Austin-Healey 3000 III BJ8 with Chevy 350 engine, Ray Bencar's 1965

Austin-Healey 3000 III BJ8 with Chevy 350 engine, Ray Bencar's 1965
Owner: Ray Bencar
City: Mentor, OH
Model: 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 III BJ8
Engine: Chevy 350 (supercharged and nitrous injected)
Conversion completed by: Owner

Engine: Chevrolet 350cid Hi-Performance, bored 0.060" over.

Induction: 6-71 supercharger, plus 16-port NOS system.

Cam: Hi Pro Max roller cam.

Cooling: custom six tube 11-fin-per-inch radiator with two high volume electric fans. Oil cooler with a 900cfm fan.

Exhaust: custom headers to leg pipes.

Transmission: Borg-Warner T56 LT1 6-speed manual.

Clutch: 4200# 11" with hydraulic throw-out bearing (ie: "HTOB").

Driveshaft: 1 7/8" diameter solid alloy, 12" long.

Rear Axle: 12-bolt Chevy with Posi-Traction and Strange Engineering axles.

Front Susp.: stock plus two additional shocks and a modified torsion bar.

Rear Susp.: stock plus traction bars, two additional shocks, and a modified torsion bar.

Brakes: drilled and slotted discs (front) and Chevy drum brakes (rear). Dashboard-mounted proportioning valve.

Wheels/Tires: chromed American wheels, with P245/50 (front) tires and P265/50 (rear) tires.

Electrical: custom wiring (by Ray Bencar). Gauge package includes: volt meter, water temperature, oil temperature, NOS pressure, boost, tachometer (engine RPM), speedometer (0-500mph), oil pressure, fuel level, and fuel pressure.

Completed: never! (Note: Ray has owned the car 38 years, and began the V8 conversion in 1976.)

Miles Driven: about 25,000 since the conversion, as of British V8 2007.

Other mods: the frame is reinforced ("boxed") in quarter inch steel from the transmission mount forward to the front suspension.

Comments: with nitrous oxide turned up and supercharger at full boost, Ray's engine produces over 1400 horsepower.