Hey people,

My name is Jason and this is my second project vehicle. The first can be seen here.

This page is exclusively for my 1966 Austin Healey Sprite. The car is a 2 seater convertible with a 1275cc 4 cylinder engine from a mid 70's midget. I purchased the car on October 8th, 2004 for a very reasonable price. The car needs lots of tlc but should only take a year to restore. The interior will be replaced entirely; black in color with white seams. The convertible top will also be black. I am still deciding what color to paint the exterior but red with white racing stripes is my favorite so far. I plan to have the car running and driving before 10/18/04. The only body work needed is on the front passenger fender where rust made a hole.

Status: Listed by most recent followed by past updates.
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June 2, 2007:
Now that I'm back in Jackson for my final internship semester the Sprite is in it's new location in Brandon, MS, and is finally going through it's semi-restoration. I'm pulling the engine out to replace all the seals, gaskets, and timing chain. The floor pans have been replaced, and the entire interior has been painted black. The engine bay paint will be finished when the engine and transmission have been pulled out. Most of the undercarriage, the suspension, and the underside of the hood have been painted black. The rims all have a fresh metallic paint job and brand new valves and rubber. New pictures are shown below. Updates should come once every weekend now. Looking to have the car running by July 4th weekend, and showing at Crusin the Coast on the MS Gulf Coast in October.
Below is a comparison of the floor pans before and after.

Moving the Healey to it's new location so I will have time to work on it. Thanks for storing the car for me guys! I owe you a big one!

Sprite safe and sound in the new garage to undergo the semi-restoration.

Plans for the car include stabilizing the chassis and body structure, getting the engine and drivetrain and all electrical components sound, and painting the exterior.
New rubber and freshly painted rims.

Here is a engine bay pic. Once the engine and transmission are pulled, it will be completed.

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December 12, 2006:
Wow, over a year later, but I finally have some time to finish the car. It should be completely reliable this weekend. The car will have body work completed while I'm taking classes in the Spring. I hope to have it painted as well.
(Below is a pic of the engine, I did a little work to it while in Jackson, but did not finish the project.)

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March 6, 2006:
Long time no update. I have an internship in Jackson, MS and know some good friends in the drag racing crowd. They offered to help me restore the healey. I should be picking up the car sometime this April and possibly have it finished around late August. The only thing keeping me from finishing the entire car in a few weekends is money....like any other project I have done...
Stayed tuned for new pictures!
Grandma and I in front of the Healey on it's way to jackson!

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May 20, 2005:
I installed my new fender mirrors today. The new hood badge also came in, but the hood release cable was not in stock so I am still waiting on it to arrive. Below are some pictures of the engine and interior at the moment. My mother is going to make and install new seat covers. The bumpers will also need to be bent on the outsides since they are about 1/8" too short in width to fit correctly. The rear bumper will be installed when I find or purchase new rear brackets.
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May 18, 2005:
The gas tank is fixed. The hose inside the tank which is usually unserviceable needed to be unplugged. I used a grinder and created a door flap in the tank.(Fill the tank with water to make sure it does not explode.) I then removed the tube and filter, cleaned the tube, and installed a new filter from an older mustang. The tube and filter have been reinstalled into the gas tank. I will probably have the tank welded back together by saturday. The interior of the trunk and behind the seats has been stripped of surface rust and painted flat black. I plan to have new floor pans installed before I finish painting the interior sheet metal. I also installed my other trunk lid. Although it is another color, it has the support rod and completely installed locking rear hatch. The bracket for the rear hatch still has to be welded to the frame inside the trunk.
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May 15, 2005:
The Austin Healey runs... AND drives now! I installed the new distributor points set, spark plugs, and wires I purchased from Moss Motors. Next on the list is to fix the gas tank, install all trim and badges, and fix the stock seats. New tires will be installed when the car can drive to "Tire Kingdom" on its own power....safely. Tomorrow I will fine tune the engine as well. Today, I ordered two fender mount mirrors, a hood release cable, and the front "Austin Healey Sprite" badge.
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May 4, 2005:
I just graduated from MGCCC with my Associates and plan to transfer to MSU this fall to obtain my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. The car runs consistently now. The carb floats were stuck and the jets were frozen as well. The carbs on the car are aftermarket, so I plan to install the originals 5/8/05. They came in a parts box along with the car.

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To-Do List: (In order of presumed completion)
-Inspect flywheel assembly and starter
XInstall floor pans
-Fix headlights, rear lights, and brake lights
XFix Horn
XPurchase and install air filter assemblies
-Fix hand brake assembly
XFabricate and install steering column lower bracket
XFinish painting interior
XInstall seats
XPurchase and install new windshield
-Purchase and install convertible top and frame
-Paint exterior British Racing Red
XMount new tires on original rims
-Purchase and install new exhaust assembly
XInstall hood badge
-Overall Test and Tune
XClean Carbs
-Rebuild carbs
-Paint engine bay
-replace brake pads
-rebuild or clean transmission
-replace all seals, gaskets in engine