Body

Run a hand along the sill of an Austin Healey 3000 and the first thing it tells you is how close the car sits to the ground. That low stance shaped the big Healey’s character on the road and, more than 60 years on, shapes much of what an Austin Healey 3000 restoration involves.

From BN7 to BJ8: the 3000 in brief

The 3000 arrived in 1959, replacing the 2.6 litre engine of its predecessor with the 2,912cc C Series straight six and adding front disc brakes. Cars were assembled at the MG works in Abingdon, with bodies supplied by Jensen. The Mark I came as the BN7 two seater and the BT7 2+2. The Mark II of 1961 brought triple SU carburettors and a revised camshaft. In August 1962 the BJ7 sports convertible followed, with a true convertible roof, wind up windows, a wraparound windscreen and a return to twin SUs. The BJ8 Mark III, announced in February 1964, raised power from 136 to 150 bhp and continued until the end of 1967.

Production ran to 13,650 Mark I, 11,564 Mark II and 17,712 Mark III cars. Most went abroad: 91.5 per cent of the 1963 cars were exported, the majority to North America. A 3000 in Britain today may well have spent much of its life elsewhere, so its records are worth reading closely before the first panel comes off.

The works competition cars gave the model its reputation. 727 URX won the Liège Rome Liège, and BMC’s development of the 3000 as a rally car effectively ended in 1965, when the Mini Cooper S took its place.

What an Austin Healey 3000 restoration asks of the shell

The shell can rust in many places, and repairs are substantial. Sills, wings and doors are the obvious areas, often with more filler than metal by the time a car reaches us. Less obvious are the chassis main rails, which can corrode from the inside out, and the front and rear outriggers and crossmembers, commonly dented from years of use as jacking points. The boot floor, A and B pillars, footwells and the boot boxes that locate the rear leaf springs all need inspection once the car is stripped. The 3000 rewards patience at this stage: what the bare shell reveals sets the shape of everything that follows.

Where aluminium meets steel, between each pair of front and rear wings and around the bonnet and boot lid, electrolytic corrosion is common. Repair at these joints is only half the work; the panels must also be correctly isolated when the car goes back together.

Ground clearance, variants and panel fit

Early Mark III cars had little rear ground clearance. The Phase II BJ8 of May 1964 brought a modified rear chassis, and later cars carried the exhaust tucked up behind the sill. Damage underneath therefore varies with the car’s specification, and establishing the exact variant is one of the first tasks on any heritage restoration.

Then there is fit. The 3000’s swage lines run the length of the car, and the eye picks up any misalignment at once. On a properly restored car there is no reason for doors, bonnet and boot lid to sit anything other than true, with even gaps all round. That is the measure we hold the work to, and every stage is recorded in the car’s project book

Speak to our team about your Austin Healey

If you own a 3000, or are considering one, our team in Malton, North Yorkshire will gladly talk it through, from an assessment of the shell to a full restoration. Call 01653 692090 or visit the Full Restorations page to begin the conversation.