The original Tartan Red color came out beautifully on the Midget. The wire wheels have been media blasted and powder coated the correct color with fresh set of Vredestein tires.
Category Archives: British
The Italian Austins
The Italian manufacturer Innocenti whom started producing cars in 1920 but is most famous for it’s Lambretta scooters of the 1940s to 70s started making their own versions of Austin’s best cars in the 1960s. Each of the cars on the right is the Innocenti version of the Austin car on the left. The Minis were still called Minis but the Sprites were called Spiders.
1966 Marcos 1500GT
The GT body style was first introduced in 1964 with a Volvo B18 unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle. In 1966 they switched to the Ford Kent “Formula Ford” engine. The plywood chassis was glued together from 386 separate pieces and was not only light and strong. Although most people have never heard of Marcos which ceased production in 2007 you have heard of the drivers who raced them. Among the drivers were Jackie Stewart, Bill Moss, John Sutton, Jack Gates, John Mitchell and Jackie Oliver, as well as Jem Marsh.
Before: 1959 Austin Healey Sprite
This Sprite arrived in typical fashion exactly as you see pictured here. The owner has decided to put on hold the 1958 Sprite we started and move the racing engine and suspension over to this car instead and then restore the other car to a more factory condition. This car has signs of being an old race car with the roll bar cut off near the mounts and when finished will be faster than ever.
Might Be Adequate
Rolls Royce has famously advertised the horsepower of their cars as either “adequate” or “sufficient” instead of printing an actual number. Today we find out if the power made by the 6.25 Liter Rolls Royce V8 in this 1961 Silver Cloud is actually adequate.
Progress: 1965 MG Midget
With the metal work finished, including new floors, rear quarters, battery tray, trunk floor and one new front fender this car has come a long way in the last month. After the suspension is done we can start the prep for paint.
Most with the Least
The DynoJet is a great tool for more than just seeing horsepower and torque numbers especially on a car with a small engine. Using the DynoJet on this 1953 Ford Anglia we can scientifically check how the carburetor is functioning, ignition health, top speeds in each gear, and accuracy of the speedometer.
Expats at Guard
Both of these Land Rovers are 1972 model Series III 88s but one is an original right hand drive and the other is a US spec with added reflectors and slightly different lighting configuration. After some testing on the dyno the advantage of the add-on overdrive units is clear and with the overdrive the trucks could travel at 80 mph if you were brave enough to do so.
1966 Austin-Healey 3000
This non-original Chevrolet color works beautifully on this Big Healey. With a small amount of work on the brakes and carburetors this car is ready for another year cruising the backroads.
Twin Cam Healey
The Lotus engine is rebuilt and sitting again now in the 1973 Jensen-Healey. Without the intake manifold and carburetors mounted the Lotus 907 engine looks tilted 45 degrees. This early Jensen-Healey is only a few hundred before they made the first big revisions to the model. The later Series II and JH-5 models seem more common at shows.
Progress: 1973 Triumph Stag
Originally brown this Stag came to us in red. The engine is in assembly and will soon be returning to the engine bay. Over the seven years of production the Triumph Stag was available in 25 different colors. Everyone agrees that brown looks great on this one.
Anglo American Hemi
Jensen used Chrysler V8 engines for the Interceptor with a 4-barrel carburetor 440 c.i. engine they produced 305 hp SAE net. Mated to an automatic transmission this car was a true GT that could cross continents effortlessly.
Uncommon Dyno
We have had the DynoJet for just shy of a year now and by the end of the year it will have seen a fair share of interesting makes and models. The DynoJet is great for much more than just finding out how much power or torque a car makes. You can analyze the fuel to air mixture, ignition condition, finding leaks, engine break-in, and even aero dynamic effects on gearing.
Usually too Busy
With the fab shop shut down for the holiday it is a good time to share a glimpse of what we are doing in there. Media blasting, powder coating, metal forming, and welding all happen in this room. We stock around fifty colors of powder and will do from a single part for a walk-in customer to supply production parts for machine shops and manufacturers.
Before: 1958 Austin-Healey Sprite
This bugeye Sprite arrived yesterday from Arizona as a rolling shell. It doesn’t look like much yet but this might be one of the most exciting builds we have done. FIA Homologation is guiding the specifications and period construction.
The Jaguar V12
175 CD-2 Stromberg Carburetors will usually be finicky especially when your engine has four of them. Although this Jaguar ran pretty good it was leaking fuel, oil and leaving its aroma on the passengers after a drive. The leaking fuel had stained the jaguars front frame members which needed a repaint and general cleanup. With everything polished, cleaned and rebuilt the passengers can enjoy the smells of the scenery and not of the car.
Progress 1973 Jensen Healey
This early Jensen Healey has come a long way since it arrived with no fenders or bonnet. We are still in the middle of rebuilding the original Lotus 907 twin cam engine but it should be back on the road soon.
After: 1976 Jensen Interceptor
This Chrysler 440 cu.in. V8 powered British classic is ready to prowl once again. Only 267 convertible Jensen Interceptors were made making these cars a rare site at any show.
Vintage Software
It was time to pull out some classic software to diagnose and check the 1990 Lotus Esprit Turbo. This software is the best and sometimes only way to diagnose the complex brake system on these cars.
Progress: 1974 Triumph TR6
The 1974 Triumph TR6 project is coming along. The last major battle for this car is creating the throttle linkage system for the triple SU carburetors. The larger than standard wheels and tires look to fill the wheel wells perfectly.
