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Hi Steve,

As an original owner, I never thought getting a Certificate for my car was that important. However, when I am gone, it may make a difference to my kids or grandchildren if they decide to sell my BJ8 P1. Should I be considering the purchase of a Certificate?

After deciding to purchase a BJ7 in August/September of 1963 (BJ8 was not yet introduced) and living on the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel (Weehawken, NJ), I searched for a dealer that would take my 1958 Customized powder blue Pontiac Bonneville Convertible on trade and found a Pontiac/BMC dealer outside of Passaic, NJ. Since the lead time was close to 6 months, I was called in early April of 1964 to pick up my Healey and a BJ8 P1 was offered and happily accepted in place of the BJ7.

On delivery, it was noted that one of my seat cushions had a mar and the dealer was slow in replacing it. As I remember, I drove to the NY BMC offices in Palasade Park, NJ (on the NJ side of the George Washington Bridge) and they promptly replaced the defective seat cushion. I se,e in your attachment, that you indicated Import locations in NYC and Newark, NJ. These locations are within 20 miles of each other and I would have thought they would have constituted a single import destination. Since the dealer I selected is reasonably equidistant from both NYC and Newark import locations, I guess I will need to purchase a Certificate to find out where my Healey entered the US.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
Ray, a certificate is nice to have, but I guess it's up to you if you want to spend the money for it. If it isn't important to you, it probably won't be to your children and grandchildren. Most of the cars being sold today end up leaving the USA and I expect that will continue in the near future because that's where the market is. I don't believe a certificate would make it significantly easier to sell in any case.

Although I don't have the certificate for your car, I do have the BMIHT data for it. I have a friend in England that looks this stuff up for me in the BMIHT archives. There are two forms of that data in the archives: ledger books with the data transcribed by hand from the build records, and the microfiche of the actual build cards that are used to produce the certificates. The data in the two formats is not always identical. For example, the certificates specify the build date(s) as the date that the car came off the Trim Line to the date that it completed Finishing. The ledger books include the intermediate dates of Off Body Line, Off Test, Off Rectification, then after Off Finishing is a Date Advised. For many cars, the Destination in the ledger books is not specific -- for example, it might say USA instead of the specific Port of Entry. I've noticed that in some cases the certificates will give the specific Port of Entry if the ledger book data does not. The BMIHT data I have for your car says only "USA", so to find out the exact Port of Entry you would have to submit a query to BMIHT (I think the current charge for such a question is ÂŁ6) or purchase a certificate. The cert may or may not also give it as USA.
If you do decide to get the cert, please provide a copy to me for the BJ8 Registry records.

Thanks!
 
Hi Steve,
i would be really interested to see the ledger content for my car to not only see the potential additional information but also to see how it compares to the certificates that I have. Perhaps a unique view, but I feel that it is all the details that create the cars story and build its individual personality.
Reading your response to Ray, can I request this information from BMIHT? Is it 1 charge per seperate date request or do I simply request to obtain the ledger detail relating to my car?
I hope you don't mind the questions?
Regards,
Tatong
 
Tatong, I am fortunate to have found someone who lives near Gaydon who is willing to go there periodically and spend a day researching information from lists of cars, "orphan" parts such as engines, gearboxes, rear axles, etc., that I am interested in and sending the data to me. This is really helpful when I find an engine, for example, that is installed in a car that it is obviously not original to. My focus is only on BJ8s, but occasionally he has looked up the data for another model Healey for me. If you go personally to the archives, they will allow you to do research at no charge, but you have to schedule with them in advance. The source made available to the public is the ledger books (actually, what you get now is a scan of the ledger books, not the actual books. Apparently the BMIHT staff were concerned about deterioration of the paper and have now scanned them all). If you submit a request to the BMIHT staff for information, they will use the microfiche copies of the original build cards to respond. I do not believe they would use the ledger books, and I think they will only provide one specific response to one specific request for data, and there is a charge for it.

Obviously if my guy is looking up data for a non-BJ8, he is not using that time to look up data of interest to me and I can't do this for everyone. The lists I send him usually have more BJ8s and orphan parts on it than he has time in one day to complete (by intention). However, if you'll give me your VIN, I'll add it to my next list.
 
Tatong said:
Perhaps a unique view, but I feel that it is all the details that create the cars story and build its individual personality.
Click to expand...

That reminds me of one more thought: I have always looked at Healeys as individuals, each with its own individual story and history. It is the cars themselves that have attracted all of us to the Healey community, but it is the people who give the cars meaning. I think each car's story, and history -- and by that I mean its ownership history -- needs to be preserved for the benefit of those who will come after us. I want the experiences I have had with my car over the last 32 years to be passed on down the line to subsequent owners, and I try to make the registry the place where the histories of all the other BJ8s are preserved so they are not lost as the cars pass from one owner to another.
For each car, I try to document each owner in the chain by name/address/telephone/e-mail and date of purchase to date of sale in such a way that some owner 5 or 10 years from may have some hope of getting in touch with each of them to learn more about their time with the car if they should want to do so. I hear very frequently from new owners who want to learn more, but there is no other place except the registry where the information can be documented and preserved that might allow future owners to contact previous owners. Unfortunately, in many cases I have to tell those inquiring about history that I have no previous record.
Those who choose not to add their car to the registry record are just denying later owners the possibility of learning more. I think we owe it to them to make it possible.
 
Hi again Steve,
Beautifully put, I could not agree more. I am sure you must have contacted some real characters in you time with the registry?
While you just have to respect the privacy of those who choose not to share their story, it is a shame.
I feel lucky to have details of the original purchaser and a lot has been recorded about his life. From him their is a gap of near on 20 years before mine turns up again in Qld. It is nice to know at least that when it is purchased at that time that it is still in very good original condition.
from 1979 to present apart from a change of colour, a brake booster, telescopic shocks it is as it rolled out of Abingdon.
There was one bit of information that suggests the car went back to the UK for repair after an incident with the back of a Milk truck. It was also suggested that at this time it may have gone to DHMC for some rally spec upgrades, but this remains unconfirmed.

Again Steve I thank you and thank you for all that you do to support your fellow Healey lovers.

HBN7/3399 Build 19 August 1959, Dispatch 24 August 1959. Body no 3338, Eng no 29D-RU-H/3951

best wishes,

Tatong
 
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Steve just a thought in relation to the ports of entry and your register, have you had access to the data that Patrick Quinn published regarding the 11 BJ 8s that arrived as export from factory to Australia? It gives a breakdown of the Vins and the states that they were delivered to. I assume that you have, but just thought I would mention it.
 
Tatong said:
Steve just a thought in relation to the ports of entry and your register, have you had access to the data that Patrick Quinn published regarding the 11 BJ 8s that arrived as export from factory to Australia? It gives a breakdown of the Vins and the states that they were delivered to. I assume that you have, but just thought I would mention it.
Click to expand...

Yes, Tatong, Patrick shared the import cards for those cars with me in 2003. Thanks for asking.
 
Just saw you are a new owner in Chapel Hill. There are a few of us in the RTP area. I live north of Chapel Hill and have a 1967 metallic golden beige that I have owned since 1969. You might see me driving around town sometime. My NC tag is "MY YOUTH".
 
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