Healey 3000 and 100/6 Factory Hardtops serial numbers

[BN6]

Does anyone know the meaning of the serial numbers stamped on the Austin Healey factory hardtops, are they related to the actual car body/chassis number or purely a factory construction number ?

 

[Healey Nut]

There were a lot of copies of the original tops , the number helps determine if you have an original one or a copy . Also if you have a Heritage certificate the number should be on it if it was sold with the car originally.
The number is on the aluminum trim about four inches back from the pillar on the right side I think .
I have an original that was sold with my Tri Carb and the numbers are correct .

 

[BBH]

Have a look at this article : https://www.healey6.com/Technical/HTID.pdf

Hopefully it will explain all!

 

[BN6]

Have a look at this article : https://www.healey6.com/Technical/HTID.pdf

Hopefully it will explain all!

BBH thats a great article thank you.

BN6

 

[Michael Oritt]

Have a look at this article : https://www.healey6.com/Technical/HTID.pdf

I wonder what was the conclusion of the conversion envisioned in the article. Having once acquired a 4 seater hardtop for my ex-wife's BN7 with the vision of "converting" it to fit a two-seater, I think it might be more accurate to state that whatever points of similarity between the 2 and 4 seater hardtops end at what would be the B pillar. Amongst other things you cannot stretch plexiglass to accommodate the need for a deeper back window and rebuilding the bottom rail is way more easily said than done.

After a lot of measuring and acquiring knowledge from those that had been there I finally abandoned the project, sold the 2 + 2 top and ultimately located a proper top from a BN6 that had been stored in someone's rafters for a number of years. Even with a seemingly good candidate, fitting that top to give acceptable air gaps along the shroud was a challenging job and i am of the belief that, as with fenders and other body panels, there is enough variation from car to car and hardtop to hardtop to pretty much guarantee that a lot of fitting will be necessary.

The NICAL top on my 100 is, of course, an entirely aftermarket deal and fitting that was another story indeed....

 

[John Turney]

... as with fenders and other body panels, there is enough variation from car to car and hardtop to hardtop to pretty much guarantee that a lot of fitting will be necessary. ...

I have a hardtop from another car for mine, and I can tell you that a lot of fitting is an understatement.