Rich -
It's pretty unusual for a timing chain to break, the loads on them are
quite low and with a dual chain set up they are quite durable. To be
honest I would be more worried about spinning a bearing or chipping a
valve... which.... both things should not happen on your trip.
Timing belts on new cars need regular maintenance, and Ford for many
years used fiber timing gears which always stripped out over time...
but timing chains? Pretty solid stuff.
Just go for it. At the end of the day if the healey does break... so
what? you'll have a good time any way you cut it. go have a good
time and leave your worries in the boot with your tools. Besides...
country road miles are the easiest on your car (and engine) as long as
there's enough oil in the sump!!!!!
Regards,
Alan
'53 BN1 '64 BJ8
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:41:56 EST, RAntal243@aol.com <RAntal243@aol.com> wrote:
> Greetings Healeyphiles,
> I have a 65 BJ8 with almost 100k on a rebuilt engine. I plan to do a
> grand trip from Portsmouth NH to the west coast and (hopefully} back. I
>reckon
> with side trips it will be at least a 10k trip. I'm wondering if I should
> have the timing chain replaced before I venture forth. The generator and
>starter
> both have 60 or 70 k since rebuilds. Should they or any other parts be
> rebuilt/replaced prior to this trip. I'll be taking the usual boot full of
>parts
> and tools but I'd rather deal with potential problems prophylacticly if
> possible. Thanks. Rich Antal
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