Well for me it took a few decades and one false start. I was at
boarding school in Arizona in the early 1950s. My roommate had a
large book about British cars of that era. I had never seen a book
like that and I devoured and memorized it.
Later on in college fate intervened and I became the owner of a new
1956 BN2. I loved it, but it was a mismatch; I lacked the skills to
maintain it myself. I had adventures like the car quitting on me in
AZ 150 miles east of Blythe in late June. I thought the problem was
fuel, cleaned all the filters and even drained the tank in a pit at
one of the end-of-the-world gas stations at 110 degrees in the
nonexistent shade. (It wasn't a fuel problemand the Chevy dealer in
Blythe fixed it for $2.50). Then the throttle linkage came apart on
the freeway and I got to reattach various pieces of brass by the light
of passing cars. I was collecting speeding tickets at an alarming
rate.
Eventually the Healey departed. Fast forward about 38 years. I was
restoring a '57 VW and looking for some rust retardant for the
framework. I heard about Waxoyl and that it could be obtained through
Moss Motors. I obtained some sort of Moss order form and filled it
out. It asked what variety of car I owned and I couldn't say "VW", so
I told a partial truth: "Austin-Healey." They sent me the Waxoyl and
a beautiful Moss Motors Healey parts catalogue. That did it. Now I
had the skills to restore and maintain a Healey (I thought), and could
fill in some gaps in past history. They kept sending me catalogues.
The thought of owning a Healey again kept building in my head. Within
a year or so I was hooked. I began accumulating every shred of Healey
info I could glean from the Net, acquiring good books on Healeys, and
searching the Net and So. Calif. newspaper classifieds for a Healey. I
was looking for another BN2. The third or fourth Healey I touched ,
about 5 months into my search, was a BN1 that said 'Buy Me". I did.
It is in the going back together stage now, with all major body,
chassis and running gear repair work done, and subframe and chassis
painted the Old English White of my former BN2 (and a color that I
can apply adequately myself).
-Roland Wilhelmy
BN1 #724
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