This auction is for a car that is being completed for summer 2014 delivery. The Austin Healey 3000's pictured were the subject of complete ground up, nut and bolt, body off, bare metal restoration, by Healey Marque specialist, Knut Holzer of British Motor Corporation in Philadelphia, PA. Every aspect of these cars were restored, tested, and well sorted. The cars have perfect lines and will receive numerous hidden upgrades to make them superior cars for driving, weekend touring or vintage car events. All cars are well sorted and tested. These are some of the finest Austin Healey's available anywhere. All cars are no excuses, investment grade, Heritage Certified, offerings.
OUR PROCESS:
Body: Excellent
Body was completely disassembled, all steel panels sand blasted or stripped to bare metal, alloy shrouds removed and stripped, any rust or deteriorating metal removed and correct replacement panels installed. Any patches installed were properly fitted using a butt welding method. Unlike many restorers, we do not, incorrectly overlap weld our patches unless the panel was installed in a overlap method by the original manufacturer. Body refit with excellent fitment. The result is perfect finish, gaps and presentation.
Chassis: Excellent
Chassis are stripped to bare metal using copper slag blasting. This method of paint removal insures the complete removal of rust. The chassis are fit into our chassis jig, measured and adjusted back to factory dimensions. All sills and floors panels were replaced with proper replacement panels imported from Austin Healey Spares of England. The chassis is measured again after welding, and body refit to insure nothing shifted during the welding process. Complete bare chassis is cosmetically adjusted and prepared for coating to insure a better than new finished product. The body is removed and re-fit to the chassis no less than six times during chassis restoration to insure proper fitment. This the only way to insure high quality fit and perfect panel gaps!
Paint: Excellent
Chassis and body are painted using a high quality urethane base coat clear coat product. The high solid urethane base coat paint is produced by Herbert Standox of Germany. This product is know for exceptional consistency and perfect color match to the original Healey color pallet. We have the original color chips for Healey, and this color is a perfect match. It is also known as one of the most expensive automotive paints available today. The high solid urethane clear coat is produced by PPG and is one of the premier show grade finishes available today. The entire chassis, exterior body, interior body and engine bay have received the same high quality base coat clear coat finish. The exterior finish is hand blocked and polished to a glass like finish. The car is straight from all angles. The reflection when looking at all panels are perfect and glass like.
Engine: Excellent
A complete ground up restoration of a car should include the ground up restoration of the engine. Many old engines that sit without being run for years have a chemical reaction between the Piston and the Piston Rings. The Piston Rings bond solid to the Piston. The typical big Healey has 30 rings in the engine. Piston rings are a very important part of your compression. Their job is to contract and expand during each stroke of the piston. If one piston ring is bonded to one piston in your engine it will no longer expand or contract causing a catastrophic problem soon after the engine is started. The bonded piston will either break off inside your cylinder, not expand and allow the piston to move side to side in the cylinder or simply grind a groove which will destroy the compression in the cylinder affected. It may take a few hundred miles or a thousand mile to destroy the inside of your cylinder, but it will destroy your engine eventually. We perform betwen 20 and 30 ground up restorations per year, and this issue is present on 75% of all old motors we restore for Healey's and Jaguar's.
QUALITY! All of our Engines are rebuilt to high standards, with slight modifications to fast BJ8 street standards. The engine are acid washed, line bored, balanced, decked, planed, polished and ported. All engines are Dyno tested and run in, a dyno sheet is supplied with the car, engines are documented at 200HP. Our engine's runs smoother than a stock Healey motor and shows no sign of performance upgrades at idle. Engine has been fitted with new pistons, reground and polished crankshaft, new bearings thruout, no lead head conversion, hot street cam upgrade, hot cam lifter modifications, new high capacity oil pump, new alloy oil pan, new timing gear, chain and tensioners, reconditioned Hamonic balancer, new balanced lightened flywheel, new water pump, new oil filter assy, rebuilt and recurved distributor.
Hydraulics: Excellent
Hydraulics have been rebuilt or replaced thruout the car. New Master cylinders, new slave cylinder, new hydraulic lines thruout, new wheel cylinders rear, new reservior, rebuilt front calipers using stainless steel piston.
Electrical system: Excellent
New correct Austin Healey Spares replacement wiring harnesses thru-out. Rebuilt generator, rebuilt Lucas starter or new high torque starter, new voltage regulator, new Lucas shut off switch. New lights thruout. New Group 27 battery.
Cooling: Excellent
Recorred correct radiator with a upgraded double density core. This increases coolant capacity while looking stock. Upgraded to period correct BMC tropical 6 bladed fan. New hoses thruout, new water pump, new radiator cap, new overflow hose.
Carbs: Excellent
Professionally rebuilt and polished SU HD8 carbs are installed.
Fuel system: Excellent
New fuel tank, new fuel lines, new SU fuel pump, new sending unit.
Interior: Excellent
Interior are produced for us by Automat of Long Island, NY. The interior was produced using high quality European leather. The entire seat upholstery, door panel covering, dash top covering, control panel covering, arm rest covering and piping were produced of high grade leathers, vinyls and soft goods to original patterns. The carpeting is a high quality Wilton automotive carpet. The seat bases, foams and seat belts are also new. The interior has been insulated using Koolmat underneath the carpeting. New wood dash from AH Spares of the UK. New glove box liner, original style glove box lock.
Gauges: Excellent
Gauges were rebuilt by Nisonger gauge.
Wheels and tires: Excellent
Wheels are produced by Dayton wire wheel in either the 60 or 72 spoke format. Tires are the Vedrestein HR 185 15. Wheels and tires were mounted and trued by Henricks wire wheel. The wheels are smooth to and beyond 100MPH.
Top and Boot: Excellent
Top, top boot, and tonneau are produced of a high grade Mohair product imported from the UK.
Suspension: Excellent
Suspensions completely rebuilt with new bushings, new steering shaft and worm gear, new King pins, new tie rod ends. Rear springs were replaced with correct replacement, front spring replaced with old stock coils. All shocks were rebuilt by Worldwide in Wisconsin. Front rotors replaced and balanced, rear drums balanced. New wheel bearings front and rear. New axel seals rear. Rear end reconditioned.
Glass: Excellent
New front windscreen, new side door windows, original vent window glass. New rubber thruout.
Trunk: Excellent
New trunk finish kit. New spare tire tie down.
Chrome: Excellent
Chrome has been replaced or re-plated using a triple plate chroming system.
Exhaust system: Excellent
Exhaust system was replaced at time of restoration. We opted for the very popular upgraded stainless steel performance exhaust used on virtually all of our restorations. It is a imported product produced by AH Spares of the UK. It is a bit more throaty than the standard exhausts and reduces back pressure to the engine. The original style exhaust could be swapped back at no additional charge, but once you hear this exhaust, its unlikely.