Austin Healey 3000 Mk3
Car was first registered on 08.05.1967 and acquired by me, on 11.10.2002 for £20k.
Having travelled to various parts of the country looking for a decent Healey at the ‘right price’, the car was spotted for sale under ‘One to Buy’ in Classic & Sports Car Magazine. A drive over the Chilterns was enough for me to leave a deposit and head back home, very excited in the knowledge that I’d bought a car that whilst not perfect, would over a period of time be brought up to a standard.
Fortunately I have two excellent companies, within about ten miles, who deal exclusively with Healey parts. There is literally nothing I can’t buy over the shelf, from body panels to the smallest screw. Also, there are excellent ex Healey staff with good product knowledge to work on the car as and where required.
So, whilst a decent runner, the car fell way short of what I ultimately wanted: an English classic drop head sports car but with subtle mods, to enable it to keep up with the modern flow of traffic and to take me to where I wanted reliably. So, to the restoration began.
I gave the engine rebuild to a guy I knew well and had every confidence in. Before the engine rebuild, the car was converted to run on lead free fuel and the cylinder head given a stage two tune with polished ports. When the engine was eventually rebuilt, it was kept pretty standard, except for high compression pistons. The two SU carbs remained standard, as the car was only intended ultimately for reliable touring.
So, the engine having been totally rebuilt, with balanced crankshaft, the next items in line for overhaul were gearbox and overdrive unit. These were both fully sorted by a former Healey engineer.
A trip to Tours one summer proved a bit of an issue. The engine was overheating and with the inevitable heat transfer from the three litre motor and gearbox into the cabin, life became pretty well unbearable.
Geoff Insley’s company, Clayton Classics, Coventry, who was with us on that trip, sorted out both the overheating and cabin discomfort. Being stationary in traffic, with outside air temps approaching 40+C and being hardly able to breathe, it needed something radical doing. So, Clayton’s had the car in their workshops during the winter period and cleverly fitted a bespoke air con unit, specifically designed for my car. This pattern was then used to adapt other long suffering Healey drivers, with the benefit of air conditioning.
I can hear the purists crying out ‘WHAT’ but believe me, either stationary or just cruising along, that flow of cool air over legs and face is a life saver. Equally in the winter, and this car is used all year round so long as there’s no salt, a nice flow of warm air and on the odd occasion when the hood might be up, mist free windows.
The engine cooling problem has been fully sorted, with a slightly wider radiator, five blade fan, an auxiliary thermostatically controlled fan and header tank. Oil pressure and temperature has been helped by the fitting of an oil cooler. This has proved a great aid when, as is inevitably the case, stretches of motorway need to be navigated at a sensible cruising speed.
So, on to other refinements: electronic ignition, alternator conversion, 19mm roll bar, new fuel tank, fuel pump and fuel gauge. Even when new, the fuel gauge was not the most reliable. The only way to guarantee how much is genuinely in the tank is to use an old fashioned dipstick as a backup.
The rear suspension has been lowered 25mm. Full harness seat belts are anchored from a 25mm square bar located just behind the front seats. There was a spin off to this, as somehow the car seems far more rigid now, enhancing its cornering performance.
The trim was always in decent condition with the leather seats, which were an option when new, just starting to wear in nicely. It proved more cost effective to renew bumpers and over riders rather than have the originals re-chromed. This was also the case for the radiator grille and surround.
New 72 spoke chrome wire wheels replaced the original grey painted ones and the tyre size increased to 185HR15 Universals, with red lines. The car stands much better now, giving extra ground clearance for the stainless side exit exhaust system. A full body respray and general tidy up following the fitting of an aluminium, louvered bonnet, has brought the car to where it is today. I just have a thing about louvered bonnets!
Yes, there’s always things to do and money to spend on our pride and joy but for the moment, so far as major items are concerned, this car will stay as it is. Totally non-standard, but extremely reliable for modern motoring use, which suits me fine.
Doug Squires
26th November 2018.
