It has been approximately ten years since I wrapped up (if you ever really
complete a restoration of a Healey) the restoration of the Bloody Beast. He has
weathered the ten years quite well â?? better than me, that is for sure! I have
taken good care of the Beast and completed periodic maintenance as one should.
There have been a few things along the way that have required attention, such
as the failure of the brake master cylinder seal that led to the replacement of
both masters and the clutch slave cylinder while I was at it. However, for the
most part, it has simply been fluid changes, tire replacements and etc.
I am sad to report that I have not driven the Healey as much as I should have
during the time since I finished the restoration. About a month after I
completed the restoration work I drove the Bloody Beast 8,000 miles in a
cross-country trip from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to California, up the coast to
Victoria, BC and then back to Harrisonburg, VA. Between helping my son with his
Bugeye, restoring a 1964 Jaguar MK2, and maintaining the 1987 Alfa, a 1969 MB
280SL and the Porsche in addition to the daily drivers there just wasnâ??t much
time to drive! I am ashamed to say that I only put an additional 2,878 miles on
the Healey in the ensuing nine-plus years. Driving, however, is the whole point
of having a sports car and that is certainly true for an Austin Healey
roadster. My son has now taken the Bugeye to his home. I have sold the Jaguar
and the Mercedes. I now intend to spend more time driving the Bloody Beast!
After almost ten years I thought it might be healthy to go over the car
carefully and examine the condition of components, check tolerances, and
replace items that typically wear â?? even though they might be in operable
condition at the moment. Some items such as rubber hoses may need replacement
due to age rather than wear.
I have prepared an initial draft of a check list for this ten year renewal
process, but it only a draft and I would love to have comments and suggestions
from others on this list soâ?¦ if you have time to look at my initial list and
share your thoughts it can be found on my website at this link:
http://valvechatter.us/wp-admin/post.php?post=9570&action=edit
You can either leave comments on the web site or you can respond here with
suggested additions to the list. Once I have a pretty comprehensive list that
has benefitted from the wisdom of the group, I will make a final check list
available so that others may have the document.
Thanks so much,
Lin Rose
60 BT7 - The Bloody Beast
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