HBT7L/18762 - Pics before Preservation

[grover]

As requested. Here are some pics of my Healey before I start working in earnest. They are all high quality iPhone pics in my garage at 11pm with lots of spots from my lights.

Also - a couple of questions in here if anyone has a moment.

HBT7L/18762
1962 Austin Healey MKII 4-Seater Tri-Carb

18,652 on the Firewall. Is this the Chassis#? It's different than the number on the plaque.

Engine Number 29E 7B 07 H5115 (I think).

Note - this was *after* pressure washing for days!

GD/FWRA Car Club
My Uncle used to particupate in Gymkhana's
We used to talk about my Solo/Kart/Road Racing days. Now I just do LeMons due to time and funds - but it's still a blast!

Side paint in very good shape. Yes - that is a vintage bottle of R12 in the background.

More side paint. I did the floor myself before we moved in. It's Rustoleum professional (not Home Depot) and is awesome for what it cost.

78639 Miles. This was a daily driver to General Dynamics for many years.

 

[grover]

Austin Healey radio. AM is all I need to listen to WBAP/820 in Dallas.

Need help with the oil filter. Is this a Tecalemit or Purolator?

Once again *after* lots of cleaning. The underside was well preserved due to all of the oil, grease, and road grime covering everything. I think some of it formed Asphalt on the suspension bits. I can't get it off.

 

[grover]

First defect. My uncle was adding brake fluid and dripped some on the paint. His Chemo was really affecting him by then. I think this was one of the last times he worked on the car.

Hood cracks. This is the worst of it. I need to see if you can "repair" lacquer paint. Might have to dig up some of my old model building skills.

A shelf broke at my Uncle's and dropped two paint cans right at the front of the car. So, I have two dents like this on either side at the front.

This I will never fix - no matter what. My uncle drove to work with his arm on the door. I love this mark more than anythign on the car. He didn't have any kids and we had some great times with the big Healey. The rubbed paint brings back some great times in my younger days.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Great car! Yep, I still stand by my original suggestion; just catch up on the deferred maintenance, and enjoy that baby just the way she is, warts and all.

 

[Randy Forbes]

BTW, one of my former employers, in Lafayette, Louisiana, was an electrical engineer at General Dynamics, in Dallas.

I worked for him at Process Control, Inc. from approximately 4/89 to 6/98. To say that Walter Nelson had a head-start on me is a bit of an understatement; he was teaching electrical engineering course at the university in Dallas the year I was born (1954). One of the smartest (and dullest) men I ever worked for.

 

[Keoke]

Look like it already been preserved to me!!!!

But you are welcome to join the club anyway---Keoke-- :laugh:

 

[John Turney]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]The underside was well preserved due to all of the oil, grease, and road grime covering everything. I think some of it formed Asphalt on the suspension bits. I can't get it off. [/QUOTE]

That is the traditional British system of rust prevention. If you clean it off, then you have to keep cleaning off the rust. :wink:

 

[grover]

That is the traditional British system of rust prevention. If you clean it off, then you have to keep cleaning off the rust. :wink:

Now that's funny. The car is *very* rust free. Since it was on the road last - it's basically been indoors. First at my dads insultated shop and now in my insulated garage. I had the 1-car stall at the house spec'd out for the Healey. Just took 3 years after moving to *actually* work on it.

I found tons of "dirt" in the wheel wells - at the bottom in the front and rear of the tires. Nice design . Anyway, it was fine with I got all the dirt out.

I spray basically everything with PB after cleaning it. I don't really know how much of the car is aluminum vs. steel - so I'm just being careful for now.

 

[HealeyRick]

Kind of reminds me of an old baseball glove, nicely broken in. I've seen lots of radios marked 'BMC', but don't think I've ever seen an "Austin-Healey" one

 

[SideShifter Tri-Carb]

18,652 on the Firewall. Is this the Chassis#? It's different than the number on the plaque.


This referred to the Body Number or Chassis number in these parts. Nice car and good to see a nice unrestored one. Since each year could be different, your car could serve as a candidate to provide pictures for others with specific questions. Most of the data for the other cars is better than the MKII since it was a single year production.

I like the wear mark on the door, my dad had one in his old truck for the very same reason. ever knew sweat could wear down paint. Good thing he had an extra layer over the red.

 

[BJ8Healeys]

18,652 on the Firewall. Is this the Chassis#? It's different than the number on the plaque.
---------------
Technically, the chassis number is the part of the VIN after the "/" stamped on the VIN plate.
Your chassis number is 18762

The other number (18652) is the body number.

Your correct engine serial number is 29E/RU/H5115. The "R" means the car is (or was, when it left the factory) equipped with Laycock de Normanville overdrive. "U" means it has a floormounted gearshift.

 

[Patton]

Hi from Plano, love the Healey, but it being your uncles car adds so much to it. I look forward to seeing you getting it back on the road.

If you haven't hooked up with the North Texas Austin-Healey Club, you should. It's a great group of people

 

[terp83]

Hi Grover-

I really enjoyed the posted photos of your BT7-II, and admire your decision to leave the driver's door as is in tribute to your uncle. At least in the photographs, the front seats look really unique, and remind me of an old, well-used baseball glove. Do you plan to keep them in the car as they appear?

My 4-seat Tri-Carb (HBT7L/17296) also left the factory painted black with red interior, but by the time that I purchased it in 1974, it was silver with black interior, and has been white over red since 1992. Back in their childhood, both of my sons really enjoyed those rides in the Healey, and each thought that those rear seats were just for them (which they were).

May your Healey continue to make you good memories.

Jerry

 

[Randy Forbes]

Hey Jerry, where in Ohio? I'm just outside of Toledo, in Holland.

Silver must've been a popular choice back then, as mine was also silver/bk when I got it in 1978 (was repainted 76/77 by previous owners Ray & Jo-Anne Caivano).
It too was painted white (by my brother, around 1981/82) but still with its black interior.

In 1986 I embarked on the restoration that would result in how the car is presented today. Without hesitation, I can state that it wasn't actually "completed" until just a couple months ago, when the last of the new tan interior was finished (bodywork was finished & painted 01/02).

 

[terp83]

Hi Randy:

I live in Zanesville, about an hour east of Columbus on Interstate 70.

The previous owner of my Tri-Carb was a Dennis Horton who then (1974) lived in West Jefferson (just west of Columbus). There are a couple of circular holes in the floor behind the driver's seat that appear to have been for a hoop-type roll bar. I have never permanently filled these in as they are a part of the Healey's history.

I didn't mention in my earlier post that mine was painted Healey Blue about the time that your brother was painting yours white. Although the silver exterior is long gone, I still am using most of the interior pieces that were on the car when I purchased it. An exception to this is that I replaced the front seats with a pair from a BJ8.

I really enjoy your posts and pictures of your car, and hope to get to see it in person someday at an event or whatever. Was it originally equipped with the solid wheels?

Jerry

 

[Randy Forbes]

Jerry, no, sometime during the 90s, I had a machinist-friend CNC me a 1/2 dozen front hubs from a (BIG) rod of 4140 (a *gift* from another firend).

There was just a set of NOS BTC101 hubs on Ebay; for some dumb reason, I wanted to bid on them, but managed to show some restraint :wink:

I had kept one (1) set of the CNC hubs, just in case I decide to revert back to some sort of alloy wheel in the future. When you have these cars as long as we have, you tend to change them up now and then. LOL!