The Healey Factory

[red750]

Today, the guys from my Men's Shed visited the Healey Factory in Mitcham to look at the collection of cool cars and have a look over their maintenance and restoration facility. Here are a few photos I took.

 

 

[facthunter]

"TIN" Healeys. The 100/six has a truck motor Morris ISIS.  I wouldn't pay what they are fetching. Buy a new Mustang and you've got a better car than any of them and easier to look after.  More fun to drive.  Nev

[spacesailor]

What !.

No " Sprite " . Bug eyes & all .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

6 hours ago, facthunter said:

"TIN" Healeys. The 100/six has a truck motor Morris ISIS.  I wouldn't pay what they are fetching. Buy a new Mustang and you've got a better car than any of them and easier to look after.  More fun to drive.  Nev

True, but real style has a cost (and is totally subjective)

[facthunter]

Most old cars drive like what they are, a dolled up version of the road models. I've been involved with most of them and I sure wouldn't like to crash in one. Also they aren't fast don't steer and don't stop and have no air cond  or power steering and handle like a bucket of$#**. Sports car crashes were the most frequent of all types and the most deadly on the track..  Nev

[gareth lacey]

My wife loves Ford Mustangs , a very good friend had a perfect 1968 model, i borrowed the car for a wedding anniversary (35th) and we went to a restaraunt about 25ks away , what a bag of Sxxt to drive no power steering, no aircon, guzzled fuel, heavy car to steer , brakes were minimal, steering wheel was huge ,give me a modern car anytime to drive 

 

[nomadpete]

44 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Most old cars drive like what they are, a dolled up version of the road models. I've been involved with most of them and I sure wouldn't like to crash in one. Also they aren't fast don't steer and don't stop and have no air cond  or power steering and handle like a bucket of$#**. Sports car crashes were the most frequent of all types and the most deadly on the track..  Nev

 

And they look real cool !

[facthunter]

Till you drive one on a corrugated dirt road.  Unless it's a Porsche Boxter.  Nev

[nomadpete]

It was sarcasm, Nev

[facthunter]

Sorry for my  negative approach. I've witnessed three  deaths in them when I was spannering for AN open wheeler. (Tasman formula). Nev

[nomadpete]

I understand. I recall hearing an Australian saloon car driver getting back into a Ford GTHO (I think), and after racing recent cars couldn' t believe how physically hard it was to drive a Pre 1970 car at speed.

 

And the so called 'sports car' was mostly suffering poor suspension and lousy brakes.

 

It would be really risky to drive them at any speed on 'normal' Australian roads. And they would take major work to become competetive.

Edited November 22, 2022 by nomadpete

[Jerry_Atrick]

Yet, these cars go for well over 500K.. dollars that is, not miles..

Crazy..

 

 

[old man emu]

On 21/11/2022 at 8:22 PM, spacesailor said:

What !.

No " Sprite " . Bug eyes & all .

spacesailor

I saw a "Bug-eye" Sprite driving around yesterday. Strewth, they are a small car. But I think that teh model after the Bug-eye, with the more "normal" bonnet style is a nicer car.

  

[red750]

If that's what you crave.... No there wasn't one there.

 

        

[facthunter]

Easy to get at the engine with a bug eye. The entire front tilts forward. They are cute but rev their guts out at fairly normal speeds. Steel disc wheels with AH Hub caps are standard. Like the red one above, but painted silver.. Nev

[red750]

Here's a few more I've edited, including a couple from the restoration workshop.

 

 

[spacesailor]

I thought that those ' Frog ' bug eyes made it a ' stand-out ' sport car .

AND tere were so many . ( at one time  ).

My cousin prefered a X J 250 Jaguar .

But it cost a lot more .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

"Collectable" and Nice to drive are different things often, Lotus have made some good cars but soft tops are weak structurally and pretty dangerous in a prang and it would be difficult for them to meet modern safety standards if not impossible.. IF they don't provide a better driving experience in basic handling and braking  and performance it's wind in your hair and dust off the floor and not much more. . People are likely to scratch them down the sides out of spite too unfortunately. On the road is not a safe place for a rare car., Unfortunately. Nev

[old man emu]

41 minutes ago, facthunter said:

On the road is not a safe place for a rare car

They are important as reminders of how far we have come, especially since Ralph Nader in the1960s.

 

I actually saw a Ford Prefect 100E this morning.

   

 

They wouldn't pass the safety standards for a child's pedal car these days.

[red750]

That's about the size of car I need, but I probably couldn't afford it.

[facthunter]

They were a massive improvement on the previous model Prefect. I think  that one still had the sidevalve engine. The 105E Anglia was the beginning of the "faster" OHV Fords.. The 1500 cc 5 bearing KENT block being the basis of many Cortina'as especially with the Lotus head fitted and later Ford's BDA 2 cam motor. Cosworth got involved back then with head development and gasflow.  Nev

[spacesailor]

I would guess 100% , BETTER  in all ways over the Ford Popular. 

Thats why I chose to go Morris Oxford 1952 ! 

A full size Minor .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

Problem was That was still a sidevalve. In a country where fuel was never cheap I wonder why they stuck to that for so long. Hillman/Humber did the same till about  the mid 50's.  Nev

[Yenn]

Somebody gave us a description of English cars above. The first good handling English cars were specs, short of special. Hand built by different individuals and basicly the start of Lotus.

I found it hard to get a good English car until the Morris Minor, Then I discovered the VW and wasn't intereste in Pommy cars, until I bought a second hand Rord GT Cortina, proffessionally lowered and the suspension tweaked for racing, that car out ran the Ford GT, except on long straights and was my best ever point to point car, but not so good at towing a caravan. As a kid I stopped to get a drink at a big shed near Staunes and got a conducted tour of the Lagonda factory. Later our army depot backed on to the Aston martin test track. What lovely sounds, but so expensive.