new member needing help with buying a 3000.

[vette]

I think you have inspected the car well. If you are satisfied that the frame is solid except for the spot you showed us then that is a pretty good frame. You said you inspected the floor from above and below and found nothing to be concerned about. Let me tell you, a Healey frame is very light and is the weakest part of the car. If this frame is showing almost no external rust then that is a pretty good frame. You said the engine bay looks good, the engine runs and sounds good, the trans works good, the overdrive is probably an electrical issue (very likely the throttle switch), the rear end is quiet and not clunky ( although many rear ends can be clunky and are easy fix), the brakes work, the gas tank looks good, the trunk floor is solid, and the interior looks good.
What else do you want for $34K ? Go buy one that has been doctored up with body putty and a shiny coat of paint for $60K. Will you have a better car? i'm not saying you won't have problems, these cars are 60 years old, even when rebuilt they can be eccentric. If you want a prefect car that should be trouble free at least for a while, go spend 60k and up. If you want reality at 30 or 35K expect some things will need attention. I still think that 30K would be a good buy for you. But obviously the seller thinks $34,500 is a good price for him. If you could get it down to 34 would you buy it? Are you willing to lose the deal for $4000. If your buget is so tight that you can't afford some repairs then maybe a Healey isn't for you. If you buy it and find that some repair cost are killing you and you decide to sell it at an underwater price..... well then maybe it isn't for you. These cars can get expensive. Here's a pic of how far I had to go with mine and I never had a chance to inspect it much when I bought it. This is my own work and if I had to pay a shop to do this it probably would have been near 100k before it was done. But I bought it because the repair work is part of the game to me. I've heard stories of people paying outrageous amounts of money for a collector car and spending an almost equal amount to have to rebuild it all over again. They were so far underwater that they would never recoup their money. But that's another point, I don't ever expect to recoup my money. I bought it to have it and play with it forever. Not to sell it 5 years down the road for a profit. Sorry to be so blunt. Just my opinion. Here's a pic of how far I had to go. Actually I had to go further because I had floors and everything out.

 

[Deleted member 21878]

no apologies necc. i like blunt. i also realize how much an excercise in futility this can be trying to tell me what i should do. i have been on the other end with other cars.

this is as much about an education on Healeys as anything else. all of the info and comments have been helpful. you all have been thru it and consequently bring up points i have not thought of. also helps to take some of my heart out of this process.

thanks. i told the seller i would think about it. i also have another Healey i am looking at which i hope to get to see pretty soon. it is a restoration in progress. maybe easier to see some issues but can't run the engine or see how it drives.... a leap of faith. Plus i have an MGA MarkII that has been restored to look at.

let's see deciding how to spend money... pretty good problem to have.

 

[HEALEYJAG]

Go on BAT "Bring a trailer" and check out the latest sales......good place to buy..bad place to sell... Healeys that is..

Pete

 

[Deleted member 21878]

get their email everyday. fun to watch. my problem is i won't bid on anything i can't go see. pictures are so deceiving. So it would have to be close for me to go see it before the auction was done.

 

[Healey Nut]

First thing to establish is what is your budget top line . That is going to determine what kind of car you will get .
30/35K is not going to get you a fully restored show car . It may get you a nice driver with a freshish paint job .
Have you driven a Healey yet ....you may hate it , can you get in the car .....some people just cant . The old adage "you dont get into a sports car you put it on " comes to mind .
They are not the most comfortable car , they dont handle that well they wander around etc . Remember this is a 50plus year old car that was built using suspension /brake technology that was 20yrs out of date when they built the thing .
But and its a big but I dont own Healeys for comfort or quality of drive etc I own them because they are the quintessential British sports car that will turn heads wherever you go and most of all they will never ever go out of style .
Are you mechanically minded and can "tinker" with the car ......if not finding a good reliable mechanic who knows and understands " British Iron" can be hard to find and therefore expensive if you plan on running it to him every time it farts or whistles (which they do a lot) .
Will you be satisfied with "just a nice driver" do you have plans to later totally restore the car or is this just a buy it and have fun for a couple of years and sell it thing .
So many questions to think about and answer . I wouldnt buy the first car you see and for what its worth I spent best part of three years searching for my Aston Martin .

 

[Bob_Spidell]

"... they dont handle that well they wander around ..."

Huh??? My BJ8 tracks like an arrow--I just put 4,850 miles on it in 14 days--with just a light touch on the steering wheel (but my BN2 IS a handful).

"... I spent best part of three years searching for my Aston Martin ..."

I went to a concours with no intention of buying anything, much less a car, and came home with a Healey; a complete 'spur-of-the-moment' purchase which I still enjoy 32 years and 130K miles later. I did get lucky as the car only had 64K miles at the time and had been well-maintained (and was a 'California car').

 

[Healey Nut]

"... they dont handle that well they wander around ..."

Huh??? My BJ8 tracks like an arrow--I just put 4,850 miles on it in 14 days--with just a light touch on the steering wheel (but my BN2 IS a handful).

Bob , maybe your car does "track like an arrow" but most dont especially a 34$ car .
Im trying to be honest and give the OP a "real life " perspective of what these cars are about . If all he has driven is a Honda civic or some other family grocery getter then getting into a Healey and driving it will be a totally different experience , in answer to your question . Compared to my Aston or her Z4 coupe my Healeys handle like a bag of S@?t and thats what makes them such a blast to drive .

 

[Deleted member 21878]

if you read above, i took this car out for a drive. so i got a feel for it. i thought it drove fine. at 6-1, i was little concerned about the room. but after i was in, i actually moved the seat forward a little bit. don't know of another british car i ever did that with.
the seating was a little upright but that is what i like. i like to be able to stretch my legs and yet be close to the steering wheel. now if i drove it again and for a longer distance, i might not be so impressed. but no complaints on the way it drove or how it sat. i had read that before so i was concious of it.
hey they are all fun and unique. even the Model A i sold was fun in it's own way. and the other car i sold was a TD... so i know tight.

Thanks all. time for me to make a decision i guess....

 

[John Turney]

Bob , maybe your car does "track like an arrow" but most dont especially a 34$ car .
....

Mine wandered around until I adjusted the toe-in and steering gear, neither fix cost anything.

 

[Deleted member 21878]

back again
i looked at another 62 3000 today. VIN number was HBT7L16183 / engine serial was 29E/RU/H2651. does that look possible? saw one casting number on the block which was AEC881. could not see the one on the top. had what looked like a brace over it for the throttle linkage. it had the center shift tranny with it.
Thanks
TL

 

[CLEAH]

Drone, that engine number seems to fall in line with the VIN. Both are around mid- production. How'd the chassis look?

 

[Deleted member 21878]

the chassis looks good. this car is a restoration in progress and the owner wants to sell. body has been painted but nothing is in it or on it. there were two small rust areas (back of one floor pan and under the battery) they had to replace or fix. easy to see and poke around on this one and it was high enough to get a good look under.

i did not meet with the owner but the guy working ont the car. he was really good to talk to which inspires confidence. as with all cars there is a trade off. this one has not had the engine rebuilt... at least lately. the guy wokring on it said it had good compression when they tested, before pulling, but he could not remember the numbers. he also did not remember the oil pressure. said the engine ran well though.

i liked all i looked at. lots of new parts for it. i had made a list of everything i could see on Moss website based on higher prices to make sure those parts were there. most had been redone. everything i could think of on my list, we found. in some cases, like the windshield, there were two. (one had a scratch)

So if i go this way, i am building the car with no prior knowledge of how it came apart. That is why these forums are so valuable. i would probably not try it if not for the help you can get at a place like this or on someone's website.

let me see i took some pictures...

 

[58 special]

Isn't that a bit early for a center shift transmission?

 

[Deleted member 21878]

i thought i remembered reading something about the center shift starting in the 15800 series somewhere.... but i have read a lot so i may be thinking of something else.

 

[CLEAH]

BT7/15881 according to the guide book.

 

[Jim 58 BN6]

At 17, I bought a TR4 "kit" (the engine and transmission parts were in several boxes). Just by dumb luck, it was all there, and it worked out just fine.

I really like the color combination of the car you are now considering. It seems a bit unusual. If it's all there, and the price is right, your sweat-equity could be worth a lot. I would much rather rebuild just about anything than a car's bodywork, and a freshly restored and painted shell would really be a motivator for me! Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Jim

 

[Deleted member 21878]

Well I believe I worked out a deal for this second car. Since it is all broken down I am sure I will be on this forum a lot for advice and direction. Once I have the body and parts home, I will get some pics to post. So begins the adventure!

 

[DerekJ]

If you don't mind the work then that is the way to go. You know you are getting a solid car. The engine won't be a problem.

 

[Keoke]

Mine wandered around until I adjusted the toe-in and steering gear, neither fix cost anything.

Setting the camber at 0 Degrees loaded can help too.

 

[HealeyRick]

If you are undertaking a rebuild like this, I would consider four publications essential:

1. A factory workshop manual
2. The Mechanical Service Parts List for your model
3. The Body Service Parts List
4. Concours restoration guidelines.

The factory manual is self-explanatory. The Service Parts lists contain exploded diagrams of every assembly along with part#s. They help to see what was in the car originally and with the factory part #s some of the parts retailers have a search feature to find the retailer's part #. And even if you aren't going to enter concours, the guidelines contain lots of pictures to let you know how things are supposed to fit. Some of the manuals and service parts list may be available in reprints or you may have to search the online auctions, but it will really be worth your while, especially where you have no prior Healey experience.