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Chassis repairs

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Stuart1006

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Hi: I need to do some repairs in my 1958 Austin Healey 100/6 (BN 4) chassis. How do you separate the chassis from the rest of the superstructure? Are they welded together? Thank you.

Stuart
 
As far as i know (freshman Healey owner) all parts on the following picture are welded to the frame

bn4-chassis.jpg


Edit; elrey was first ;-)

Hans
 
Hi Stuart,

Yup very much welded on.

Unlikely you'll get it cut off and reinstalled without major dramas with alignment of doors etc so be prepared for six months of hard work after you cut it off.

In fact, if you are going to go to the trouble of cutting the tubs off the chassis, I'd replace the chassis as it'll be almost certainly beyond economical repair once you start looking closely. If your car has had a fairly normal life then there will be a lot more rust and damage than is immediately obvious.

engine%20mount%20crack2.JPG


engine%20mount%20crack.JPG


welding%20poo.JPG

Typical fatigue cracking and previous repairs around the engine mounts on a 57 BN4

I was quoted NZ10k to repair and align the original chassis. A Kilmartin chassis is pretty much the same price but is new metal and also has a number of subtle improvements to address the known weaknesses. One of the main advantages is that it is built on a jig and all critical dimensions are correct so you don't have any nasty surprises on reassembly.

If you are still keen on removing the tubs it only takes a couple of hours to get each one off. I used a cutoff disc in an angle grinder and a small cutoff disc in a Dremel for the welds the grinder couldn't get into. There are also some spotwelds to contend with either side of the front footwells. Take hundreds of pictures and a lot of measurements before cutting anything.

Andy.
 
We've done this process a number of times now using the Kilmartin chassis and repair panels, resulting in a suberb restoration each time. Building the car up from there to completion with an accurate foundation is a pleasure, and the finished cars have earned Gold each time!
 
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