Scott Fisher writes about Big Healeys --
> The cars are too important, not to mention too valuable,
> to change them substantively today
Yes Yes Yes!!!
Dave Lapham Replies
> Yeah, but there are still a few people around . . .
> Actually, a friend of mine is working on a Healey
> "Nasty Boy" into which he'll put a Ford 289 (for exactly
> the reasons Scott mentioned, it's a little narrower than
> most other V8s. However, Scott's correct in that even
> MY friends (I do have a FEW!) wouldn't cut up a good Healey.
> He's working with one that he pulled out of a salvage yard.
> It had been pretty well stripped, no drive train or much else.
> It had pretty severe frame damage up front, so that's getting
> cut off and a Mustang II front end will be welded on to
> replace it. It'll have a complete Ford drive drain, complete
> with 9" rear end. Should be fun to drive!
Please Please Please Please don't do it!!!!. Even a trashed Healey would be
put to better use as a parts car. At least it would give it's life to
restore a "good" Healey. There are folks that make replica big Healey kit
cars (Actually a friend of mine is in the business). If you want a Healey
body with a Ford driveline/suspension, buy the kit. It's already been
engineered to take all those bits. My friends demonstrator came out to about
6 or 7 lbs's/HP. Running all that power/torque through ANY original healey
chassis/driveline/suspension parts is illadvised. When your friend has
re-engineered/replaced everything, his car will basically be a kit car
chassis with a Healey body on it. Please, save the original parts for
original cars and use the replica parts for the hot rods. I know this make
me sound like an "if it's not original it's junk" snob,let me assure you I'm
not. It's just that in this case the original parts are hard to find and
there are replica parts available that will work as well or better than the
originals for your friends project. Save the original bits for the project
that can't use the replicas. (The speaker will now shut up and step down
from his soap box. I thank you)
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