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Restoration now underway.

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I'm not sure you are aware that there really was a Healey wooden boat. That is what John was referring to. If I am remembering correctly, Reid,our moderator, just sold one???
 
Yes I am aware, however very very few ever made it to the US. As I recall there may only be two of the wood models still left in the US today. I was just making a joke about making his car into a boat.... :smile: however the Healey boats just never caught on over here in the US as there were many manufacturers that already had production lines going on similar outboard style boats... However I would love to get my hands on one... I may even put a hitch on the healey car to pull the boat!
 
As to the steering wheel, Mike Lempert!!! He's not lightening fast but his wheels are sure worth the wait! Please continue to post pics.

:driving:
 
For information to the non boat people here, you should realise that boat builders do everything; wood, metal galss fibre, electrics, engines, the lot. I speak form experience, my father was a boat builder and anything that went wrong with houses, cars, boats..... he fixed, it's what boat builders do.
 
Mike Lempert huh? I will google him and see what I can come up with. Here is the story with the wheel. The spokes and hub and all are in great shape. The plastic around the outside of it is destroyed, not just cracked in places, but peeling off in chunks... I will get a picture if I can.
Here is anther part to the story, The guy we got the car from had gotten a new wheel for it thinking he would replace it. It is a OEM wheel that he got with the steering shaft on it, and its in GREAT shape. There was one super minor crack on the outer ring. However it is a bit different then mine. it has the same 4 small spokes, in a overall 3 spoke design, but the center hub is a bit bigger, and the spokes design is more of a T then a Y if that makes sense. I will post a pic of this too.. I think its an earlier healey wheel... so will probably end up selling it so i can get the correct one if anyone on here needs one.
 
I believe that Mike is a forum member - in fact I am positive. You can pm him. His wheels are hand made and while you might think it pricey again well worth the $'s. As a boat building you will appreciate his custom work. Mike is a true artisan. No, I dont get an agent fee. lol I'm just a very satisfied customer.
 
Well We had two weeks off for christmas/ new years so we have been back at it this week. Car is just about ready for the media blaster. Only thing left is the rear axle, it is all loose, just need some strong fellows to help wrestle it out :smile: So here are some recent photos. oh take a look at the photo of the battery tray. when i was stripping the car, there was a wood block bolted to the side, anyone have any good shots of how this area should look? enjoy.

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Really nice photos! I have yet to start my restoration (I mean transport it to NC from MI) and I am getting anxious now that I have seen these.
 
John.
Thanks a ton, thats just what i needed to see/know. at first i was taking the block out wondering why someone had put it in there, then when i got it out noticed it had to be factory made from how it was all done. makes sense now thanks.

ECMP sounds like you need to get going to MI !
 
Aritocraft, Your photos are wonderful, especially the one showing the parts. Is that all the parts for your car except the frame, shrouds and rear axle? Wow, really interesting to see them displayed that way. Makes the task of restoration look manageable.
 
Always great to see another Healey's going to be on the road. I don't know but I think it'll take longer than one winter to complete. I did mine in 2 1/2 years.

Your car looks so good I'm going to go out on a limb here and offer this. I have seen two other Healeys completely restored without ever removing the aluminum shrouds. Your car looks like it could be a candidate for that process. You'll save lots of time and money plus you'll get a better fit on the doors and fenders. Think about it.

I also think you should get a copy of "Authentic Restoration Guide" by Gary Anderson and Roger Moment. They're out of print now but maybe someone in your area has a copy to borrow. I would've been lost without it, it's that good.

Good luck with your project, how many miles are on it??
 
Johnny said:
...Your car looks so good I'm going to go out on a limb here and offer this. I have seen two other Healeys completely restored without ever removing the aluminum shrouds. Your car looks like it could be a candidate for that process. You'll save lots of time and money plus you'll get a better fit on the doors and fenders. Think about it.

...
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I left the shrouds on mine and that worked quite well.
 
Leave the shrouds on.....that's an interesting idea. I can see the up side of not removing them on a solid car. What are the down sides beyond not having easy access to the underside of the shrouds.
 
I can appreciate not wanting to take the shrouds off if you were just going to respray not fully restore. Better fitment of the other panels by not taking them off isn't a very good point in my experience. As long as the chassis is not damaged they only fit on the car one way. If you are going to take a car this nice apart why not take it all apart and paint is as well as you can. The rear shroud can also have electolytic corrosion on the inside of its bottom edge that may only be exposed when the shroud is removed . In fact you can see telltale signs of it in one of the pics of the inside of the boot floor. You want to fix that nasty stuff now so you don't have to again. Either way , I'm envious , this car is sweet. Kevin
 
aistocraft, ahh! shades of a gentlemans racer!, let me know what parts you may need perhaps we could work a trade for the merc. on the stand, ive got a new top sittin in a box in my shop. :thumbsup:
 
Aristocraft said:
Thanks again for all the tips! because of your help, after I got the motor and tranny out today I was able to take the front right assembly off and get to the number stamped into the frame. It is hard to make out, but the number is suppose to be HBJ9L40130, and you can definitely tell that is what was once there. I will post a picture below for you guys to look at.
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Nice solid looking car. Should be an "easy" restoration. You should double check you VIN#. It is actually HBJ<span style="color: #FF0000">8</span>. BJ8 was the model number of the last big Healeys. BJ9s are what a lot of folks refer to their modern drivers as.
 
Agree with Brinkerhoff... Remove the shrouds to treat the metal to aluminum contact points. My BJ8 I did in the 80's was identical to your car being it was a virtual rust free example.


Frame off took me 10 months for total ground up restoration.

Pete
 
The down sides are you have to have the car soda blasted to remove the paint. It would be difficult to blast the engine bay.

fenders, doors, trunk and hood come off easily. Inside the trunk also would be difficult, however, if you're going to paint the car the same color you might be able to get by with a good cleanup. You can still mount all on a rotisserie and blast underneath, don't forget the inner frame pieces as well will need treating.
 
Whatever you do make sure you put those darn cold air vent and heater hoses back on the car prior to installing the front fenders. Man they are extremley difficult to put on a finished car!
Found out the hard way.
Bob
 
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