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Buying a 100.... tips

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Fab60

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Hey guys looking to buy a 100 and was wondering what I should be looking for when buying a BN1/BN2. I know the general stuff as I'm not an expert. I know BN1s come with a 3 vs 4 speed OD on the Bn2. Also wheel arches bigger on BN2. What i really wanted to know is what to look for when going out and checking a car in person. I know numbers matching , but do these numbers match to a T or can the numbers be a little off ?? Also as far as rust spots to look for??? Experts please help out a novice! Haha. Thanks fellas



regards




rick
 
The single most important thing is the condition of the chassis and substructure. If these are shot you are in for trouble and an expensive rebuild. You must get under the car and under the carpets and everywhere you can. The body panels may look ok but that doesn't mean anything as they are just hanging on the car, plus the centre sections are aluminium so they will always look OK. On the other hand rusty panels can be easily fixed but inner sills, chassis and sub structure are a different matter.The mechanicals are very simple and strong, the majority of parts are cheap (relatively speaking) and are very easy to source and the electrical system is very simple so these things aren't a big deal. I wouldn't get hung up on matching numbers, that adds little value as far as Im concerned, plus it is very easy for dealers or owners to attach a different number tag to the engine and to the firewall. BN1s have a weaker rear axle set up but its not really an issue. There are far more BN1s than BN2s.
 
Also if you are looking to restore try and find one that has been unmolested and with as much history as possible. My recent experience rebuilding my BN1 is that it may look right but looks can be deceptive. Trying to get parts for the front suspension and axles proved to be an adventure. It turned out that my late BN1 had early BN1 stub axles.
 
It might help if you state whether you are looking for a concours (mint, pristine), driver (older restoration or original with a nice "patina"), or restoration project. Derek has pointed out the frame importance but if you are looking for something in the first to categories it is hard to tell if a good bondo job has been done to cover skin panel defects. Sometimes it is difficult to easily see if excessive amounts of body filler are in place and in the long run that can cover a multitude of crimes against a vehicle. Take someone who has done some British restoration work with you if you have such a contact. If you are looking for a restoration project there are certain parts that if missing a beginner may think of as minor but you will find them rarer than hens teeth and very expensive. Steering wheels, trafficator assemblies (turn signal) are among them. Obviously a complete drive train will at least give you a core that can be rebuilt. Windshield frames and posts would be hard to find if missing, complete door latches, boot lids, hoods and soft top frames might be hard to find or expensive. You can buy almost any skin panel new if you are willing to import and pay through the nose but regardless of quality (some are better than others), you will have issues making them fit your car in some cases just because I suspect the original manufacturer had to hand fit in many cases. As pointed out above the front and rear shrouds are aluminum and finding repairable used units is not impossible but sometimes even bad ones are expensive. I do not know if they are available new. I'm sure others may know that. If looking at a driver, it is a bonus if the overdrive, if so equipped, works. Most defects can be repaired but it can be a big job if a teardown is required. Same with transmissions. There are 5 speed conversions out there and many have done that for reliability. By all means pull the oil screen in the gearbox and look for coolant in the engine oil if you are able to do a prepurchase inspection. It may be worth paying for the oils to be changed if you are looking for a driver. By all means keep asking questions here. I consider myself a novice in the shadow of some of these folks.
 
I purchased my BN1 decades ago and paid very little for it. It looked somewhat presentable and would I suppose have been classified as a "driver".

IMG_9089.jpgIMG_9090.jpgIMG_9092.jpgIMG_9095.jpg

Here it is today, costing me a tidy sum to have the chassis restored. A $20K runner today could easily be hiding these kinds of flaws underneath. I am fortunate in that almost all the hard to find parts are still with my car.
 
I'm no expert on the 100 but I would strongly recommend prioritizing a BN2 over a BN1. Parts are FAR easier to find for the BN2 from the typical Healey suppliers. Just take a gander through a Moss Motors catalog or any of the others. Many BN1 parts are not available or are not produced. Because the cars have roughly the same value and same aesthetics I would definitely go for the BN2.
 
As stated, the condition of the semi-unibody area between the outriggers thru the sills to the doglegs, and the frame members themselves is with what you need to be critically concerned. Body panels and soft materials can be readily obtained and their cost easily estimated, but if you are getting into the stuff that makes a Healey straight and stiff you had better get a sound car or have a lot of welding/structural restoration skills and a generous allowance.
 
Wow thanks Fellas!!! Greatly appreciate all the input. I have been looking for about a year now and really haven't found anything that's a decent driver. All I've come across are either Pristine concours cars to barn finds. I don't know maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places. Would you recon I would be able to get a decent driver for 40-50k?? Thanks again guys, back to the chase!
 
Sometimes the best value cars are those that were fully restored about 20-25 years ago with photo evidence to show the structural work that was carried out. They will be cheaper than show cars but will not really have deteriorated as people don't use them as daily drivers. Be careful with so called 'daily drivers' that superficially look ok, these can be the worst value of all. You still pay quite a lot for them but they may need a complete tear down. Join a local Healey club, often the best deals come from members selling their cars. Be very careful of 'sports car' dealers.

Good luck.
 
You know for some time now I've also been looking at 100/6s up until about 2 years ago when I saw both cars side by side at a local car show. That was when i fell for the earlier 100s. I've never ridden a healey. I wonder as far as a driving experience which of the two cars are the better one?? I don't want to open up a can of warms but oh wells I think I might have just did! Ha
 
The early 100/6s--with the 'gallery head'--are known to be slower than the 100s. The 100s are definitely more agile. Full disclosure: I have a 3000 (BJ8) and a 100M (BN2). The 3000 is the better touring car, but the 100 is the better 'scrambler.'
 
Im sure the 100 owners can correct me but dont the earlier cars have crash boxes on them ..ie no synchros so your left leg will be a whole lot busier double clutching ?
 
Healey Nut said:
Im sure the 100 owners can correct me but dont the earlier cars have crash boxes on them ..ie no synchros so your left leg will be a whole lot busier double clutching ?
Click to expand...

Just the opposite--BN1's had three useable forward speeds, all being synchronized.They were actually the three top gears of the transmission, first being too low to be useful.
 
That being said the "3 speed" BN1 box does not have the strongest synchronizes and you needed to practice your manual synchronizing skills to avoid an occasional crunch. That said, I loved my BN1 box and it matched the torquey, relaxed nature of the big four well, and with the O/D I never missed the extra gear. A sorted BN1 is a joy to drive in a very vintage Sportscar feeling kind of way.
 
In addition to, or because of, weak synchros the 2nd gear cluster is a known problem spot. Mine chose to shed a few teeth when I was in Lompoc CA heading for LA after the Tahoe Conclave in 2002--about as far away from home in Maryland as I could have been. I limped down to Smith Brodie's shop in Thousand Oaks and drove out a couple of days later with a Toyota 5 speed. What an improvement!
 
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