1963 Austin Healey 3000 - Advice?

**SeaJay's** · 04-26-2011, 06:41 AM

Well I am picking up a 1963 Austin Healey 3000 from a guy that lives down the street from me. He actually is the owner of the Porsche that is in my avatar right now as well. I did that a few weeks ago.

He's heading to Nantucket this weekend with the car for a parade and wants it spruced up before heading that way.

This is a pic of the same model year and color, but is not the actual car itself.

It's a beautiful car and it's in really good shape (I saw it last night).

So, he's just wanting a wash/wax on it. I've never done a car like this so any advice would be appreciated. The car is garage stored and taken out rarely, so it's not very dirty. I'm thinking I might just do an ONR wash on it, see if it needs to be clayed, and then throw a coat of wax on it. Or should I glaze it then wax it? I'm thinking I may glaze it since it's single stage paint (at least I believe it is being a 63 and original paint).

I do know I have my work cut out for me on polishing all the metals. This being an older car all the trim is actual chrome (chrome plated probably), so it's going to need a good polishing. Also the wheels are spokes so there's some time right there.

Anyway any tips or advice from anyone that has dealt with a car like this would be great.

Mike Phillips · 04-26-2011, 07:44 AM

Hi Jay,

I've buffed out about a half dozen of these, some with high caliber racing credentials.

Because it's a classic car you won't find any pebble textured plastic trim like new cars have to cover up or worse clean the other guy's wax off of...

If it's single stage white, or cream paint then you may find defect removal a tad on the hard side as single stage white paint tends to be very hard.

Like you probably already do, inspect where all the corners of panels come together, a lot of time classic cars don't have perfect panel alignment and this exposes edges of paint that can be already burned through by the other guy, look closely and if discovered document it.

Cover the interior so you don't get any splatter inside of it or on the dash, that is if you do any machine buffing.

I would stick to using a waterless wash, most owners, whether they know it or not, don't want water used to wash the car because it will get down into all the nooks and crannies where it can accelerate rust.

Definitely check it to see if it needs to be clayed, overspray paint is very common at body shops and this car was painted so that means it was at a body shop, maybe check the chrome and glass.

With any paint, the goal is a clear, high gloss finish, clarity comes from removing defects and gloss comes from smoothness.

I probably have pictures of some of the Austin Healey's I've buffed out somewhere on my old computer, I've buffed out 2-3 aluminum bodied factory prepared race versions owned by Bill Bolton.

I posted this to MOL a few years ago in the context of applying touch-up paint...

Originally Posted by Mike Phillips

As far as applying and blending touch-up paint to match factory paint you're talking about an art form, one that I have performed only once or twice in my life and it was very tedious and time consuming. One of the cars I did the touch-up, blending, sanding and buffing on was a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 raced in the 1960 Sebring. I prepped if for Christies Auction where I was told it sold for a quarter million dollars. This was in 1993 or 1994.

I spend three days on the finish, the first day was sanding and filling in the rock chips, scratches and scrapes. It was three colors, British Racing Green, White around where the number was on the doors and hood, and the number itself was black, so I had to do three colors of touch-up paint.

Then I let it set till the next weekend, then I sanded some area and re-applied more paint then let it set till the next weekend, then I finished sanding the touch up areas and then buffed out the entire car.

I have some pictures of the end results and the process but they're all 35mm and I'll need to scan them. I did a quick google search using the name of the car and the last name of the owner I worked for and found this,

1960 3000 MK. I Owners

~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill Bolton, Eugene, Oregon, USA: 1960 British Racing Green 3000, # UJB 141

It is the sole survivor of the 12-hour Sebring Race on March 26, 1960 of the three cars entered by the factory and raced. Those three were UJB141, UJB142 and UJB143. UJB 140 was there but was the so-called Practice car. It was really the spare car to fill in if one of the others failed completely. Of those four cars, Bob Duel owns UJB140 in upstate New York. It was converted to a V8 engine but I understand that Bob is putting it back to the original configuration.

UJB142 has been raced to oblivion and is not amongst us.

UJB143 is now being raced (as DD300) by John Chatham.

[I]UJB141 will in all probability be entered in the Brooks auction at Quail Lodge, Carmel, CA in August, 1999. It being the only car left that actually raced at Sebring is a bit of history never to be repeated.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Taught a detailing class for the San Diego Austin Healey Club and for another in Oregon pre-discussion forums...

Cool car to add to your credentials.

**SeaJay's** · 04-26-2011, 07:48 AM

Thanks for the advice Mike it's much appreciated! Unfortunately I won't be doing any machine polishing on it right now. Other than using my DA to apply my glaze and wax.

**RaskyR1** · 04-26-2011, 09:09 AM

Hey Jason,

Looks like Mike already covered everything, but I did do this one a while back and will be doing another white one once the restoration is complete. I think most of the car I worked on was repainted or replaced and about the only thing original was the correct motor.

Not sure what kind of metel the trim was but it's not chrome...at least not on the one I did. I taped off a lot of edges and the front area around the headlights as well as around the snaps for the top were a little challenging to polish. Other than that the interior was pretty simple. It's small and low and I ended up jacking it up to polish.

1963 Austin Healey 3000 MKII (mini restoration)

Can't wait to see the pics!

Rasky

**SeaJay's** · 04-26-2011, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

Hey Jason,

Looks like Mike already covered everything, but I did do this one a while back and will be doing another white one once the restoration is complete. I think most of the car I worked on was repainted or replaced and about the only thing original was the correct motor.

Not sure what kind of metel the trim was but it's not chrome...at least not on the one I did. I taped off a lot of edges and the front area around the headlights as well as around the snaps for the top were a little challenging to polish. Other than that the interior was pretty simple. It's small and low and I ended up jacking it up to polish.

1963 Austin Healey 3000 MKII (mini restoration)

Can't wait to see the pics!

Rasky

Wow great job on that car!

And your right it's not chrome but I didn't know how else to describe it. It looks just like the one in your write up. So, whatever that is. lol.

I'll be sure to get pics of before and after. I wish I was polishing it out, just for the experience. But maybe down the road.