Automobile Engineer, born in Perranporth Cornwall in 1922, and chief engineering director Donald Healey Motor Company 1955-1974, sadly, passed away April 29th, 1994. Despite the Austin-Healey surviving for a mere 18 years between 1952 and 1970, today it is remembered both with affection and respect as one of Britain’s most successful post-war sports cars. Although it is forever…
My Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV was built by the Austin Motor Company Limited from parts manufactured in the U.K., at Abingdon, Berkshire, on July 5 in the year 1969. I purchased it on September 5, 1969, from Stockton Motors, Huntsville, AL. This was my third Sprite/Midget and was purchased primarily as a vehicle to get…
Over the years, Healeys have gotten a reputation for having a very hot cockpit. I’m here to argue that the reputation is undeserved, that heat in the interior is due to poor maintenance or careless restoration by previous owners, and that with some simple do-it-yourself repairs, you can correct this problem. The same solutions will…
By Rick Feibusch These cheap and cheerful little roadsters were the mainstays of entry-level sportscar ownership for decades as well as fierce little battlers on the racetrack. They still can be seen as viable contenders in contemporary SCCA sportscar racing as well as very capable and competitive vintage racecars. This guide will concentrate on the…
I was watching a TV program last fall with a handful of fellow Triumph owners. The episode covered some huge British car show in the Midwest. One half-hour of English automobiles—surely there would have to be an image of a sparkling TR3 or row of TR6s. But there wasn’t, not even in the corner of…
I’d like to share with you some of the other fixes I’ve made over the years to my 100 to prevent it from leaking precious fluids. In previous articles I concentrated on the engine. This time I want to talk about everything else that can leak that refined Cretaceous crude. The BN1 three-speed gearboxes all…
(This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Donald Mitchell Healey, and as such, we would like to present an interview with him which Paul Chudecki undertook in 1986, and which gives an insight into the man responsible for those magnificent machines. Paul traveled down to Perranporth, Cornwall, to interview Donald just…
One of the first 40th birthday parties for the Austin-Healey Sprite took place in Tasmania, that large and beautiful island off the southeast coast of Australia. It has long been the home of some of the most devout Sprite enthusiasts in the world, and no less than 14 of them prepared their beloved classics to compete in…
(This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Donald Mitchell Healey, and as such, we would like to present an interview with him which Paul Chudecki undertook in 1986, and which gives an insight into the man responsible for those magnificent machines. Paul traveled down to Perranporth, Cornwall, to interview Donald just…
Last time I covered a few of the major sources of oil leaks coming from a four-cylinder Austin-Healey engine. This time we’ll continue with some other potential leakers, like the rocker cover, the oil filter assembly, the engine front cover, and the head itself. When fitting the stock steel rocker cover to the engine, be…
