100 Dash Color

[simon1966]

November 54 BN1, factory painted AH Blue. It currently has a black dash, but looks as though it has been painted at some point. The complete dash is black, but there is evidence of silver beneath the peeling black around some of the switces, so presumably it was a blue dash with the silver section around the dials?

Anyway, on the back, near the grab handle I can see the work "BLUE" written.



Is this possibly hand written during the manufacturing process?

 

[AH100M]

I'm a little suspicious of the "BLUE" writing being original because of the primer (I assume it's primer) color. Dark brown primer was used on most panels on the 100's, so I suspect it would be used on the back of the dash too.

 

[RandyHicks]

I would assume that the dashes were primed (reddish brown color) in large batches and the "BLUE" written on the back is to indicate what color to paint the front. Then paint a batch of Blue, Black, Florida Green, etc...

 

[simon1966]

Bill, on the Healey email list it was indicated that this Red/Brown primer is the original as applied to the dash at the factory. No matter what, this will be one part of my car that I will not alter. I'll get the front painted back to the correct color, but will happily leave the backside just as it is. I rather like the idea that almost 60 years ago that some Brummie scrawled this on the dash before heading home to a nice cuppa and a meal of pie and chips.

 

[HealeyRick]

Bugeyes built at Abingdon had the interior color written on the back of the dash along with the chassis number and abbreviations for the interior options:

It's possible they had a similar system in place at Longbridge.

 

[pan]

My 100, built in 1954 is Healey Blue. The dash panel was black with silver surrounding the instruments when it came into my possession in 1968 and I believe that was the original colour. While the dash colour often matches the exterior colour on solid coloured cars, I think it would be unusual for a Healey Blue car to have that colour on the dash. Perhaps the writing on the inside of your dash is to simply indicate that it should be fitted to a blue car? The Austin-Healey 100 sales brochure shows an Old English White car with green trim & a green dash (with OEW instrument panel), a red car with a black dash (with red instrument panel!) and a Spruce Green car with green trim & green dash. John Wheatley's Healey Blue 100 in England has a dark blue dash, and no silver highlighting of the instrument panel. John has owned his often photographed car since new. When I restored my car a few years ago I painted the dash dark blue with silver. Not original, but I thought that would look good with the dark blue trim.

 

[glemon]

I had a 1954 Healey Blue Hundred as well, I talked to the guy who bought the car in the late 60s a couple years ago. He said as far as he knew the dash was always black with silver inset, when I stripped the thing to repaint I didn't find any evidence of blue paint, but it did look like the original primer on the back. But he also said when he got it the car was in pieces in the basement of a sports car shop in Omaha, Nebraska, so who knows if this was original specification?

 

[simon1966]

I took a sanding block to the dash and a few strokes later



Yep, there is blue paint under that black! It is not the Ice Blue exterior color but a very dark blue, which I am almost certain is original.

 

[healeyblue]

I think it was a common thing in the past to paint the vinyl to upgrade/ update the car (posibbly a 70's thing). The 1957 BN4 I just finished also had its dark blue dash painted black and the interior was re-vinyled black right over the original dilapidated leather. I also have another longbridge dash that was white vinyl (or could be a light grey, its hard to tell) originally but had been painted red at some point in time.

 

[pan]

Healeyblue,
The 100 dash was painted. Vinyl cover was a DHMC option though.

 

[healeyblue]

Ah, yes that is right. I will do a 100 some day, then I will get to learn all these differences.