Buyer's Guide: Miscellaneous
Healey Journal
A Buyer’s Guide: Criteria for Buying a Rustbucket: Other Potential Faults
12) Miscellaneous:
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A fuel line patched with copper tubing- rust to the left on the original steel line, and two feet of copper to the right.
Someone, somewhere, sometime bashed the line so badly it needed replacement. They may well have also been spraying gasoline all over the bottom of the car, including its exhaust...
Or sitting at rest, draining into a big puddle ready for a spark.... |
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a) The Healey routed the electrical wiring, brake and fuel lines alongside the chassis rail. These were exposed to damage and the elements. They should be inspected for damage. My Healey appeared to have had repair sections placed in both the brake and fuel lines. A very sobering thought, and a strong stimulus to finding another route for my non-concours rebuild. It seems sensible to replace these lines- they’re relatively cheap and foreign material in old lines may cause serious problems… like not being able to stop.
b) The Fuel Tank can create problems too. There are the problems one might reasonably expect with the accumulation of 30 years' sludge in the tank itself and the potential that has for clogging fuel lines. Note too that the pick-up pipe for the fuel pump has a small screen to keep the gunk out- and it too may be overwhelmed and become blocked. In addition the tank rests on the boot floor and may trap water beneath it. This helps BOTH the boot floor AND the tank to rust. Since my car didn't have the tank this was one less problem to concern myself with... until I came to buy one..
c) Although not germane to purchasing a Healey particularly, you may wish to consider the general condition of the hardware: the nuts and bolts. These are minor items, but they will have suffered from years of exposure and some number will almost certainly have rusted solid. I’ve found that most were readily removed. Some of the most recalcitrant ones I dealt with through simply breaking them off. Others were not so easily dealt with. Particular favourites were:
i) Front wishbone mounting bolts.
ii) Rear radius rod mounting bolts.
iii) Rear spring front mount bolts.
Although quite expensive I am considering replacing the old hardware with stainless steel where appropriate.
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Asbestos Panels - the frayed condition of these makes their replacement a priority. |
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d) Asbestos. The Healey was built long ago before the inherent dangers of asbestos were recognized. Those off-white panels on the firewall and beneath the car are made of asbestos. They should be carefully removed and disposed of safely in accordance with local regulations concerning hazardous materials. Non-hazardous replacements may be bought.
These panels hide some corrosion of the floor panels- water seemingly collected where these attached and these nuts/screws became inseparable, and the surrounding sheet metal more susceptible to rust. Again these hidden nooks and crannies may be virtually impossible to inspect properly.
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A muffler, bottom side up showing its experiences
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e) Exhaust System. With such a low slung chassis the Healey has little room for apendages like mufflers and exhaust pipes that are liable to road damage.
The muffler shown at the right illustrates a few close encounters with road hazards, potholes and perhaps even overly-vigorous cornering. The whole system can even be pulled apart by its contact with objects encountered while traveling. Some inspection of these components is advisable though the limited clearance that creates these problems makes it more difficult to assess their effects too.
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Copyright © 2005 James M. Wilson All rights reserved.