Rumpelstiltskin the Healey 100-4

This charming fellow showed up Chez NOHOME yesterday. It is a 1954 Austing Healey 100-4. The lazy thing has been snoozing for 7 years and it has been decided that he has to return to work.

There were no issues when the car was put to sleep 7 years ago, however lack of use does not make for a better car over time. Tires, brakes, fuel system flush and a general tune-up are all in order.

First order of business is to get the hood open; the latch is broken and to complicate matters, the mechanism is up on the firewall side of things, so like no fun to get at.

The windscreen she is adjustable no?

Sweet ride!! Is the car as small in real life as it is in pictures?! I was next to an MG Midget in Saturday, and its astonishing just how low and narrow small British sports cars are. Very cool color combo.

my favorite of the big healeys

Windshield she is adjustable yes!

Not so small, known as the "Big Healey"

Yes!

I love those things so much.

What is fall like there north of Cleveland Ohio......will rumpel be ready for some colorful foliage?

759NRNG wrote: What is fall like there north of Cleveland Ohio......will rumpel be ready for some colorful foliage?

It would please the owner to no end. I am going to try. A lot depends on what I discover along the way.

Currently stuck in an IKEA plumbing hell that is preventing me from getting started.

My first car was a 67 Austin Healey 3000. never should have gotten rid of that car.

Got the hood open, funny story there!

The fuel in the floats was pretty much petrified, so off they came. A quick wiggle of the throttle shafts shows some movement so that explains the rich running plugs as the mix would have been set rich to compensate at idle.

Overall, nothing too scary under the hood. The lack of rust damage is still remarkable and the oil and coolant look clean. Took a peek under the valve cover and it has the signs of an engine that was well maintained. Put car in 4th gear and gave it a shove to make sure the engine was free...all good.

The fuel tank is another matter: It was 3/4 full of varnish and it was really stinking up the garage. I had to get it out ASAP. New one for sure. Hope I can salvage the fuel pump and convince myself that the fuel lines are flushed good enough to use.

While certainly a home for rodents, the mess is mostly superficial and should respond to a good cleaning with Mr wire wheel and some POR to finish up.

Next up are the brakes. I know the lines are toast and the master needs replacing.

Know nothing about these engines, but that exhaust manifold looks vaguely like a SBC piece. What's the HP on this? The carbs I presume are SU's? Hood story?

The lack of rust in that trunk is incredible.

AxeHealey wrote: The lack of rust in that trunk is incredible.

The entire car is kinda like that: Scruffy but solid. Really throws my classic car ethos for a loop.

The story with the bonnet release...The Red Hearing Sandwich.

When I went to look at the car, and asked to look under the hood, the owner said it would not be possible because the cable to the latch had broken. He proceeded to show me where the cable went through the firewall, and the broken cable laying inside the cockpit.

After berkeleying around for a bit after it landed in my shop, I had the minion come by with his borescope so we could have a look inside. After a few minutes the minion scratches his head, climbs under the dash and the bonnet pops.

The Healy 100-4 has a rod to release the latch, not a cable. The pull is tucked way up under the cowl; pretty much have to know it is there or you wont see it.

Minion was chuckling all night.

Anyone know what to do with about 10 gallons of very old gas/varnish?

So if the hood release is a rod, what's the mystery broken cable for?

NOHOME wrote: Anyone know what to do with about 10 gallons of very old gas/varnish?

Mix it with fresh gas and burn it in your lawnmower.

I burned old gas in the lawn tractor, it would only start with starter fluid, and it took forever to get rid of all the old gas. That car has a inspection sticker dated 1988.

The county dump or your cities municipal center should help you with that.

A flathead lawn mower will run fine on the yellow stuff, I'm currently running one on a ~50/50 mix of kerosene too old to light off in a hot ceramic igniter salamander heater and ~8 year old yellow gas. Hard to start without ether but it runs fine. I wouldn't recommend that in a higher compression OHV engine though, some of those will even knock on less than fresh 87.

I run old gas in my lawn mower, the girl friends dad gets free old gas and diesel all the time, he puts the old gas in his 8n and the diesel in the super dexta.

Its kinda viscous...I think it is going in a gas can and off to the hazardous chemical drop at the dump.

Pulled the front wheel to see what kind of shape the drum brakes were in. Pretty bad I would have to say

Not only are they berkeleyed to the point where they turned into disc brakes, but it looks like the calipers were new when the car was parked. No rust on the exposed part of the puck, no rust on the hardware and the pads are full thickness.

As a bonus, the suspension bushings, shocks and kingpins are all tight. Someone took care of this car.

The rear drums on a Healey 100 are a royal PITA to get off. The stud has to go through a boss in the drum that is over 1" thick, and of course it will always be rusted in the bore. Once it did come off, same story as up-front; brakes look like they were fresh when the car went down for it's nap.

I am going to pull everything apart for cleaning and inspection, but it does look promising.

yeah.MINION he calls me.yet the owner and the guy charged with the resto of the thing both missed A HANDLE THAT SAID IN WHITE LETTERS "BONNET LOCK" its right there staring you in the face lol

Friend has one of these with a SBC and side pipes. Fun, Sunday-go-to-get-ice-cream driver.

petey wrote: yeah.MINION he calls me.yet the owner and the guy charged with the resto of the thing both missed A HANDLE THAT SAID IN WHITE LETTERS "BONNET LOCK" its right there staring you in the face lol

hahaha sounds like something that would happen to me. That's a sweet car BTW.