427 Cobra - The Austin-Healey Connection

[HealeyRick]

I've mentioned before that Carroll Shelby approached Donald Healey with a plan to install a small block Chevrolet motor into the Healey. The proposal was nixed by British Motor Corporation and Chevrolet and CS turned to Ford and AC to give birth to the Cobra.
According to John Morton's book,"Inside Shelby American: Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s" the Healey played a part in the history of the 427 Cobra as well. According to Morton, Phil Remington gave Ted Sutton the job of installing the 427 into the Cobra because he was impressed with the job Sutton had done installing a small block Ford in his Austin-Healey. Sutton said the task of fitting the 427 into the Cobra was very similar to installing the 289 into the Healey.
Apparently the Sutton Healey still survives. Here's the story: 2011 Coastal Swap Meet Tradex Abbotsford<br> Photos by Cam Hutchins and here's some pics:





I find it interesting that Shelby was considering making a conversion kit to "Cobraize" the Healey. It's also the first time I've ever heard this story in over 45 years of Healey involvement.
Do any of you know if Mr. Sutton is still with us and have contact info for him? I'd love to write the story of his Healey for our club magazine.

[ERA Chas]

Great car and great transplant. Hope Sutton well and might illuminate us.
Nice post Rick-love your car.

[HealeyRick]

Thanks, Chas. Not much has changed in the years since Sutton did it:

[ERA Chas]

Hey Rick,
just for fun---what was the weight difference between the 6 lump and the 289? Guess gearboxes too.

[750hp]

Rick, the attention to detail in your car leaves mine to shame, but there's something fun about the idea of a V8 in any British sports car!

[mdross1]

Good story and something I too back in the day wanted to do. A good friend back in the early 70's had a Healey and was convinced he could spank our big block SS Chevelle. Well over a 2 yr. period and several attempts could never get him to line up beside me. Mother and I both miss those days and all the fun we had.

[HealeyRick]

The weight of the Austin-Healey engine, transmission and overdrive is listed as 728 pounds. The motor in my car is a 5.0 with a T5Z which seems to be around 600 lbs. After the swap I had to lower the front end 1" to get it back to stock ride height.

[HealeyRick]

Originally Posted by mdross1

Good story and something I too back in the day wanted to do. A good friend back in the early 70's had a Healey and was convinced he could spank our big block SS Chevelle. Well over a 2 yr. period and several attempts could never get him to line up beside me. Mother and I both miss those days and all the fun we had.

Funny, that's pretty much how I ended up doing this build. As a kid, I was interested in hot rods, sports cars and muscle cars. I loved the sports car handling and the power of the hot rods and muscle cars. I got into Austin-Healeys with a bugeye Sprite as my first car in high school. I was always reading of engine swaps into British cars and really got hooked when a guy in my hometown put a 2 bbl 289 and C4 into his big Healey and started spanking a lot of the local musclecars. Of course the Cobra really fueled the V8 in a sportscar idea. When I first rebuilt this Healey, I used the six cylinder that had been uprated when it was turned into a SCCA racer in 1965. But it never met my idea of the performance I thought it should have, so I decided to create my perfect Healey. I wanted it to be a period looking swap and used as a theme a young guy getting hold of a '65 K-code motor and doing the swap. It's no Cobra, but it's a lot of fun.

[HealeyRick]

Originally Posted by 750hp

Rick, the attention to detail in your car leaves mine to shame, but there's something fun about the idea of a V8 in any British sports car!

Nothing to be ashamed of there, Craig! I prefer Healeys where the natural lines of the car were kept, much like the slab-sided Cobras. Lots of the engine-swapped Healeys in the '60s and '70s were flared out to give them the 427 Cobra look and out of necessity as well as you can't fit much tire under the original fenders.

[marcocsx3121]

Not that it's particularly meaningful, but before CSX 3121 (and a Sunbeam Tiger) I had a red '57 Healey that, other than the SBF, could have been the featured car, I suspect that the 289 did wonders for a car that was pretty much of a dog with the original 2.6 liter six banger.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

The weight of the Austin-Healey engine, transmission and overdrive is listed as 728 pounds. The motor in my car is a 5.0 with a T5Z which seems to be around 600 lbs. After the swap I had to lower the front end 1" to get it back to stock ride height.

Beautiful car. A kid had a nice 3000 Healey when I was in High School. It was a nice, cream or light beige car and I expecially liked the graceful swoop of the rocker panels. But I remember watching him drive off in it and thinking it didn't sound like it had a lot of power or exactly a close ratio gear box - kind of a pre-war engine/gearbox sound. A little 289 Ford V8 should be a welcome transformation. Unfortunately the kid decided to go off-roading in it one day and bent the frame. Not a lot of ground clearance I suspect. I can't remember what happened to it after that.

[HealeyRick]

I received an article from the Austin-Healey Club of America club magazine "Chatter" which describes Ted Sutton's Healey and an "interesting" ride with CS in the prototype 427 Cobra. Anyone interested, PM me your email and I'll send the PDF

[Wheeler]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

Do any of you know if Mr. Sutton is still with us and have contact info for him? I'd love to write the story of his Healey for our club magazine.

I see Ted often. I'll send him this link right away.

[Trilander Ted]

PM sent to you HealeyRick

[Riverside racer]

Have enjoyed this thread. Here is another nice conversion

1959 Austin-Healey 100-8 - Bramhall Classic Autos

[HealeyRick]

I did a feature article for the Austin-Healey Magazine recently that talks a bit about the history of American engine swaps into British sports cars. You can access it here: http://bighealey.org/NastyBoy/Issue_8_2016.pdf

[jr289]

Here is my 327 Chevy equipped 1954.

[mdross1]

Back in the 60's before the muscle car bug bit me wanted to stuff a sbc into an MG. I had a newly rebuilt mildly modified 265 could never find the right car for it.

[HealeyRick]

Originally Posted by jr289

Here is my 327 Chevy equipped 1954.

Nice how it looks perfectly stock. Black wheels look really good, but I'm surprised you haven't snapped some spokes with 60 spokers.

[jr289]

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

Nice how it looks perfectly stock. Black wheels look really good, but I'm surprised you haven't snapped some spokes with 60 spokers.

Not so far. Glad to say!