Well I just got back from picking up my new toy. Its a 1955 Austin Healy 100m that was heavily modified as you will see from the photo's. My uncle has had it for the last several years but is no mechanic and really didn't have much time to maintain it. He basically gave it to me as a graduation gift and because he thinks I can do more with it.
Brief history: Was built in the 1969 by a member of the Mear's family (Rick Mear's uncle) in Cali. for a fellow (no name yet) in Riverside. Not sure of the big blank but my Grandmother purchased the car at an auction in Bakersfield the summer of 1990. I was a very excited 13 year old to say the least. I would drive it for the first time when I was 19 while visiting. Naturally everyone wanted it but after some tuff times she decided to give it to my uncle in 2002. He drove it occasionally for a few years before it stopped running and its sat for the last three years.
The Car: Well, no one in my family was really auto intelligent and had very misleading information as to what the car had. My father told me it has a 302 with a BW t10 close ratio and unknown GM rear end. After getting it home I immediatly began my search to see what it really has.
Its a 289 with iron Edlebrock heads and Edlebrock Streetmaster intake, AFB 650cc carb with electric choke, external Holley (unsure of the size) electric fuel pump, Mallery dual point distributor (the reason it doesn't run). To my pleasant suprise it has a ford 4 speed toploader (tag RUG-AH) from a '69 Fairlane and a later GM 8.2 Hotchkiss rear end with 4.11's. It has the hurst cobra shifter and is a hydrolic clutch system.
The AH is a unibody car but this one has been heavily modified with a box frame and cross members. I'm not sure what suspension it has but the front brakes are rather large vented discs with dual piston calipers. The rear is a leaf spring with 3 point bracing.
Here are some pic's I snapped the day I picked it up and in transit. I'll post more later.
As you can see the body has been heavily modified from the original Austin Healy to resemble a AC Cobra. I will probably keep it very similar to how it looks but I want to tone down the front fenders a little and cut back the nose a little. For now I just want to get it running so I can at least drive and race it as it will get work done in the future as money permits.
Thanks for looking.
Bobby
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