2024-12-09 09:42:53 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

classiccars.com//listings/view/1906393/1959-austin-healey-3000-mark-i-bn7-for-sa ...?

Seller's description:

Price: $16,000 (OBO)

Location:Albany Ga, Georgia

Year:1959

Make:Austin-Healey

Model:3000 Mark I BN7

Exterior Color:primer gray

Interior Color:black

Transmission:Manual

Odometer:96000

Convertible:Yes

Title Status:Clear

Engine History:Replaced

Engine Condition:Running

I will try to do my best to describe the exact condition of this car. I have had this car for about 8 years and I can tell you just about every little thing about it and will try to do so there are no surprises when you see or get the car. My plan was to rebuild everything eventually but I can see I will never get that done before I'm gone so I need to let it go and get a restored car. Let me tell you the down sides first, might save you further reading. It's not a numbers matching car. When I got it it had a California VIN but it now has the correct Vin which shows on the title (registration) and the British Heritage Certificate. The transmission and overdrive was probably swapped with the engine and I don't think the overdrive ratio is original to the car and that makes the speedometer not accurate. It leaks all fluids. Well, probably not antifreeze. It has a smoky exhaust. I don't think it's too rich. The overdrive slips when it gets warmed up good. The rear end works / sounds fine but the pinion needs to be shimmed because if you torque the nut to specifications you can tell that it puts some drag on it. Found this when I changed the pinion seal and just backed off on the torque some to eliminate the drag. It has a very slight brake fluid leak right front but no drips, just damp. No fluid to add. Probably needs some of the springs replaced in the gearshift. I have had people drive it and not have any trouble. Its non syncro first gear. It's got to be in the correct position. That's where I have trouble.

It was hit in the front at one time. Did not damage the hood but the shroud nose panel has been repaired and you can tell. Under the hood near the area behind the flasher box you can see a bit of a wrinkle. If you look under the left fender in that area and look carefully you can see evidence of repair. Also looking behind the headlights you can see evidence of some bondo type repairs behind the shroud. The right front fender is not perfect at the narrow part above the center of the tire. There are some pea size rust bubbles behind the driver's side door. There is a line of rust bubbles about one inch above the bottom of the passenger door. There are some bubbles and small holes ahead of the passenger side rear tire near the bottom but I have a replacement fender that's good. There is a slight horizontal crease on the driver's side door up a little ways. You probably can see it in the picture. There is a slight 1/2 dollar size small dent at the bottom of the fender rear of the front tire on the passenger side. You might not see it unless I point it out to you with a flashlight. If you look ahead of the rear tires behind the fender near the rockers, that's an area I've been told to look for rust, I see no holes, no hole on the driver side but I think you could poke a screwdriver through one spot. On the passenger side there is some metal missing. You can see that in the pictures. There might be some minor pieces missing on the car but it's mostly there. Trunk lid doesn't fit the best but most cars I see don't fit perfectly. The bracket that holds the hand brake was welded back to frame sheet metal as it was not holding the brake well - flexing. There is a stud or 2 missing that hold the seats in. The stud threads are not in all that good of shape but they hold. The gauges look old and faded but they work. The water temp gauge seems to take a while / a delay to go up and down but seems to be in the ballpark. I think it had a radio but that is gone. . That's really all I can think of - remember.

Here are some of the better things about the car.

Installed new 60 spoke wire wheels, all 4 new wire wheel hubs, and tires in 2017 which makes it drive pretty smooth. They are like new. Only driven maybe 500 - 600 miles and always in the garage. They look new. These were bought, balanced and tires shaved by / from Hendrix Wire Wheel to get the best ride. The knock offs have never been hit with a hammer except the initial install. Used a wrench since then. Car has been up on jack stands to prevent flat spots most of the time. It has all new wheel bearings, all 4 wheels. New rotors, turned drums, rebuilt calipers and wheel cylinders, slave and clutch cylinders, and carbs, in less than 600 miles or so, but several years ago, a lot of it 8 years ago, but still works well. New SS braided flex lines at all 4 wheels. Original starter and alternator that work well. Starter turns a bit slow when hot I think because I have advanced the timing a bit. New gas tank. Blinker switch / horn assembly rebuilt and new cable. Lights and flashers all work. Has good oil pressure - 60 lbs. Can't remember what it drops to when warm - maybe just a tad less than 20 psi. New battery October 2023. It's not real quiet , but it sounds real good.

Original color Healey blue. The numbers stamped on the hood, hood latch, and trunk lid all match. Minimal rust is the plus for this car. This car was imported to San Francisco California , dispatched January 21, 1960. Later it lived in Washington State for until the owner moved to South Georgia just before I bought it. . Frame pretty smooth compared to what I have seen on other cars at any price. There are some dips on the cross braces front and rear, but the long pieces have very little surface rust, very few dents on the long pieces of frame if any. You can still see a lot of Healey blue on the frame and the underside. I always look at the frames when I go to car shows and this is as good as any I've seen. I don't find any places on the underside where I can see pin holes. Right now I have the carpet removed on the floor. There are areas of rust bubbles on the floor in places, see pictures, but you can see healey blue there too. I suppose if you poked hard enough you could punch a hole in the floor where those rust bubbles are but if you blasted it all you might not find a pin hole. The only place I can see a rust hole on the underside of the car is where I described ahead of the rear wheels at rock panel level. I have a grill but it was not installed for some reason when I bought it. It's in good shape but just does not look like new chrome. Has a top frame and 2 tops in good shape. has side curtains but plastic is not the best, not real clear. Drove it 200 miles to Healey meet in Huntsville Alabama then back in 2017. Did pretty good in the gymkhana. Located in Southwest Georgia.