Is this a 100 Cylinder Head?

[HealeyBN7]

I came across a fellow enthusiast that collected Austin taxis and Healeys. In his parts pile we located a cylinder head. The thermostat housing doesn't look like a Healey part, but the rest of the head seems to align to a 100 block. I plan to have it crack tested as I don't see any issues, but is there any way to determine if this is a proper Healey part?






Thanks,
Dean

 

[CraigC]

It would appear to match the head on my spare 100 engine. Mine has the same 1B2291 casting number. Does it have the boss for the heater valve on the plug side of head?

After doing some checking, the stat housing looks like it came from an A70 which was the predecessor to the A90.

 

[HealeyBN7]

Thank you Craig. It seems to have the boss in the right spot. If it is crack free any idea of the value. I know most are cracked, so this may be a moot point. I am helping my wife's widow friend, so fairness is most important.

 

[CraigC]

A little more research and I have found an old article I read some years ago regarding fitting an A70 head on an A90 block. Turns out the A70 head is narrower than the A90. A rough measurement of mine shows it to be in the 6-5/8 to 6-3/4" range. A70 in pictures looks to be at least 1/4-3/8" narrower.

If the head measures out as an A90 and is crack free, I would be interested as both of mine have had one crack pinned. I've been away from the Healey world for some time, so I'm not real sure of the going prices.

 

[pan]

G'day Craig, from the last picture that you posted I can see the tall thermostat housing (incorporating the water outlet) that is attached to the head. The front of the head casting is more shallow than a 100 and as you say, the width is less. I would say it is definitely from an Austin A70 (Hampshire or Hereford). The head can be modified for Healey use but the performance will suffer due to the smaller valves.
Now that it is possible to obtain new alloy heads, the desirability of an A70 head has diminished.