I had a panic call from Judy a couple of days ago … her Maxima had stopped on the side of the road … HELP!! Apparently, the battery and brake warning lights had been coming on intermittently for a while and now the battery was dead. Unfortunately, the Maxima is too wide for the Carcamel… Continue reading 2013 Nissan Maxima SV Alternator Replacement
Category: Healey Stuff
Austin Healey 100 Heater Valve Stem Repair.
The Smiths heater used in the Austin Healey 100 is controlled by a valve mounted on the engine cylinder head.There were 3 versions of this valve but all have an inherent weakness in that the stem is easily broken just below the handle when too much “enthusiasm” is used to shut off the valve. The… Continue reading Austin Healey 100 Heater Valve Stem Repair.
Austin Healey BJ7/8 Reproduction Water Pumps
Several BJ7/8 owners, after reading my blog post on BJ8 water pump rebuilds, have asked me to rebuild water pumps for them. One of the perquisites for my tackling this is that the owner provides me with an original water pump as a core because these are becoming hard to find. Unfortunately, several people, despite… Continue reading Austin Healey BJ7/8 Reproduction Water Pumps
BLEEDING AUSTIN HEALEY 4 WHEEL DRUM BRAKES
Adjusting the brakes and getting all the air out of the hydraulic brake system to produce a “hard” pedal can be particularly difficult when dealing with the all drum systems of 100 and 100/6 Austin Healeys. Here are tips that I have found make the job a little easier. CHECK THE ARC OF THE BRAKE… Continue reading BLEEDING AUSTIN HEALEY 4 WHEEL DRUM BRAKES
IDENTIFYING BN1 GEARBOX GEARS
BN1 GEARBOX GEAR IDENTIFICATION There are essentially 2 types of gear sets for the BN1 gearbox because, in an attempt to improve durability of the gearbox, BMC changed the pressure and helix angles of both the input shaft gear and the 3rd gear (and of course their mating gears on the laygear) in later gearboxes.… Continue reading IDENTIFYING BN1 GEARBOX GEARS
Austin Healey 100 Crank Failures.
“Cumulative Fatigue Failure for Dummies” I broke a crankshaft while racing my 100S and that experience always haunted me because original 100S engine blocks are extremely rare and I knew that I had been very lucky not to have destroyed mine with that “blow up”. Over the years I had encountered many cases of 100… Continue reading Austin Healey 100 Crank Failures.
New and Used British Sports Car Parts
Below are links to lists of new parts available for purchase: Healey 6 Cylinder Water Pump Kits Lucas HF 1748 Horn Rims (Reduced price) MG TD & TF Cluster Gears Odd Smiths Heater Valves I also have a large number of used parts: Tons of Used Parts I Tons of Used Parts II Tons of… Continue reading New and Used British Sports Car Parts
BN1 Gearbox Front Seal Replacement
BN1 gearboxes are somewhat renowned for their ability to leave pools of oil on the ground. One of the most annoying of these leaks occurs when the car is parked facing downhill. This particular leak is inherent in the design. The BN1 Gearbox and Overdrive Unit Rather than having a lip type seal this gearbox… Continue reading BN1 Gearbox Front Seal Replacement
Tire Truing (A Home Solution)
After the concours inspections at Enclave 2015 in Gettysburg, PA I managed to catch the last few minutes of a tech session presented by Ken Beck of K & T Vintage Sports Cars of Allentown, PA on the dreaded “Scuttle Shake” so common to Austin Healeys. The solution proposed in this presentation was to shave… Continue reading Tire Truing (A Home Solution)
Lucas 17L Tar-Top Battery Solution
During the final weeks of the restoration of my early Austin Healey 100 it became apparent that acquisition of original style batteries was going to become a major problem. The only “acceptable” batteries for a concours car are original “Lucas” 6 volt 17L “tar-top” batteries. I had acquired a pair of originals with a view… Continue reading Lucas 17L Tar-Top Battery Solution