After getting the carcass home it was time to lay out the criteria for my own Healey Monster: 

1) NO V8's. Everybody puts American V8's in their Healeys. Mine had to be different. 
2) NO pushrods. It needs a bit of sophistication. Brute force was not needed, but RPM's were. 
3) Disc Brakes on all four wheels. 
4) Rack & Pinion steering 
5) No lever shocks. 
6) Must appear stock to the untrained eye. 
7) Wire wheels 
8) Exhaust pipes that look european, not like a low rider or Cobra. 
9) Louvered hood (excuse me, Bonnet) 
10) 5-spd. No slush boxes for me. 
11) and most importantly, MUST BE CHEAP TO BUILD 

Now THIS looks like a challenge! 

OK , we're off. The first item was the power train. I needed a small, yet powerful modern engine with F1 technology, bullet proof, great to look at, economical to run, and cheap to buy (used). Perhaps a bit narrow of a criteria, but I did find one. Any guesses? More clues .....4 valves per cylinder, 3.0 ltr, DOHC, 60 deg V6, forged crank designed for 8500 RPM , SFI fuel injection, makes 250 HP @ 7000 RPM with headers, was built from 1989-1995. Guessed yet? OK, one more clue..............designed and built by Yamaha. Give up yet? 

Yup, the SHO motor used in the limited edition Taurus SHO. The most unappreciated engine ever used in an American car. Idles smoother than a BMW and screams like an Italian exotic at 7000 rpm, as well as being a piece of art to look at with its 12 intake runners. Picking this engine was the easy part, getting it into the Healey was not. But, I did want something different............. 

Over the years I have taken on many projects, some being  full restorations. In all of these projects I perform all the work myself, except engine machine work. These projects always teach me something new and expand my do-it-yourself capabilities. My last two were a 1973 Porsche Carrera RS (3)  and a 1967 Austin Healey BJ8 (4).   This is my first mixed marque swap. The challenge is refreshing. Since this kind of swap has never  been done, and uses a fairly limited production engine, there are usually no ready made parts available. Everything must be researched, modified or fabricated. That's what makes it interesting. I will try not to bore you with too many details, but somebody may want to know  "how did he do that?". 

So let's get started......... 

HOW DID HE DO THAT?

The first task at hand was to convert a transverse mounted front wheel drive setup to a North/South configuration with rear wheel drive. To do this I used an '87 Ford Aerostar bellhousing mated to a '94 Mustang GT T-5 transmission with a home made 1/2" aluminum adapter plate (5). The Aerostar bellhousing is the only one that will mate to the SHO block. The 94/95 Mustang transmission has a longer input shaft which was necessary due to the increased depth caused by the adapter plate. I used the stock Aerostar hydraulic throw out bearing slave cyclinder inside the bellhousing. Since this slave cylinder has its own guide tube, I cut off the bearing tube on the T-5. The throw-out bearing could not be used because I needed a slightly smaller one with a radius edge, not flat faced. I used a stock SHO throw-out bearing with the mounting "ears" cut off. Then mounted it onto the slave cylinder with a home made aluminum collar. Just snaps in place (6). The slave cylinder now had to be mounted inside the bellhousing rather than through it from the back side. This is because the bearing did not reach the clutch pressure plate without being extended too far. The pressure plate is stock SHO with a 2.8ltr Mustang II disc (T-5 splines). The SHO does not use a pilot bearing due to its short transmission shaft. Since this was to be a more conventional rear wheel drive car, it has a long transmission input shaft that needs to be supported at the engine. I ended up using a bronze bushing from a Ford small block. It had to be turned down considerably to fit inside the end of the crankshaft but works great (7). A short drive shaft was made to mate with the 10-Bolt Chevy  rear. 

BUT WAIT!!....the throttle body is now under the dash. Would you believe the 12 runner intake manifold is symmetrical? Yup, just rotated it around, did a little grinding, and made 3/8" spacers (8) to raise the manifold to clear the front cam belt. With the exception of the wiring and fuel lines the engine is pretty much complete (9). The motor is mounted to the chassis with my custom Hot Rod style motor mounts (10) using  Energy Suspension bushings.  The right motor mount was modified to include an alternator bracket and SHO belt tensioner. To let this engine breath I built a set of  1-5/8" custom equal length headers (flange not added here)(11), winding their way around the frame (13) and pedal assemblies (12) (remember it's a 100-4) to 2-3/8 collectors then dual Dynomax mufflers and 2"  pipes. The pipes come out the rear together with angle cut chrome covers, similar to stock (14).  I sand blasted the headers and painted them with Techline 2000 degree satin black ceramic coating (15).

Since the engine bulkhead was removed for the Healey's previous life I just built a new one around the engine (15). Reinforced with a 2x2 box frame with a removable panel (16) from the inside of the vehicle. It actually intrudes less than the original. The foot wells (17) were already narrowed , so I angle them toward the center of the vehicle at the new bulkhead. Surprisingly the stock carpet set fits perfectly, and the center tunnel will actually be smaller, leaving more room in the cockpit. I was going to modify a BJ8 fiberglass tunnel to fit but found making one from scratch was easier. I used polyurethane foam around the transmission for a mold (18). The new one is quite a bit smaller than the original Healey's (19). An insulation blanket covers the inside (20)

I made my own custom steel fuel tank (21) to fit in the original location (22), but holding 14 gallons instead of the stock 10 gallons. The spout came from a Porsche 911 and flows into a baffled plastic sump (from a Taurus) where the fuel pump pickup is. Hopefully this will avoid any potential fuel starvation problems when cornering. The high pressure fuel pump is located in the tank. 

BUT WIILL IT STOP, TURN, & STAY COOL?

After a lot of research I found the rear end to be 10-bolt GM unit from 1962/4 with posi-traction and drum brakes. Since it was already fitted to the chassis, and had tube shocks I decided to us it. I replaced the broken ring and pinion with a new 4.11 set.  This should give it some punch and will still reach 44 mph in first with the existing ratios in the 5-spd. As I mentioned earlier, the drums had to go. I made some caliper brackets (23) and mounted  SHO rear calipers (complete with hand brake actuation). I then added rotors from a  1985 Cadilac,  painted the shocks Bilstein green, and added  wire wheel hubs redrilled to match the Chevy bolt pattern (24). The vented rotors are 10-1/2" diameter and 1" thick. 

The Healey had already been converted to early disc brakes in front, but it seemed the rears may now be a tad better. Comparing the piston areas of the front and rear calipers, this proved to be false. The Healey pistons are surprisingly large for the caliper size resulting in  a ratio of the piston areas of about  65% in the front. I had considered adopting early Porsche 911 calipers but the piston area was actually smaller. Only the test drive will tell if this ratio is OK. However it seems to me the solid rotors on the front would not be able to keep up with the rear in heat dissipation. After some comparisons with a set of Porsche 911 vented rotors I had, I found the overall dimensions (including the hat) were virtually identical, except the bolt holes. I made a set of adapters (25) for the mounting bolts, and viola, 11" vented rotors on a Healey (26). I made spacers for the calipers the same way Porsche did on theirs. The master cylinder is a CNC 7/8" unit with a Wilwood 2 lb residual valve mounted to the frame with a custom bracket. 

Engine cooling is always a concern. As we know, radiator space on the 100/4 is limited, but I wanted the radiator  to remain in the stock location. And besides, I had already set the engine back enough to accommodate one. I finally settled on a 1966 Mustang V8 unit, only upgrading to a four row instead of two. With proper ducting this should be ok.  I took the electric cooling fan from the SHO, cut the plastic shroud to fit perfectly around the radiator (28). The fan itself is as big as the radiator and will probably suck more air through the radiator than can flow when driving at speed. Once again, being designed as transverse mounted engine, I found the engine water outlet to now be in the back of the engine.  I fabricated a water tube from 1-1/2" conduit and rigidly mounted it to the manifold brackets (29) to get it up front to the radiator. 

What about the fuel injection?

Wiring a fuel injected engine can very easily become a nightmare. Fortunately I had the original SHO engine wiring harnesses. I located the computer under the passenger dash and then proceeded with the wiring. I utilized the factory connectors and pretty much either cut or spliced the wires as needed.  It feels like miles of wiring. For the fuel injected engine to operate correctly it was necessary to connect all of the original emmisions equipment (except cats). Being such a clean engine, that only meant the oxygen sensors and evap lines from fuel tank and purge canister (30). No smog pumps, EGRs, or any other "fixes" were ever needed. Due to the confines of the engine compartment I could only find one place to mount the MAS (mass airflow sensor), between the radiator and the inner fender. I fabricated a steel mount for the MAS and a tube to connect the MAS to the throttle body. The tube end pieces were formed with foam, glassed with epoxy resin and cloth, and  then painted metalic silver (31). The rubber flex joint is original SHO. 

It's ALIVE!!

Filled the radiator with coolant, engine with oil, charged the battery, and hit the starter button.......starter ran fine, engine didn't. Could my modified wiring harness be bogus? My worst nightmare may be here........wiring problems on a fuel injected motor. After many hours of tracing circuits and trouble shooting senders I had determined the harness was A-OK, but it still wasn't getting the proper spark. The key here is "proper" spark. The SHO fires two spark plugs at the same time. Each cylinder fires on every revolution unlike the normal ignition on every second revolution. As a last reach for support I compared the Chilton manual with the Ford repair manual. The spark plug connections were different. I tried the connections as in the Chilton manual and....instant start. The mega $ factory Ford workshop manual was wrong. Aaaaaaaaargh!! The sound of the engine is awesome. It has the tone and raspyness of a big Healey, but with instant revs. A true sleeper.

The Monster Needs a Skin

It's body work time. The car was put on jack stands at the axles to duplicate chassis loads when on the road. This allows me to replace chassis parts without having them go out of alignment afterwards. The main frame rails were in good condition. However 46 years did take its toll. The bottom of one of the doors needed replacement (32), both door sills,one rear fender dogleg, and both floors. Both rear fenders were replaced to get the original wheel arch back. Since the original front hood was crushed beyond repair I opted for an aftermarket aluminum (33) one with 36 louvers modeled after the Le Mans racers, complete with a leather "safety" strap. These louvers are also needed to expell the heat created by the new engine. The chassis is now correctly stressed and made stiff again. Now it was time to fit and align all the panels. When originally made, each of the Big Healeys were hand made. Each panel made for that particular car. Since I had replace the rear fenders, hood, trunk lid and front shroud from other cars, nothing fit properly. Many, many hours have been spent correcting this. The panel fit now is better than when it left the factory (36).

I located an inexpesive aluminum dash from a later Healey (34). The marks on the dash are the areas I need to modify to get the correct shape of the early dash (35).

Body preparation and proper paint selections are crutial to a long lasting vehicle and a good finish. Every piece of metal on the Monster was chemically cleaned and derusted. It was then coated with a phosphate solution for protection, all seams were sealed and then the entire car was primered with PPG DP90 epoxy primer. This will be a completely rust free car with chances of future rust being highly reduced. As you can see in the pictures the frame has had the final color added. The body panels are then painted with a two-part urethane primer/surfacer for buildup and sanding to achieve the perfect surface for the color coats.

The weather turned nice, the body was ready and so I painted. My garage was turned into a spray booth by lining the walls with plastic drop cloths, setting the compressor outside, firing up the boxer fan for exhausting the overspray and wetting the floor. After several hours of masking it was time to spray (37)(38)(39). The front fenders, hood and trunk lid were painted off the car (45). I used a single stage PPG catalyzied urethane in Ferrari Rosso Red (nicknamed FRED). It flowed so well color sanding with 2000 grit wet/dry is all that will be needed to remove some surface dust and traces of "orange peel". A single stage paint was chosen to maintain the "patina" of the car. Of course prior to color sanding and buffing I had to assemble the rear to provid the "boost" to keep going (40).

Color sanding is done and the assembly of the body starts. Front now includes a leather "safety strap" as used on the 100M and 100S as well as headlight stone guards(41). New Pirrelli P8000 tires are mounted on new stainless/chrome wire wheels (42). With the modified firewall there was little hope of using a conventional hood (bonnet) latch so I made some custom units resembling those used on the limited production racing 100S model (43).

MONITORING VITALS

As we know, after any major operation, we must keep a close eye on the vitals to ensure its long life. This has become somewhat of a challenge also, as almost none of the gauges were suitable for the new powerplant. But the goal was to keep them looking authentic. The most critical (to me) is the tachometer, which had to be converted from a mechanical drive 4 cylinder operation to an electronic 6 cylinder. For this I simply salvaged the guts from a used Porsche 911 gauge and fastened the original face and dial to it, placing it inside the Healey housing. Rather than having a new face made for $100 I just need to ad 25% to the reading. The speedometer was also easier than expected. I removed the transducer from the T-5 and replaced it with a cable and gear from a 1992 Mustang GT, and then spliced the stock Healey cable form the gauge to the Mustang cable.Calibration has yet to be determined. The dual "safety gauge" as it is referred to is a combination gauge for water temperature and oil pressure, both mechanical types. The thermostat housing cover was exchanged for one from a 428 which included a threaded hole for the water temperature sensor. I left the oil pressure gauge non-operational at this time. It is a mechanical gauge that requires an oil tube running through the driver's compartment.

As you may recall one of my objectives was to eliminate the antiquated lever shock. This had already been done in te rear. The fronts were replaced with a used conversion from Welch Racing in England (47). I rebuild the unit installing Energy Suspecion urethane bushings. However, after driving the car for a while it was apparent all the tube shocks were worn out. It took me quite a while to determine which shocks would fit, since the conversion to tube shocks was either done 40 years ago or by a custom race shop in England. So back to the internet where I located an all inclusive shock table by Monroe providing all dimensions etc of everything they make. I then translated the available Monroe shock numbers to Gabriel gas Red Ryders. This made a huge difference in the ride, but it still "wallowed" on the road. So I purchased a set of ADDCO sway bars (52). I have only installed the front bar so far, to control any oversteer qualities. The only problem with the ride remaining is the overly stiff, buckboard like ride in the rear. Apparently in its former life as a dragster it was stiffened up considerably. After installing a new set of original springs the ride is much more cilvilized. The beast feels much more under control now. Of course, putting the stock spring on lowered the car to the point of shall we say "dragging its butt". New height adjustment blocks have been installed and the ride height is back to noemal.

Automobile magazine recently rated this body style (100M) one of the top 20 most beautiful cars of the past 100 years. One of the reasons is the radical looking windshield when folded down in its racing position (44). Which, of course, shall never be raised. :-)

Enough of the details for now.....the rain stopped....it's time for a test drive (March,2003). Into the daylight with the monster (48). Hold on, this things fast! I can see there are a few things I have to modify further for a good street drive, but it's nice to finally get it on the street. When all the final details are finished this is going to be a very fun ride. This is also a very low vehicle. Not just the ground clearance, the height also. You can see a fire hydrant in the picture....IT'S TALLER than the Healey (49)!! Even the trash cans (fig54) are taller.

Well, here it is June at the beach. Car show season begins. Still have a few minor items to finish but went ahead and entered it in the San Clemente Classic and Hot Rod Car Show. This would be perfect...it's a Classic, and it's a Hot Rod! The town closed off the main street heading toward the beach and lined both sides with 300 special cars. It was a typical turn-out of around 8,000 spectatators (50). The Healey was a big hit with the crowd. I think I conversed for 6 hours straight with all the interest. Finally got a break in the people traffic to snap a picture (51). It was really dwarfed by that huge '40 Ford next to me.

I've been having fun driving and showing the Healey for the entire summer now and have determined the stock steering MUST go! After much research it was determined the MGB was the most suited rack and pinion to use. However it was NOT an easy task. Similar to the MG Midget attempt in the early pictures, the shaft would need to go through the radiator, although at a more favorable angle. So out went the Mustang radiator and in went an AFCO dual pass drag racing aluminum radiator. This, of course, disrupted the mount for the MAF and necessitated a new SPAL cooling fan (56). A new MAF bracket (57) was made, as well as radiator hold downs, and radiator sadles. Now that the periferals were done it was time to modify the rack & pinion. The rack was shortened two inches, the shaft was shortened about a foot, and special mounting plates were welded to the frame (58). With a couple of u-joints and shortended Healey steering column, it was done. This conversion took about a week to accomplish and was one of the biggest single tasks in the Healey project....but well worth it. I am now done with the project as I can't see anything further that needs to be done to meet my goals.

Here is the Healey next to my latest '73 Carrera RS (55). A lesson in how to fill a gargae properly.

I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions regarding my Healey project.

Last updated 7/3/06 

Rich Grauman 

rdgrauman@cox.net