Thanks guys, much appreciated. I also can't wait to really drive it.
As for the rain... hammer down and it'll go right over me, right?! I hear red lights and stop signs don't count when it's raining and you have no roof.
Thanks guys, much appreciated. I also can't wait to really drive it.
As for the rain... hammer down and it'll go right over me, right?! I hear red lights and stop signs don't count when it's raining and you have no roof.
I drove my 100-4 year round in all weather conditions with no weather protection at all. Stock windshield, so your results may vary, but surprise!! The faster you go, the wetter the inside of the windshield got....I carried a squeegie, and over 60 MPH it was constantly in my right hand. My parents' MGTD was dry above 30 MPH, so I figured I was OK when I bought the Healey
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Welp. I guess a squeegie and rain jacket that live behind the driver's seat may be in order.
I suppose that does make sense though, if you think about it considering the convertibles that now come (or have the option of) a wind blocker behind the front seats.
My wife and daughter came by again this afternoon. The clutch is now bled and the hood is mounted (still needs adjustment).
We're nearly there.
Yes it's filthy. So is the shop.
A little diversion on Monday night. My wife's birthday was the second week of May and she requested I make her something this year (she requests that most years). The end of April through the third week of May, I was spending all my time getting our house ready to sell so her present fell by the wayside.
She gave me a number of ideas but the one I landed on was a key holder for the new house.
We're finally "done" with the move so I was able to head to the shop for a while this afternoon. I intended on bringing the Healey keys and taking it for a drive... I was running around packing up the truck to drop some things off at my in-laws that we borrowed, got to their house (10-15 min away) and realized I didn't have the keys. berkeley. Not only would that be 10-15 minutes back to the house but then another 20-25 minutes back past where I already was to get to the shop.
I decided to look at it positively and tackle as many of the small things remaining as I could.
Then I started in on this. The Healey (and likely other British car guys) will catch on quickly.
The gas tank is held in place with two straps. There are brackets on the rear bulkhead from which they pivot and then the bolt at the other end drops through a hole in the trunk floor with a big washer and nut on the other side.
I either threw away or simply misplaced the old ones. Shipping from Moss (where I'd probably order something like this) is extremely slow right now and this seemed like a fun little project. I got one done aside from paint.
As for the E21/work bench, the caliper pistons finally arrived which means it should have brakes within a week or so. I'm going to miss the vintage at Mid-O unfortunately but I'm hoping to make a number of Nelson track days and 1-2 auto-x before a race weekend this fall. Having my own trailer AT MY HOUSE and being about 15 minutes closer to Nelson and the local SCCA auto-x location makes dragging it out for those things much more reasonable.
License plate holder.
Check.
Out of the garage.
Check.
Out and about.
Check.
For it's first would-need-a-tow-should-it-go-wrong test drive, it did AWESOME. 20+ minutes through some traffic and 25-35 mph streets. Things I noticed.
What it really needs is some miles on it.
Not only will the miles drive you to fix what is on the list, but it will also prioritize the order.
Good to hear the engine is purring the way that only a nicely tuned Healey can.
Love the minimalist trim and no bumper look.
Not entirely sold on the cut-down windscreen. What was it like to drive?
Pete
I'm still loving the look of the windshield but we can always go original if we get tired of it. Lots of wind in my hair but nothing in my face. Seems to be just right.
I had a friend suggest upside down Bugeye bumpers for the rear like the works cars did. I think it looks pretty awesome.
Congrats on the drive. It's a good feeling when you are that far along. But you're never really done. I just fixed a few things from my first restoration, and it's been drivable for 25 years.
I have a soft spot for Big Healeys. There was one under a tarp in the neighborhood where I grew up, and I had dreams of driving it when in elementary school. Then I restored my first TR6 next to two Healeys under restoration. It was amazing to watch those cars come together.
Enjoy.
Yeah, my sister just asked me if it's done now... Nope!
I have that soft spot as well. This thing was under Army-issue sheets tucked in the back of my parent's garage for much of my childhood and it fascinated me. If it weren't for me my dad would have dumped it ages ago.
Second strap done. Not as nice as the first but it'll do.
I'm going to clean them up a bit, give them some primer and paint and throw them on. Won't be back to the shop until Sunday, got a rallycross to run on Saturday.
Tank straps in.
Second real test was today, this time my dad came along, which was awesome.
When we were about 5 minutes into the ride, there was a hiccup starting from a stop light. Hm. Then some bigger hiccups. Hm. Then none at the next light. We started on to a nice, smooth windy road that would make for a 30 minute round trip. One more big hiccup. OK. Turning around.
Get it back fine, back up the driveway, dad climbs out because it's tight in the garage and it shuts off. No power, no nothing. Open the trunk - BOTH battery cables had fallen off. There's the hiccup. Hooked them on and it fired right off.
2PM on a 80 degree day and even getting stopped at in traffic a couple times the temp and oil pressure were fine.
In other news, the tanks straps make ALL the difference and it's not so scary going over bumps. It goes to the painter in 2-ish weeks for the door repair, sills and final touches.
Another thing I noticed - there's a rotational noise coming from the left rear. It's like what you hear after a disc brake has been wet and sat (maybe not as scrapy as you're thinking) but it hasn't been wet, nor are they discs.
Brake back plate with a little bend dragging the drum, or missaligned parking brake hardware can make that noise. On rare occasions it can be a normal noise regarding lining material. Pop the drum off and look for a shiney spot. If no witness marks put it back together and run it for a few hundred miles. If it gets louder then look at the hub bearing.
Regarding the loose battery cables, I would have thought that the generator would have kept the engine happy without the battery.
Regarding the rear braking noise, have you tried re-centering the shoes by braking hard while backing up?
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Thanks for the tips, as always. It definitely has the sound of light gauge metal scraping. Not what I would identify as a bearing but I'll be digging into it.
In reply to keithedwards :
Not sure, for all I know, the battery had been unplugged for a lot of the ride and maybe the generator didn't always have enough juice from a stop? Who knows.
Never heard that trick for shoes but it's worth a shot. Thanks!
Well it was one of those nights. Late start leaving the house and needed to make a stop for my wife. Got to the stop and realized I forgot the brake parts that I do have (still waiting on rebuilt calipers) for the E21. Dang. Figured I'd do an easy task and put the "speed nuts" on the front badge my Dad put on last weekend. Literally wouldn't go on. No matter how hard I pushed with my fingers, pliers, etc. Dang. Decided to replace the oil in the Healey rear end. Didn't have enough. Dang. Loaded a bunch of crap into the VW and headed home.
Somehow, even with COVID we've got a really busy (outdoor) schedule this weekend. Hopefully I can run out early tomorrow before the stores are packed and we have to be somewhere to pick up more gear oil. I want to drive it this weekend.
Didn't get to the shop today because, you know, schedules. I did give Elmore his annual wash though.
Yesterday I managed a few hours at the shop. I got the new vented discs on the E21, finished filling up the Healey rear end and greased all the driveshaft u-joints and and drag link ends on the truck.
Today I took the Healey for yet another, longer drive. Overall, it was again a success. There's definitely tuning needed as a couple times there were some small... I don't even know. I said hiccup last time but it was nothing as significant as when the battery cables were falling off. It really is running well and seems eager to rev.
As I was nearing the end of my drive, the scraping noise from the rear came back and after hitting the brakes the last time to turn into the driveway, it became louder and almost a hum. At that point I was soaked with sweat and also needed to get home so I piled some things into the truck and headed out. Should be able to get back tomorrow or Tuesday and troubleshoot.
It again was 85+ degrees in the middle of the day and it got up to 190 at the very end of the drive getting stuck at a long stop light in direct sunlight. That strikes me as fine.
On another note - has anyone had experience with the Vredestein Sprint Classics? They seem really loud.
In reply to AxeHealey :
On another note - has anyone had experience with the Vredestein Sprint Classics? They seem really loud.
Yup! I have put several sets on customer cars. They are loud. Some people have had serious dimensional irregularities too, but my experience there has been OK, but required a lot of weight for balance.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
OK, that makes me feel better. I couldn't imagine the freshly packed bearings were that loud.
I've had every single stick on weight fly (or simply fall) off so it'll definitely be making a trip to the shop for rebalancing.
Do not use clip on weights on Minilite wheels! Good quality stick-ons installed properly do not fall or fly off. Clip-ons can damage the rim edges, making stress risers that may bite you later.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Noted.
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