Jim Elliott's 1962 Austin Healey "6000" with GM LS2 6.0L V8
Owner: Jim Elliott
City: Forest Hills, New York
Model: Austin Healey MkII (BJ7)
Engine: GM LS2 6.0L V8
Built by: (see below.)
Features and Specifications
| Engine: | GM LS2 6.0L aluminum V8, rated 446bhp at 6200rpm.
(10.9:1 compression ratio.
6-bolt cross-bolted main bearing caps.)
Hydraulic roller camshaft (200 degree intake, 203 degree exhaust, 0.500" lift).
Investment cast, roller trunnion, 1.7:1 ratio rocker arms.
GM Performance dual plane aluminum intake manifold.
Holley 4160 780cfm 4-barrel carburetor.
Holley inline electric fuel pump.
Russell fuel fittings.
MSD6LS programmable ignition system, controlling eight individual GM ignition coils (one per cylinder.) |
| Cooling: | AFCO custom aluminum radiator and expansion tank.
Plumbed with aero fitting.
Spal electric cooling fans (both pusher and puller.)
GM pickup truck (wet sump) oilpan. |
| Exhaust: | Street & Performance ceramic coated headers.
Custom stainless steel exhaust system.
Flowmaster HushPower 2.5" stainless mufflers, with accessory heatshields. |
| Transmission: | 4L80E "Bionic" manually-shifted automatic transmission, built by Performance Automotive.
Compushift software.
Lokar shifter/console.
Transmission cooler, with its own electric fan.
Custom 3.5" driveshaft. |
| Rear End: | narrowed 8-3/4" Chrysler housing.
Moser Engineering axle shafts.
Power-Lok clutch-type limited slip differential.
3.55:1 final drive ratio. |
| Front Susp.: | rebuilt heavy duty lever-type shock absorbers.
Custom springs and spacers.
Rebuilt original cam-and-peg steering box.
(Stock 15.0:1 ratio. 2.9 turns lock-to-lock.) |
| Rear Susp.: | custom four-link rear suspension, with coilover shock absorbers.
A-link for side-to-side axle location. |
| Brakes: | Chevy-style dual-pot master cylinder and 7" dual diaphragm power booster from Stainless Steel Brake Corporation.
Austin-Healey BJ8 front brake calipers with custom pads.
Drilled & slotted front rotors from an early BMW 5 series.
Cadillac Eldorado rear disc brakes. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Dayton 16" chromed heavy-duty well-lace spline-drive wire wheels (16x6 front; 16x8 rear.)
Bridgestone Potenza RE750 tires (205/55ZR16 front, 245/50ZR16 rear.) |
| Electrical: | Ron Francis wiring harness featuring two relays, two flashers, and sixteen fuses.
Optima HD yellow battery.
Corvette alternator.
Halogen headlights.
LED turn signal and tail lights. |
| Interior: | original Smiths speedometer/odometer, tachometer, combination oil pressure/water temperature gauge,
and fuel level gauge.
All gauges have been rebuilt, and the tachometer has been modified to suit the V8 engine.
Connolly leather seats and dash in Bermuda blue.
Quick release steering wheel hub.
Power windows and power door locks.
Custom stainless steel bead-rolled interior trim panels.
Stainless steel firewall.
Stainless steel floor panels. |
| Exterior: | all steel panels (except the rocker panels) have been replaced by aluminum panels, buffed to a mirror finish.
(No paint or filler.)
Louvered bonnet.
Rally-style side vents.
Custom fender flares.
Shaved door handles.
Custom aluminum grille in lieu of stock (40# weight reduction).
Roll bar.
New, reinforced frame of heavier gauge steel throughout.
|
| Weight: | 2620 pounds. |
| Performance: | 0-60mph in under four seconds. Geared for 145mph top speed. |
| Completed: | November 2006.
~6300 miles driven since completion, as of May 2011.
Has participated in over 50 car shows in the New York City tristate area! |
| Comments: | Only about 15% of the original car is here, but this car is obviously true to the Healey esthetic.
There have been three previous owners. Jim purchased the car in late 2001 from as estate in Lloyds Neck, Long Island. The car had a 1972 inspection sticker on the windscreen and was in derelict condition. The engine was complete but didn't run. Jim sold and shipped the entire Healey drivetrain to a Healey enthusiast in Sweden who specifically needed a 1962 drivetrain. Creation of this hot-rod involved engaging the services of BBC Performance of Linden NJ, Automotive Restorations Inc. & The Panel Shop of Stratford CT, and Classic Craft of West Babylon, NY. BBC Performance helped me dismantle the car and evaluate whether to replace the original frame. They did the original drivetrain swap, including narrowing the rear axle and converting it to disc brakes. BBC teamed up with Street and Performance to complete custom headers and then installed the exhaust system. They also fabricated new floors for the cockpit and trunk. Automotive Restoration rebuilt and modified the Smith's instruments as necessary, created the Connolly leather interior and the canvas tonneau cover, installed the Ron Francis wiring kit, and hooked-up the whole electrical system. Automotive Restorations also did the initial engine start-up and dyno sessions. The Panel Shop did body panel fitting, which was considerable because the aftermarket panels didn't fit right out of the box. The aluminum front and rear fenders (a.k.a. "wings") were sourced from Moss Motors. Aluminum door skins, louvered bonnet, and boot lid came from Capesport in the UK. Fine parts, but installation requires a fair bit of care and finesse. Shakedown cruises revealed a need for stronger Heim joints in the four-link rear suspension - twice! Other than that, it's been a remarkably trouble free car. |
Engine Installation
GM LS2 6.0L aluminum V8, rated 446bhp at 6200rpm.
GM Performance dual plane aluminum intake manifold and Holley 4160 780cfm 4-barrel carburetor.
An MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition module works with the eight GM ignition coils.
Under the righthand side fender: transmission cooler, with its own electric fan.
Flowmaster HushPower 2.5" stainless mufflers, with accessory heatshields.
The LS2 is the second engine installed in the Elliott-Healey.
This fuel-injected Chevy Z06 crate engine was originally tested.
|
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Front Suspension and Steering
Drilled & slotted front rotors from early BMW 5-series. BJ8 front brake calipers.
Custom springs.
Custom fabricated steering linkage.
Rebuilt original cam-and-peg steering box. (Stock 15.0:1 ratio. 2.9 turns lock-to-lock.)
Chevy-style dual-pot master cylinder and 7" dual diaphragm power booster from
Stainless Steel Brake Corporation.
The new heavy-duty frame was built from scratch by BBC Performance of Linden NJ,
(except for the front crossmember.)
Rear Suspension
4L80E "Bionic" manually-shifted automatic transmission with Lokar shifter.
Custom four-link rear suspension, with coilover shock absorbers.
Narrowed Chrysler 8-3/4" axle housing, with limited slip differential.
One doesn't expect to see an A-link like this on a car that's also equipped with four-link
rear suspension. Like a Panhard rod or Watts linkage, the A-link restricts side-to-side
movement of the axle. Simultaneously, it helps plant traction for launching the car forward.
Downside? Binding is nearly a certainty within the suspension's range of motion.
Custom 3.5" driveshaft.
Cadillac Eldorado rear brakes.
Interior
Dashboard and seats are covered in Bermuda blue dyed Connolly leather. In the center of the
dashboard, a small switch panel has been added for power windows, power door locks, and
solenoid-operated bonnet latches.
Original Smiths speedometer/odometer (which read 5205 miles when the photo was taken), Smiths
tachometer (rev limit set to 5300rpm), Smiths combination oil pressure/water temperature gauge,
and Smiths fuel level gauge. An early Aston Martin provided the turn signal indicator lamps.
Turn signals are operated by the electric OD switch. Electric horn switch is under the left side.
Custom rollover structure.
Ron Francis wiring harness featuring two relays, two flashers, and sixteen fuses.
Custom stainless steel door trim panel, with bead-rolled detail.
Heavy gauge stainless steel floor panels.
Custom fabricated one-piece stainless steel transmission and driveshaft tunnel.
Austin-Healey 100s and early 100/6s had elaborately fabricated wood seat bases. Later 100/6s
and 3000s had similarly elaborate steel seat bases. In this photo we see simpler custom-made
seat bases; these don't contour upward under ones legs. Evidently thicker foam is used.
Custom stainless steel interior panelwork.
Heavy gauge steel trunk floor.
Enlarged wheel wells to suit wide tires.
Optima HD yellow battery.
Exterior
Custom fabricated aluminum grille.
"Elliott-Healey"
Original Austin-Healey 3000s came with a mixture of steel and aluminum body panels.
On the Elliott-Healey 6000, all steel panels except the rocker panels (including the
outer front and rear fenders, the bonnet, the door skins, ands the trunk lid) have
been replaced by new lightweight aluminum panels.
Jim wrote: "The only original aluminum panels are the front and rear shrouds which required minimal
hammerwork, but I did leave a ding in the front passenger section as it had been collected at
Bridgehampton back in the day." (Editor: Bridgehampton was a well loved racetrack at the east
end of Long Island. It hosted all levels of racing, including Can-Am, but closed in the mid 1980s.)
Like airplanes of the 1950s, the Elliott-Healey's aluminum body is buffed to a mirror finish.
Louvered bonnet. Rally-style side vents. Custom fender flares.
Healey cognoscenti call this a BJ7. MkII 3000s originally came in two versions:
BN7 bodies were two-seaters whereas BT7 bodies were four-seaters. The BN7 variant was
discontinued in March 1962 and replaced in June by the BJ7, which is a "2+2" version.
Dayton 16" chromed heavy-duty well-lace spline-drive wire wheels (16x6 front; 16x8 rear.)
Bridgestone Potenza RE750 tires (205/55ZR16 front, 245/50ZR16 rear.)
