This just in, "a_florida_man marries cousins." Some people should not be left alone at night.

I may have just covered the recoup on the SLK, between the $45+ and this "10k" ring.

A little less yet..

In reply to a_florida_man :

I’m sorry, but anytime your dad’s Healey is in view I’m incapable of focusing on anything else!

I hope the "progess" pics aren't too boring... it's just what's happening right now, not much to describe...

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to a_florida_man :

I’m sorry, but anytime your dad’s Healey is in view I’m incapable of focusing on anything else!

Me too, actually. 

Free Healey Rides, every Challenge!

In reply to a_florida_man :

We're still planning on coming by after Christmas and I know neither of us would turn down a ride in it.

Stampie said:

In reply to a_florida_man :

We're still planning on coming by after Christmas and I know neither of us would turn down a ride in it.

I've been known to let the right person drive. ;)

Another $2.16!  Grand total: $47.62

Ill be surprised if there is much more ...

That front shot looks bad.  You have much Porta-Power in your future unless you're not using the front suspension.

I really like the washer fluid tank, though!

In reply to Knurled. :

It is bad.

I may have an alternate approach by the end of the week... stay tuned.

In reply to a_florida_man :

You have a straight, square, silver chassis already in your inventory

TurnerX19 said:

In reply to a_florida_man :

You have a straight, square, silver chassis already in your inventory

Spoiler alert

With any luck I'll have a clean donor shell to build on this week or next.

I also love the Healey. So cool. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I also love the Healey. So cool. 

Yeah, I've had 100+ cars.

But the idea of a Healey has always been around.

Growing up, hearing dad talk about his first two, reading his original 100/6 & 3000 workshop manual long before I knew how ANYTHING worked. 

Much of what I know about Healeys came about before I knew anything about cars.

For me, Healeys existed before, and apart from, anything else automotive.

It's nice to look at this Healey and imagine that it will never leave the family.

To me, an Austin Healey is much more a concept and an emotion than any other car has ever been.

a_florida_man said:

For me, Healeys existed before, and apart from, anything else automotive.

I can relate to that entire statement 100%. This sentence in particular really nails it for me. 

When our Healey was in storage about 5 minutes from our house, I used to beg my dad to go "visit" it. Once it was back in our garage I would go out there as often as I could, pull off the old sheets that were acting as the cover and just admire it. The way it smelled is ingrained in my mind.

Also - I like how the marriage is progressing!

Dug in a little deeper, and confirmed that there are foot wells as deep as the VW, MB just fills them with electronics and foam.

There is a solid 12" under the carpet on the PS before you get to the firewall.

Same on the DS

Luckily the MC and pedal mount is stand alone, as are the mount points for the steering column.

I feel a fit of engine pulling and exploratory cutting coming on.

I think I'll set the engine and transmission up separately, repair it, wire it and run it stand alone.

Then the body is left to investigative hacking.

It looks like the replacement chassis is happening so it will be nice to hack this one to learn what SHOULDN'T be hacked, haha.

In reply to a_florida_man :

That sounds lIke a very solid plan. 

a_florida_man said:

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I also love the Healey. So cool. 

To me, an Austin Healey is much more a concept and an emotion than any other car has ever been.

Mild thread jack:

My parents courted in a bugeye, my first car was a '63 Sprite. I now have a '60 bugeye project (could only dream of big Healeys). I know just what you mean, Both of you. I grew up reading those manuals with their drawings. Were there any pictures? I don't recall. 

Regardless, lots of really cool stuff going on. I admire the unbridled ambition.

Not a thread jack... not even close.

Everything automotive I have ever done , no matter how 'ambitious', started here when I was 10 or 11. This is the actual book.

Absolutely elegant mechanical drawings.

The hybrid photo/drawing illustrations were just fascinating.

I had a 100 6 in college.  It had some of the same magic an XKE had. Flip the overdrive switch - magical.

Hasbro said:

I had a 100 6 in college.  It had some of the same magic an XKE had. Flip the overdrive switch - magical.

The Laycock deNormanville overdrive and series  one xke's.

yeah that's  a constant in this story to

Lots more tear down completed.

Here's a pile o pics just cause.

Oh, yes, then there is this;

ALL of the wiring. 
it's actually heavy.

So it took a while to get to this point, but it was worth the wait!

$0 to the budget!!!

More to come.

In reply to a_florida_man :

Welcome back. I am much happier with donor #2. But to be fair to #1, it confirmed your twisted vision. You should never marry your first cousin anyways, second is OK. I think? 

Pete