Hello, everyone. After a three year hiatus, I'm back in Healeydom (variant
per my wife: Healey-dumb), having sold the factory M to a relative,
suffering seller's remorse, and finally gotten a racing-trim BN2 to ease the
pain. Body's in terrific shape, and essentially no rust, but also no new
work since 1990. Will (operative word WILL) make a fine race car, but that's
a year from now and a full year's cycle of bank statements hiding my EBAY
purchases, making the usual excuses and skirting insolvency.
Bought it from a Porsche dealer who had, quite interestingly, painted it
that glaring bold yellow that the 911's used to sport. Aweful dress for a
Heritiage princess (OEW with red trim), but she will have to wait for a
change of style pending her transformation into a racecar.
I am looking for recommendations on three areas this year:
1.good machinist in the Upstate New York / New England area who understands
that some Healey enthusiasts have recession-sensitive wallets
2. information on the original Derrington extractor. I think I saw one on a
VSCCA racer; it had beautiful square profile pipes leading to the collector;
does anyone know what they actually looked like and whether there is a good
prototype to copy?
3. information on the classic hotrodder's tricks for beefing up a race
engine (American lifters from the '40's, etc). want to avoid the triple
impact of British exchange rates, high cost racing components and deviations
from the spirit of VSCCA
4. pitfalls encountered by any vintage 100 races I should bear in mind.
5. an answer to an old question I raised on prior threads: is the 100 M cold
air box really just that, and not supposed to be a ram air manifold. I
bought a period cold air box with the correct badege etc, and in its history
the entire back plate had been cut off. If anyone has raced an M or has
knowledge about this, I would appreciate any information available. I
restored the old box with Alumalloy, and kept it when I sold the M; thinking
of putting it on this race and boring 3/4" or 1" holes in the back to keep
the air balanced between front and back H6 inlets. Any thoughts?
6. Any advice on the relative performance merits of a Dennis Welch full race
cam and the traditional M cam profiles. Porbable configuration for my engine
will be stock shallow dish M pistons (0.15" over), iron head that appears to
have been ported in the 50's, headers, lightened flywheel, with one of the
stock crankshafts treated and reground/blanaced, etc. (In short, I'd like an
engine in the 120 hp range that gives good reliable 5000 rpm service at
LimeRock, but isn't a Carillo-Welch handgrenade that blows everyone's doors
off, but requires constant service.)
7. Leads on a used factory or aftermarket top for a 100 I could adapt to the
race car for what appears to be ever-increasing rainy track dates. I don't
need one that is pretty or lined; just one that will fit and is priced
accordingly.
Look forward to correspondence with any and all
Cheers
Allen Miller
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