Cutting Up Them Big Healeys
I briefly described a friend's ongoing project of
installing a Ford V8 into a Big Healey.
To which George Malits responded:
> 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
And Kevin Burtch added:
> I agree completely. . . .Tell him to part out the car,
> and buy a Kit Car mag! :)
These are good sentiments, however the car in question
has pretty much already given it's life to support other
Healeys which are hopefully still on the road. All that
was obtained was a rolling chassis. As I mentioned, the
front of the frame was severely damaged, so it's being
removed in favor of welding on a Mustang II front end. The
front suspension components will indeed be saved for other
uses. Likewise, the rear axle will be saved and replaced
with a Ford rear end. There wasn't anything else with the
car. It had no body panels (my friend's using fiberglass
replacements), no guages, no interior, no chrome, no nothing!
The only original items being reused are the sub structures
(the "boxes" or front and rear "clips" onto which the body
panels attach) and the rear two-thirds of the frame. The
rest of it either wasn't there are will be used on "good"
Healeys.
Actually, I've met and talked with Geoff Healey on several
occasions (and his wife, Margot) as has my friend. My friend
also met Donald Healey numerous times before he died and we've
all looked at modified Healeys and talked about them at length.
Donald's comments were generally that he felt the Healey line
would have eventually progressed to a V8 engine, and he seemed
to enjoy inspecting the work that people have done along that
line. Sure, I like my Healeys original, they're my favorite
car without exception. However, the one that's being modified
is completely stripped and has little else to give. At least
what's left of it won't be sitting in a field any more.
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