Ha !! Thanks Tony - If we had known about that 12 months ago, we might have gone down that route, in the same way that we had all our dampers worked on by Peter Caldwell in the US. Unfortunately no time now, but will remember for "next time" ! And your comment about EP's opinion on the quality of the replacement (new ?) pumps puts a wry smile on my face - Maybe we have done the right thing by fitting electric ?
As for the conversion to RHD, it wasn't us who did it - It was all done before, so can give you no tips. However I know someone here in Oz who has a LHD 100 and is going to keep it that way because if it was RHD the R hand (ie new driver's side) footwell is too restricted, so just for that reason alone he has decided to leave it LHD. Pedal placement is a real pain in our car, and there is no where to "rest" your feet.
I, on the other hand, being the navigator in the LH seat, can stretch out in luxury with all the room in the world !
May be worth thinking about ?
Thanks for your good wishes - I can assure you (and every one else on here who is following us on our blog or on facebook) that it is the verbal support that keeps us going, because whether it is the preparation, or the actual event, the burden soon becomes very heavy if one is trying to carry it on one's own. A little support along the way makes everything so much easier and more worthwhile. So thank you.
Giles

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Remind me...When does the car have to go in the can to the transported to China? I believe there was a participant event hosted in Gaydon? What was that about?

Pete

Pete, our shipping date from Aus is March 27th. It is earlier from the UK because their ship has further to go !

Yes, there was a meeting in Gaydon 4 weeks ago, and a similar one in Australia 2 weeks ago. It was a one day instruction and practical on-road navigational course on how to use the Garmin and waypoints etc to navigate through Mongolia and Kazakhstan, and then one day of lectures and discussion of the entire route, what we can expect, how it will operate, and what we need to do.
I found it most beneficial as I at least now feel slightly more confident I can work it all out.
Now all we have to do is get the car finished !! Should have it running this week as the new seats are now in, the water pump and fan in and just need wiring up, and then we should be good to go......
However there are STILL a million and one things to do, and the list seems to be getting longer, not shorter !!
Giles

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Giles
I am rereading Geoff Healey’s book The Healey Story while healing from knee replacement surgery and came across this photo. It shows DMH in Triumph 10 at the end of the ‘34 Monte Carlo Rally.
My comment to you is “and you thought that you put large tires on your 100 for the P2P, not even close”

John

Yes, we could really do with the ground clearance that those tyres would give us ! Good find !

Slowly getting the car sorted out. Here is our boot layout, with the jack strapped firmly to the LH roll bar brace, and the wheel hammer fastened to the right hand bar. And the straps spread both sideways across between the bars, and then also straps running from front to rear. On top of that will be the cargo net that I have adapted to suit the boot size. Hopefully that will keep everything in place over the bumpy bits !
Then I degreased the engine bay which we had left dirty so we could clearly see where any oil leaks were coming from. And with the roof cleaned inside and out, it all fits well and covers the roll bar perfectly.
Almost ready............but still lots to do !!
Giles

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Hi Giles,
Do you plan to touch up the paint on the front wheel arches? You've got to have the car pristine, at least at the start!
Cheers,
Alwyn

Yes, Alwyn, the grey areas WILL be painted !! The word you use, "pristine", is precisely why they, and several other parts, are still grey, because after Alice we needed to make several changes as well as repairs - Not least to the side exhaust cover which incurred damage from a large rock which loosened several of the welds holding the mesh in place, as well as damaging the mesh, so it has had to be beaten into shape, bogged, and primed extensively.
I am only going to re-paint once - I am tired of doing things and then having to redo them later due to changes !!! Mixing the 2 pack paint is not something I want to do again ! It will therefore be the second last thing done !!
After the repainting, the very last thing I will be doing is putting on our big P2P door decals. I do not want these to become damaged in any way before we set off, so they will be added AFTER the painting !!
What makes you think the car won't be pristine when we get to Paris, anyway ? We are only going for a little drive, after all !! Isn't that what cars are for ? Anyway, if Prince Borghese in the Itala, and the Spyker and De Dions made it to Paris in 1907, I see no reason why a Healey shouldn't make it in 2019 !
Giles
PS Are you coming on the Fish & Chip run on Friday 15th ? Now it is running and almost finished, we will be bringing our car out to join you all for the first time as Ashton is up that weekend. In the meantime I am driving it everywhere almost every day on the Gold Coast, even in this hot weather, and am thoroughly enjoying it.

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Giles , in 1907 , they had no backup help at all , apart from a few humans carrying cars across rivers , however when John Mathieson took his De Dion and his son the Spyker lookalike , they did have a Rolls Royce Club sponsored large backup van loaded with tools and parts . I suspect that the rough parts of that journey the De Dion was piggy backed in the van . You guys are to be congratulated for planning and fitting all your spares , tools , undies , change of clothes and camping equipment into a tiny Big Healey . YOU WILL MAKE IT to Paris .

Hi Giles, I just came across your thread. Good luck on this trip. All I can add is that I have a nasty boy , here in the states , and on days over 90 degrees it gets hot.
my solution was to fabricate a little do dad that holds the bonnet open about three inches and it reduces the temperature about 15 degrees. cheers Ralph.

Thanks Ralph - Our brains must work in a similar way !! When we started the project, one big concern was over heating - Everyone mentioned it. The Healey curse ? Apart from increasing oil sump volume and putting a modern, more efficient, core in the radiator, we also came up with a way of propping the bonnet open on hot days - see the pics below. 1) Bonnet in normal closed position, 2) standard height retaining pin, 3) extension pin screwed on to standard pin, 4) bonnet securely held in open position. As well as the lock pins, we have a bonnet strap to keep everything in place at speed.
We seem to have oversolved the problem, because we have been having 100 deg F days here recently, and the water temp won't climb about 190 deg F, and the oil temp refuses to move off the bump stop at 40 deg C !!
Appreciate your input - Keep the ideas coming ........
Giles

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While we are talking of "improving the breed", last week it was evident that the muffler was "blowing" a little, so I pulled it off to find out what was going on. Yes, there was a slight leak in one of the joins, and we fixed that easily enough, but in dismantling the mounts I found that the metal bracket had delaminated from the rubber cushioning, and was effectively swinging in mid air - A possible cause of the muffler leak ?
These rubber mounts are from a Healey Sprite, I believe, and before anyone asks, yes they are mounted in compression !!
On making a few enquiries, I found that this delaminating is not an unknown occurance, yet again proving the point that many of the "new" parts we obtain are not up to scratch, and can be improved. So I improved it by drilling a hole through the two steel plates and the rubber, and then putting a bolt through, and using a lock washer and locktite to keep the nut in place as you can't do it up really tight because it would just squish the rubber cushion. Didn't want to use nylocs as they are very close to the heat of the muffler........
Hopefully problem fixed. Why can't people make things properly in the first place ?
1) Damaged mount top, standard mount below, 2) Drilled and chamfered holes to still allow mount to be flush mounted, and 3) finished job. I actually later just went to one central bolt because two bolts makes it tricky to get the other bolt through the hole on the L piece !!
Giles

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-02-07 05:41 PM by Qldelsie.

Giles, yes that should do it. Also you should run a 160 degree thermostat , straight antifreeze, and a 7 lb. radiator cap.To avoid any chance of vapor lock attach a few wooden clothespins on the fuel line in the engine bay.( an old trick drag racers used).Make sure the fins on the radiator are not crimped or clogged with any bugs. Cheers Ralph.

Giles
Those mounts are used on Big Healeys as well and are very prone to doing that. That is the reason that my partner and I will spend probably six hours installing a new exhaust system on a Healey. We bend the attachment points on the system, we make spacers, we tweek the pipes and more just to make sure there is no additional alignment stress on the hanger. I am sure that there are alternative modern hangers at your local muffler shop that would work or you could do like I did on the Sprite racer and just wield steel straps to the system and direct bolt it to the car.
John

Thanks John. All getting a bit late in the day to be making changes to everything, unless they are what we call "trip-enders" like no clutch or no brakes! There comes a point after 2 years of non stop (7 days a week) work where it all becomes "difficult" (especially at my age !!) unless it is something really serious, IYKWIM ? Everyone has a different opinion as to how something should be done, and in many cases we have had to make a decision that we now will have to live with. Time is running out, and we still have so many other more important things to attend to, let alone the masses of paperwork we are now having to do - shipping, vehicle docs, asbestos inspections (Australia requires !!), medical, visas, Letters of Introduction, packing lists - It is just endless.
As for the exhaust mounts, they will stay as they are, bolted through the rubber, and we will carry 3 spares. You will find out whether they become an issue by July !! And if worse comes to the worst, muffler repairs will be possible in most cities and towns we pass through.
In case you haven't seen this pic on our blog, here is a photo of what we started with 2 years ago, and now !!
Giles

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