PAINTING THE FUEL TANK AND TRANSMISSION TUNNEL

The fuel tank is in exceptional condition to be 51 years old.  There was no rust whatsoever on the outside and the inside was almost pristine.  Evidently, the fuel had been drained before the car was put in storage...a really good thing.  The tank has been flushed, stripped and painted with epoxy primer and semi-gloss black urethane paint.  It should be good for the next 51 years.

 A portion of the bottom of the fuel tank is exposed to the elements, however is was still in excellent condition.

 The transmission tunnel, shown in the photo to the right has also been stripped and painted.

The fasteners  have been located and the tunnel is ready for permanent installation, but it must be removed in order to install the engine and transmission.  The tunnel will be refitted before the carpeting is installed.

Tomorrow, we will be attaching the carburetor linkage, starter solenoid and engine compartment heat shields to the firewall.  This Big Healey will be on its wheels very soon.

Love this car...

Tom McCurry 

FINISHING THE HEAT SHIELD APPLICATION

 Although it is July 4, Don and I met at the shop early this morning to complete the installation of the interior heat shield.  In the photo to the right you will notice the foot wells have been covered with exception of the outside wall.  Only the areas between the engine, transmission and exhaust require protection from heat.

We also covered the driveshaft tunnel and bulkhead behind the driver's seat.  There is no need to cover the platform to be fitted with the back seat upholstery panels.  

The installation of the heat shield, which was purchased from NAPA Auto Parts,  is now complete.

Stay tuned,

Tom McCurry

APPLYING HEAT SHIELD

This heat shield will make a huge difference in the temperature inside the Healey.  As I explained in a previous post, the exhaust system is routed directly below the driver's seat.  This can make the Healey 3000 driving experience most uncomfortable especially on a hot summer day.  

As you can see in the photo above, the heat shield has been applied to the floor pans.  Only a few more panels are to be fitted before the job is complete.  The remaining panels will be installed Wednesday.

Also you will notice the black transmission cover has been positioned in order to locate the fastener holes.  It will be removed tomorrow and the finish paint applied.  

You gotta love Big Healeys...

Tom McCurry

THE ENGINE BEFORE AND AFTER

Restoring an engine and transmission is a greasy, rusty task.  The disassembly, cleaning, painting and reassembly is time consuming to say the least.  To the right is a photo of the engine and transmission during the disassembly process.

After the engine and transmission were rebuilt, the cleaning and painting process began.  

We painted them separately and then put them together.  Then the fasteners were painted the same color as the engine.  This was done because the engine and transmission assembly was painted after it was put together at the factory.  No bright, shinny bolts are visible here.

No fluids will be added to this drive assembly until it is installed in the car.  A priming tank will be used to charge the engine's oiling system.  A priming tank is a pressurized vessel that is filled with oil and connected to the engine.  When the pressure valve is opened oil is forced throughout the entire lubrication system before the engine ever turns over the first time.  Failure to do this will cause excessive wear to the bushings, bearings and rings.

Hopefully we will be installing the engine toward the end of next week.

Later,

Tom McCurry 

INSTALLING THE INTERIOR HEAT SHIELD

The left hand drive Austin Healey 3000s are notorious for keeping the driver warm...a bit too warm.  The exhaust system, you see, is located directly underneath the the driver's seat.  This makes the Big Healey driving experience somewhat less than pleasant, especially on a hot summer day.  

With Tim's permission, of course, we installed a special heat shield between the floor pan on the driver's side and exhaust system.  We are also applying another layer of the same material to the topside of the floor pans.

 In preparation for the heat shield installation, several coats of Colorado Red were applied to the cockpit.

 In the photos to the left and below you will see the heat shield that has been applied to the floor pans.

This "blanket" will reduce heat from the engine and noise from the road.  The car will sound and feel more "solid" and the best part is, no one will ever know it's there.  

When the installation of the blanket has been completed, there will be a barrier between the engine's exhaust system and the driver.  I'm not saying it will even remotely resemble air conditioning, but the driver will certainly be more comfortable.

I love this car...

Tom McCurry

ANOTHER BEFORE AND AFTER

It's hard to believe this is the same car.  To the right is a photo of the engine compartment.  The brake line manifold and original brake lines are shown in the center of the photo.  You may have difficulty seeing the original shock absorber and steering idler because they are covered in oil, dirt and rust.

Not quite the same camera angle but the new brake lines and manifold are now installed.  In the upper left hand corner of the photo to the left you can see the new shock absorber and steering idler.

Quite a difference.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

RESTORING THE FUEL TANK

The fuel tank was in good condition with only a few minor flaws.  Don removed the paint and prepared it for primer.  

The tank will be coated with epoxy primer.  The finish paint will be a single stage urethane.  The inside of the tank will be coated with a rust preventative sealer that is impervious to gasoline.

Later,
Tom McCurry

THE NEW EXHAUST SYSTEM

 Tim bought a state-of-the-art exhaust system...polished stainless steel.  It is absolutely flawless.  It was purchased from Moss Motors (mossmotors.com) for a very reasonable price.

 Shown to the left and below are the hanger assemblies for the new exhaust system.

Because of the attachment of the rotisserie to the frame of the car, the exhaust system cannot be installed until the car is on its wheels and the rotisserie is removed.

Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry

HYDRAULIC PIPING IN PLACE

I completed the installation of the brake and clutch piping today.  The process did not require a great deal of time.  Having the original lines to use as patterns makes the fabrication process so much easier.  So, if you ever have the need to replace the hydraulic system on your car, be sure to remove the old lines carefully.  Try not to bend them if at all possible.

 The photo to the left shows the installation of the clutch hydraulic line and flexible hose that connects the master cylinder to the clutch slave cylinder.

 A hydraulic line extends from the manifold, pictured above, to the rear manifold and flexible connecting hose, shown in the photo to the right.

The photo to the left shows the attachment of the hydraulic and fuel lines to the Healey's frame.  A work of art.

More to come...

Tom McCurry

INSTALLING NEW BRAKE LINES

 After being out of town for several days,  I spent a few hours today in the shop installing the new front brake lines.  The manifold, shown in the photo to the right, is mounted on the wheel house just above the frame.  The brake lines serving all four wheels are connected to this manifold.  

 The photo to the left shows the installation of the brake line for the left side, or drivers side, of the car.  Notice the connection to the flexible hose serving the brake caliper.

 The photo to the right shows the installation of the right side brake line, flexible caliper hose and manifold.

This photo of the manifold shows the right and left brake line and master cylinder to manifold line connections.  The line that runs from the manifold to rear brakes is the only remaining connection.












Later,
Tom McCurry

BEFORE AND AFTER

For those of you who may have forgotten the condition of this Healey on the day it rolled into our shop, let me take this opportunity to treat you to some before photos of the rear axle assembly.

 As we began to dismantle the drive train, we encountered more than our share of rusted fasteners and compromised parts, many of which required replacement.  These photos certainly bring back memories.

Now for the "after".  The entire assembly has been restored.

Quite stunning, wouldn't you agree?

Y'all come back now...

Tom McCurry

INSTALLING REAR BRAKE LINES

As I said in my last post, installing new hydraulic lines is much easier when you have the originals to use as a pattern.  The photo to the left shows the installation of the brass brake line manifold which distributes the fluid from the master cylinder to each of the rear wheels.  Looking closely, you will notice a flexible hose extending from the front of the car to the manifold.  This connection must be flexible because the differential is continually moving up and down and the brake line extending from the front of the car is stationary.

 Fitting the brake lines from the manifold to the wheel cylinders was not difficult at all.  The original brass clamps were used to fasten the new lines to the differential.

 Another view of the brake line installation.

A view of one of the brass retainer clamps that stabilizes the brake line to the differential.  Amazingly, the designers of this car actually specified a threaded sleeve welded to the differential to attach this clamp.

More to come...

Tom McCurry

INSTALLING FUEL LINES

It is so much easier to fabricate new fuel lines and hydraulic lines when you have the originals to use as a pattern...easier but not easy.  Fabricating the new lines with the "close" bends of the originals was a bit time consuming, but not impossible.  The photo to the right shows the new fuel line connections to the fuel pump.  The copper lines extend from the fuel tank to the fuel pump and from the pump to the engine.

The line connecting the fuel pump to the carburetors is shown in the photo to the left.  After bending the new line to conform to the original, fitting it to the original clips on the car's frame required only minor adjustments.

The hydraulic brake lines will be installed next.

Stay tuned,

Tom McCurry

CHROME WIRE WHEELS

Chrome wire wheels were actually made famous by Jaguar and was the signature of the Jaguar XKE.  Since then, they have enhanced the appearance of almost every British sports car that would accept them.  The Austin Healey 3000 is certainly no exception.  Tim has chosen chrome wires for his Healey.
When the Big Healeys were fitted with painted wire wheels, the rear brake drums were painted silver.  Because of the similar color of the wheels and drums, the wheels lacked definition, so we are trying to chose a color similar to the that of the front disc brake rotor.

The photo shown above is the new chrome wheel mounted on the front disc brake rotor.  The photo below shows the chrome wheel on the rear brake drum.

We are looking for a color for the rear brake drum similar to the color of the front brake system that will enhance the chrome wires. What do you think?  Did we nail it?

Post a comment...
Tom McCurry