Starting the engine in the car and a few issues

Posted on June 11, 2025 by valv8988

With June 2025 upon us, it was time to wrap up a few final items and get the engine started. This step is always exciting but also riddled with anxiety!

Good friend Randy Forbes helped us improve the looks of the engine bay by carefully bending a 1/2″ stainless steel pipe to replace the original copper heater pipe.

Original copper and new stainless steel heater pipe

The stainless pipe clearly looks better in the engine bay!

New stainless heater pipe mounted in place

Then it was time to get our electric fan’s thermostatic controller working. The water temperature fitting in the engine cylinder head is used for the water temperature gauge in the dash. Fortunately, there is also a bung for a temperature sensor or thermostatic switch in the top of the aluminum radiator. We modified an original temperature sender fitting by tapping it with 1/8″ NPT threads to receive a new switch that we picked up from Amazon. It turns on the electric fan at 190 degrees and cuts off at 175 degrees. We also have an override switch built in behind the dashboard. The wiring for the switch was previously anticipated and incorporated in our wiring loom.

Modified sender fitting and new thermostatic switch

Electric Fan Thermostatic Switch Install

With that job completed we then put about four gallons of fuel in the fuel tank and checked to see if we had any leaks. Experiencing none, we then turned on the ignition and ran the SU fuel pump to pump fuel to the HIF44 carb in the engine bay. Again, no leaks!!

No fuel leaks below the fuel fittings

With that behind us we then turned off the ignition and cranked the starter to generate fuel pressure as observed at the water temperature/oil pressure gauge.

The engine started right away as anticipated, since we had previously run it on a stand in the garage. However, we also encountered a very bad vibration and knocking sound. The noise seemed to emanate from the driveshaft tunnel. While we initially thought the noise might be coming from the driveshaft striking the body, after thinking about it for a while, we determined that they carburetor was running too rich, and the idle was set too low. once adjusted the engine smoothed out and the vibration disappeared. Hooray! The problem and solution can be seen and heard in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Seven.

We also discovered that we had a problem with the gear shifter hitting the driveshaft tunnel thereby restricting its full range of motion.

Gear Shifter Hitting the Gearbox Tunnel

That was nothing that the careful application of the Dremel tool couldn’t solve. After a little paint was applied we reassembled everything and it was another problem solved.

The next problem we encountered was that the alternator was not charging the battery. We are using a Speed Hut, electronic tachometer supplied by Bugeyeguys.com. The electronic tachometerr does have provision for a charging light, but it is an LED. Unfortunately, an LED bulb does not generate sufficient load to signal the alternator to start charging the battery. We found out that you must have an incandescent bulb in the circuit to get the alternator to do its job. So, we modified our wiring and added an incandescent warning bulb in the charging circuit. The wiring modification is routed through Deutcsh connector D1. This process is also shown in the Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Seven. We just tucked the new light under the dash out of sight.

Finally, we made a slight modification in the carburetor float bowl overflow pipe by cutting off the curve at the end of the cunifer pipe and fitting a piece of quarter-inch rubber fuel hose at the end. We also replaced two 3 1/2″ bolts that go through the chassis floor into the gearbox mount with two 3 1/4″ bolts to avoid the possibility that the longer bolts might contact the upper part of the mount and cause vibration.

Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Seven:

https://vimeo.com/1092260334/7e6d3cd034?share=copy

Content summary:

0:00 – Heater pipe stainless steel replacement

0:25 – Radiator fan thermostatic switch

1:33 – Fuel in the tank

2:32 – No fuel leaks!

3:02 – Rotating starter for oil pressure

3:17 – Engine start

4:45 – Knocking and vibration

5:25 – Searching for source of vibration

6:03 – Shifter surround modification

6:35 – Vibration problem solved

7:30 – Shifter problem fixed

8:06 – Alternator not charging

9:07 – Wiring modification in charging system

10:52 – Modifying the carb overflow drain pipe

11:18 – Gearbox mount bolts

Throttle Cable Modification

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

Throttle Cable Modification

The information below was originally posted in 2009 and modified in 2014. I have since updated how my throttle cable system works (2020) and information on the update is found in a post in my ten-year renewal blog. For example, I no longer us the Denis Welch intake manifold cable bracket. I decided to leave the entry below to provide the reader with history of the progression of this conversion process. This link will direct you to my latest post on the subject. https://valvechatter.com/?p=10123

Owning a Austin-Healey “Bugeye” Sprite always made me wonder about the somewhat arcane mechanical throttle linkage system in my BT7. The Bugeye has a very simple accelerator control system whereby the accelerator pedal and the carburetors are connected via a cable. This provides a direct and immediately responsive system assuming that the carburetor throttle shafts and components are in good condition. Having great respect for DMH and all that he did, I was hesitant to convert my Big Healey accelerator controls to a cable approach. I quizzed all of the Healey experts I could think of, and no one could give me a satisfactory explanation for the mechanical linkage. I suppose the most common response was “the linkage must have been around and used on other cars, so it was cheap to adopt.”

In 2005, my wife and I attended the Conclave held in Winston Salem, NC. There I saw John Trifari’s BN1 that had a throttle cable installation.

John Trifari Throttle Cable 1

John Trifari Throttle Cable 2

About that same time I was emailing back and forth with Jack Brashear a Healey owner from Arkansas who had also come up with a throttle cable approach to accelerator controls in his Healey. Jack did not modify anything at the accelerator pedal inside the interior, choosing instead to use a modified pedal shaft lever as shown in the image below. I will explain the lever modification a little later in this article. Both John and Jack used a little fitting that I believe came from an MGB through which the cable routes at the top of the driver’s footbox.

Jack Brashear Throttle Cable Install

Also in 2005, I attended several of the races in the Australian/U.S. Healey Challenge series. Many of the Aussie’s cars had throttle cables instead of the mechanical linkage. Of course, the Australian cars are RH drive so the design is somewhat different (actually easier) than for LH drive cars. I noticed too that the Australian cars almost always incorporated some type of throttle stop mechanism. I suppose especially important in a race car.

Australian Racer with Throttle Cable and Throttle Stop

These examples and others that I came across about the same time convinced me that the use of a cable to control accelerator action to the carburetors was the approach that I wanted to take. However, everything that I had witnessed first hand was typically one-off, and custom designed, and I wondered if there was an easier route to my end game. I started checking vendors.

Cape International had a conversion kit http://www.cape-international.com/capeshop.php?parttypes=19&thepart=TC2# I actually tried this kit but wasn’t thrilled with it. I am sure it has been installed successfully in many cars, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Cape International Throttle Cable Kit

DMD from Australia also made a conversion kit. It is now available (as of August, 2014) from The Healey Factory. http://www.healeyfactory.com.au/dmd/components/ I did not personally try the DMD kit.

The Healey Factory DMD Throttle Cable Kit

I began to work on my own throttle cable kit using ideas I had seen on other cars or in the kits available from the vendors named. The narrative that follows chronicles my installation. It does not describe a right or wrong approach – it is just my approach. In fact, I am sure that others can improve upon my design. Comments and suggestions are certainly welcome.

Accelerator Pedal Swing Arm Lever

I decided to modify the throttle swing arm lever used on a BJ8 to suit my needs. I like this one better than the BT7 swing arm as it is a bit more substantial and in my view seemed a little less likely to slip on the pedal shaft once tightened. I have now used this arrangement since 2009 including an 8,000 mile cross-country trip without any problems. Jack Brashear suggested lengthening the arm so that it would swing perfectly in line with the firewall cable bracket and I followed his lead. I have headers on my car and a Toyota Supra Five-speed (not overdrive components on the firewall) so if the reader is planning a modification to the lever just make sure you have sufficient room. The following diagram illustrates the modification:

Throttle Swing Arm Lever Modification

Rose Throttle lever modified 1

Rose Throttle lever modified 2

Firewall Bracket

I then made an “L” shaped bracket to mount to the firewall. I used the welded nut on the firewall (see above) for one of the securing points and drilled a hole for a nut cert for the top securing point. My final bracket looks slightly different than this one, but this is the best image I have to illustrate the mounting of the bracket to the firewall – note that it mounts through the firewall insulation panel.

Rose Firewall Throttle Bracket Version 1 – Not Final

The image below is not from my car but it shows a bracket similar to mine mounted on the firewall. I apologize that I do not know who owns this car. I just snapped the image at a show.

Firewall Throttle Cable Bracket – Unknown Owner

The following image is of my car and shows the relationship between the swing arm lever and the firewall bracket with the cable.

Relationship of Swing Arm Lever to Firewall Bracket and Cable

Carburator/Manifold Bracket

I tried numerous approaches to fabricating a bracket to get the cable to the right place to control the carburetor throttle shaft lever. You must decide if you want the cable to run down from the firewall, below the carbs, and up to the carburetor throttle shaft lever, or alternatively, do you want the cable to run up and over the carbs and manifolds? With my approach I chose to have it do the latter. It can be done either way.

About the time I was trying to figure all of this out, Denis Welch came out with a LH drive throttle cable conversion kit that in my view is very well done. It contains a cast aluminum bracket that bolts to the intake manifold and runs a double cable from the pedal lever to the carburetor’s throttle shaft.

http://www.bighealey.co.uk/content/throttle-cable-conversion

Denis Welch Throttle Cable Kit

Because I had already begun my work and had my firewall bracket in place I decided to use the Welch cast aluminum bracket for my car, but not the rest of the kit. It has a swing mechanism built into to the cable housing that takes all alignment pressure off the cable. The kit is designed for racing cars and as such has a double cable. The double cable probably provides a somewhat smoother action and some security. I only use one cable, but I will probably switch to two at some point.

Approaching the carburetor throttle shaft lever from the manifold side of the carbs means you are pulling the carburetor throttle shaft lever up and there is not a great deal of room for that swing. I ended up cutting a notch out of my heat shield to remove any encumbrances. The image below shows the Denis Welch manifold-mounted bracket and the cut-out in the heat shield.

Welch Throttle Bracket

The Cable

The kits provide cable and fittings. I decided to use a Lokar cable and fittings only because I liked the braided cable appearance in the engine bay. Other’s may prefer black and in fact, Lokar now makes this same cable in black with black fittings. http://www.lokar.com/product-pgs/throttlecables-kickdowns/tc-kd-pgs/throttle-cables.html

Lokar Throttle Cable

The Total Package

This image shows the engine bay with the throttle cable installed. I now run a stainless heater pipe rather than the copper, and my fuel hose routes differently on the front carburetor, but other than that things today are pretty much what you see in this image.

I cannot make meaningful comparisons between the functionality of the original throttle linkage and the new throttle cable. My mechanical linkage was fifty years old and worn out so comparisons are not appropriate. I do know that the cable has worked quite well, is very responsive, and much easier to get to than the original mechanical system.

My Bloody Beast Engine with Throttle Cable

Another’s Installation

I don’t know who owns the car, but I recently came across some images of a throttle cable conversion that is accomplished quite well in my view. There is a long cable run, but it is well executed. This car uses Webers instead of SUs but the approach is the same. Apologies to the owner if he/she is unhappy sharing this nice work:

Throttle Cable Routing

Manifold Mounting

Firewall Mounting

I hope this description has been useful to readers who are interested in taking a similar approach. Just as I borrowed from the work of others and modified to my own tastes I would expect others to do the same. Please comment, offer suggestions as you like.

While the article does not format as well in a pdf document. for those readers who want to save this as a pdf or for those who want to print it as a pdf, this is the link:Throttle Cable Modification – Valve Chatter

Chapter 79 Week Forty-Nine November, 19 2007

Posted on March 15, 2020 by valv8988

I am now waiting on Jack Harper to get free from his shop duties at Coachworks to come by the house and help me with starting and tuning the engine. While waiting, I took a few moments to check on sealing the firewall from fumes and heat emitted from the engine bay. I turned off the the lights in the garage and put a shop light in the engine bay and then inspected the firewall for any light coming through the firewall. As expected, I did find a few places, so I used a little 3M body caulk to seal the holes.

Another variance from originality on my project is the “personalized” arm rest. Its standard location makes it virtually useless as a functioning arm rest while driving. I am going to make a wooden box to fit the arm rest pad sourced from Heritage Upholstery and Trim to serve as a storage console and to lift the height of the pad to make it work as an arm rest while driving. I will cover the box with matching black carpet and hinge it at the rear of the pad. To begin my little project, I made a mock-up of the box from a cardboard shoebox. For me, 2 3/4” appeared to be the proper height of the box, with the cushion on top of the box.

Arm Rest Prototype

Jack Harper came over to the house and we readied the engine for starting. First, we connected the cables for the throttle and choke. While the previous injection of oil through the engine should have sufficiently lubricated everything, I still pulled the spark plugs and turned the engine with the starter until the gauge showed oil pressure. I put 5 gallons of fuel in the tank and we turned on the ignition to try out the fuel pump. The carb float chambersfilled and we were then ready to try firing up the Bloody Beast.

We reinstalled the spark plugs, turned on the ignition and hit the starter button. After about 10 seconds we had the engine running! Jack ran the engine up between 2,000 and 2,500 rpms and then we adjusted the carbs to bring the idle down to about 700. After 30 years another Healey is saved and running. It was an exciting moment.

I did have two problems to be fixed. I had taken apart the hot water valve, cleaned it, reassembled and installed it on the engine. It leaked! So I ordered a new one to replace the original. The second problem was my own stupidity! I did not replace the Toyota gearbox real oil seal and I quickly discovered that I should have as a pool of MT-90 formed under the car. New seal ordered also. Cannot wait to get both pieces, install them, and get her running again!

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