1961 Austin Healey

Convertible

3 liter

Manual

HBT7L /12843

Clear

1961 Austin Healey 3000 BT7 MK l. The Bt7 is the 4 seater model, fairly rare model. Starting at a modest opening bid. I'm selling this for a friend. He has owned the car since 1984. He did a partial restoration in '86-'87. In the mid '90's a fairly extensive restoration took place. This consisted of an engine rebuild. New cam, valves, bearings, etc, etc. Hardened valve seats were installed to accommodate unleaded gas. The car was repainted a beautiful but non original color. Original parts were used throughout unless they required replacing. Wiring harness was replaced. Interior was replaced and is in excellent condition. Leather is excellent as well. Chrome is clean and free of any pitting, etc. All gauges, lights, etc, all work as they should. Electric overdrive operates flawlessly, nice feature. 48 spoke wheels and knock-offs were replaced. Original spoke spare wheel. New high quality Moss Motors "sunfast" top and tonneau cover. New side curtains. An "adjustable thermostatic controlled" electric radiator fan has been installed with overflow tank. Brand new extra heavy duty battery. The original windshield washer bottle and mount is included, though not installed. Dash plunger appears to works fine! Fog lamps were added, though wiring is there, they were not connected. Currently, only for appearance. Michelin tires have deep/even tread, though older. No age or weather cracks. Trunk mat has a bit of deterioration, from age I believe. Transmission is original and wasn't rebuilt. It is quite and shifts smooth. One note, upshifting is very smooth through all gears. Downshifting is smooth with the exception of shifting into 2nd at a higher rpm. I think the synchro is worn for this gear. Fairly typical for the older British cars. 2nd gear gets used a lot more than the others. At a lower RPM, downshifting into 2nd is fine. Also, while in 2nd gear, if you back off the throttle very abruptly, it has jumped back to neutral a few times. Don't know if it is an adjustment or simply related to the 2nd gear synchro. There is a small 3"x 3" patch on the frame just aft of the left front wheel. It is an old weld and not sure why it is there, see pic. The front center area of the cowl was repaired and some body filler was used. The car has less than 2,000 miles since the mid '90's restoration, mainly driven around the state to various shows, sunday drives, etc. The car has always been under cover and garaged. Therefore the paint is very nice with only a nick here and there. The hood and boot have a couple of imperfections that are barely noticeable unless pointed out. Hard to photograph with all the reflection. The car starts easily, runs smooth, doesn't smoke whatsoever, and stops as it should. It drives straight, corners well and is a blast to drive. The inline six is quite a performer.. Though it wasn't a frame off restoration, it is a beautiful classic and a wonderful driver. Feel free to ask questions. Car is available for inspection with ample notice. Car may be for sale locally unless a bid is placed. VIN-HBT7L/12843. Engine #-29D/RU/H 23686. On Aug-13-14 at 20:26:30 PDT, seller added the following information: I was able to place the car on a lift to take a few pics per request. I also gave it a fairly thorough look-over. A few things to note; the floor pans, trunk pan, etc are clean and void of any rust or concerns. The frame is nice and solid throughout. The owner says, he is nearly certain, that the exhaust system is stainless steel. It appears that is correct as there is not a spec of rust. An over-sized cast aluminum oil pan was installed, along with a spin-on oil filter upgrade. He may have the original pan and filter housing if wanted. The car doesn't have any oil leaks, only the normal seepage. Usually you'll have a drop or more of oil where the cars are parked, this car doesn't. The area on the lower side of the front cowl, bottom edge, was repaired with a little bit of body filler. These cars set low and typically the lower cowl can easily make contact with stop blocks, etc. It looks fine unless you're under the car. It is only the bottom edge. The car's under carriage is dirty and has road grime. He doesn't recall ever washing the underside since the restoration. I'm trying to load some more pics but currently having trouble doing so. With Ebay's help, pics should be loaded before long. On Aug-14-14 at 07:36:20 PDT, seller added the following information: Adding or exchanging photos isn't allowed once a bid is placed on an ebay auction, so a few pics linked to photobucket will have to do. On Aug-14-14 at 18:48:33 PDT, seller added the following information: I have had a couple inquiries about the condition of the front bumper, based on the added picture from the underside. Not sure why the bumper photographed the way it did. Sometimes that happens. Reflections sometimes look like scratches or dents, etc, etc. Be assured the bumper is mint and ding/dent free and in excellent condition, as is the grill, lights, etc, etc. The other pics should reflect the condition as well.