Healey 3000 hop up

Several years ago I bought a glass fibre Healey 3000, because it looked really cool. It had no drive train, so my plan was to just drop a 350/350 combo in and have a nice day....





I let the car sit for a year or two while I was building my RPU, and finally got around to jacking it up and rolling underneath about two years ago.

[S

It was bad, real bad...











I couldn't even pull it all apart as so much was welded in place permanently.

So, decision was made, chassis was chopped up and tossed in the scrap bin.

I decided we needed some new parts, some papers etc, so we bought a 'donor car'. This was it, quite a tidy stainless steel bodied local built 'Owner Jeepney', with some poxy little metric motor in, but perfect for what we needed.



I salvaged the front and rear axles off the old frame to re-use, as they seem to be heavy duty Toyota, some truck parts maybe, with 5 stud axles and big brakes.





The Jeepney frame was shortened, Zee'd, new cross-members made and the axles made to fit. It sat like a 4x4 to start with, but the gas torch sorted that bit by bit.





Using my 'body lift' I tried and tested time and again to get it sorted, had the body on and off a dozen times to get wheel centres and clearance right. Makes life easier when you are a one-man-show and your nearest buddy lives three miles away.



Then I found out I couldn't get the papers done as planned, I lost interest, it sat for a year or so.

I retired from work offshore and found and had too much spare time, interest sparked, and I got into the project again a few days ago. This time I tore the metric lump out and found a 350/350 combo to test fit with. I'll worry about papers later....

Motor fits pretty good, after I sliced a whole bunch of firewall out.





Made up some solid motor mounts yesterday and a tranny cross-member.



Anybody have any idea what this axle is off? I think it could be Toyota, but not positive. It has Ford stud pattern. I heard some of the old Toyota truck axles can take some serious power, be good to know if this will grenade first time I stamp on it. Ratio is a horrible 4.5:1

looks like a great project.

Today project is to build a new firewall, plan to use 3/8 marine ply to build the shape then several layers of 'glass each side to lock it all solid. There is a big hole to fill....



I already have some Wilwood brakes and a hydraulic clutch I ordered when I was going to use the four banger.



So, I may even fit a manual four speed instead of the TH350. 'real men shift their own gears' apparently, and I have a hot rod full of sloppy slushy automatic already.

Nice project you have going there. Dont see many Healey's around.

Nice project. I believe that is a Toyota rear end. Check this web site it might help
http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/toyota-differential-identification-18588.html

NickFish said:

Nice project. I believe that is a Toyota rear end. Check this web site it might help
http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/toyota-differential-identification-18588.html

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I have no ID tags or frame numbers or anything to go off.

No Toyota axle picture I can find on the web looks like my diff housing. Neither do any other pics, anywhere. [S

Later in the build I'll tear it down and have a close look, see if I can find some numbers on the casing.

Cool project. Looks like it will be a fun one.

That rear end looks like the Toyota rear that was in the 87 2wd that was my frame donor but hard to say and that one certainly didn't have 4.5:1 gears in it! Do you know what that front end is? Looks like a pretty nifty setup that is just bolt on IFS with rack and pinion.

Great project. There are a few small block powered British sporty cars around here. With that deep a rear gear you might want to get a 5 speed. Would make a nice package.

Beautiful cars.
Loved them since I was a kid

Thanks guys. I love the shape of this old car, just a shame the mechanicals have been abused so much.

I'm off to the 'glass shop today to get some resin, got to start fixing the firewall in place. I just love getting all itchy and scratchy.

I'm thinking of a red-oxide finish, sort of ex-race car style, maybe some numbers on the doors, old-style sponsorship decals etc.

King Herald said:

Thanks guys. I love the shape of this old car, just a shame the mechanicals have been abused so much.

I'm off to the 'glass shop today to get some resin, got to start fixing the firewall in place. I just love getting all itchy and scratchy.

I'm thinking of a red-oxide finish, sort of ex-race car style, maybe some numbers on the doors, old-style sponsorship decals etc.

Click to expand...

I like your vision....and I also like getting itchy and scratchy.

Mocking up firewall yesterday, five hours dicking around with four pieces of plywood and some screws/brackets.





Got it sorted, on the bench, laid some glass on today. No real idea what I am doing. The paint shop I bought the gallon of polyester resin from wanted to sell me a 1/4 gallon of hardener to go with it. Luckily I have a little experience with the stuff: but a half dog food tin of resin and four teaspoonful's of hardener seems to work just right. 8)





Engine mounts in place. I bottled out and added a small diagonal underneath, just in case. Bit more welding and grinding needed when the motor comes out next......



The chassis is made of two fairly heavy steel 'U' sections, pressed one inside the other and stitch welded. Never seen it anywhere before, but seems to be the norm on all these Jeepney things over here. Must be pretty strong.

I think the rear is Toyota also. Looks just like the one I had under my 36 Dodge, it had 4.11's in it. Toyota used the Ford 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern on it's US trucks, also used the flange on the pinion on the 80's models on up. Front also looks like it might be from a Toyota or a late model Ford Ranger.

Bamamav said:

I think the rear is Toyota also. Looks just like the one I had under my 36 Dodge, it had 4.11's in it. Toyota used the Ford 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern on it's US trucks, also used the flange on the pinion on the 80's models on up. Front also looks like it might be from a Toyota or a late model Ford Ranger.

Click to expand...

I've been looking all over the internet for something that looks the same, that fin pattern on the diff housing, but nothing I've found looks the same. brakes need totally rebuilding, so I need some sort of identity to go from to order/find parts.

The handbrake setup on that axle looks wrong for a Toyota axle.

It may be an early Nissan H233 axle from an old 720/Navara pick-up?

The prop. valve bracket and brake line setup look about right for a Nissan axle. I thought they were all 6 stud, but maybe some of the early 2wd stuff wasn't?

is it biggish? like 9.25" ring gear biggish?

wendle said:

is it biggish? like 9.25" ring gear biggish?

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From what I can measure in place the housing is max 9" top to bottom, so I'd guess about 8" for the ring gear.

The thing I can't see on any other axle on Google is that distinctive top 'rib' on the housing, stands out free from everything.



Anyway, I've scored a 283 SBF off a buddy, need to tear into it a bit and see if it is okay.

Also grabbed a Borg Warner 4 speed T10 trans, but with no gear shift mechanism or clutch etc....



Supposedly a runner, been kept clean, little storage frame built for it and has a performer intake and some super-cool bling valve covers...... [dr



Been building a pedal box today, to glass/bolt into the usual place.



Wasn't until I got everything cut and shaped up I realised there is barely an inch above the reservoirs to fill/check fluid when it is all in the car... Typical for my planning.

Firewall is taking shape, looks a bit crappy in this pic though. Need to turn the body over eventually and glass it a few layers underneath.

veerrry interesssting [P