Behind the 8 ball

So, I've somehow managed to get more articles in the works than I'm able to easily write about in a week. It seems that the combination of doing and then writing about doing is such that it tends to double the time involved.

When you add in me being a doof in front of a video camera it gets even worse. :) I just did a code push which published the first article about Frame-Off restorations. Each project now has a Literature page about the books of the marque. I also tweaked some stuff across the site. Additionally the following articles are presently in the works:

• Car Detailing


• Car Detailing : 2002 Honda Civic Example - Refreshing a mom-mobile


• Jensen Healey Heater Assembly Restoration

I also found out that my Windshield Wiper Restoration article will be appearing in the next issue of the Jensen Healey Preservation Society magazine. How cool is that?

Cheers!
Jody

Starting the Healey effort and getting into the garage

Based on efforts to start collecting Austin Healey literature for my BT7 I figured it was a big enough effort to start documenting the Austin Healey project. Project preparation is just as important as wrench turning, and I'd say that without the proper reading ahead of time you can easily jeapordize the success of your project or greatly extend the time it takes to do the restoration. I added two new pages to the site, Project Overview and Literature research. I'm really excited about this project. The Healey is one of my "Holy Grail Cars" and it will be the first full restoration documentation on the website.

Additionally, I went out this morning to do the periodic starting of my "driveable" Jensen Healey (the blue one). I needed to make sure that the battery was still charged (it was). Today SWMBO is off at work, and my junior greasemonkey is visiting with Grandma, so, leg permitting, I should have a good day out in the garage. It's pretty overcast here today (which normally is a rarity in AZ, but this "winter" it's been the norm). Hopefully we won't get any rain. I think we might as the joints are being my weather forcast this morning.

Friday ramblings and Healey History

So today's been a pretty good day. for starters I woke up early and my leg wasn't giving me fits. That's a first since the surgery. Then, in the quiet morning time before the house got moving I managed to find a few minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee and the latest Austin Healey Magazine (March-April 2008). I love reading club magazines because of the wealth of information about how to do my own restorations but even more so for the stories about the other car owners. I checked online hoping that the fellow had a website that I could post a link to, but I couldn't find one.

Then I ordered my Heritage Certificate for the Austin Healey. This is an important document to obtain because it will tell me exactly what the factory records of my car were as of the time it left the factory. This will help to verify that all the bits that are on the car are supposed to be there.

And this afternoon, after asking about good books on Healey restoration I had the opportunity to talk to the folks over at
British Car Specialists in Stockton, California. What an enthusiastic bunch they are! The fellow I was working with on the phone about ordering books was very chatty and we ended up spending the better part of an hour talking about our various projects. And better yet, he stumbled across another book after the call that I needed, so he rang me back and we added it to the order. So I should have a nice pile of presents arriving in the post next week to read while dreaming about the restoration.

This evening I also took some time to write out a bit about the history of my Healey. The stories of these cars always intrigues me, so I wanted to make sure I wrote down the story as I remembered it being told to me (as well as adding information from after my acquisition). You can read my History of my Austin Healey BT7 Here.

Cheers!
Jody