Fold down windscreen on a BJ7?

[tahoe healey]

What an interesting look with the BJ7 and 8 vent windows. I'm thinking stabilizer fins.

 

[Healey 100]

I concur with all the comments about the misery of driving a 100 with the screen down. That arrangement deflects all the wind right under your eyelids. One short trip with mine that way was enough, it has not been folded since.

When I got my car, the original windshield was cracked vertically across the center. I noted that the folded windscreen is nearly horizontal and flexed quite a bit when you drove over bumps. I wondered if that was how the original got cracked -- anyway, it was just another reason to leave the unit unfolded.

It is an interesting feature, but I can understand why Healey dropped the idea for the 100-6. It's more fun to talk about than to use.

 

[Genos2]

Sunglasses are required accessory for driving w/windscreen in racing position.IMHO the folding windscreen adds much to the uniqueness of our 100's,it wouldn't be the same without it!Also as far as the flexing, there are springs w/eyes attached, to secure the top of the frame(where top latches) to body.Mine fluttered much less with those in use.IMO its a blast to drive w/screen down! cheers Genos2

 

[nautoncall]

Sory everybody, I was away last weekend. Yes the 100 windscreen can be installed on the early 3000. I don't know how it would work with roll-up window car but it's really pretty straightforward on the earlier sixes. Anybody wanting more detail can PM me & I'll be happy to go thru it & provide pics.

The side pillar mounts are exactly the same on the bottom where they bolt to the car, so all the bolt holes line up.

To install the 'feet' the screen goes into when down, you have to notch the inner edge of the fender to make room for the mounting blade that goes between the fender & shroud. Note: the mounting holes for these 'feet' are already in the bulkhead, but not the shroud - I'm guessing that it was cheaper and easier to leave the holes in the dies for stamping these pieces when they changed the windscreen.

If you want to run a top, you need to assemble the 100 windshield using the top piece from a later six cyl. windshield. This gives the flange for the top front bow to hook over and then you drill & tap for clamp pegs on the rear side of the 100 windshield post (same location as the early sixes). This way you can use the early BN4 type top.

BTW the glass is exactly the same curvature, width and height - it's just the extreem side curves that are different. In other words the top & bottom channels the glass sits in are interchangeable.

I have this set-up for two reasons: I can easily remove the windshield at the track (my small screen does not need to be removed & does not interfere with the 100 windshield).
But mostly I have it because I originally fell in love with the windshield when I bought my first 100 in 1969. No other car in the world has one like a Healey. I will admit it is sometimes a bit difficult to see over & slightly obscures your view but the trade-off is wind in the face!!!!! I only have the glass up if its raining or below 40 degrees. It isn't even the wind in the face as much as driving through mountains and having an unobsructed view in any direction - closest thing to a motorcycle you can get. I have logged a lot of miles on my old Harley but now I prefer the Healey because, here in washington state we now have helmet laws and the bike just isn't as much fun anymore. Now I get the wind in the face and don't have to worry about falling over

Even my wife prefers the screen down.

My personal view: Driving a Healey with the windshield down through some twisty mountain roads on a nice sunny day is almost the best driving experience I have had - second only to racing a Healey.

Again, I ma happy to share the particulars if anyone has questions.

Dave

Dave, I'm refreshing this thread because I'm trying to do this on a BN6. So my question right now is: I have the two holes under the dash that bolts go through to hold the "feet" in place, but what actually holds them in place..the squeezing between the fender and shroud? The feet have 1/2 holes so they are not fully secured. Also, my fenders are aftermarket and don't have any captive nuts in the fender side, so I can see a bolt going through the fender as I look through the fender well, but how do i put a nut on the backside because i certainly can't run my hand up there. Hope this makes sense. Love some photos of your set up.

 

[red57]

Hi Rob, I'll try to help. I'm somewhat limited on pictures because mine is assembled right now & I didn't take a lot of pictures of details and I first did it to my BN4 25+ years ago. I did it to my BT7 a couple of years ago. As you work through it, ask for pictures and I will take any I can of the assembled car.

So first, the "feet" have slots for mounting, not holes and they are in a 'blade' on the bottom that is about 1/8" thick. The two bolts that go through them thread into speed nuts (aka J-nuts) just like all the other bolts along the top of the fender. These 'pinch' the blade - the only forces applied to the feet are downward and slightly forward, so it doesn't take much to keep them in place.

On the 100, there is a slight relief if about 1/16" stamped into the scuttle framework with a similar relief in the shroud - and a corresponding 1/16" relief in the fender. Pictures of a 100-4 scuttle and a 100-6 scuttle to show the difference.

The first time I did this installation, I did not worry about the indent in the scuttle and made bout a 1/8" offset in the fender - it worked but the spread between the two feet is about 1/8 wider that stock. So, this time I cut a section of the shroud flange away (1/16" thick) and only have a 1/16 offset in the fender - this keeps the foot-to-foot distance closer to stock.