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She's 41 yr. old - safe at speed?

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Randy Harris

Randy Harris

Jedi Warrior
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Stuff like this usually doesn't occur to me but for some reason today it did. I've been spending a lot of time with my Healey in the garage lately, much of it inspecting hoses, fuel and brake lines and detailing the undercarriage.

This afternoon I took her for an Italian Tuneup. As I cruised up and down the local freeway at a steady 80 mph, it occured to me that I was sitting in a 41 year old British sportscar, top down and very exposed. I couldn't help but wonder just how dangerous it is driving these old cars at speed. My car looks fantastic and I've no reason to suspect catastrophic failures, but you never know about cracked welds, hidden rust or metal fatigue.

What are your collective thoughts about this? Are we driving time bombs? Has the thousands of dollars spent in restoration mitigated the risk? Or is this just the price we pay to enjoy a special hobby and we're all in denial? Anyone else ever think about these things? What have you done to make your Healey safer?

Randy '66 BJ8
 
How risky is it to fly a 41 year old airplane? The answer to both is the same. The planes are frequently checked & certain parts replaced on a timely basis, no matter the apparent condition. No waiting for failures.

I would think that a "real" restoration & continuing inspection/maintenance/replacement of safety critical parts would accomplish the same.

Sometimes restoring means only making the visible parts "look" nice. Which kind of restoration do you have?
D
 
Randy,
I've had the same thoughts that you have too.

From my personal experiences, there's no shop that we can just drop off our cars to and pick them up after they're all repaired like we were able to do when they were still making them. Point being is that you are responsible for your cars condition. I still drive at 80 in my '67 BJ8 because I have a Smitty's 5 speed with 28% overdrive and a 3.54 rearend. I however do have another Healey owner inspect some of my work to be sure everything safety related is installed correctly to give me a piece of mind. I don't skimp on the brakes, tires and suspension parts. I've taken advantage of a mechanical brake switch for the stop lights only because it comes on much sooner than the original. Safety upgrades are always a good thing!! I also drive with the adjustable steering wheel tighting nut loose(my answer to the collaspable steering column).

I'm more carefull when approaching intersections because of the red light runners. I'm having to spend more time looking around me at what the other drivers are doing because they're looking at the Healey more than they are at the road.

Enjoy the car as it was meant to be enjoyed or otherwise the only thing you'll be driving is driving yourself crazy with worry.
Patrick
 
The freeways can be scary, the average speed where I live is well over 80+ with the slow lane most often the passing lane and multiple lane changes by drivers the norm. Driving a car with such a low height and small profile, awareness of what is happening around you and defensive driving is a must. My wife is white knuckled every time we venture out, looking up at the larger vehicles, especially the 18 wheelers around you can be unnerving.
 
I agree with your thoughts and I too have wondered. Many of my excursions start with a 55 mph road followed quickly by an interstate - 75 mph or 65 mph - I-40, a major 18 wheeler road. I keep up to speed and quite often perhaps a little over. My feelings come back to the same thought - I trust my mechanic and my driving ability. While I am very aware that an accident could happen, I am willing to take my chances just for the thrill of driving Agatha. (56 100M)

When it is my time to go, rather I leave doing what I enjoy the most than by some crippling disease. Perhaps my age has a lot to do with my attitude. Did the cancer thing, won and don't want to do it again.

Bottom line I say is enjoy life in your Healey as a participant not as a garage looker!

Just my thoughts.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif
 
My opinion FWIW, take a proactive approach. Take half a day to scrutinize, shake, wiggle, tighten, torque, poke and caress everything on your car. Brakes, wheels, shocks, motor mounts, fluid levels (including steering), etc. If you don’t have piece of mind, you’ll never fully enjoy what the car has to offer.
 
Our Healey 100 is one of several old cars we have -- all of them considerably older than the Healey. In some ways, the Healey is the most dangerous because it cruises easily at 75mph. Yet the drum brakes on a 100 are marginal by even 1950's standards. Lots of fade and rather unstable when you really get on them. Handling can be spooky as well, the steering is quick and sensitive. Padded dash or air bags? Forget it

Face it, the cars are getting older and so are the drivers. Mechanical and mental failure is always a possibility. Fortunately, there are not enough Healeys or other old cars on the road to generate those spectacular accidents which could put our hobby on the regulatory radar screen.

We love driving our Healey and all our old cars and we do it often. But I keep the tach under well under 3000 rpm (that's about 65 MPH on our Healey) and treat the car and driver like the geezers they are. There is no real point in diving into turns or really pushing these antiques. Reality is your Camry probably can out handle your Healey in most situations. Take it easy and give yourself more margin to deal with obsolescense and mechanical failure -- and enjoy a few extra years driving and enjoying your Healey.
 
If the car is properly maintained and looked after there is no reason to suppose there are any safety issues other than those that were there when the car was built. Chassis members that rust from the inside start to warn you as the door fit alters. Brakes etc are a matter of inspection and a sensible approach to service.

HOWEVER - can the same be said for the driver? Certainly, as my BJ8 is a manifestation of the male menopause, and re-living my youth, I am sure that my reactions are slower, my eyes take longer to re-focus, and were I to be tested against that callow youth that I once was, he would win !!!

AWEM
 
Healey 100 said:
There is no real point in diving into turns or really pushing these antiques. Reality is your Camry probably can out handle your Healey in most situations.
Click to expand...
There are a bunch of Healeys still out on the racetrack. Their drivers may disagree with you. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Randy-

I know where you are. I've got a '69 TR6 I have dumped
over $30k in restoration work. In April the entire
passenger wheel assembly separated from the frame at
40 mph going thru a gentle bend in the road. Scary!!

I think these old Brit cars are time bombs regardless
of how much $$ we sink into them or how much preventive maintenance is performed.

They were driven hard when new and 40 years of metal
fatigue can cause very sudden failures.

Caution is the word.

d
 
GregW said:
My opinion FWIW, take a proactive approach. Take half a day to scrutinize, shake, wiggle, tighten, torque, poke and caress everything on your car. Brakes, wheels, shocks, motor mounts, fluid levels (including steering), etc. If you don’t have piece of mind, you’ll never fully enjoy what the car has to offer.
Click to expand...
--greg, i agree with your program anyone that owns a car of this vintage should allways be checking/inspecting, heres a perfect example, ive been driving my bj7 around for a couple of years and five months ago decided to do an engine rebuild while that was happening i put the car on stands about three feet in the air so i could get under it with a creaper to inspect the wires,lines,chassis,etc while poking the chassis with a small srew driver it went through just under the r/s motor mount, i waited a few minutes until the "pucker factor" subsided and effected a 7.5 x 1.24 inch patch and welded up, id previously done a look and touch inspection in this area and it had seemed o.k. so yes one should constantly be checking around. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/savewave.gif
 
This is a good thread, valuable to all of us who drive these cars.

Not to be overly simplistic, but there's absoloutely no need to worry about the road-worthiness of your antique car: simply have it thoroughly inspected. If you're not capable of such an inspection, pay someone who is to perform it.

Closely inspect the key systems: frame/suspension; brakes; mechanical; electric. If something's not fully functional and safe, don't drive until it's fixed properly.

To do otherwise is most unadvisable. We owe it to ourselves and loved ones.

It's very simple: safety first. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif
 
tinster, glad to see ya came out of that one o.k. might be time to change your restoration people, who ever said l.b.c."s wouldnt be exciting? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
Good discussion and lots of valid points made here. For me it's all about how much risk I am comfortable with...I try to avoid driving my Healey in ways that will increase my risk of personal injury and expensive repairs. I try to stay on country roads, don't steer with the gas pedal, never over rev, and rarely get over 60 mph. Even if everything is in good working order, these cars are not really 'safe'...no crumple zones, no passive restraints, no collapsing steering column, no ABS, poor lighting, etc. Plus all those cell phone weilding, SUV driving shoppers on the road...
 
I've have an ex US BJ8 for about 11 years, it was a Texas car, straight and rust free. Like most cars of this age it had been well maintaind for the first 5 or 10 years of its life then 20 years of every thing being done on the cheap. For example the shock absorbers were held on by threaded rod that you buy from builders merchants. When my car was converted to right hand drive I sorted out all these types of problems. It is now mechanically very sound, but I'm sensitive to any changes in behaviour/performance and follow everything up, inspect it regularly and keep it in a dehumidified garage. I drive the car regularly all year round, except when there is salt on the roads. I am quite happy to push it hard and cruise it at 100 mph (where the law allows). Reading this thread I'm a little concerned that maybe I push it too hard. Some form of list of known weak spots (based on fact) would be very useful.
 
I'm no expert on Healey weak spots, but for certain the frame rails are always suspect because they often rust from within. It isn't until they break apart that they get your attention. I wouldn't want that to happen at 100 mph!

I'm positively paranoid about fuel and brake lines. I inspect them often for even the slightest indication that they have been damaged on the road or have sprung leaks. Sometimes that's hard to tell because they often are less than pristine. I try to keep mine very clean for this very reason.

Fuel pumps are notorious for leaking at the inlet and outlet banjo connections so they always get a good thorough inspection. Engine mounts seem to fail on these cars too. That indicates a serious condition, either excessive rust or poor maintenance.
Lots of others: Anyone?

Randy
 
I enjoy driving my 67 BJ8. Everyday to work and back. Top up and top down depending on the weather. Some days on the freeways and some days on the side roads. It all depends on how I feel that day. It drives equally well at high and low speeds.

But, I do pay attention to new sounds and feels. It has not been restored, just maintained. It is true that parts are wearing and about to wear out. I take care of them as they need to be. I feel the the car is as safe as I make it. If I neglect it, it will have a failure. Some parts have been updated to make it safer.

I will admit that back in the beginning, I felt somewhat like a cartoon event waiting to happen. The entire car peeling off around me and skidding to a stop on my underside with steering wheel still in hand. But as I "have become one" with the car, I trust it completely. It will only let me down if I let it down!

IMMHO... Mark
 
There are many people who drive cars much older than 41 years, and often at much higher speeds than the manufacturers ever imagined. Just go to any VSCC or similar meeting in the UK to see what I mean.
It all depends on how well the vehicle is inspected and maintained, and how well it's been treated throughout its life. A POS rustbucket that's been restored may well not have the chassis integrity it once had, nor might a sad neglected car. On the other hand, I don't see why you can't drive a well-cared-for example at least as quickly as when it was new.
 
Hi Randy,
I remember seeing some drawings of engine mount and lower control arm mount reinforcements. I thought it was the Modified Healey site but I didn’t see it there. Anyone remember that source? Anyway, I strengthened my motor mounts to help distribute the load over several inches of the frame. I’ll take a picture of it the next time I’m working on the car if you’re interested. Since I have bigger and grippier tires, I will give the suspension mounts the same treatment.
 
Back in the spring a group of Model A Fords stopped by my office to say hi (I work for a local car show). These cars were 1931 and older and they were on a 450 mile round trip tour.

Granted they are 50 mph cars but they were all at least 70 plus years old...and some of the drivers were even older! They traveled the back roads, made frequent stops and made a practice of pulling ver for backed up traffic. A safe trip all in all...

The local Brass Era car club does several long distance tours with their cars every summer. The cars can be no newer than 1916 and they routinely travel over 300 on each weekend cruise.
 
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