Austin Healey Restoration

[Guest goldblma]

Below is my 1959 Austin Healey 100-6 restoration.  It had been sitting since 1968 and I picked it up in 2014.  It was garaged for a lot of years, but there must of been a time that it wasn't.  I was very tempted to walk away from the deal with all the rust. But it was complete and unmolested, and I also listened to someone I shouldn't have that said go for it. But that is all water under the bridge. I had to do a ton of metal work on it and I have gone through every single part in the car. I am getting close to to finish line.  The chassis is painted, suspension, brake lines, wire harness are installed, and the engine and trany are ready to go in.  I wired the car using products from Classic Technologies which has various kits consisting of a fuse box, appropriately gauged color coded wire, contacts, schematics, and an instruction manual. it was a pleasure to work with.  If anyone has plans or the desire to upgrade their classic cars electrical system, check out this link Classic Technologies Fuse box.  Below are some pictures of before and progress pictures, I hope you enjoy!!!

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by goldblma (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

Is there a reason you chose not to go with an original repro wiring harness to maintain the value of your vehicle?

[trimacar]

Nice looking work on the car.  I like originality also, but must say that the fuse box shown looks very nice, the wiring looks orderly, and it's probably much safer than the original wiring on this car.

 

Remember, the worst feeling in the world is waking up in the hospital after having heart surgery, and finding out you have a Lucas pacemaker!

[Restorer32]

Was a time in my young life when I thought I couldn't live without an early Healey. Never got one but I did end up with a 140 Jag. Still would have preferred the Healy I think.

[Guest goldblma]

I am the owner of Classic Technologies and the fuse box is my product.  I wanted the car to be negative ground and replace the dynamo with a Powergen alternator (alternator that looks like a generator).  Those items were a departure from stock, so I took it one step further and did not stay with the original 2 fuses.  I have all the original components and I did not plug any of the original holes and there were no modifications necessary to install the fuse box. If there is a significant impact on value, the wiring harness is not that difficult to change if I do plan to sell.  The stainless steel brake lines are not stock and I am opting for a spin on oil filter adapter which isn't either.  There are varying views on what helps or hurts the value of the car.  If this a museum piece, I wouldn't make a single change from stock.  If this car is not going to sit in a museum, these subtle updates improve the safety, reliability, and convenience of the car and provide a base platform for whatever the next owner would want to do if I were to sell at a later date.  

Edited May 31, 2016 by goldblma
typo (see edit history)

[r1lark]

goldblma, kudos to you for planning on driving this car!! It's your car, and you are making subtle mods to improve the drivability -- so don't sweat the comments. And the fact that you making sure it can be returned to stock configuration is a plus.