I'm going to cheat a bit and paste what I wrote about three or four years
ago:
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Back in late 1966 or early 1967b&yes, over 30 years ago, my (then girlfriend,
now) wife bought a 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 with a '63 3000 cc triple carb
engine in it.B She bought it for $500, but there was a problem.B The guy she
bought it from had taken it out to our local drag strip and raced a
Corvette.B He
claimed that he beat the Vette, but he blew first gear (and, therefore,
reverse) in the process.
This Healey had radiused rear wheel wells, Buick rims and Bruce slicks on the
rear, with five loose pristine wire wheels and a factory hardtop.B It was an
aqua blue/green with a white hardtop, and really hot when the carbs were
balanced.B She/we drove it for a few months as is, only having to push it
rearwards
when accidentally pulling in head first to a parking space, then found a
"rebuilt" transmission for $150.
My back was out at the time and we took the Healey to my Dad's (brake and
wheel alignment) shop, where she proceeded to unbolt the tranny.B My dad and
I
muscled the old transmission out and the "rebuilt" in.B She bolted everything
back together, and was covered from the top of her blonde head to her shoes
with
grease.B (That's when my Dad accepted her as a suitable candidate for a
future daughter-in-law).
We married in late December 1967, and did our wedding chase in the Healey.B
We raced through the local service station that I worked in rather recklessly,
and the top popped loose about the same time (according to witnesses) that the
left front wheel (almost?) came off the ground (hard left turn up the
driveway).B I reached out with my left arm and she reached out with her
right,
holding the top down, and proceeded to lose all but a '57 Chevy convertible.B
We
lost the Chevy within a few minutes and managed to escape without loss of life
or
hardtop.
In 1968 we were facing the draft and had a child on the way, so we decided to
sell the Healey.B We got $1300 plus a (1959) 100-6 in trade.B I used the
100-6 as transportation until I was drafted, then peddled it for another $600,
meanwhile buying a nice ($150) 1959 Oldsmobile "family" car.B We had managed
to
drive the Healey(s) for about a year and a half, and made $1250 profit in the
process (1967-68 dollars).
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Regards all.
Steve Mickelson
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