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He's going to have a V8.

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jsfbond

jsfbond

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I have a customer preparing to drop a Hypo-289 into a Austin. What model I will have to find out. He ordered gaskets from one of my guys.
 
I would say if the customer must have a Healey, then I would go with a 100-4. The folding windshield is outstanding. The difficulty of your task will be to find one without much rust. Electric fans and side pipes are good. Classic design, and you really don't need the room of the 3000. Many will say that a good Healey should not be donated to such a cause and I agree. Try to find one without an engine and trans, that way the damage to the Healey name is minimized.
Scott in CA
 

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Donald was a hotrodder! If he could have got the Caddy engine deal, we'd all be driving V8 Healeys. Of course, that's assuming he wouldn't have got involved with Nash and then not taken Austin's shilling later. What-if History is best discussed down the pub. :cheers:

Ian
 
While I agree he would have taken a deal with Ford or caddy or anyone else that would give him access to better engines, I do not believe the car he would have designed to go around those engines would be the same as the cars he actually built. Healey cars all have ample, or at least sufficient, room in the engine bay to do work and to pull and reinstall the engine quickly. I think a V-8 car would have been larger than those built under the name Austin Healey.
 
Legal Bill said:
While I agree he would have taken a deal with Ford or caddy or anyone else that would give him access to better engines, I do not believe the car he would have designed to go around those engines would be the same as the cars he actually built. Healey cars all have ample, or at least sufficient, room in the engine bay to do work and to pull and reinstall the engine quickly. I think a V-8 car would have been larger than those built under the name Austin Healey.
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Yup

I have seen a BN2 that is 6 inches wider with a V engine installed and an E type rear axle and inboard disc brakes, I seem to remember the owner re badged it as 100/8. Needed a special windscreen and front grill as well as all the usual body widening bits.

:cheers:

Bob
 
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