I purchased this car from a friend and fellow collector when it was presented to me, imply as I couldn't pass the rareopportunity up to acquire an unrestored,unmolested, ig Healey project with so much potential. It had been on mybucket list to own and restorea 3000, ut with a wife, wo young children and a busybusiness, ime does not afford me the luxury of tending toas manycars as I've accumulated right now. With that being said, 've decided to consolidate down towhat I can house in one garageand part with a couple of thevehicles.
A briefhistory as I understand it to befor thisHealey has come fromwhat I consider to be a very honest and reliable source. The car wassaid to beoriginally a Texas car,brought to Long Islandsometime during the early seventies. At which point, he car was used for a few years and subsequently stored away in an individuals personal and heated garage after it was taken off the road.The friend I bought this100/6 from, ransported it upstate a number of years ago where it has been further and appropriately stored, waiting a proper restoration.With space as a motivating factor, t was offered to me. Although I have no way of confirmingthe majority of the early history, can verify the cleanliness of the sheet metal on thisHealey supports this entirely, s does the 1977 New York State registration andinspection stillpresent on thecarswindscreen. The Healey was said to run, ut hadn't in some time. It is clear that over the course of the cars storage, omeone had planned on completing the necessary work, t leastto some degree. While the registration indicted 1977, he unused tires on the car are clearly much newer and I would consider perfectly usable, s is.Resurrectingthe Healeyentailed the following replacements and upgrades...
Withinless than five hours of operation, he Healey has received a brand new gear reduction starter, lugs, oints, ires, ondenser, ap, otor, ires, il, oolant.
Next, he fuel was added to the dry tank, utit showed signs of being weepy and the outlet was lacquered shut. Once removed, he tank was unplugged,media blasted, lushed, leaned, epairedand reinstalled. The fuel pump moved fuel well once primed, ut as one with knowledge of early SU's may suspect, heoriginal jet diaphragms were tired and leaky. I ordered the kits and servicedthe carburetors. The car fired up in short order. With some quick adjustments, t was running strong, ith great oil pressure and holdingasteady 190-200 degrees-minus engine temperature, uring the hotday in mid-July.The engine doesn't smoke excessively, nock or have any other noteworthy mechanical issues to report. It does emit a very minor puff at start up when warm, hich is typicalfor theseengines.Close inspection indicated the collectorgaskets were the culprit of the loud exhaust, hich have been replaced. The original flex pipes are a touch leaky as well at this point, ut very much usable, hould someone just want to commission anddrive the car as is. The originalcast manifold appears in fine shape.With the exhaust tended to, he carbs were better tuned and the engine sings.No skips or hesitation from idle up to redline. I've taken a short video of the car running from my iPhone, hat I will try to post at youtube and add a link.
With a strongrunning engine, focused next on brakes and clutch...I have replaced the clutch master cylinder, lave cylinder and flex hose, akingthe Healey mobile under its own power.As is common with these cars when parkedidle for long periods of time, he clutch dischad a tendency to stick to the flywheelat first.With exercise however, lso as expected, t has beenquickly improving significantly. I'd suspect with a little use, he issue will disappear entirely in no time. The brakes were gone through as well. Master cylinder, ll six wheel cylinders andall three flex hoses have been replaced. The original steel piping in the car was beautiful and clean. I did have to replace two in the back as they were a touch banged up.The shoes all the way around were in nice shape, ith a lot of life remaining. I do have a set of new rear shoesfor the car, hat I realized I had forgotten about untilafter it had been reassembled. They'll go with the car,but it truly doesn't need them for milesto come.
Driving has been limited to "around the neighborhood" for me in this Healey, ut it has been fun, ven under 30mph! The car runs well under a load and the transmission is both quietand shifts perfectly throughout all of the four gears. Thefactory installed overdrive option works great too, ith no latency at all!The suspension feels firm and predictable, teeling- pretty tight and remarkably, lmost everything on the car works! Most of the lights (dash and exterior) the wipers, nstruments are functioning well. Speedometer, ach, emp, uel, il pressure gauges all work as does the parking brake. The original cotton braided electrical loom looks a bitsketchy in spots, utthe electrical system ispretty much functional throughout. The directionals were intermittent and the horn doesn't work (not hearing the relay click), ut I haven't actuallyinvestigated any further.
The sheet metal on the car is better than any unrestored early Healey, 've come across.Critical and expensive to repair aluminum mid-sections, ront and rear are absolutely gorgeous.They are straight and clean front to back and show only minorcosmetic work having been done over the course of the lastnearly 60years. There is no evidence of galvanization between the panels and the seams all look stunning underneath. The outer panels on the car are greatas well. Absolutely no need to source fenders for this car or worse yet invest in poorly fitting, et still expensive, eproductions. Front fenders are quite straight and spotless. The rears are very nice, ut have classicBig Healey dogleg work to be done as well as the passenger inner rocker. The doglegs are definitely the bulk of the sheet metal work required by this car, or sure. The work necessary is contained approximatelyto the lower 4" on each side, ehind the doors as illustrated in the pictures.The panels are very inexpensive, o the tune of about $50 a side and easily accessible to properly repair and finish. The rest of the rear fenders are beautiful. The original over riders on the bumpers are absolutely perfect, ever bumped, uite uncommon.The originality of the Healey ispretty impressive and very complete. The interior is original and the seats clean and free of rips or wear. The rear backrest was missing when I purchased the car, o one will have to be sourced. Included is the original tonneau, hich is in decent shape. It will need a few stictches repaired around the steering wheel pocket, ut given its age, t's very nice. I do not have the soft top orside curtains, ut the top frame is in the car and in great shape. The rear aluminum cockpit trim is also MIA, ut inexpensive and easily obtainable. I've seen originals ofthese on eBaypriced around a hundred dollars.The wheels are straight, lean and free of any missing spokes. The glass in the car, believe is original and looks beautiful. No chips, racks orpitting has been noted.
Again, do stress there are some areas that will need attention, ut overall,the car is amazing fora 56 year old Austin Healey. A True time capsule. The outriggers and structural components aregreat, he body itself shows no evidence of stress or sag. Panel and door fitment are as good or better than manyhigh level restorationsI've seen. The bonnet is laser straight and shows no evidence of fill or rust throughout. The boot is very savable, ith a dent at the T handle and some light perforation, s is common with the 3000. Doors are clean and straight as indicated by the pics, s well.Note there is minor perforation present, ere andthere on the doors andouter rockers as well. The level of repair would naturally be dependent on the level of restoration that the new owner wishes to achieve.
This car would be a prime candidate for any level restoration or a killer car to commission and just tinker with itwhileits enjoyed and restore later. With originalcars and patina beingaspopular as they arenow, 'd personally probably use the car as it presents itselfcurrently. Again, few issues should be looked at in regards to light electrical, erhaps light miscellaneous mechanical attention, tcetera to be considered safe reliable. I'd recommend tending to somegaskets (notably the oil pan gasket) as it does drip oil. Of course, ny proper restoration is a substantialundertaking.With that being said, feel this car wouldbe aviable projectoptionforsomeone with mid-level restoration skills, sI feel itshouldn'trequire extensive and in-depth repair work to any of the major systems / sheet metal. Being an unrestored and nearly 60 year old car,clearly I can't make any guarantees. Please make your owndeterminations and bid accordingly. In person inspections are not only welcomed, ut encouraged. I do have extensive experience with classic British carsand would be happy to field any questions, omments or concerns that you may have. In return, ask that you only bid if you'replanning on completing the purchase. Please bid to win and have funds available as the reserve price on this car is extremely reasonable, ased on whatrusted out, on-running or thrown together cars, ull of unknownsare offered at.Of course, unds must be secured prior to picking up the car. I require a PayPal deposit of $1000 within 48 hours of the auction close and balance within a week, nless other arrangements are agreed upon before hand. If thebalance is not paid in a reasonable and timely fashion, 'll considerthe sale abandoned andmove forward. My apologies to the thousands of responsible eBay biddersfor the need to includethat. Not everyone is as responsible in placing bids as others.I have sold cars that I have owned in the past locally,nationally and internationally. I don't mind overseas bidders, ut the same rules apply. I can assist you or your shipper, ut ultimately the transportation lies on the buyer. I also don't mind storing the car in its current indoor location for a couple weeks once paid for, f agreed upon in advance. However, won't store it for months at a timewithout a daily storage fee being implemented.