-
Hi Guest!
You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Healey Liftback ?
- Thread starter AUSMHLY
- Start date
Share this page
anthony7777
Yoda
Offline
ausmhly, the story goes it was the result of a spider bite...AUSMHLY said:
B
BUNDYRUM
Guest
Guest
Offline
Hello to all with an update on what I wrote yesterday.
When I said "I thought that Donald Healeys' BN1 Coupe had a back window that was copied from an Aistin A90 Atlantic Hardtop" I was wrong. Today I found a picture of the car in the 1992 published book Austin-Healey 100 & 3000 by David McLavin and Andrew Tipping. On page 24 it shows the car undergoing restoration and adds that the coupe roof had just been re-united with the rest of the car.
I'll bet there is more info out there also.
Best Regards,
bundyrum.
When I said "I thought that Donald Healeys' BN1 Coupe had a back window that was copied from an Aistin A90 Atlantic Hardtop" I was wrong. Today I found a picture of the car in the 1992 published book Austin-Healey 100 & 3000 by David McLavin and Andrew Tipping. On page 24 it shows the car undergoing restoration and adds that the coupe roof had just been re-united with the rest of the car.
I'll bet there is more info out there also.
Best Regards,
bundyrum.
Cottontop
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Back in August, we were talking about Healey liftbacks and fastbacks.
While at Bonneville, I saw this 100-4. While the car had a 240 HP Supra engine
and 5-speed, it was the top that intrugued me.
Although the workmanship was <span style="font-weight: bold">TERRIBLE</span>, I think that the lines are quite pleasing.
This is a Triumph GT-6 top grafted onto this 100-4
Tim
While at Bonneville, I saw this 100-4. While the car had a 240 HP Supra engine
and 5-speed, it was the top that intrugued me.
Although the workmanship was <span style="font-weight: bold">TERRIBLE</span>, I think that the lines are quite pleasing.
This is a Triumph GT-6 top grafted onto this 100-4
Tim
BabaKahawa
Jedi Knight
Offline
interesting top... Time for some body work.
Randy Forbes
Yoda
Offline
Kinda makes you wonder how much Bondo is on that thing, judging by the slab about to separate from the rear fender, I say there's not less than two (>2) gallons.
Cottontop
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Quite to the contrary Randy. I don't think that there is a OUNCE on Bondo on that car. That slab that is about to separate from the fender is actually the FENDER that is about to separate from the fender !Randy Forbes said:
LOTS of sheet metal cancer here. With a bit of grinding down of the welds, some fiberglass fenders, and some restrained use plastic filler to smooth things over, it "could" be a nice looking body.
I STILL like the lines of the hardtop.
Tim
Offline
As you will see from the below picture of the hardtop on my 100 it is hard to make such a unit (be it a hardtop or fastback) appear as graceful as they did on the 6-cylinder cars for the simple reason that the A-B pillar spacing is about 4" shorter on 100's, and this shows up in a "compressed" curvature on such a top.
I personally like the way the top on my car looks, or else I would not have gotten it, but the factory hardtop on my wife's BN7, from which the mold for my top was lifted (and shortened), is simply more attractive because of the longer roof line.
To my eye this fastback Healey/Spitfire also suffers from a case of the "shorties" but it is is an interesting project. Most of the Healey 100 fastbacks--such as the one DMH had made for him--suffer the same design problem, as do Acecas and other roadsters that have had tops "grafted" onto them as afterthoughts.
I personally like the way the top on my car looks, or else I would not have gotten it, but the factory hardtop on my wife's BN7, from which the mold for my top was lifted (and shortened), is simply more attractive because of the longer roof line.
To my eye this fastback Healey/Spitfire also suffers from a case of the "shorties" but it is is an interesting project. Most of the Healey 100 fastbacks--such as the one DMH had made for him--suffer the same design problem, as do Acecas and other roadsters that have had tops "grafted" onto them as afterthoughts.
GregW
Yoda
Offline
I don't know. I've had a GT6 also and I think the lines of both original cars are better. If I was to do something like that, I would have sloped the hatchback down further in the back. There would be less storage space, but I think it would be much more pleasing. BTW, is the gas cap still in the trunk? Now that it is a hatchback, I'd think the fumes would be bad for the passengers.Cottontop said:
B
BUNDYRUM
Guest
Guest
Offline
Hello all, I think someone here put a lot of thought into this project. The execution of it leaves a little to be desired but hey at least he had an idea and had a go at doing something with it.
GregW, I'm with you I would have continued the curvature from lower down on the rear shroud and brought it around further up and blended it in to the top right where the lower edge of the hatch is. The fuel filler could have been brought straight back at the same angle the original filler is at and a cap installed.
There are many changes we could make on someone else's design, that's the easy part.
Best regards,
bundyrum.
GregW, I'm with you I would have continued the curvature from lower down on the rear shroud and brought it around further up and blended it in to the top right where the lower edge of the hatch is. The fuel filler could have been brought straight back at the same angle the original filler is at and a cap installed.
There are many changes we could make on someone else's design, that's the easy part.
Best regards,
bundyrum.
Offline
Then again Mark Baker managed to design and execute a (permanent) hardtop for a 100 which is simply outstanding in all respects--execution, esthetics, proportions, etc. It is all those little things that make or break these projects.
I have always felt that when they made the Jag XKE into a 2 + 2 they managed to uglify in one fell swoop a great design--it just doesn't look right because it has that "grafted-on" appearance. The line between "almost" and "perfection" appears suddenly.
I have always felt that when they made the Jag XKE into a 2 + 2 they managed to uglify in one fell swoop a great design--it just doesn't look right because it has that "grafted-on" appearance. The line between "almost" and "perfection" appears suddenly.
anthony7777
Yoda
Offline
yup, the story goes its one that was left behind in chernobyl!AUSMHLY said:
pan
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Both of the 100 Coupes built by DHMC still exist. One is the 100S powered car ONX 113. Arthur Carter had this for many years, perhaps still does.
The other one was indeed powered by the 'C' Series engine. The latter car was featured in Classic & Sportscar a few years ago.
The body panels were in Australia for some years: A Healey owner from Brisbane, Queensland was on holiday in England in 1974. He met the owner of the coupe which was undergoing restoration. They agreed to swap body panels as the coupe owner really wanted a roadster!! Standard rear shroud, boot lid and windscreen were despatched from Australia and the coupe panels (complete with air operated, opening rear window) duly arrived in Brisbane. The idea was to convert a 100M with these panels but the project never went ahead (thankfully, as this M is a rather special car). The panels changed hands a couple of times in Australia but eventually the original "coupe" (now a roadster) fell into the current owners' hands. The parts were re-united and the car returned to being a coupe.
BTW that "Franken Healey" appears to have a Sprite windscreen.
The other one was indeed powered by the 'C' Series engine. The latter car was featured in Classic & Sportscar a few years ago.
The body panels were in Australia for some years: A Healey owner from Brisbane, Queensland was on holiday in England in 1974. He met the owner of the coupe which was undergoing restoration. They agreed to swap body panels as the coupe owner really wanted a roadster!! Standard rear shroud, boot lid and windscreen were despatched from Australia and the coupe panels (complete with air operated, opening rear window) duly arrived in Brisbane. The idea was to convert a 100M with these panels but the project never went ahead (thankfully, as this M is a rather special car). The panels changed hands a couple of times in Australia but eventually the original "coupe" (now a roadster) fell into the current owners' hands. The parts were re-united and the car returned to being a coupe.
BTW that "Franken Healey" appears to have a Sprite windscreen.
healey100jedi
Freshman Member
Offline
Additional information about my orange with grey 1956 Austin Healey 100-GT is available at
https://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?4,6342
https://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?4,6342
Cottontop
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Hi Dan,
Tim Moran here. We met at Bonneville (I was driving a silver Miata) and it is ME who said that the bodywork in attaching the GT top to your Healey was "terrible".
I told you that when we met at Bonneville. I also told you repeatably (and stated above in this thread) that I LOVED the look and the lines of the attachment. I just think that it could use some "clean-up".
Please don't take my comments too personally. There are a LOT of people who don't like anything about MY Healey and I live with it.
Tim
Tim Moran here. We met at Bonneville (I was driving a silver Miata) and it is ME who said that the bodywork in attaching the GT top to your Healey was "terrible".
I told you that when we met at Bonneville. I also told you repeatably (and stated above in this thread) that I LOVED the look and the lines of the attachment. I just think that it could use some "clean-up".
Please don't take my comments too personally. There are a LOT of people who don't like anything about MY Healey and I live with it.
Tim
healey100jedi
Freshman Member
Offline
Hi Tim,
Nothing personal taken. I had a good chuckle, and I think we've been at this long enough to know what it all means. It got me thinking, too. What are the next statements? An artist has to keep moving, never remain stagnant. My Healey is my art, my expression. I want the observer to need another look, think, and desire to ask a question. After checking out your page on your car, we've probably had a lot of the same experiences, triumphs, and obstacles to overcome. Doing the work on our own gives us an appreciacion. LOL, again! See you on the road.
Dan
Nothing personal taken. I had a good chuckle, and I think we've been at this long enough to know what it all means. It got me thinking, too. What are the next statements? An artist has to keep moving, never remain stagnant. My Healey is my art, my expression. I want the observer to need another look, think, and desire to ask a question. After checking out your page on your car, we've probably had a lot of the same experiences, triumphs, and obstacles to overcome. Doing the work on our own gives us an appreciacion. LOL, again! See you on the road.
Dan
Cottontop
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Dan,
I know what you mean... I took my Healey apart to make a series of mods including a huge radiator, R&P steering, A/C, factory HT, 4 carburetors, no distributor ignition. I thought it would take me about 3 months.... Silly ME ! It's been year and a half.
Now, instead of people asking me "what are you doing?", they are asking me "WHEN are you going to Git'er Done ?"
While in England a couple of weeks ago, I spent time with Charles Matthews, the team manager for the Healeys Return to Bonneville. The Healeys are coming back in September, 2011, to break 200 MPH on the salt.
Maybe we'll see you there again.
Tim
I know what you mean... I took my Healey apart to make a series of mods including a huge radiator, R&P steering, A/C, factory HT, 4 carburetors, no distributor ignition. I thought it would take me about 3 months.... Silly ME ! It's been year and a half.
Now, instead of people asking me "what are you doing?", they are asking me "WHEN are you going to Git'er Done ?"
While in England a couple of weeks ago, I spent time with Charles Matthews, the team manager for the Healeys Return to Bonneville. The Healeys are coming back in September, 2011, to break 200 MPH on the salt.
Maybe we'll see you there again.
Tim
