Welcome to my web page about our Austin Healey!  Being a "Mark III Phase 2" Healey 3000, it's among the last of the "Big Healeys".  It's a real Metallic Golden Beige car, as verified by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, which makes it one of only 551 ever made.

To give you some idea on the uniqueness of this kind of car: 42,926 Austin Healey 3000s were built in its 8 year model life span (1959 to 1967). In contrast, 235,147 Camaros were built in the 1968 model year alone! Needless to say, it's a very rare occasion to pass one on the road today... and I'm going to make it a point to change that for as many people as possible!  Austin Healeys have a rich, fascinating history. I found a great website that details the Healey history here.

I have the utmost respect for the classic car owners out there who painstakingly maintain the originality of their car. For me though - I'm just not one of those guys. I love upgrading things... figuring things out (I'm an engineer after all :). I love the challenge of trying to add modern comfort, convenience or performance while maintaining the classic look and feel. As such, I've done lots of upgrades. I'm filling this page with info about all the work I've done, as well as my current "To Do" list.  I'm scattering photos throughout as well - just click on any thumbnail for a hi-res image.

Click here to read about our adventures getting the car!
  

Upgrades & Repairs I've Done (Click on the Links for Details)

  • Custom MacGyver'd Exhaust System!   Added 1/15/2011
    I made my own custom exhaust, with symmetric outlets coming out on each side of the license plate, and tucked up underneath near the body and bumper.

  • Rebuilt the Fuel Pump.
    Also purchased new solid state version, but had the original in the car for a while... the new solid state pump wasn't working properly, so I had to return and exchange.  The replacement has now been in the car for many months now, and working perfectly.

  • Added Mirrors on Both Sides (Both Convex).
    It was really important to me to have mirrors on both sides (the car originally had none).  Picking the location was a bit tense, as it meant drilling holes in the car. I was a tad nervous about messing something up, or getting the mirrors in the wrong position. So I ended up making sort of a "plastic substitute" base that I could attach the mirror to, and then it would position the mirror the correct distance away from the body. Then I sat in the car, and had my loving and VERY patient wife :) move the mirror around until it was where it seemed right. The end result was that I nailed it perfectly. The location is just right... not too far away to be unusable, not too close to look "un-British" or to be blocked by the window sticker or something. And with both being convex, the field of view behind me is fantastic.
  • Added Riser For Dash Mirror (w/Built-in Clock).
    Bought Moss Motors Part No. 165-156.  I'm 6'4" tall, and this put the mirror at the perfect height to be usable with the top up or down.

  • Drilled & Slotted Brake Rotors, New Calipers, Premium Brake Pads, Brake Lines, Wheel Bearings, Brake Servo (Lockheed Style) and Master Cylinder.
    I used a Lockheed style brake servo because that's what was already on the car... but I didn't know anything about it (didn't trust it) and it seemed like it was somehow causing the brakes to drag.  The servo I bought was manufactured by Powertune.  Another note... when doing the wheel bearings, make sure you understand how the shims are supposed to work - it's very important!  Check out this video (in principle, the Healey is same as MG here).

  • New Tie Rod Ends, Aligned Front End.
    I set toe-in simply by using string that I extended off custom brackets I attached to the rear wheels. I made the brackets out of aluminum, and they insure the string runs from back to front parallel to the rear wheels. That way I was insuring the front wheels were perfectly parallel with the rear... then just turning each wheel in slightly an equal amount for toe. I would measure from string to wheel fore and aft, and then just subtract the difference to get the toe on that side.  Then just multiply X2 for total toe.
  • New Tires (Federal SS657 Size 165/80R15) Mounted, Balanced, Shaved, Wheels Trued.
    Hendrix Wire Wheel did the work, and they did a really fantastic job.

Misc. Items I Upgraded or Replaced:

  • Replaced Points/Condenser With Pertronix Module (Using original distributor).

  • Upgraded to Halogen Headlights, w/New Wiring and Relay, and Added Fuse.

  • Upgraded to a Texas Kooler Fan.

  • New Thermostat (Stock Style).

  • New Radiator Hoses and Radiator Cap.

  • New Water Pump.

  • New Trunk Liner Kit.

  • New Trunk Weather Stripping (Someone had put the trunk weather stripping on the body instead of on the trunk... so the trunk didn't close properly).

Fluids and Consumables I'm Using:

  • Engine Oil: Valvoline VR-1 20W-50

  • Spin-on Oil Filter Conversion Using WIX 51516 Filter

  • Transmission Oil: Royal Purple 75W-90

  • Rear Differential Oil: Royal Purple 75W-140

  • Coolant: Approx. 50/50 mix, maybe just slightly heavier on the distilled water, with Water Wetter added.

  • Spark Plugs: NGK BP6ES


If anyone has any questions about any of the work I've done
or will be doing, feel free to send me an email!


  

Current To-Do List

  • Figure out some sort of idle step-up solenoid to go with the new A/C system.

  • Improve/add more insulation to the firewall (in the engine bay) and the underside of the transmission tunnel.

  • Improve engine bay airflow by adding an undercarriage block-off plate to the front of the car.

  • Maybe a stereo some day?

  • Add custom reflectors on the rear bumper (instead of the original bicycle reflectors).

  • About a million other things I'm sure, that I'm just not remembering right now :)

  
If anyone has any questions about any of the work I've done
or will be doing, feel free to send me an email!