroit locker 4.1:1 - or a Quaiffe 3.9:1 - depends where I am) and have quicker syncro, no selection issues, and the Redline oil is coloured for temperature monitoring - so you can actually tell by the colour of the oil (on the dipstick) how hot your oil is getting.
Hope this helps someone else get more enjoyment out of their Healey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I can take no responsibility for what you do to your car in the privacy of your own garage. There is no guarantee that the issues discussed here will be suitable for you, your car, or the purpose for which you use your car. I can take no responsibility for anything you do to your car - it is your car - you can do what you like - but don't blame me. This information is based on what I have done, or researched - but it is not a full step by step workshop manual guide - so if you don't understand the implications or processes - then don't attempt it. E & OE. No animals were harmed during the writing of these articles. I trust that covers all the required disclaimers.......
If you want to reproduce any of these in a Healey Club mag - please email me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some observations on Healey Sway bar fitment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you who have fitted a larger e.g. 7/8 inch diameter front sway bar - and still have their front bumper bar fitted to the car - here's something you may care to check.
On my BJ8, I noticed there was very little clearance between the bottom of the bumper bar bracket, and the top edge of the sway bar arms. The shiny marks on the bottom edge of the bumper bracket - and corresponding marks on the sway bar at the 'corners' - confirmed my suspicion - the 'arms' of the larger diameter bar were hitting the bumper bar bracket. This is a bad thing. If the swaybar arms hit/ bind on the bumper bracket, they will limit the suspension movement causing understeer.
However, the situation is easily remedied. Mark the width of the swaybar on the bumperbar bracket - and the location of the two (per side) bumperbar location bolts to the chassis (which helps when you go to refit the bumper bar to the car - in the same location - later!). Remove the front bumperbar with its brackets, and, using a large semicircular file (or angle grinder), file/ grind the offending area of the bumperbar bracket, in a nice 'scallop', so it clears the sway bar 'arms'. You need to allow about an extra .25 of an inch (probably more if you have standard springs) either side (especially to the rear) of the rollbar diameter, to allow for the movement of the bar arms. The depth of the scallop you file will (depending on how stiff your front springs are) have to be at least .25in to .4in deep directly above the centre of the rollbar - possibly more if you have original 'soft' front springs.
If you are driving close to the limit when the suspension becomes 'solid' - i.e. when the swaybar arms bind on the bumper bar bracket - your Healey will understeer badly. So - its worth checking - especially if you have a heavier front sway bar fitted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oils ain't oils....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So which type of oil should you use in a Healey overdrive gearbox? I spent a heck of a lot of time quite a while back trying to research this quandary.
Why is this such an issue? Primarily because the literature on the subject is confusing and contradictory. Here are the basic issues I uncovered. It appears the Healey gearbox/ overdrive requires a lubricant which satisfies seven criteria:
1. Overdrives are operated hydraulically - ie pressure is what makes the overdrive operate - so the oil has to also act as a hydraulic fluid.
2. The Overdrive has a wet clutch - ie there is a clutch which spends its life inmmersed in oil (like motorcycles)
3. Syncromesh operates on the gears using friction - ie if you reduce the friction, (as in use a 'friction modified oil' ) - then the syncros won't operate correctly
4. Temperature is also an issue - typically Non synthetic (i.e. mineral based) engine oil is thinner at lower temperatures than gear oil (not such an issue with synthetic engine oil)
5. Pre BJ8 gearboxes have brass rather than steel syncros - and 'older' EP mineral gearoils apparently have additives which attack the brass - (hence I believe the 'traditional' factory statement about using engine oil rather than gearoil)
6. The oil has to be capable of lubricating the gearbox - i.e. provide 'shear' protection in an environment which is like a box full of eggbeaters i.e. gearboxes aerate oil by their design. And - refer to point 1 above - no hydraulic system can operate successfully with aerated lubricant
7. Gearboxes don't have a filter like car engines - so having an engine oil which is designed to 'carry around' the impurities in suspension (by addition of detergents) - so that they can be removed by the filter - probably isn't a good idea in a gearbox - better to let any imputities settle on the bottom...
I think the 'gear oil versus engine oil' issue is a bit of a red herring in 2001. The 1950's - 60's BMC 'gearbox oil strategy" - I believe - was based on what was "practical & commercial & available" - rather than purely technical issues.... and it doesn't take into account the technological advancements made over the past 40 years - eg Synthetic oils. Would anyone seriously argue that their car handled better on the original fitment crossply tyres than on say Yokohama A008RS assymetric directional radials today?
Original BMC literature says said the Healey gearbox & overdrive should use a MINERAL engine oil. But the exact same overdrive (which is fitted on the back of the gearbox - and uses the same oil as the gearbox) on a big Healey is also fitted to a Triumph - and guess what? Triumph's literature all says only use a gear oil...aaaaaarrgghhh
Whats the answer? I asked everyone. You name a Healey racer or Australian / English Healey specialist - and I have either phoned or emailed them. I even emailed the manufacturer of the Healey overdrive to ask them why Austin Healey & Triumph gave contrary advice on oil for their product. And guess what? The correct answer is... that there is no correct magic single answer.
But - the best advice I can give from my research, is:
1. If you want to use a mineral based oil - Most experts agreed that Brass syncro gearboxes (eg BN1 etc) should probably use engine oil. This is because SOME MINERAL gear oils have additives which can corrode some brass syncros - so to be safe - always use an engine oil if you have brass syncros or use a SYNTHETIC gearbox oil.
2. However, if you do use an engine oil - all experts agreed that you should NEVER use a 'friction modified" engine oil. Because a syncro cone relies on friction - i.e. a syncros whole purpose is to 'slow' the gear, in order for the gear to be easily selected - i.e. it relies on friction to operate... . If the oil is too slippery (ie friction modified) - then guess what - the syncro won't work - new oil and real slow graunchy gearchanges (do you like that word - I do - graunchy) !! That is the major reason many people use eg Penrite HPR (30 or 40) - a mineral engine oil which doesn't have friction modifiers - in their gearboxes.
3. It was unanimous that lubricants have come a long way in the past 40 years. Just because the factory used a particular tyre 40 years ago - it doesn't mean they would use the same tyres again today. My point - oils aren't the same today as they were in the 1950's. Synthetic oils were not in the mass market back then.
4. Engine oil tends to aerate more than gear oil - and tend to hold the bits of metal etc. in suspension (the properties of engine oil are designed to hold in suspension the by products of combustion - and remove them via a filter) Gear oils are designed for a Gear box which doesn't have a filter (note that your overdrive has a 'strainer' - not a filter)
Much of this research pointed towards a synthetic gear oil as the answer.
My advice - read the stuff at Redline Oil website and make up your own mind, based on your own use of the car. Personally - in my fully rebuilt, using 95% brand new parts (all new gears, all new shafts, all new bearings, all new seals, all new syncros - only used the 'original' selector forks & 3/4th syncroniser & casing) gearbox in my Healey 3000 - and a fully rebuilt overdrive - the transformation achieved by switching to Redline MT90 gear oil was amazing - and that was after I tried 4 different brands of non synthetic engine oil . Redline is not cheap compared to Penrite HPR 30 (which I was using just prior to the change to Redline) - but believe me - either was my gearbox/ overdrive....... I've been running Redline MT90 in my gearbox/overdrive for over 2 years now - and Redline 75W90 in the diff (either a Detroit locker 4.1:1 - or a Quaiffe 3.9:1 - depends where I am) and have quicker syncro, no selection issues, and the Redline oil is coloured for temperature monitoring - so you can actually tell by the colour of the oil (on the dipstick) how hot your oil is getting.
Hope this helps someone else get more enjoyment out of their Healey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A friendly reminder - be careful what links you click on here. If a link is posted by someone you don't know, or the URL looks fishy, DON'T CLICK. Spammers sometimes post links that lead to sites that can infect your computer, so be mindful what you click.