[Healeys] Real Healey Trivia

[Keith Taylor]

Patrick  maybe no tunnel was the emergency brake............ foot straight
to the ground

Keith Taylor
Umina Beach  OZ


On 7 May 2014 16:08, Ulla & Sven Ordell <bispmotala at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Patrick
>
> No comments yet?
> A very nice account of what can happen with a small production run car.
> Now I am a lot for originality, but sometimes the original designer just
> got
> it wrong. I would make a tunnel preferably using existing fasteners to
> attach it.
>
> What are other peoples' thoughts?
>
> Best of luck
>
> Sven
> Sweden
>
> -----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
> Fren: healeys-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:
> healeys-bounces at autox.team.net]
> Fvr Patrick & Caroline Quinn
> Skickat: den 6 maj 2014 23:51
> Till: healeys at autox.team.net
> Dmne: [Healeys] Real Healey Trivia
>
> G'day
>
>
>
> As the list is so quiet at the moment I thought I would fill the ether with
> some real Healey trivia.
>
>
>
> When my 'new' 1948 Healey Duncan Sports Saloon reached our shores there was
> two basic maladies that needed correction - brakes (the pedal went to the
> floor) and steering (the wheel could be turned six inches without any
> effect
> on the wheels).
>
>
>
> Anyway the brakes were straightforward. Healeys were fitted with Lockheed
> brakes and it was just a matter of finding someone to refurbish all the
> cylinders.
>
>
>
> The steering however is a different kettle of fish. Healeys were fitted
> with
> Marles steering boxes, which were also fitted to Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins
> and the like. Unlike an Austin-Healey steering box which is worm and peg,
> the Marles box is actually two intermeshing worms. See
> (http://www.marlessteeringbox.com/)
>
>
>
> Anyway after much head scratching and cups of tea the steering box was
> removed and with the moving of shims and machining it's a zillion percent
> better. That's when the fun started when after reinstalling the box I had
> to
> remove the front section of the driver's floor which meant removing the
> carpet. Most of the floor is made from timber, but the section where the
> feet go is metal. Anyway after the carpet was removed I recall thinking to
> myself that I could see the gearbox. Now it was a good five minutes until
> it
> dawned on me that I could actually see the full gearbox as well as the back
> of the engine.
>
>
>
> Of course in an Austin-Healey when you remove the carpet what do you see?
> The gearbox tunnel!
>
>
>
> There was no gearbox tunnel and the carpet was just sitting on top of the
> gearbox. As there are only six Healey Duncan Sports Saloons left I was
> unable to phone a friend. So emails soon left for the Healey Museum in the
> Netherlands where they have the only Healey Duncan Convertible in captivity
> and a bloke in the UK who fettles Healeys
> (http://www.classicrestorations.org.uk/).
>
>
>
> It turns out that early Healeys never had gearbox tunnels and it wasn't
> until the Tickford and Abbott was released in 1950 that they were fitted.
>
>
>
> Seems very odd to me and I'm contemplating making a tunnel to stop the road
> grime etc from getting in.
>
>
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Hoo Roo
>
>
>
> Patrick Quinn
>
> Blue Mountains, Australia
> $12.75
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