Austin Healey Other (1964)
for sale
Price: US $70,000.00
Price: US $70,000.00
Up for sale is this freshly restored 1964 Austin Healey 3000
BJ8 MKIII. I found this car in a barn
just south of Houston TX in December, 2015. The previous owner bought it from a
dealer in California back in 2008, but didn’t get what he paid for. He spent a lot of years and a lot of money taking it to a number of
unqualified repair shops in an effort to make it drivable. He eventually gave up and the car sat idle
for at least a few years.
He put the car up for
sale and I bought it. I knew right away it would be a complete frame up
restoration. As soon as I got it home I started taking it apart. I didn’t stop
till it was torn down to the frame.
I had to replace the floors, truck floor pan, rockers and
some of the metal in the foot well. Then
I rebuilt the 3 liter inline 6 cyl. It got all new bearing and rings. I had to
replace the cam shaft and lifters. It also got a new timing chain. Of course
all the gaskets and seals were replaced, including all freeze plugs. The cyl head got reworked including new style
valve steam seals. The SU carbs were
rebuilt and everything was painted the proper green. The motor sounds perfect
and does not smoke at all. It pulls
strong through the whole RPM range. I could tell
the trans had been rebuilt before. All I had to do was clean it real good and
replace the solenoid for the electric overdrive. All the sycrnos are in good shape. It
shifts smoothly though all the gears and OD works perfectly.
Next was getting the body and chassis ready to paint. The
engine bay was painted black while the chassis and frame were all coated with
Por-15, a super heavy duty rust inhibitor that’s been trusted for years. Each
panel was sanded down and primed. Then the car was assembled with all the
pieces in primer and more bodywork was done. Then each panel was painted and
the car was assembled a final time.
Everything in the interior was replaced except the seats and
the console which had been already recovered. Moss Motors supplied a complete kit with door panels and new carpet
including the trunk carpet. Also brand new chrome wire wheels and new knock offs were added.
The car runs and drives perfect and everything works-
wipers, light, turn signals, OD. It all works as it should. This car was built to be a driver, not a
trailer queen. With that in mind some modifications have been made. It has a
modern charging system so the generator and regulator have been replaced by an
alternator. It has an aftermarket Pertronics distributor so the points have
been eliminated. It also has the latest radio with bluetooth. It now also has a 12 volt negative ground
electrical system.
The restoration took almost a year and was documented along
the way. I have photos of the entire project. I also have all receipts; witch
total about 20K in parts alone. It’s been driven just under 3oo miles since it
was completed in Dec 2016. The car needs nothing to be complete. There are few minor blemishes in the paint
that no one will ever notice. The top has two very small holes at the top back
corners. I understand it can be repaired and I’m working on getting that done.
update: 2017-01-20
Condition: | Used | Year: | 1964 |
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): | NA | Mileage: | 275 |
Number of Cylinders: | 6 | Make: | Austin Healey |
Transmission: | Manual | Model: | Other |
Body Type: | Convertible | Engine: | 3.0L |
Warranty: | Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty | Drive Type: | RWD |
Vehicle Title: | Clear | Options: | Convertible |
Sub Model: | MKIII BJ8 | Fuel Type: | Gasoline |
Exterior Color: | Red | For Sale By: | Private Seller |
Interior Color: | Black |