Incredible Conversion...Austin Healey + Jag. 3.8L...Pics

[slow&rusty]

You guys will appreciate this. Mesmerising fabrication, attention to detail...alot of time and $$ in this impressive build.





http://www.britishv8.org/Other/AaronCouper.htm

Yasin

[Joeaksa]

Years ago I stuffed a 6 cyl Triumph engine in a 4 cylinder Spitfire body. That car would go sideways in 3rd gear from the power.

Bet that this one will as well. Cannot wait to see some other photos of it. Am working a deal on a 1959 XK-150 right now and going to put a spare 4.2 litre Jag engine in it. Will be interesting!

Wonder when he is going to have it finished? Lots of detail work left to be done there.

[Steve PH]

That's superb, I like the way the stripe down the middle goes quite a way to hide the bonnet (hood) buldge (until I looked through the build pictures I had no idea that the XKEs nose had been turned into a new bonnet for the Sprite).

[Tobra]

Wow, just wow

That thing is probably terrifying

[Jim Richards]

I love it!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Holy crap!!! First order of business should be some headrests for those seats!!!!

[obrut]

there's an article on this car in the latest classic motorsports. great mag by the way.

http://www.classicmotorsports.net/

the writer was very impressed with the drivability.

[lin7310948]

saw a jag conversion first in 1967 at fort sill oklahoma...old news!

[WI wide body]

Not sure why but that body sure does not look like a Healey to me.

However, it does bring back a painful memory. Long, long, ago I had a 1956 Austin-Healey 100-4 that had the 3 speed tranny with electric overdrive and some kind of alloy body. Great little car and a ton of fun.

And I let the damn thing go for a song. Realized the size of my mistake about 35 later when I saw an identical looking Healey on the front page of collector car magazine!

[onlycafe]

i was st carlisle last year and saw something just like that, really cool.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by WI wide body

Not sure why but that body sure does not look like a Healey to me.

However, it does bring back a painful memory. Long, long, ago I had a 1956 Austin-Healey 100-4 that had the 3 speed tranny with electric overdrive and some kind of alloy body. Great little car and a ton of fun.

And I let the damn thing go for a song. Realized the size of my mistake about 35 later when I saw an identical looking Healey on the front page of collector car magazine!

It's an MG Midget - basically the same as an AH Sprite. Can you imagine the massive understeer as you plow through a corner with all that weight up front (a 948cc 4 banger is the original engine) - I'd opt for a Monster Miata myself (Ford V8).

Hey, I had the same Healey! Loved laying the windscreen back and tearing about. I didn't realize it had an alloy body - actually, now that I think about it it had a steel body w/aluminium hood & trunk lid? I love the car's lines.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by lin7310948

saw a jag conversion first in 1967 at fort sill oklahoma...old news!

Healeys with small block Chevy V8s weren't uncommon back in the day.

[75'930cab]

Originally Posted by DARISC

It's an MG Midget - basically the same as an AH Sprite. Can you imagine the massive understeer as you plow through a corner with all that weight up front (a 948cc 4 banger is the original engine) - I'd opt for a Monster Miata myself (Ford V8).

Hey, I had the same Healey! Loved laying the windscreen back and tearing about. I didn't realize it had an alloy body - actually, now that I think about it it had a steel body w/aluminum hood & trunk lid? I love the car's lines.

I think the whole center section of your 100/4 was aluminum. I know the very very early 100/4's were all aluminum! What a beautiful car!

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by DARISC

It's an MG Midget - basically the same as an AH Sprite. Can you imagine the massive understeer as you plow through a corner with all that weight up front (a 948cc 4 banger is the original engine) - I'd opt for a Monster Miata myself (Ford V8).

Hey, I had the same Healey! Loved laying the windscreen back and tearing about. I didn't realize it had an alloy body - actually, now that I think about it it had a steel body w/aluminium hood & trunk lid? I love the car's lines.

Okay, that makes more sense. I was pretty sure that it was not a Healey. My 100-4 had rounded rear fenders with a slope just past the door and I'm pretty sure the newer ones did also.

Yeah, mine also had the windshield that you could lower into "racing position" with the wingnuts at each end.

I really don't the know the factual history of the body material but I do know what happened after I was showing off going thru a drive-up food place (back in the old days) and tapped the big chrome bumper on the Chevy in front of me. Took it to a local body shop and he later called me up and wanted to know "What in the hell is that thing made out of? It melted when I barely touched it with a torch!"

[75'930cab]

It actually is a Austin Healey Sprite, you can tell be the grill!

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by 75'930cab

I think the whole center section of your 100/4 was aluminum. I know the very very early 100/4's were all aluminum! What a beautiful car!

Oh yeah! Mine looked just like this one. The 4's were nimbler, more fun to drive than the subsequent 6's.

[75'930cab]

I love the way you can fold the windshield down! My Dad has a 1964 3000 MK III and it has that big heavy six up front and you can feel it in the corners! He also has a couple Bugeye Sprite's!

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by DARISC

Oh yeah! Mine looked just like this one. The 4's were nimbler, more fun to drive than the subsequent 6's.

Mine was white with two green (British) racing stripes down the middle. also had the great looking wheels with the knock off hubs.

If I can dig out the pics I'll post them. Man, sure wish I had never sold that little car!

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by 75'930cab

I love the way you can fold the windshield down! My Dad has a 1964 3000 MK III and it has that big heavy six up front and you can feel it in the corners! He also has a couple Bugeye Sprite's!

The MG Midgets and the later AH Sprites shared the same body. A 59 Bugeye was my first sports car (much better looking than its clunky looking successor IMO), looked just like this one (I too took the front bumper off). The windscreen didn't lay back, but you could completely remove it with 4 bolts .

[75'930cab]

Yeah we cut up a MG Midget for it's 1275cc engine and it's brakes for my Dad's 59 Bugeye Vintage race car! Fun little cars!