Registry: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8

Steve Byers's 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8

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Near Millersburg, PA during return from AHCA Conclave in Kingston, Ontario (2009)
At Dr. Mudd farm, Waldorf, MD (1984)
Utah, 2008. Return from AHCA Conclave in San Diego, CA
On I-10 in Arizona, on the way to AHCA Conclave in San Diego (2008)

“TARHEELY”

Sold new on 26 July 1966 at Harmon-Rowland Motor Company, Raleigh, NC. and according to the original owner was stolen from him the same day he bought it, but recovered several hours later (unharmed). I am the 9th registered owner, although mother/son and father/son owners account for four of them, and the car was registered first to a trucking company owned by the original owner's family. All of us have been in eastern North Carolina, thus the nickname and the name on the license plate. During my ownership, I have driven the car in 42 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. This includes two round-trips from North Carolina to California for the 2002 Healey International Open Roads meet and the 2008 AHCA Conclave in San Diego; to Canada for 2009 Conclave; and to Deadwood, SD for 2019 Conclave (followed by a tour of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan). During my ownership I have driven the car so far 124062 miles as of 5 Feb 2021.

Modifications include (all are completely reversible):
Overdrive warning light (June 86)
Spin-on oil filter adapter (Feb 87)
Yellow/Black paint (June 89)
Mallory Dual-Point distributor (June 92)
Radiator/fan shroud (Jun 94)
Leather interior (Jan 99)
Coolant overflow system (Jun 00)
Texas Kooler fan (Nov 00)
Dual fuel pumps, switchable between them or both off (Jan 02)
Rollover switch (from MGB) to disable fuel pumps in a rollover (Jan 02)
Conversion to negative ground and alternator (Mar 02)
Mechanical adjustable brake switch (Nov 06)
Badge bar (Dec 06)
Additional 4-slot fuse box under dash to separate the 4 of the 5 circuits powered by original upper fuse [turn signals, brake lights, fuel gauge, tachometer, wipers (Apr 07)
Driving lights (Nov 07)
Audible turn signal warning (Aug 09)
Sleeved 180-deg. thermostat (Aug 10)
Re-cored radiator with improved cooling capacity (Sep 10)
Clutch bleeding extension tool (Feb 13)
Digital radio (Mar 13)
Pro/Race crankshaft harmonic damper (Oct 18)
Lucas reversing light (Jan 19)
Third brake light, modified to serve also as a flashing hazard warning
Indicator light to operate when driving lights are used as daytime running lights

All modifications have been done without cutting wiring and are completely reversible.

Vehicle Information

Owner:

Steve Byers [BJ8 Healeys]

Location:

Havelock, NC, USA

Status:

Running

VIN:

HBJ8L36666

Model Year:

1966

Build Date:

1966-06-02

Original Colour:

British Racing Green (GN29)

Current Colour:

Yellow/Black

Odometer:

124,062 miles

Body Code:

3223 BJ8 81544

Engine Type:

2912 cc

Engine Code:

29K/RU/H11327

Transmission:

4-speed overdrive

Last Updated:

2024-02-26 05:42:06

Member Comments on Registry: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8 ↵

Rated 8 out of 10 based on 4 ratings

2019-01-14 04:27:06 # 53879

Comment by Bernard Northmore

That's a first for me - one wing flash correct (the LH one) and the other wrong. In other words, two left flashes on the one car !

2019-01-14 05:02:44 # 53881

Comment by Steve Byers

The photo of the car in all-yellow was taken in 1984, shortly after I bought the car. At that time, I didn't realize the flashes were backward. In any event, I drove it like that for about two years until it was convenient to correct it. The other photos, of course, were after the flashes had been installed on their correct sides. Never one wrong, one right. Either both wrong or both right!

2019-07-22 00:48:30 # 58285

Comment by Andrew Brims

That is a very appealing shade of yellow, highly visible too ! I have learnt to drive with driving lights on at all times so as to be more conspicuous to other road users. Even so, I recently had a close encounter with a guy and two dogs sauntering into the road under my front bumper. Left a lot of rubber on the road, and fortunately had a clear lane beside me to swerve towards. No damage done, except to our nerves.

2019-07-22 06:56:45 # 58286

Comment by Steve Byers

Hi, Andrew -Yellow isn't for everyone, but the car was yellow when I bought it. When I began to attend car shows, I could see that it was unique because most all others were Healey Blue, red, white, etc. That appealed to me. I like yellow anyway, but the "original" yellow was a bit too orange for my taste so I used 1986 Corvette Yellow when it was repainted, and in my opinion these cars look better with a two-tone paint job that accents their lines. I added the black coves for that reason. I use the driving lights in daytime on two-lane roads to be more conspicuous. Trying to use them at night is an exercise in frustration because there is too much on-coming traffic to keep them on. Glad to hear you avoided the disaster!

2021-02-05 10:58:15 # 69589

Comment by Wim Kievits

Hi Steve, the car is still looking very good! I hope you will enjoy the car for many more years!

2021-02-05 11:05:57 # 69590

Comment by Steve Byers

Hello, Wim -Good to know you're still in the Healey world! Thanks for the kind words. I intend to enjoy it as long as I live. Stay safe!Steve

2021-02-05 11:15:25 # 69591

Comment by Wim Kievits

ha Steve, although 'carless', I am doing all the postings behind the Healey Museum and Healey100 facebookpages as well as the HM website... Therefore no option to leave the Healey World.... You stay safe as well! Regards, Wim

2021-06-12 16:36:43 # 74435

Comment by Steve Smith

Nice looking car and I love that you use it, the world needs only one trailer queen example to look at. Best wishesSteve

2021-06-12 17:14:14 # 74437

Comment by Steve Byers

Thanks for the kind words, Steve. Cheers!Steve

2021-08-05 13:57:42 # 75524

Comment by Sarah W

.... you do not provide an e-mail address so I can't contact you directly. I wanted to let you know that I have been the keeper of the BJ8 Registry since 1998, and I have your car in the registry based on the data you entered at healeydata.com and The A-H Experience. The BJ8 Registry is different from the completely passive sites like those in that there is an actual human (me) who receives, evaluates, follows up to correct data when necessary, and uses the database for the benefit of the Healey community in general, and for individual BJ8 owners in particular. I hope you will allow me to provide more information about the registry by contacting me: sbyers@ec.rr.com. I have ownership history for ***** under three previous owners in Michigan and Florida.Thanks! Steve Byers (also a member of The A-H Experience) HBJ8L/36666BJ8 Registry AHCA Delegate at Large Havelock, NC

2021-08-05 14:11:42 # 75525

Comment by Sarah W

Rating: 2/10

Steve - You wrote the exact same comment for both of my Healeys on this site, even though it had NOTHING to do with the other car. Do you do this with all Healey owners? Have you ever given any thought to the fact that owners might not want your free advertising comments on their webpages, about your database that nobody but you can access?!!! You could have just stated that you run the Registry with your contact information, but doing this on both webpages looks to me like grandstanding on your part. You state that these other sites are passive, yet you state that you submit corrections to them?!!! I tried that and got nowhere from the webmasters. And as far as I remember, I did contact you.

2025-01-01 11:48:19 # 93319

Comment by Steve Byers

Sorry for the very late response, Sarah, but I haven't been back to this site in a while. Just wanted to say for anyone in the the Healey world who may be reading our "discussion" that I don't consider the BJ8 Registry database "private" to me personally. However, the personal data related to the owners (names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses) are integral to the database and cannot be easily separated from the car data. As of now, the Registry documents almost 56% of BJ8 production (9,868 cars) so it is a VERY large file. There is a very good reason why the Registry was structured from the beginning as it is (some experts have tried to re-format the database and failed), so I cannot give unrestricted access to the registry. I WILL provide a complete copy of the entry for a particular car to any owner who asks for it and provides proof of ownership. I also respond to any questions or problems any owner may have that can be answered by the database. I can provide a list of specific example

2025-01-01 11:51:19 # 93320

Comment by Steve Byers

The end of my response was cut off. It should read: "I can provide a list of specific examples of how the registry has been a valuable resource and benefit for many owners to anyone who is interested and requests it.

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Vehicle History

This vehicle's information was last updated on 2024-02-26 05:42:06

Changes from 2021-02-05 10:06:45 to previous 2020-05-02 13:50:26: Mileage 123,845 → 124,062

Changes from 2020-05-02 13:50:26 to previous 2020-05-02 13:44:59: Mileage 118,056 → 123,845

Ownership History

Date	Owner ID	Notes
Apr 12, 1984	Steve Byers	Added to Registry (ID 39594)

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Registry: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8

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