Big Austin-healeys

In association with
Project Guide
1953-1963
Big Austin-Healeys
T
It’s tatty – but it’s
worth thousands.
What to watch out for on a 100/4, 100/6 or 3000 project
WORDS: Nigel Boothman photos: lyndon mcneil
Engine, gearbox
and back axle
Engine blocks for the 100/4 are
unavailable and gearbox and axle
casings are hard to find. A popular
conversion is the BN2 four-speed ’box
into a BN1 car, but the BN2 ’box is now
at least £2500 secondhand. A later ’box
from a 3000 can be used with a custom
bellhousing from Denis Welch (£600).
The main concern with the tough,
uncomplicated engines is that the
original lump is still there –
it helps resale value.
Thanks to: Chris
Everard of JME
Healeys for advice and
supply of the original
right-hand drive 100/4
BN1, which is for sale.
Values: (more for 100M in each case)
Mint: £45,000-£65,000
Good: £25,000-£35,000
Project: £8000-£18,000
[[1L]] november 2011 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS
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1
6
4
Shroud and front wings
The front substructure that forms the bonnet
aperture is called the shroud, and it’s aluminium.
Expect electrolytic corrosion where the steel
wings attach – aluminium wings are now
available at £744; £690 for steel. Bear in
mind that cars varied and replacement
outer panels may be a pain to trim or re-size.
Three steel sheets would be pressed at once,
so the top and bottom sheets formed panels
that were usually different sizes.
Sills, floors
and outriggers
Start looking for rust here. Taking the
body tub off the chassis is a wise step for a
serious resto and that makes outrigger
repairs easier. If it’s really bad, a new
chassis is £4800. Lift the carpet and
check the front, main and rear floors.
If a sill repair has been done in the past,
check the door fit, as the B-post was
probably cut and it can all go wrong after that.
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www.practicalclassics.co.uk
Interior and hood
You could buy a burnt-out car and replace everything off the shelf,
though the cost would add up (£200 for a 3000 Mk III dash minus
instruments, £600 upwards for a set of covered seats). The hood
(£200-£450 depending on material) is a pain, with the 100/4 being
worst of all. The 3000 is a much better proposition but everything
can leak and it’s all daunting to fit, even with a helper.
Steering and
brakes
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Swapping from LHD to
RHD reqires a steering box
and idler, dash and related
sundries, speedo cable,
pedal assembly and throttle
linkage – about £2000 or so.
Thankfully, the bulkhead is
ready-made for it. Front disc
brake conversions are popular
on pre-3000 models (£500+).
To subscribe to PC go to www.greatmazgazines.co.uk
Rear arches
and boot
floor
Peer inside the arches and
lift the boot carpet to
check both the rear boot
boxes and boot floor. Fourseat cars have the battery
in the boot and it may
have leaked, while the
two-seaters hide it where
the rear seats would be.
Boot floors cost £47, rear
inner wings £55 per
side and rear arches
£240 per side.
hese handsome and popular cars all
share similar steel bodies on a steel
ladder chassis and make use of various
Austin components. Structural worries
are therefore far more time-consuming than
mechanical ones, but the level of aftermarket
support means that anything can be fixed
eventually. The 100/4, 100/6 and 3000 are now
scarce at less than £10,000, even for wrecks,
while the best can command £60,000.
To understand what each variant offers, learn
the Healey code: The BN1 and BN2 are the fourcylinder Healey 100s; the BN1 (pre-August 1955)
uses the Austin A70/A90 gearbox with first
blanked off to give a three-speed change with
overdrive on second and third. BN2 gains a
standard four-speed ‘box, still with overdrive. The
100/6 from 1956 has the 2639cc OHV straight six
from the Austin Westminster, replacing the
2660cc OHV ‘four’ from the A90 Atlantic.
The 100/6 adds two inches in the wheelbase
and is offered with rear seats (this one is known
as the BN4). Six-port cylinder head improves
power output in 1957. There’s a two-seater
version (BN6) from 1958, but in 1959 the engine
grows to 2912cc as the 3000 Mk I (BN7 as a twoseater, BT7 as a four-seater) is launched with
front disc brakes. Triple carbs are fitted on the
Mk II (BJ7) in 1961, wind-up windows and a curved
screen on the Mk IIa Convertible (also BJ7) in 1962
but only two carbs again.
Mk III (BJ8) of 1963-1968 always has four seats
and a posh wood fascia, more power, standard
brake servo. The 100M has a 110bhp highcompression engine and a front anti-roll bar, and is
easily faked (check the Heritage certificate), while
the 100S is the special alloy 132bhp version with
the cut-down windscreen – only 55 produced, it’s
now worth almost £1 million. Of the standard cars,
the 100/4 has overtaken the 3000 Mk III as the
most fancied. The 100/6 remains least loved.
Many of the project cars you see are left-hand
drive American imports. Original RHD cars
command a premium, even as wrecks, so if you’re
less bothered by originality than affordability,
consider converting a left-hooker – it’s not hard.
As for selecting the right car, Chris Everard of
JME Healeys advises: ‘How much time can you give
it? Almost everything is available, so decide how
much you want to spend on purchase and how
much on restoration. Only fitting and lining up
who to speak to
■ JME Healeys: www.jmehealeys.co.uk,
01926 499000
■ A Head 4 Healeys: www.ahead4healeys.co.uk,
01788 565000
■ AH Spares: www.ahspares.co.uk: 01926 817181
■ Denis Welch Motorsport: www.bighealey.co.uk,
01543 472244
■ Rawles Motorsport: www.rawlesmotorsport.com,
01420 23212
■ Austin-Healey Club: www.austinhealeyclub.com
PRACTICAL CLASSICS //NOVEMBER 2011 [[2R]]