I graduated high school in 1969. Had a friend in school from England had one of these. That sucker could FLY! He used to race it against Corvettes. Beautiful car!
You never want to just start cranking an engine that’s been sitting so long without first looking down each cylinder and ensuring no foreign debris.. wether its rust, gummed up oil or god only knows what from the last person who tried to start it... You need to ensure the cylinder walls have proper lubrication even if its just the starter turning it over.. I’ve seen some poorly done attempts at lubricating a sitting engine... You also want to disconnect the fuel pump.. all that gunk in the fuel system, tank, carbs sitting for so long is gonna try and pump its way through the system and clog away... A water cooled, carbureted engine sitting for 15 years plus is gonna need some basics done BEFORE you attempt to crank it.. even if you pull the rotor to ensure no spark to the plugs... Great find and looking forward to the rebuild of that beauty!
Another superb video, Steve. Better than any of the shows on TV. Back to basics, something any backyard mechanic can follow and learn from if he/she doesn't already know. And, you personal manner adds to the credibility of the presentation. Looking forward to your next video on this Healey project.
When I was in High School back in the late 60's several of my friends had MGA's, Sprites, Midgets, TR3's, MGB's, etc. and one had an Austin Healey just like the one in this video, same color but I'm not sure of the year. British Leyland cars were popular back then because they were inexpensive and fun to drive. There were a lot of muscle cars also. The town I lived in, Madison, NJ, had a lot of wealthy people and a couple of the kids had more expensive sport cars but flaunting wealth wasn't a popular thing to do back then. I wish I still had my '67 British Racing Green, Abarth exhaust fitted, MGB.
I live in Sunny Queensland Australia 🇦🇺 and I’ve never seen or experienced that ever. Absolutely love to see the rebuilding of the Healy as l own a MGB
When in young adulthood this was my dream car. I purchased the factory repair manual and nearly memorized it over the years, but I never had the car. I'm afraid that wife and children came first, time flew by and now its just a rather dim memory of a youthful dream. By all means rebuild this car, drive it and let me vicariously live my dream. Thanks, I'm glad your channel popped up on my screen this evening. Good luck with the build. Oh, I'm sure you know that much of the framing under the body panels are wood so I hope the rats/mice didn't knaw some of it away. You certainly grabbed my attention this evening.
Damn. Healy 3000 is my dream car. When I was a kid the fella next door had one. So every since then.. yeah. And this one's a beauty, ain't she. Yessir, young fellow. I definitely want to see this beautiful old car restored to prime condition. Cheers.
You are lucky to have all those old parts lying around. Please rebuild this beautiful Healey. My friend had one and we would cruise up and down the beach road (slowly) with girls sitting on the back.
Last thing done before leaving a car in storage after making sure carbs are blocked off is to jam a couple of those stainless steel pot-scrubbers that resemble big balls of steel-wool into the exhaust pipe/s then leave a note on the steering wheel about all the steps you've taken.
When I was a teenage auto mechanic apprentice in England in the mid to late 1960s this was the car of my dreams. It was just a dream as it was way beyond my ability to buy one. RICE in the cylinder head? I've heard everything now! Please carry on rebuilding this fine automobile.
Big lesson learned, thank you. When you store a car, put a cap over the exhaust tips to fend off critters. I'd like very much to see your work rebuilding the Healey.
I used to have a '60 Austin Westminister, and a 61 Woolsley. They both had the same engine as this, but with twin instead of triple carbs. 3 on the tree's, with an electrically actuated overdrive!
Hi Steve, New subscriber here, you hooked me with this '62 Bt7. I have her sister in my garage. Identical same paint, same three SU's and had the same plugged up Radiator. The only difference is, mine is the Roadster. You know the Bn7. My Dad bought new in Berkeley, California in 1962. Sad to say mine is not in as good of shape as the one your working on here. Anyway, was looking through your UA-cam page but cant where continued on with this beauty. Hope that it is there and I just couldn't find it. Let me know, I enjoyed your video and look forward to watching some more after I finish this message. have a interesting story about the cooing systems on these cars. The Radiators particularly. I'll save that for next time. Thanks for videos. James
Yes Steve, you should definitely restore that Healey. It's a gem; beyond a diamond in the ruff, and I've seen good examples selling for around $80,000 on Hemmings.com. And, I'd love to see the restoration. I wish there was UA-cam when I restored my '67 BRG MGB Roadster back in the day!
My parents bought a 63 mark three, same color, I think back in 1969. I was nine. Thing was fun, swore it used to shoot flames out the tailpipe on a good downshift. Dad was no mechanic... I had loved special cars before then, but this sealed the deal on me becoming a car guy.
In the mid 60’s I had a Healey 100-6 and recognize all those parts. I had to make some “special” tools to get around the frame pieces to get at the starter motor and brake bleeders on the frame slave cylinder as I was working on the ground. Lots of fun rebuilding the wooden frame parts and fabricating a new wire harness (Lucas cloth coated wires were a mess). Hope your journey was easier.
m nice to get a good laugh out of it. Mostly where I live the big worry is avoiding them an thier big brothers from infesting your home. Had this big ugly sob in my front yard 2 nites ago setting my ring cam off.
Friend of mine had the back box on his MG stuffed with dry dog food by a rat over the winter. This splendid Austin Healy definitely deserves to live and to have his youthful vigour and good looks restored.
Warts aside, that Healey is a real gem... yes, please put it back on the road! I think the “Big Healeys” were the best-looking of all the British sports cars. Ironic that Donald Healey was reluctant to show it at its debut; but I’ve always loved these cars, and that’s coming from an MG owner. ;-)
Yes it would be a pleasure to see this car brought back to useable condition. From the looks of it it will be worth the effort. I have owned 3 big Healeys. The last one was a great looking and running 1967 model. I drove it home snd wsshed it and a guy came and bought it the next day.
You, probably, have the best year of the Healeys! 1962 was the only year of that car with the triple SU carbs; well that's what I think. Therefore a very worth while rebuild.
pro4art@yahoo.com Any tri Carb Healy, if you look below them, you'll see body structure that has a "X pocket' in it, which is a natural collector of any dropped wrenches. I always used a Snap-On short combo 1/2-9/16 tappet type wrench to remove the center air filter. Lost 3 down that hole. Also lost another one, but retrieved it a year later while doing a service on the same car. An articulated magnet is best. Carb tuning, NAPA sells a very good air balance gauge for use on SU and Weber carbs. You must get the airflow balanced exactly at idle. and when carbs are off idle. It reminds me of a squirrel cage, so that's what I call it. If you find my wrench send it back. LOL BTW all Austins/MG's work good at 10 degrees idle timing, and valves set to max stock clearnce, and checked before setting carbs. Don't try slinging the car around while test driving, they'll swap ends quicker than you can think.
Boy you certainly know your stuff. I don't know where you get the patience to tackle this marathon job. Yes do rebuild it if you can get all the parts you need. A friend of mine had one of these and his wife complained that the footwell on the passenger side got so hot from a bad design of routing of the exhaust pipe that she was in danger of getting a burnt leg. Austin Healeys are not for the faint hearted! Good luck. Nice video.
Looks like my old car! '62 3000mkII with triple SUs! I had in college and sold it for $1,100 and a pair of twin SCUBA tanks:) Love to hear it running again....they have the best sound, if you can get the mice out of the exhaust pipes!
Hey Steve. If this had been my find I would’ve done a complete rebuild right from the get go to include wiring. Beautiful Healey. Nice vid, good luck with your restoration.
Yes I'd definitely like to see you rebuild this classic. What a great car and a bizarre beginning to its new life. I subscribed. Looking forward to seeing more from your channel.
That Healey looks in really good nick and will come up beautiful after some work. I worked on these cars occasionally many decades ago as a mechanic. Great cars, and I notice you didn't attempt to lift that head off on your own by hand but used a forklift instead. The head weighed a ton and were very awkward to lift off cleanly, needed two blokes or alternatively whip the bonnet off and use a block & tackle. In all my years I never came across rice in an engine, that is a real eye opener...
The triple carb version was quite rare and it was said at the time that it was difficult to balance the carbs . The body looks good and the badge on the boot still intact . Rice and mice amazing stuff .
Hi, I liked the approach of your tutorial. It was good....even down to the points check out. I think I would have tried an inductive timing light but your choice allowed us to view the points and how they should react when turning the engine over. Thanks...
Pretty amazing would never have thought the little buggers could do that !!!! Have seen damage from them going through air cleaners . Will put plugs into my exhausts on idle vehicles , don't want to face an engine rebuild .
The condition of the Healy is amazing, well worth restoring and exporting back to England where it would fetch big bucks, most of them over here will have welding galore to combat rust or have long since rusted away to nothing.
Hi Steve, Amazing, never heard of this before. Shows what can happen when left for ages. I have exactly the same model with centre change box. Look forward to your videos.
Excellent narration! (The Brits never understood basics like where to install a mirror, they're too far away on this Healey). I'd like to see the engine get rebuilt. Never owned a Healey, I once had a 1960 MGA, what a piece of junk! Every hour on the road equaled two (or more) hours repairing something on it.
Ya! Rebuild it! Nothing I like better than watching people work!!!
Do it, Steve. Those big, old Healeys were beasts when they were running right. Beautiful lines.
Strait 6 was a great engine.
I graduated high school in 1969. Had a friend in school from England had one of these. That sucker could FLY! He used to race it against Corvettes. Beautiful car!
Yes definitely I'd like to see the rebuild and as a bonus you could cook up a nice risotto.
You mean a mice risotto? 😉
agree!
wouldn't even need to add any oil when it cooks, either!
Has to be Arborio rice for a risotto. Maybe just a stir-fry if it is long grain or jasmine rice.
Yes want to see restoration
Yes! Please rebuild that Healey! The world will be a better place with that beauty running around in it.
The big Healys were one of the most beautiful cars of the era. You have to bring her back to life!
I thought I'd seen everything when it comes to getting old classic cars running again!
Like most of us, I've never seen rice in an engine before! Have always liked the big Healeys and it would be great to see it running again!
always a good idea to check cylinders BEFORE cranking an engine that has been sitting a long time!
A British classic that needs rebuilding; go for it Steve.
You never want to just start cranking an engine that’s been sitting so long without first looking down each cylinder and ensuring no foreign debris.. wether its rust, gummed up oil or god only knows what from the last person who tried to start it... You need to ensure the cylinder walls have proper lubrication even if its just the starter turning it over.. I’ve seen some poorly done attempts at lubricating a sitting engine... You also want to disconnect the fuel pump.. all that gunk in the fuel system, tank, carbs sitting for so long is gonna try and pump its way through the system and clog away... A water cooled, carbureted engine sitting for 15 years plus is gonna need some basics done BEFORE you attempt to crank it.. even if you pull the rotor to ensure no spark to the plugs... Great find and looking forward to the rebuild of that beauty!
Fully agreed. With all those Brit cars around, he must do something right. So, I'm surprised he did what he did !! Dumb move.
That's why God invented bore scopes 👍
It would be great to see an engine out rebuild/extended video.
Certainly a very beautiful old car, and quite a valuable one I'd guess. So, yes, it would be wonderful to see it brought back to life.
Another superb video, Steve. Better than any of the shows on TV. Back to basics, something any backyard mechanic can follow and learn from if he/she doesn't already know. And, you personal manner adds to the credibility of the presentation. Looking forward to your next video on this Healey project.
Those were the most committed mice i've heard of. I wonder how long that took them.
I would have ran away at first glance thinking it was maggots 🤣
Reminds me of the '62' MGA I had so many years ago. Wish I could travel back in time. Keep up the great work. Love your channel.
When I was in High School back in the late 60's several of my friends had MGA's, Sprites, Midgets, TR3's, MGB's, etc. and one had an Austin Healey just like the one in this video, same color but I'm not sure of the year. British Leyland cars were popular back then because they were inexpensive and fun to drive. There were a lot of muscle cars also. The town I lived in, Madison, NJ, had a lot of wealthy people and a couple of the kids had more expensive sport cars but flaunting wealth wasn't a popular thing to do back then. I wish I still had my '67 British Racing Green, Abarth exhaust fitted, MGB.
A really interesting and informative video . Had a Healey 3000 in the past and loved it .
A really cool car! I would love to see back running again! Thanks for the cool videos! 👍🏻
Like others, a big "YES" from me to see more of this car and watch you bring it back to how it should be.
I live in Sunny Queensland Australia 🇦🇺 and I’ve never seen or experienced that ever. Absolutely love to see the rebuilding of the Healy as l own a MGB
Great stuff Steve, yes please, re-build..
Great fun! That era of British sports cars hold a place in our heart. You have all of the main ingredients, we can't imagine not restoring it.
I love your appreciation of British cars. Nothing seems to faze you.Not even a broken wing mirror or bonnet (hood) strut. Keep em coming.
When in young adulthood this was my dream car. I purchased the factory repair manual and nearly memorized it over the years, but I never had the car. I'm afraid that wife and children came first, time flew by and now its just a rather dim memory of a youthful dream. By all means rebuild this car, drive it and let me vicariously live my dream. Thanks, I'm glad your channel popped up on my screen this evening. Good luck with the build. Oh, I'm sure you know that much of the framing under the body panels are wood so I hope the rats/mice didn't knaw some of it away. You certainly grabbed my attention this evening.
I’d love to see it rebuilt, Healy’s are one of my favorite cars. Unreal what mice are capable of!
Would love to see this big Healey back to it’s former glory.
That is a pretty funny find inside that engine. Please film the tail pipe, when you fire it up for the first time.
Was in the motor trade for 55yrs have seen many things in my time ,but nothing like this before. Great video as usual . Regards from the UK.
Damn. Healy 3000 is my dream car. When I was a kid the fella next door had one. So every since then.. yeah. And this one's a beauty, ain't she. Yessir, young fellow. I definitely want to see this beautiful old car restored to prime condition. Cheers.
You are lucky to have all those old parts lying around. Please rebuild this beautiful Healey. My friend had one and we would cruise up and down the beach road (slowly) with girls sitting on the back.
Last thing done before leaving a car in storage after making sure carbs are blocked off is to jam a couple of those stainless steel pot-scrubbers that resemble big balls of steel-wool into the exhaust pipe/s then leave a note on the steering wheel about all the steps you've taken.
Great cars! I had a 1960 and a 1967 model. They excel on snow and ice...with the heater on full under the tonneau.
When I was a teenage auto mechanic apprentice in England in the mid to late 1960s this was the car of my dreams. It was just a dream as it was way beyond my ability to buy one. RICE in the cylinder head? I've heard everything now! Please carry on rebuilding this fine automobile.
Mice and rice! Bloody hell, l thought l'd seen it all.
Yep, would love to see you rebuild this. 😊
I’d love to see a series on getting this car back on the road
So that would give "rice burner" a whole new meaning, wouldn't it ?
Limey Top Ramen?
First English rice burner I've seen!
@Superb Media Content Creator Better call the waaaahbulance.
you beat me to that one!
They call it "rice rocket" here..
Good luck on this classic ! She’s a beauty !
I'd love to watch you get this Healy running again.
Was involved in a back to chassis and rebuild of a MK 1 Healey (BN7) back in the 70's. Would love to see your rebuild. Good luck!
Steve, you never cease to amaze me with your finds and collected ways of approaching them... we are all on tenterhooks now..
Rebuild it please. I think this car deserves some love.
Yes,a rebuild!! Just when you think you've seen it all?? Great 👍👍 video.
You absolutely have to rebuild that big Healey. Love those.
Love to see it redone. Please don't forget about the TVRs. Thanks for all the videos.
Wonderful car, I would love to see it brought back to life and back on the road again.
Big lesson learned, thank you. When you store a car, put a cap over the exhaust tips to fend off critters. I'd like very much to see your work rebuilding the Healey.
Well, thats a new one! Yep, would love to see the rebuild.
I used to have a '60 Austin Westminister, and a 61 Woolsley. They both had the same engine as this, but with twin instead of triple carbs. 3 on the tree's, with an electrically actuated overdrive!
Yeah, I'd love to see this be rebuilt. I bought a brand new Healey 3000 in 1960. What a ride it was and still a good looking car today. Subscribed.
My father in law always called Japanese cars riceburners. I think you have a British riceburner which is very rare. Take care Steve
Glad it was a mouse and not me inside the engine great to see what you can do with it and get it up and running again!
Yes Steve I'd like to see you rebuild the engine! ...Newk from Kentucky
What a nice looking Healy! Definitely fix this one up.
Hi Steve, New subscriber here, you hooked me with this '62 Bt7. I have her sister in my garage. Identical same paint, same three SU's and had the same plugged up Radiator. The only difference is, mine is the Roadster. You know the Bn7. My Dad bought new in Berkeley, California in 1962. Sad to say mine is not in as good of shape as the one your working on here. Anyway, was looking through your UA-cam page but cant where continued on with this beauty. Hope that it is there and I just couldn't find it. Let me know, I enjoyed your video and look forward to watching some more after I finish this message. have a interesting story about the cooing systems on these cars. The Radiators particularly. I'll save that for next time. Thanks for videos.
James
This is the next video on this car: ua-cam.com/video/WraCRhRTIqI/v-deo.html
interesting find, great shots of how to methodically get an old long standing car going.
I’d really like to see you rebuild the Healey 3000. Appreciate your videos; very informative.
Yes Steve, you should definitely restore that Healey. It's a gem; beyond a diamond in the ruff, and I've seen good examples selling for around $80,000 on Hemmings.com. And, I'd love to see the restoration. I wish there was UA-cam when I restored my '67 BRG MGB Roadster back in the day!
My parents bought a 63 mark three, same color, I think back in 1969. I was nine.
Thing was fun, swore it used to shoot flames out the tailpipe on a good downshift.
Dad was no mechanic... I had loved special cars before then, but this sealed the deal on me becoming a car guy.
In the mid 60’s I had a Healey 100-6 and recognize all those parts. I had to make some “special” tools to get around the frame pieces to get at the starter motor and brake bleeders on the frame slave cylinder as I was working on the ground. Lots of fun rebuilding the wooden frame parts and fabricating a new wire harness (Lucas cloth coated wires were a mess). Hope your journey was easier.
Incredible story Steve, thanks for sharing with us. - best regards, IAN - UK.
i want to see you rebuild this car.
Would definitely be worthwhile to rebuild that engine
I want to see you rebuild this car and then let me buy it!.its beautiful.
@Sean m your probably right although rice is a great drying agent. Had to be a huge army of them to transport that much rice!
Didn’t know Healeys were Japanese..😝
m nice to get a good laugh out of it. Mostly where I live the big worry is avoiding them an thier big brothers from infesting your home. Had this big ugly sob in my front yard 2 nites ago setting my ring cam off.
UA-cam done right; a 12 minute video packed with interesting content and a head off unique surprise
I had a friend who raced a Healy 3000, it regularly beat E-Types and other larger engined cars.
I always heard that big Healys were capable of 140mph and that was in the 60's!
Friend of mine had the back box on his MG stuffed with dry dog food by a rat over the winter.
This splendid Austin Healy definitely deserves to live and to have his youthful vigour and good looks restored.
Warts aside, that Healey is a real gem... yes, please put it back on the road! I think the “Big Healeys” were the best-looking of all the British sports cars. Ironic that Donald Healey was reluctant to show it at its debut; but I’ve always loved these cars, and that’s coming from an MG owner. ;-)
I used to rebuild these and other British cars. Retired now. Go for it!!!
I would love to see you get that old beauty running again.
I always liked big Healeys. I'd love to see more work on this.
Yes it would be a pleasure to see this car brought back to useable condition. From the looks of it it will be worth the effort. I have owned 3 big Healeys. The last one was a great looking and running 1967 model. I drove it home snd wsshed it and a guy came and bought it the next day.
You, probably, have the best year of the Healeys! 1962 was the only year of that car with the triple SU carbs; well that's what I think. Therefore a very worth while rebuild.
pro4art@yahoo.com
Any tri Carb Healy, if you look below them, you'll see body structure that has a "X pocket' in it, which is a natural collector of any dropped wrenches. I always used a Snap-On short combo 1/2-9/16 tappet type wrench to remove the center air filter. Lost 3 down that hole. Also lost another one, but retrieved it a year later while doing a service on the same car. An articulated magnet is best.
Carb tuning, NAPA sells a very good air balance gauge for use on SU and Weber carbs. You must get the airflow balanced exactly at idle. and when carbs are off idle. It reminds me of a squirrel cage, so that's what I call it. If you find my wrench send it back. LOL
BTW all Austins/MG's work good at 10 degrees idle timing, and valves set to max stock clearnce, and checked before setting carbs.
Don't try slinging the car around while test driving, they'll swap ends quicker than you can think.
Boy you certainly know your stuff. I don't know where you get the patience to tackle this marathon job. Yes do rebuild it if you can get all the parts you need. A friend of mine had one of these and his wife complained that the footwell on the passenger side got so hot from a bad design of routing of the exhaust pipe that she was in danger of getting a burnt leg. Austin Healeys are not for the faint hearted! Good luck. Nice video.
What a ricer burner! 😊 seriously a very nice explanation of trouble shooting here. Thank you.
Looks like my old car! '62 3000mkII with triple SUs! I had in college and sold it for $1,100 and a pair of twin SCUBA tanks:) Love to hear it running again....they have the best sound, if you can get the mice out of the exhaust pipes!
My dad has a 57 100-6 in the garage, these cars are hard to find, and in that condition, just wow. Please rebuild it!
Hey Steve. If this had been my find I would’ve done a complete rebuild right from the get go to include wiring. Beautiful Healey. Nice vid, good luck with your restoration.
This job looks really interesting (Healy)
I’d love to see more work done on it
So you can get it running again
Your attention to detail is amazing.
Great stuff. Commentary easy to listen to. Thanks for sharing it
Definitely would like to see you get this car back on the road again!
Yes I'd definitely like to see you rebuild this classic. What a great car and a bizarre beginning to its new life. I subscribed. Looking forward to seeing more from your channel.
That Healey looks in really good nick and will come up beautiful after some work. I worked on these cars occasionally many decades ago as a mechanic. Great cars, and I notice you didn't attempt to lift that head off on your own by hand but used a forklift instead. The head weighed a ton and were very awkward to lift off cleanly, needed two blokes or alternatively whip the bonnet off and use a block & tackle. In all my years I never came across rice in an engine, that is a real eye opener...
Good thing you have the video. Nobody would believe this story otherwise. Healys make great fried rice. Jaguars are best for Dim Sum.
The triple carb version was quite rare and it was said at the time that it was difficult to balance the carbs . The body looks good and the badge on the boot still intact . Rice and mice amazing stuff .
Fun video! Hope you can rebuild it. IMHO this model is the prettiest sportscar ever designed.
Thanks for posting and sharing. Looks like that car will benefit from the TLC it’s getting from you.
yes rebuild, who hasn't ever wanted a red Healy , good find, do it right....and where is your shop? I want to test drive your cars
Hi, I liked the approach of your tutorial. It was good....even down to the points check out. I think I would have tried an inductive timing light but your choice allowed us to view the points and how they should react when turning the engine over. Thanks...
Love that old Healey. Lets see what you can do to it!
I owned one of these beautiful cars in my long ago youth. My favorite of all time.
It would be a shame not to rebuild this car,I look forward to seeing you finish it,keep up the good work 🇮🇪👍
Pretty amazing would never have thought the little buggers could do that !!!! Have seen damage from them going through air cleaners . Will put plugs into my exhausts on idle vehicles , don't want to face an engine rebuild .
Absolutely...love to see this done..Great video
Was there a little ladder hanging out of the exhaust? 🐭 Yes, please rebuild it! 💪🏻
Enterprising little blighters weren't they! Yes please, would like to see a rebuild.
Very interesting project. I'll look forward to more.
The condition of the Healy is amazing, well worth restoring and exporting back to England where it would fetch big bucks, most of them over here will have welding galore to combat rust or have long since rusted away to nothing.
Hi Steve, Amazing, never heard of this before. Shows what can happen when left for ages. I have exactly the same model with centre change box. Look forward to your videos.
Those timing chain seals are always a bear to get out. Glad the flywheel crank and flywheel issues are working out.
Excellent narration! (The Brits never understood basics like where to install a mirror, they're too far away on this Healey). I'd like to see the engine get rebuilt. Never owned a Healey, I once had a 1960 MGA, what a piece of junk! Every hour on the road equaled two (or more) hours repairing something on it.
All the best with the Healey rebuild, love vintage sports cars.
That's a definite yes,great car,love the big Healey's,never seen rice in an engine before lol.