Barn -find 20 years asleep.
Discussion
Austin-Healey BJ7 (6cyl) BARN_FIND restoration revisited. This car had been owned previously by a very wealthy race horse breeder/trainer who was lucky enough to posses a surplus of big barns into which several interesting cars disappeared over the years, as they got troublesome they were discarded, out of sight, out of mind.Eventually something caused a change of stratigy and I was requested to survey the the damage and access what was recoverable. The Healey had been devastated by generations of hungry rats who had trashed all manner of parts under the dash panel through into the engine compartment.Photo:- "HOME SWEET HOME" 
Closer examination exposed damage of the most expensive type mainly caused by natures little community of Rats, Snakes,Bees,larvae and little creepy things that appear to eat cardboard,plastic, rubber, foam , carpets and insulation, In order to set up home in the glove box the little perishers had eaton through the wiring harness where it travels into the bulkhead panel ,including the rubber grommet and copper cable, the loom was totalled in several places,then most of the heating,demisting hoses, air trunk and padding/foam.Not content with shredding and eating a whole load of stuff they did the other thing that living creatures leave behind which took ages to disinfect and make the working area sanitary and safe. ( once got bitten by a nasty spider ,that was hell for a week).
As for the rest of the car ,it was a worst case situation with virtually every single part except the body and chassis, corrosion and seizure everywhere on all assemblies but nothing on the sheet metal, must have been something to do with the warm/dry atmosphere in the barn ?
As for the rest of the car ,it was a worst case situation with virtually every single part except the body and chassis, corrosion and seizure everywhere on all assemblies but nothing on the sheet metal, must have been something to do with the warm/dry atmosphere in the barn ?
As the engine was seized (would not rotate) brakes/clutch were inoperative and the electrics were devastated, exhaust rotted off , the question of a drive test could not be entertained. Fortunately the body panels and chassis frame were in excellent shape which indicated that the main work would be dismantling down to the chassis and tackling each component as a separate item.
Before work got under way it was necessary to complete a thorough examination and undertake a little
stripping to ascertain the amount of wear and /or deterioration on certain components to compile a job schedule to help work out an approx price and overall time element.
Before work got under way it was necessary to complete a thorough examination and undertake a little
stripping to ascertain the amount of wear and /or deterioration on certain components to compile a job schedule to help work out an approx price and overall time element.
rolymo said:
As the engine was seized (would not rotate) brakes/clutch were inoperative and the electrics were devastated, exhaust rotted off , the question of a drive test could not be entertained. Fortunately the body panels and chassis frame were in excellent shape which indicated that the main work would be dismantling down to the chassis and tackling each component as a separate item.
Before work got under way it was necessary to complete a thorough examination and undertake a little
stripping to ascertain the amount of wear and /or deterioration on certain components to compile a job schedule to help work out an approx price and overall time element.
The last photo looks like it was taken in the States: is that where the car came from, or are you working on it over there?Before work got under way it was necessary to complete a thorough examination and undertake a little
stripping to ascertain the amount of wear and /or deterioration on certain components to compile a job schedule to help work out an approx price and overall time element.
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