Our 1959 Austin Healey has only been here at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a few days but it has already been the focus of classic car technician Steve.
As the car is with us for recommissioning in preparation for its owner to drive it back home to Hampshire in the coming weeks, Steve has been thoroughly assessing its condition. Prior to arriving with us, it was being stored locally to us, so we are fortunate enough to have it in the workshop for a short while before it heads back out on the road again.
Steve noticed that the front anti-roll bar bushes were worn and needed to be replaced. He also spent some time greasing the various grease nipples to ensure these were exactly as they should be.
The front brakes were cleaned and checked before Steve reassembled them. When it came to the rear of the car, the rear wheel cylinders had seized and were corroded. Surface rust on the drums was also found so these needed to be cleaned too.
Classic car technician Mauro refurbished the rear brake drums in our paint shop and the difference this made to their overall look was quite dramatic.
After looking at the brakes, Steve continued his checks and found that the fuel cap seal was cracked. He also noticed that the fuel pipe was loose and rubbing on the chassis so he fitted a new bracket to resolve this issue.
Another issue identified was that the correct amount of fuel was not showing on the gauge. Steve removed the fuel sender unit and freed off the float which made the fuel gauge accurate.
Our 1959 Austin Healey 3000 will likely only be with us for a short time but it is a beautiful car that we will certainly enjoy having in the workshop while it is here.
