The Restoration Professionals Series - By Austin Healey Magazine
Healey Lane
Restoration
An Interview with John Wilson of Healey Lane Restorations
PO Box 875
Marcola, Oregon, 97477
Phone: 1-541-933-2016
Fax: 1-541-933-1401
Email: healeylane@att.net
Q: Do you ever work on some projects that are more fun, interesting or rewarding than others? If so can you explain.
Yes, to me the restorations are more interesting if the car
is a low production model and my customer wants it done to Healey club concours quality. I love to restore a Healey
that is accident and rust-free but they are rare. They come apart and assemble so much nicer.
Q: At car shows I see so many Healeys that seem to be restored to such high standards anymore. Was that always the case? Is that the best way to go about it?
The restorations done in the early 80’s wouldn’t even come close to the way the cars are done today. My own 1962 BT7 is a good example, when I initially restored it the front
and rear shrouds never came off the car. The suspension never came off. I had some body color paint mixed up in rattle cans and painted the chassis with them. The list goes on but yet my Healey was the best of show in concours in 1981, 1983 and the 1st in class in 1982 (Snowmass, CO) and 1984. This was before they had the judging systems that are used today.
Q: Do you have other collector cars? What is your favorite? Do you drive them? How much?
I’ve had several American cars from the 50’s in the last 8 years but usually sell them after a couple years. My keeper
is my Healey and it will stay in the family. I’ve done over
3,000 miles in it in the last 2 months and how it now has around 108,000 miles on it since I restored it in 1981. Healeys
are it for me.
Q: What have been some of your more interesting projects?
I just finished a concours restoration on a 1962 Mark II BN7 and it was a real challenge as the car was delivered to me in pieces with lots of parts missing including some hard to find parts. The car had been hit in the front years ago and the chassis had been poorly repaired. The owner was from Los Gatos in the San Jose, CA area. He bought it the way I received it and had no clue as to all the parts that were missing.
Another interesting restoration that was done in my shop was a ground up restoration of a very original 1955, 100S. Steve Pike who lives in Australia got the job to
restore it and the car was shipped from New England to my shop. Steve flew over with his painter and did the restoration in
just 7 weeks. I got to help but it was mostly Steve and his
employee, Jarrod that did most of the work. We did get to try the car out before we tore it down as it had been sitting since the late 1960’s. Mechanically it was good and Steve has a speeding ticket from an Oregon County Sheriff to prove it!
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your field?
I’m one of the few restoration shops if not the only one
that restores Big Healeys exclusively. I’ve been asked to do
other makes but I like Healey’s and have never needed to do any other makes. Also, I have been very active in the Oregon Healey Club now for more than 33 years. I have been an officer in the club for most of those years. It’s just
something that I enjoy and take pride in. Plus I’ve made so many good
friends in the club who share my interests. We have many common threads and interests. There are a lot of Healey
restorers that do not even belong to a Healey Club or even own a Healey.
Q: What do you see in
the future for the classic car hobby?
The classic car hobby in general has a good future with the exception of some of the older makes like the Ford Model T’s. However, I think the future of the Austin Healey could be facing challenges. As I mentioned above the people who love them are getting older and the younger crowd just isn’t that interested in them. Their idea of a fun car
is quite naturally totally different from that of our
generation.
It’s the same for music and many other things ... Interests
just change from generation to generation!
Q: You’ve probably seen a lot of changes over the years in this hobby and in your business. What are few of the more memorable ones?
Probably the prices of Healeys today. When I restored my 1962 Mark II back in 1981 you could buy a restored BJ8 for around $8,000.00. Since then I have sold several Healeys at auction for over $100,000.00.
Q: How would you suggest that Healeys be restored? Do you have a preference for how these cars are done?
Most of the Healeys that I restore are full body off -
ground up restorations. That is the way I like to do them. This way
the completed restoration is better than when it left the
factory in England.
Q: How did you get involved in your business?
I have been involved in Healeys since 1979 and very active in the Oregon Healey Club when I was still working for
Sears. I had a chance to restore a 1962 Mark II BT7 for the
original owner and charged the big sum of $20.00 per hour. That was in 1990 and it was in 1993 that my job ended at Sears after 25 years, and that was the beginning of Healey Lane Restoration.
Q: What do you like most about your line of work?
I like the recognition that I get for my restorations from
club members and also customers that have bought my cars at the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.
Q: What is the biggest challenge your business faces?
It’s getting harder to get reproduction parts that are of
good quality. And even more importantly the current customer demographic base seems to be shrinking as they age. The next generation coming up isn’t particularly interested in Healeys or can’t afford to buy one.
Q: Tell me something that our readers might be surprised to learn about your business.
Probably the fact that I only restore Big Healeys. No other makes and I have never done a Sprite.
John (L) with his 1962, MK-II, BT7 and Robert (R), his son
and partner with his 1960 BN7
~Austin-Healey Magazine September-October, 2012 23
