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MKII BT7 Build Thread

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Sent some of the suspension, valve cover, heat shield, sway bar and front/rear end pieces off to get zinc plated, here are a couple pics from the platers.

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I'm not sure if NJHealey3000 knows what hydrogen embrittlement is, but I sure don't. I wish I did because it's such a great sounding term to include in my vocabulary.

Care to explain?
 
Well I'm no expert but here is my understanding.

The acids used in preparing metal for plating contain free hydrogen atoms which are small enough to enter the metal through miniscule voids and this makes it susceptible to cracking. HE isn't a concern for regular steel but anything hardened like springs, spring washers and high strength bolts can fracture without warning at any time after coming into contact with the solution.

The HE process can be reversed by baking at 200degC for several hours immediately after plating and is a mandatory practice here for any zinc plated automotive part, regardless of the hardness. Despite this, I got a fair number of spring washers returned from the platers snapped in half which is likely due to HE.

HE also affects welds where the metal around the weld becomes hardened from the heat and this is why over here it is illegal to chrome plate factory steel rims unless they are cut apart first.


Andy.
 
Well...we all commend NJHealey for taking on this project and doing a really nice job, I was wondering why new road springs weren't being used instead of the tired old original ones? New springs sit a little high the first season, But settle in real nice after a season or two. In any case they are cheap items to replace as well as the sway bar.
 
My platers do a lot of car parts and all parts are dried and cured in an oven for several hours following the plating process.

The car only had 40k on it when it was parked in the 70's... most of the parts looked to be in great condition and I wanted to keep as many original parts as possible.
 
Here are a few pics of the parts at my friends shop. We went over the parts with usc icing glaze and then sprayed them all with a 2k high build primer and then hit them with a black guide coat. As soon as I get the last pieces sprayed then the block sanding will begin, 400 grit first then 800.

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The winter has set me back quite a bit but my goal is to get the healey back on the rotisserie in april and start the chasis repairs. The floors need to go and i have to fight to get the last parts off (rear leaf springs, pedal box and door hinges) then i can media blast everything and start to cut and weld. I also have been out of town so I need to get my last couple body parts sprayed with the high build primer. Let me know if anyone in the area can come down this spring and offer some advice, lunch and beers on me!
 
I've decided to go with a semi period correct racer. I'm excited about getting the car done and doing some vintage racing around the northeast!
 
Sounds like fun. Get a list of the racing rules for some of the events you would like to attend so you don't build yourself out of a race.
 
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