never throw old parts away....

[Drone Dog]

i started putting in my windshield today. i ordered new glass, seals, and brackets to put it all together. i started at the bottom of the windshield and worked my way up to the top. all was going well until i went to put in the top brackets. with all the screws tight i could not get the miters to pull up tight at the top. i had about a 1/8" gap on the one side and a 1/16" gap on the other. you could see right thru.
fortunately i had saved my old brackets... and again fortunately only one screw had broken off in the top brackets taking the old windshield apart. i was able to drill out the broken screw and use the old top brackets. they pulled the top miters up tight.

while apart i compared the new and old brackets. on one side of both new top brackets the holes were about half a hole off which caused the gap. if you are going to change your glass, save your old brackets no matter how bad they look.

 

[Healey Nut]

Thats the problem with the far eastern repro stuff , it just dont fit , work , look good etc .
I much prefer to spend more $$$ restoring the original stuff than installing the cheap repro crap thats no good and your never happy with .

 

[Lin]

I had that same problem ten years ago when I restored my car! Guess “they” continue to sell those poorly fitting parts after all this time.
Lin

 

[RAC68]

Hi All,

I hate to agree but, even back in the late 1980s when I did a total dismantling and rebuild of my BJ8, many of the purchased parts from the major suppliers were returned in favor of redoing my originals. Back then, you could still find cars in the junk yards and, since I traveled quite a bit in those days, would identify the suppliers and visit the yards. Since I also intended to re-do my interior (door panels etc.) to exactly as original, I spent close to a year visiting vinyl suppliers before finding an exact grain match (seats still original).

Sorry, but I have found that you can fix or repair almost everything on the Healey and new replacement parts usually have a shorter longevity and fit difficulties. My conclusion is based upon my experiences with standard parts but have found good quality and high expense from specialty parts providers as Denis Welch and a few others.

From my own experiences,
Ray(64BJ8P1)

 

[Drone Dog]

well i would have used my old brackets but just about every screw on the bottom ones broke in the bracket.

 

[elrey]

Yep, never throw those parts away [or let anyone else do so]. Been there done that. Experienced the anguish of the realization. :culpability: Many a time, actually. :mad-new: I also was thrilled many years ago that those exact parts were available from the usual suspects for a reasonable price. As my soft top was pulling the upper frame away from the windscreen I ponied up the dough and sent away for the pieces. Alas,,, the new ones were shiny but useless so I ended up repairing the originals. I still have the new ones in my parts stash. Though I sure wish I still had the front brackets for my BT7 hardtop.

 

[Drone Dog]

bring up a question:
i am about to start putting this engine back together. i took the oil pump apart and checked it for wear. there is very little play between the gears. nothing else stands out either as an issue. out the same one back in? order new gear and put back in? replace?

 

[Healey Nut]

If the gears are not worn and sloppy and the cover plate doesnt have wear on the face I would clean it and prime it and put it back together . You can also reface the cover plate with a piece of glass and some grinding paste to smooth it out if its a bit worn .