Hi,
I have a 1960 BT7 which has been languishing for about 8 years and now
I'm trying to fix it up a bit to drive or sell. Just subscribed to
this list so I guess I'm pretty much new to this list, although I was
subscribed a looong time ago.
My immediate goal is to rebuild the carbs and dress up the engine a
bit, which leads to a lot of questions. I would like to make the
engine look as original as possible while I'm at it, but I'm not
looking to win a concours here.
I'm wondering if there are any FAQ lists, websites, books, or other
good resources for answering a lot of basic "how should it look"
questions, or whether my best bet is searching the list archives for
every individual question. I have the Anders Clausager book, but it
only has a few pictures of engines, and none that looks exactly like
mine. ere are some examples of the many immediate questions I have...
* My car has an thermoelectric choke so it has 3 plastic hoses that
route the fuel from the choke to the intake manifold. The hoses are
hard plastic and painted (poorly) in a silver color. What color are
they supposed to be? Are they supposed to be hard plastic, or are they
just showing their age? Can I eplace them with vacuum hose, and if so
should they be painted silver?
* Is there supposed to be any sealant on the gaskets between the
intake manifold and heat shield, and/or the gaskets between the heat
shield and carbs?
* What color should I paint the radiator and fan shroud? Most pix I've
seen show the radiator in black and the shroud in Red. Is that correct
for a 1960 BT7?
* I am thinking about sending the carbs out for rebuild rather than
tackling this myself. I noticed that Apple Hydraulics charges roughly
twice as much as Healey Surgeons. Is it worth the difference? Do
those two shops generally have good reputations? Any other shop I
should consider?
* On my car, a piece of heater hose currently serves as the vacuum
(PCV) hose between the rear air filter and the crankcase. Should I be
using PCV hose?
* I remember hearing long ago about about Norman Nock's restoration
guide. Is it still available and would it answer questions like those
above?
Hopefully these questions give you some idea of the depth and breadth
of information I'm looking for. Again, any pointers to good resources
for answering questions like these would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
-Danny
Chapel Hill, NC
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