Category Archives: Ten-Year Renewal Blog

Lucas PL700 Headlight Conversion

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I have always liked the looks of the Lucas Tri-bar PL700 headlights. Unless one can find some new old stock units on eBay or from an individual seller the originals are hard to locate. However, reproduction vintage lights are available and come with a modern twist in that they utilize H4 bulbs, giving you a vintage headlight look with modern reliability and power. The lights I ordered from NOS Locators come with 12v P43t (9003) H4 bulbs: 60 watt high, 55 watt low. Flosser brand Halogen Bulbs and the bulbs are made in Germany.

This is a link to an article on the technical specifications and general information on the original Lucas PL700s:PL700

Lucas PL700 Reproduction Headlights

Headlamps

To install the new lights the first thing to do is to remove the Phillips head sheet metal screw (2) holding the headlight rim assembly (1). This screw is located to the right of center at the bottom of the ring.

Then remove the rubber dust excluder (4) and the three Phillips head sheet metal screws holding the outside light unit retaining plate (5).

Rubber Dust Excluder

Headlight with light unit outside retaining plate in place

Three screws for outside light unit retaining plate

The retaining ring can then be withdrawn providing access to the bulb and it’s electrical connector.

Retaining plate removed to access headlight

This is a photo of the new headlight with bulb to be installed. A rubber boot to cover the electrical connection was also provided.

Lucas PL700 Headlight and Bulb Rear View

Connecting the new headlight is all “plug and play.” It is just a matter of unplugging the old sealed beam headlight and plugging the three-prong plug into the female plug on the wiring harness.

Then it is simply a matter of holding the PL700 in place while resecuring the light unit retaining plate with the three short Phillips head self tapping screws and replacing the rubber dust excluder. It requires a little finagling but one then slips the tab on the top of the rim assembly over the retaining plate and replacing the Phillips head screw (2) at the bottom of the rim by screwing it into the nut for screw (3). 

Other than a final check of the alignment of the headlamp light beams and adjusting with the spring loaded screws, the job is complete. It is a good look!

Lucas PL700 reproduction headlamps installed

Lucas PL700s ready for use

 

 

 

Fuel Delivery Modification and Ram Pipes 

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This project actually began back in November and took me till Spring to complete! I was inspired by Doug Escriva’s beautiful engine bay on his even more beautiful Healey racer:

Doug Escriva’s Racer

Doug Escriva’s Engine

I especially liked Doug’s fuel delivery system to the carbs. Of course, Doug’s car is a tri-carb while mine has only two HD8 SUs. I was never fond of the original fuel delivery design in which the fuel hose fed to the front carb banjo with a second feed off that banjo to the rear carb via a 2″ piece of hose. I also liked the idea of getting rid of the required fuel hose screw clamps and changing to AN fittings. Finally, I am a sucker for the look of the air horns on the SUs. Since I live in Florida where it is sandy, I will use some socks over the horns for normal driving to protect the intake ingesting some unwanted silica. While these modifications appeared easy to accomplish, as it turned out it was quite a chore to find the necessary fittings. Hence the long elapsed time from concept to completion. 

Before getting into the components required for the new system, I also need to mention that my Healey friend, Randy Forbes, who is now geographically close since we have relocated to Florida, was also a big help in making some modifications to the components.

These two photos show the new fuel lines, the fuel fittings and the “Y” Fuel Block installed:

Modified Fuel Delivery System and Ram Pipes

Modified Fuel Delivery System with Y Fuel Block

Modified Fuel Delivery Hose and Fittings

I replaced the original brass banjos on each carb with Steel 16mm M16 5/8″ 6AN Banjo Adapters with short necks, part #C1116-0062. These were difficult to find but I ultimately located them on EBay. The seller’s name was smartturboisme.

Banjo Adapter 16mm -6AN C1116-0062 EBAY

These were slightly wider than the original brass banjos requiring new banjo bolts. These were also difficult to source. I eventually located these 3/8″ BSP banjo bolts from AgriStore USA. They were 1 1/2″ long with four fuel flow holes. They were slightly too long to fit snuggly in the SU float bowl caps so Randy Forbes cut them down slightly. While the threaded portion of the bolts fit through the new banjos, the grip portion of the bolts would not so Randy also took a few thousands off the grips.

3/8 BSP Banjo Bolt

I purchased Viton sealing washers for the banjos and the bolts. These were sold by Hydraulic Fittings, part #9500-06V Bonded Seal, 3/8″BSPP (Viton). 2 were required for each carburetor.

3/8 BSPP Viton Seal Washer

I installed a new, as original, petroflex fuel line which connects to the fuel hard line running from the fuel pump to the engine bay. This hose is part #FUL062 from Healey Surgeons. A 90 degree 811 Aluminum hose end #3481-06 was then screwed into to the upper end of the petroflex fuel line. The hose ends were sourced from Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies

Aluminum Hose Ends

A short piece of racing fuel hose, 910 PTFE Lined Aramid Braided Lightweight -6 from Pegasus was used to connect the 90 degree fitting from the petroflex hose to a straight fitting which then screwed into a “Y” fuel block.

910 PTFE Lined Aramid Braided Lightweight Racing Hose

The fuel block has a single inlet and two outlets, all 6AN. The fuel block was made by Russell and sourced from Jegs part #799-650430.

Russell Billet Aluminum Y-Block -6 AN Male Single Inlet

One straight and one 45 degree aluminum hose end was used to connect the outlets of the fuel block to two 90 degree aluminum hose ends at each carb banjo. All of the fittings and hose connections proved to be tight and leak free when tested. I am very pleased with the functional and esthetic enhancement to the stock fuel delivery system. 

I purchased the 2″ polished aluminum ram pipes from Doug Escriva as well as pair of ITG Megaflow JSC-12 Air Socks.

ITG JSC-12 Megaflow Air Socks

Electric Pusher Fan Installation

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While my car usually runs at a reasonable operating temperature, I do get a little worried about the potential for getting stuck in traffic, and now that we are in southwest Florida with routine summer temperatures often in excess of ninety degrees overheating could occur.

I have already applied all of the typical tricks for improved engine cooling: aluminum high capacity radiator, baffling to direct the air to the radiator core when the car is moving, shroud around the mechanical fan, improved fan, clean engine internals and etc.

While I do not need an electrical pusher fan in normal operating conditions, I think an electrical fan, operated by a toggle switch in the interior, may provide a good solution for those situations where I find myself sitting in traffic, or in a local parade. One could install a temperature sensitive switch to automatically turn the fan on/off at prescribed temperatures, but I have decided that I will just stick with a simple on/off toggle switch. I really hope that I will rarely need to use the electric pusher fan!

Some others on the various Healey Forums have suggested that an electrical fan may actually block the flow of air through the radiator that could result in higher running temperatures – I hope that will not be the case.

FAN SELECTION

The first step in this little project is the selection of the fan to be used. Factors to be considered include the width, height, and depth of the fan, the amperage draw (not much of a concern given that the Beast has an alternator installed rather than the original generator), and the fan’s output measured in CFMs or cubic feet per minute.

I am somewhat restricted regarding the size of the fan I will use. My aluminum radiator has fan mounting clips already welded to the sides of the radiator and I want to use them for fan mounting.

Aluminum Radiator with Fan Mounting Brackets

Consequently, a 12” circumference fan is the largest I can use. The “X” body brace in front of the radiator restricts the depth of the fan. A quick measure produced a maximum depth of 3.” Given these parameters I searched the internet for an appropriate solution and decided on a Maradyne product from Summit Racing. 

The Maradyne M123K has the following specs: 

Brand:  Maradyne High Performance Fans

Manufacturer’s Part Number: M123K

Summit Racing Part Number: MAR-M123K    UPC: 810349010123

Puller: Yes      Pusher: Yes

Fan Diameter (in):  12.000 in.

Fan CFM Range:  1,100-1,199

Maximum Fan CFM:  1,155 cfm

Height (in):  13.230 in.

Width (in):  12.520 in.

Thickness (in):  2.610 in.

Number of Blades:  10 blades

Blade Material:  Plastic Blade Color:   Black

Shroud Color:  Black     Shroud Material: Plastic

Amp Draw:   7.20 amps

Mounting Brackets Included:  Yes

Mounting Hardware Included:  No

Notes:  130 Watt motor.

Maradyne Fan Image

PUSHER VERSUS PULLER

This particular fan can be a pusher or a puller. As shipped it is a puller so the first step is to reverse the fan. To do so one lift the safety catch over the shaft end and carefully pushes the clip off the motor shaft.

Maradyne Fan

The fan instructions then indicate with another person, carefully pull the blade off the motor shaft. Flip the blade, then place back on the motor shaft by lining up the groove on the blade hub with the drive pin on the motor shaft.

Then replace the clip by pushing the clip into the groove on the motor shaft. Ensure safety catch snaps over the motor shaft. Pusher configuration is now complete.

In the pusher configuration the blue wire to the motor is the negative connection and the black wire to the motor is the positive connection.

Maradyne Fan Rotation Diagram

I made the job of creating brackets linking the fan to each of the four mounting tabs on the radiator a bit harder than it needed to be because I did it with the radiator mounted in the car. I really didn’t want to drain coolant and pull the radiator out to make the brackets on the bench. Consequently, some trial and error was involved, but I got there!

Having the car on the garage lift made the task simpler than it would otherwise be. I cut the brackets out of some off-the-shelf steel sheet purchased at the hardware store, and after checking the fit I painted the brackets black for rust protection. I then installed the fan using four 1/4“-28 x 1/2” and four 1/4”-28 x 3/4” stainless bolts and nylock nuts.

Electric Fan Mounting Brackets

Maradyne supplies four rubber cushions or feet that hold the fan away from the radiator cooling fins:

Rubber Cushion Spacers

This is a view of the mounted fan from above:

Electric Fan Mounted Top View

And, from below:

Electric Fan Mounted Lower View

This image shows the lower RH bracket attached:

Electric Fan Mounted Lower RH Bracket

WIRING

Once the fan was installed, the next step was to install the wiring required.  Before actually doing any wiring, I turned off the master switch in the boot of the car thereby removing power from the electrical system of the car.I used a Fan Relay Harness sourced from SPAL and followed the wiring schematic provided with the harness.

SPAL Fan Relay Harness

Since I am only using a toggle switch to turn the fan on/off and am not using a temperature controller I followed the dotted line wiring to the switch and skipped the sending unit wiring.

Fan Relay Harness wiring schematic

I used a toggle switch I had in my parts bin for this application.

Toggle Switch

I mounted the relay on the inside of the firewall behind the parcel tray on the passenger side of the car. I wanted to hide the toggle switch from view so after making and painting a little metal bracket for the switch,  I mounted it on the back side of the plywood used to secure the passenger “grab handle.”

Mounted toggle switch bracket

Toggle switch mounted

This made it easy to attach the grey wire from the relay to the toggle switch and I made a black wire for the ground connection from the switch to a screw on the inside of the firewall.

I ran the orange wire to the ignition switch so that the relay would be energized when the ignition switch is in the “on” position. The mounting posts on the ignition switch can get a little crowded so I took advantage of a “terminal splitter” I had in my parts bin that made connecting the wiring much easier.

Terminal splitter

The yellow and red wires from the relay exited the interior through an available rubber grommet on the firewall into the engine compartment. The yellow wire, after splicing in the 30 amp fuse, was then connected to the starter solenoid as a battery power source. 

The red wire followed other wiring down the diagonal RH frame brace to the front of the car where it attached to the fan wiring pigtail. The red wire connects to the black wire on the pigtail, because the wiring was reversed when the fan was converted from a “puller” to a “pusher.” I then made a short black wire to connect to the blue wire on the fan pigtail and attached it to a ground screw near the grille of the car.

I then turned on the master electrical switch in the boot, and turned the key to the “on” position of the ignition switch, and flipped the toggle switch to the fan. I immediately heard the whine of the new fan and I knew I was in business! 

One more Healey task completed!!

 

 

 

 

 

Leaking Steering Box

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It is not at all uncommon to have a leaking steering box. When I rebuilt my steering box some years ago I filled it with Penrite Gearbox oil – the recommended oil at the time. It is very thick and has to be warmed up to get it to go into the steering box.

My guess is that the rubber seal on the steering shaft needs to be replaced. That is a fairly big job. Others have mentioned that the use of Corn Head Grease, a John Deere product, will greatly reduce, if not eliminate leaks. I decide to give it a try.

One can ever so slightly loosen the four screws on the front of the box (no more than 1/8″) to let the old oil drain out. I am betting that most of mine has already drained out so I decided to just fill the box with the Corn Head grease and see what result I obtained.

I used a very small, needle-type, fitting on my grease gun and pumped away until the box was full. I then turned the steering wheel back and forth a number of times – easier if you get the front end off the ground first – to “settle” the grease. I then pumped some additional grease into the box and wrapped up by re-securing the filler bolt to the box.

The image below shows the rebuilt box when I trial-mounted it in the car when it was in primer. A white foam seal can be seen. This seal is there to keep dust/dirt out of the mechanism. It does not actually help to seal the box. I removed to old seal as it was saturated with oil.

Steering Box Installed

I ordered some new seals from Moss Motors. However, I was not about to pull the steering arm just to replace the dust seal, so I made a razor cut in the seal, placed it around the shaft and then used Super Glue to rejoin the edges of the seal. Worked like a charm.

After about a week since I put the Corn Head Grease into the box, it seems to be leak free. We will see how it holds up. If this doesn’t work I will need to remove the steering arm and replace the seal on the steering shaft.

Throttle Cable Design Modification

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In the mid-2000s I did a fair amount of research regarding the conversion of the original mechanical throttle control linkage used on Big Healeys to a cable system similar to what DMH used on the Sprites. I was restoring my BT7 at the time. The results of that research and a description of what I ultimately chose to do is documented in an earlier post on my website: https://valvechatter.com/?p=6497.

Now in 2020, I decided to replace the Dennis Welch Throttle Cable Bracket that operated from the intake manifold and turned to making a bracket to hold the cable between the two SU carb float bowls. I made a pattern out of cardboard first and then cut the bracket out of a piece of steel sheet. After drilling the holes for mounting to the carbs, for the carb breather holes, and for the cable guide I bent the bracket to get the proper alignment to the throttle lever at the carbs.

Throttle Cable Carb Bracket

Powder Coated Carb Throttle Cable Bracket

Unfortunately, I do not have part numbers or even the source for the components I used to guide the throttle cable and to secure it to the lever on the car throttle shaft. I had the parts in my collection of odds and ends.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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Fortunately, my website is filled primarily with good news stories. There are a few bad news posts but I think this is my first entry that falls under the heading of just plain “ugly!”

Back in November I did something really stupid. I have lots of rationalizations to explain how this “ugly” event could happen; however, none of them really matter. The bottom line is that I raised The Bloody Beast on the garage lift while the bonnet was propped up and it lost the battle when it struck the garage ceiling. This is the nice fit I achieved following the encounter with the ceiling.

Bonnet Damage

Bonnet Damage

After a generous display of profanity and tears, I pulled the bonnet off the car and drove it to Virginia (a 30 hour round trip journey) to Maple Hill Restorations and my friend Jeremy Turner. Jeremy specializes in Shelby 350 restorations but he took on my Healey twelve to thirteen years ago and completed all of the bodywork and paint. As far as I was concerned he was the only person who should try to “fix” my big mistake.

He could not get to the repair until early June of 2020, but it was worth the wait. This is an image of the bonnet after it was straightened and painted.

Bonnet Painted at Jeremy’s Shop

He is a magician! Beautiful work. So, following another quick trip back to Virginia I re-installed the bonnet on the car with little drama and now all is right with the world – well at least the Healey world!

To avoid any issues with damage to the front shroud or the freshly painted bonnet I placed my Healey shroud quilt over the front of the car and placed a 2 x 4 across the engine bay.

Preparing to Fit Bonnet

With the assistance of my wife, I was able to re-install the bonnet on the hinges and after some fettling and tinkering I was able to adjust it to end up with nice gaps all around.

A helpful tip I picked up from one of the Healey forums to help with bonnet alignment is to place a piece of tape over the bonnet striker catch and then put a little paint (or finger nail polish) on the tip of the striker pin. Once you see where the pin is hitting the tape you can adjust the striker assembly to re-orient it until you have it lined up in the center.

Bonnet Striker Pin

Bonnet Striker Alignment

 

Repaired Bonnet Installed

Repaired Bonnet Installed

Repaired Bonnet Installed

Repaired Bonnet Installed

The wounds have now healed with a big “thank you” to Jeremy! Now I am back on the road again.

On the Road Again

All of this called for a little celebration with the good stuff!

A Little Celebration

New Vinyl Door Piping and Ignition Wiring

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Two more little jobs need to be accomplished in my journey to “renew” the Healey:

Vinyl Door Piping

After a little over ten years of use, the vinyl piping that edges the aluminum trim plate on the passenger side door shut face pillar was just worn out. My rear door gap is a little tight and the vinyl piping sometimes gets caught as the door closes.

According to Anderson and Moment’s book, Austin-Healey Restoration Guide, the bottom and rear door sills were covered with aluminum trim plates, textured in a raised pattern. A vertical section covered the shut face pillar, secured to the pillar with eight chrome Phillips screws, 54K3024, #28 in the illustration.

Shut face Pillar

Black grained vinyl piping separated the rear trim plate from the rear fender along the door opening. This piping extended up and over the trim panel with its core removed so that it wouldn’t catch on the edge of the door when opened and closed.

From the Concours Guidelines: From the introduction of the Abingdon BN6 through possibly the end of BJ7 production, the shut facing was fastened with small, #4 truss-headed Phillips screws with very small cross- head screwdriver slots. Starting around 1963 or 1964 the screw head was changed from Phillips to Pozidriv. 

To remove the aluminum trim plates, one must remove the door lock striker, 14B2841, #31; that is attached through the door shut face pillar and packing plate, 14B2842, #32, into a tapped plate, 14B2843, #33. The assembly is secured with four chrome Phillips Head striker fixing screws, RMP0312, #34 (#10 x 3/4”)

Door Striker Assembly

The striker assembly is adjustable so to be sure to return the assembly to the same position once reassembled, tape was used to mark the outside edges of the striker on the aluminum trim plate.

Marked Position of Door Striker Before Removing the alloy trim

I removed the striker plate assembly by loosening the 4 Pozi Drive screws.

Door Lock Striker Removed

I then removed the seven #4 Phillips head screws that secure the aluminum trim plate to the door shut face pillar. The trim plate could then be removed. The image below shows how the piping is glued with contact cement to the trim plate before reinstalling.

Reverse Side of Alloy Trim Plate

Geoff Chrysler, owner of Rightway Heritage Trim, made a pair of the piping pieces for me that are the proper size.

Chrysler Vinyl Trim

I glued the piping to the plate and then remounted the plate on the pillar. The turn at the top of the trim plate is difficult to address and it does take some patience. This is the finished product reinstalled on the car.

Vinyl Piping on Door Shut Face Pillar Alloy Trim

Vinyl Piping on Door Shut Face Pillar Alloy Trim

Ignition wiring

The ignition wiring for the coil, distributor and spark plugs was operating perfectly but I thought as a preventative maintenance item I would go ahead and replace the wires so I would be good for another ten years. This included replacing the distributor cap and rotor on the 1-2-3 electronic ignition device. I used the same type of wiring installed on the car when it was restored. The product is made by Pertronix and is designed for use with electronic ignition systems.

Pertronix Spark Plug and Coil Wires

As supplied, the spark plug terminals and boots are already mounted on the individual wires. One only needs to cut the wires to length and install the terminals and boots for the distributor end of the wires. To make the job a little easier I used a wire/insulation cutter made by Petronix for the task. It works perfectly and leaves a nice clean core to wrap around the terminal.

Pertronix spark plug wire Insulation stripping tool

New Spark Plug Wire Trimmed

I also installed heat shrink wire numbers on the wires to help with sorting the wires.

Pertronix Spark Plug Wire Boot and Number

Pertronix also sells a two piece crimper used to crimp ignition wire terminals to the cable. It works for 7mm and 8mm wires, and produces perfect crimps every time. One places the terminal and wire between the two pieces of the device and then tightens them together in a vice.

Ignition Wire Crimper

All the new products were installed and the car is running just fine.

 

 

Bell Housing Oil Drain

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Healeys, as they came from the factory, did not have a rear main oil seal. The factory must have anticipated oil leaks from the crank because they put a small hole in the bottom of the bell housing to provide a place for the leaking oil to go other than to accumulate and potentially get thrown onto the clutch – not good. They even placed a small split rivet in the hole so that the hole was kept clear from any clogging. As the car moved around while driving the split pin would vibrate and move around keeping the hole free for drainage. The image below is not my car but you can see the split rivet in the bell housing.

Bell Housing Drain Split Rivet

Some Healey owners install rear main seal kits available from a couple of different vendors to help keep the oil in the engine. I did that when I restored my car and used the Dennis Welch kit. Some Healey owners also install PCV valves to help with reducing oil leakage by pulling air from the rear of the engine into the crankcase. I did that too! These changes do seem to help but some Healey owners report that even with these changes they still have some leakage. I did.

I decided to take the PCV valve off of my engine. Some controversy surrounds the use of the valve particularly as it relates to leaning out the rear cylinders. I figured that after removing the PCV valve I would get some more oil leaks and I have. Not bad, but definitely more than I used to see. 

I have a Smitty 5-Speed gearbox on my car. The Smitty bell housing does not have the little drain hole the factory included. I checked in with the guys on the British Car Forum and Steve and Dave were particularly helpful. They were ahead of me in that they had both already incorporated a small drain hole in the Smitty bell housing on their cars. Steve suggested a 3/16″ hole drilled right between the mating of the steel backplate of the engine and the flange lip of the aluminum bell housing. As the photos show below, I drilled my hole at the low point of the bell housing right where Steve and Dave suggested. The depth of the flange is approximately 1 1/4.”

Oil began to drip out immediately, so much so that it got me a little worried. However, it stopped almost as quickly as it started so I didn’t seem to have too much oil accumulation. You may recall that I had already installed a little catch pan under the mating point of the bell housing and backplate. I removed the pan to drill my hole and then reinstalled. This will make it easy to monitor how much oil I lose from my new drain.

Smitty Bellhousing Oil Drain

Smitty bellhousing Oil Drain Closeup

Initial Oil Drainage

Main Seal Diaper in place

Changing Gearbox Oil

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I have not changed the gearbox oil in the Toyota 5-speed since it was initially  filled around 2007, so as part of my ten year renewal process I thought it should be done. The gearbox uses just under three quarts of oil and I use Redline MT-90.

Redline MT-90

This image taken before I installed the gearbox in the car shows the fill hole for the oil:

Fill Plug LH side of Toyota 5 speed

Both the drain and fill plugs use a 24mm or 11/16″ wrench to loosen. I always loosen the fill hole first because if for some reason you ran into a problem and could not remove the fill plug, you would not want to be stuck with no oil in the box because you had already drained it. After both plugs were removed, the oil was drained and it looked almost as good as when it is fresh. That is always nice to see!

Drain Plug Toyota 5 Speed

Fill Plug Toyota 5 Speed

Following cleaning up around the plug holes and installing a new aluminum crush washer on the drain plug I installed the drain plug and filled the gearbox with oil until it just started to leak out of the fill hole. As stated previously, just slightly under three quarts of oil are used. I then reinstalled the fill plug and washer and the job was complete. Another item on my renewal list checked off.

Cooling System Renewal – 3,600 miles on the odometer

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I noticed a very slight wobble in the shaft of the water pump that was ascertained when holding the fan at opposing sides and shaking. Since I am I the midst of a ten-year renewal I decided to go ahead and replace much of the cooling system to include the water pump, mechanical fan, the thermostat and gasket, both radiator hoses, the fan belt and the coolant. 

When I restored my car I installed the stainless steel flex fan sold by British Car Specialists. It seemed to work quite well, but was pretty noisy. I noticed that AH Spares was marketing a yellow asymmetrical plastic fan similar to the “Texas Cooler” fan which so many owners seem to favor.

Stainless Fan

Stainless Fan

AH Spares Fan

The water pump to be replaced on my car is not the original pump. I am really not sure who produced the pump I used when I restored my car. It does not have any external markings on the pump body. Michael Salter restores original pumps but does not want to deal with replacements so I purchased a newly produced pump marketed by AH Spares which is claimed to be superior to what is commonly available on the market. The pump, as unwrapped, is painted black so I roughed up the painted surface, taped off the vent holes and painted the pump and pulley “Healey Green.” A gasket is applied with the pump. I also ordered new water pump/engine block studs to install.

AH Spares Water Pump, Gasket, and Studs

I chose to replace both radiator hoses with Kevlar hoses from AH Spares. The bottom, or lower, Hose has a provision for the heater pipe.

AH Spares Kevlar Upper Radiator Hose

AH Spares Kevlar Lower Radiator Hose With Heater Port

The fan belt is an odd size attributable to the addition of the Delco alternator, but I found one through Amazon from an outfit called Global Power. The belt is a “V” belt 3/8″ x 43.”

Global Power V-belt 3/8 x 43″

Finally the thermostat. Having lived in Virginia with considerably cooler winter temperatures than Florida, I had been using a 195 degree thermostat. I took this occasion to switch to a sleeved 160 degree unit supplied by David Nock at British Car Specialists.

British Car Specialists Thermostat

That concludes the list of parts used on this project. Now to the removal of the old and the installation of the new!

My first step is to remove the stainless panel between the shroud and the radiator. This requires loosening the top radiator mount bolts so the radiator can be pushed rearward slightly. Then disconnect the bonnet pull rod by pulling out the split pin, followed by the four stainless self-tappers.

Radiator Front Stainless Panel

The radiator mounting bolts are metric. 6mm requiring a 10mm wrench. A zip tie is used to secure the coolant overflow tube to the radiator mount so that it cannot foul against the alternator fan.

coolant overflow hose

I then removed the four lower radiator mounting bolts all with 10mm wrench.

Lower Radiator Mounting Bolts

Disconnected the overflow hose from the radiator cap.

Radiator Overflow Tube Clamp at Radiator neck

Removed the radiator drain plug with a 6mm hex Allen wrench and drained the coolant from the radiator. With the mounting bolts removed and the coolant drained one can push the bottom of the radiator forward providing easier access to the lower radiator hose clip. I then loosened the clip with a 10mm socket wrench and freed the hose, of course, more fluid drained out.

Radiator Drain Plug 6mm hex

I then loosened the upper radiator hose bracket at the radiator, again with a 10mm socket. To remove the hose I had to loosen the upper mount for the radiator shroud. It is a 10-32 hex head machine screw.

Radiator Hose Clamp for Upper Hose 10mm

I Loosen the hose clamp at the thermostat housing and tilted the hose upward where I will leave it until I replace it with a new hose.

Upper Radiator Hose

Then I moved on to loosening the clamp on the lower radiator hose for the heater pipe. This clamp requires a 7mm socket. I then loosened the clamp for the lower radiator hose at the water pump  with a 8mm socket.

Lower radiator Hose Clamps

The next step is to remove the lower shroud mounts on both sides of the radiator which is connected to the lower radiator mount. This requires a half inch socket with a long extension for the right side.

Radiator Shroud Lower Mounts

I then disconnected the wiring to the electric radiator fan. This requires unplugging the electrical connector and disconnecting the clamp securing the wire.

Electric fan Wiring Connector

Electric Fan wiring and clip disconnected

I was then able to lift the radiator out from the car as well as the left and right baffles.

Radiator and Fan Assembly Removed From Car

Engine Bay Sans Radiator and Baffling

The next step is to remove the engine fan and its spacer. Four bolts with 1/2” wrench.

Engine Fan Mounting

I then needed to take tension off of the fan belt by loosening the alternator swing bracket and locking nut. The locking nut is 13mm while the others are 9/16”.

Alternator loosening points

Following removal of the old fan belt, I removed the nuts and split washers on the four water pump studs, gave the pump body a few taps and removed the pump. Again, be prepared for coolant spillage. The lower center nut is a bit hard to access, but it is doable. I then used a blade and some brake cleaner and cleaned up the surface of the block to prepare for the pump gasket.

Water pump removed

I removed the four water pump studs from the engine using my handy-dandy stud remover which worked beautifully.

5/16″ Stud Removal Tool

I then chased the threads in the block just to be sure that they were nice and clean.

Cleaning water pump stud threads

Then using the two nut method I installed the new studs with a little blue Loctite on the engine end.

New studs installed with a little blue locktite on the threads of the engine side:

Water Pump Studs Installed

After installing the new water pump using Permatex Water Pump and Thermostat Housing RTV silicone sealant and the new gasket, I then installed a new Gates 43” fan belt and tightened the alternator in place.

Water Pump, Pulley and New fan Belt Installed

While they were out I freshened up the two pieces of the fan shroud just a little sanding and some fresh paint.

Fan Radiator Shroud Repainted

I then loosely installed the shroud to the frame of the car.

Next was the installation of the new fan from AH Spares with four 5/16-24 x 7/8” hex bolts.

AH Spares Fan Installed

I then installed the new Kevlar radiator hoses. So they are ready to connect to the radiator once in.

New Hoses Installed

I lifted the radiator into position and loosely attached the upper two mounting bolts. I then raised the car on the lift to get to the lower mounting brackets.

I reinstalled the radiator drain plug, connected and clamped the lower radiator hose, and loosely fitted the four screws into the lower brackets.

Then the biggest challenge was to install the two air baffles around the radiator. I installed both from below. Difficult but got them in.

RH Radiator Baffle Installed

I then tightened the heater pipe hose clamp and the clamps for the upper radiator hose and the water pump hose. These need to be pretty tight to be effective and eliminate leaks!

Hose Clamps Installed and Tightened

I then raised the car and from the underside reconnected the electric fan and tightened the four lower radiator mount bolts.

Electric Fan Wiring Reconnected

I then purchased some new tubing from the local hardware store for the overflow hose to the radiator neck, installed the aluminum cover panel, and reconnected the bonnet opening rod lever.

I then backed up a bit and loosened the two nuts and lock washers on the thermostat cover and lifted it away from the head. I removed the old thermostat and cleaned up the mating surface on the head and the cover to prepare for the new gasket.

Thermostat seating in the cylinder head.

I decided to use a sleeved thermostat this time around to try to enhance cooling functionality. The following photo shows the hole in the cylinder head permitting recirculation of engine coolant to the engine. The sleeve of the thermostat blanks off the opening until the thermostat opens and coolant from the radiator is introduced to the system.

Coolant bypass opening circled

I again used Permatex Water Pump & Thermostat Housing RTV silicone on both surfaces of the gasket and installed the gasket and thermostat. I then tightened the two split washers and nuts and cleaned up around the edges where the sealant pushed out of the joint.

I decided while I was at it that I would check the accuracy of my dash fascia temperature gauge so I unscrewed the sensor from the head, freed the capillary tube from its two holders and put it in hot water and measured the temperature. While it didn’t exactly match the thermometer I was using in the hot water it was within a few degrees so I felt good about the accuracy of my gauge. I then put a little paint on the nut and reinstalled the sensor to the head using some yellow plumbers tape intended for oils.

coolant temperature sender reinstalled

The sensor nut is hard to access. I used a flare wrench to do the job.

Flare Wrench 5/8″

After buttoning everything up, I took the car out for a short trip around the block and then inspected the engine bay to make sure that I had no coolant leaks. Having none, I then went out for about a thirty minute drive to “heat-soak” the engine. All systems were “go” with no problems and the engine getting no hotter than about 165 degrees. 

Kent Lambert in Oregon located an original proper water pump (AEC206), pulley, key, lock washer and nut for me. It requires rebuilding so I have sent it to Michael Salter in Canada to have that job completed. I will then keep it as my spare water pump for the future! Thank you Kent and Michael.

Another ten-year renewal job checked off the list!