Roys' Austin-Healey
May 2000
May in Australia is the beginning of Autumn. Luckily for
me the weather has been unseasonably warm and sunny. All this extra warmth has
encouraged me to continue working long hours on the Healey. All the major
welding repairs seem to be done, the body panels fixed and smoothed and most of
the parts waiting to be put on. I installed the front stabilizer bar (Pic #5),
undercoated underneath the body and frames, around the rear and front wheel
wells (Pic #4)and started to re-build the original dash (Pic #6).
before
any more serious engine compartment assembly or wiring can be done, the front
end needed a coat of paint and shellac (Pic# 1, 2 3). The reason for this is
that once certain parts are installed (ie. the steering column and firewall
panelling), painting certain parts of the engine compartment would be near
impossible. On the cover of the August 1997 issue of Australian Classic Car (Pic
#7), I noticed that Allan Whitehouses' 1963 Austin Healey 3000 Mark II had a
great looking shade of blue for his two-tone blue and beige car. I tried
unsuccessfully to try to match it. After putting on the first coat, I realized
that it was just way too dark of a blue for my own personal taste. I quickly
returned to the more traditional lighter blue. Although the majority of this
months paint work will be covered my fire walls, front panels, the engine etc, I
still needed to get the right colour right off the bat.
Previous Page
Main Page