Austin Healey Literature Review
Books on restoration and related topics
Proably the most important investment in time and money on any restoration is ensuring
that you have the
correct literature for your restoration. In reviewing what was available for the Austin Healey I was rapidly
overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books that have been written.
At a minimum, you need the appropriate technical books and information. My first stop was
British Car Specialists. The reason for this is that
they are the source for Norman Nock's seminal publication Austin-Healey Tech Talk and once you
have it don't forget to order the annual updates! Their site also has some useful free downloads like
the Parts Checklist which is great for maintaning your list of parts necessary for the restoration. Now, they
don't have online ordering, so be prepared to shoot them an email or give them a call. I recommend calling them,
but make sure you've got some time. They're such a helpful and nice bunch of folks that you might find yourself
chatting on the phone for a while.
The next step is the compendium list. The Healey.org site has put together an exhaustive
Bibliography of Healey related
publications. Of course, once you have your list, it's time to find the books. The Healey reading material is a
mixed bag of availability. Some are easy to get, others will take some searching. You can start on Amazon.
From there, I've found fellow enthusiasts to be a great source for these books and especially the harder to find
ones. Why, you might ask? Because this "disease" we all share compells us to pick up these sorts of things any time
we find them, regardless of whether or not we already have a copy. It falls under that "You never know category." In
fact, when it comes to service manuals and parts catalogs I like to have at least two copies. That way I can goober
one copy with grease and grime out in the garage and have one pristine copy in the house.
In fact, one of my recent Healey book acquisitions is coming to me from a fellow enthusiast in Britain (Thanks Dave!). It's an
original factory publication for UK BMC Service departments and original publications can be really difficult to find.
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