Awesome Healey

This is my '58 Austin Healey 100/6.

It is specifically a BN4 model, it was built in November 1957 and sold new with wire wheels, overdrive, a heater, and a matching hardtop.

It was built at the Abingdon Plant and has "Longbridge Plant Features". That is to say that it was one of the 1st cars built at the new assembly plant with some of the older features during the short time when production overlaped at the two factories.

Thats the Healey part. 

Here's the awesome part.

It was my Dad's.

It is a very close comparison to his 1st car, another early 100/6.

I helped him find it. It took 3 or 4 years to get it. One day out of the blue... the previous owner just decided it was time. 

It has been in the family for 18 years now. It will always be in the family.....

There are a lot of reasons it will always be a part of our family, not the least of which is that it makes you feel like this when you drive it.

It's been to some GRM Challenges. 

It has always been in the background.

It has always run.

Until yesterday.

The clutch failed.

It was still drivable, but time was short, so It got torn down tonight.

As suspected, the clutch cover had failed.

Specifically one of the 3 lever arms cracked and allowed the pivot pin to partially slip out.

Essentiality a partial collapse of the clutch cover.

So time for a new clutch, and the while im in there list which is sure to follow.....

This car has been super uber reliable.

Now for full disclosure, we did not buy it in that state.... we did a lot of work to it. (more on that later)

The goal was for it to always be turn key ready for Dad to take out and enjoy.

After we squared it away it never  let him down in the 14 years he had it.

He passed in 18, so its mine now.

When the clutch failed yesterday, I realized how I really took the Healey for granted.

It has ALWAYS run.... it has taken me to the parts store MANY times to buy stuff for the projects and daily drivers around here.

I also realized that as it was a huge part of my automotive DNA (more on that later as well...) and that I had not started a long term thread on GRM for it.

As much as this car means to me, not sharing it on the forum was another prime example of how I've not fully recognized all of the Awesome Healey Awesomeness. 

Therefore the balance of this thread will be background on the car and the work done to it, a little on what Healeys in general have meant to me over the years... and the wrenching required to keep the Healey at the top of the food chain in the fleet!

And, in case a million years from now, a descendant of mine sells it, the future owner can learn a little more about the history of BN4L-O-54383 !  

Anyone out there have a set of 15x5.5 minilite type wheels for a big healey?

I think it is getting close to the time to retire the old original 48 spoke wheels... at least for spirited driving any way....

Think I may have some 15 x 5.5 sold by Moss out in the shed. If I do, I can tell you the chrome on the spline WILL be rusty. let me know if interested, I'll go out and check

Having ridden in this I can confirm that it is an awesome car.

In reply to twentyover :

Yes, definitely interested! 

Thanks...

Good to see you writing this one up. The car is spectacular in its as used, not overly restored form. The fact that it is as dependable as gravity is not really unexpected knowing how you care for it. And that straight six sound is perfect.

stafford1500 said:

Good to see you writing this one up.

Same! As I think we've covered, I can relate to your love of your particular Healey in the same way. Ours has been in the family longer than I have. 

Now that you have the car opened up, what is your plan?  A 5 speed conversion? Starter refresh or gear reduction upgrade?

Rear main seal replacement? 

I have been through a similar situation, pluses and money decisions to ponder.

In reply to jr02518 :

All of those, except the 5 speed conversion.

The 4speed OD is fine, and VERY Healey... :) The boys love to flip the switch on in 4th.

And I really like saying "Laycock de Normanville Overdrive"

One small oversight, in the last post.

The Healey does not use a rear main seal.

Some low impact and inexpensive task can be just detailing the drivetrain and engine bay.

A complete front suspension and steering overhaul transforms these cars and is something that often gets neglected because no one part seems to be worn out enough to worry about it; its the sum of stackup slop that creates issues like scuttle shake and steering slop.

Throttle linkages are the same deal. Hard to believe how many bushings and ball joints there are in the throttle system. Much nicer to drive when the slop is removed and the one crossbar can only be changed with the engine out. Maybe with the gearbox out?

In reply to NOHOME :

So, without jumping "ahead" I am planning to list all of the work that was done in the 1st phase of ownership....

As to your suggestion on the suspension, over 2004-06 we replaced a lot of front end stuff, front and rear springs, etc... New splined hubs too.

The biggest improvement was having Apple Hydraulics rebuild the armstong lever shocks with ball bearings in place of the bushings, and real lip seals instead of the leather packing.

All of the throttle linkage parts are tight, and the overdrive relay and switch are calibrated properly. The throttle cross on mine is fine, and you can access it pretty well with the transmission removed.

In reply to NOHOME :

You will see a cool feature of my car being somewhat restored when I paint the transmission.

My car was one of the few that was built with an Austin Green painted engine and transmission.

This was because at the start of production at Abingdon the engine plant did not know that the drivetrains being sent to Abingdon needed to be painted the Healey color and they defaulted to Austin dark green.

Can confirm this car puts a huge smile on my face every time I see it.

And driving it around the parking lot - it IS awesome.

Great looking car! And cool that your family has such a history with it!! :)

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

We'll have to arrange a longer drive next time... ;)

I'll probably enter it in May as an "overbudget" car. (If the catagory still exists)

I think it would be fun to benchmark it against the Challenge Cars... 

Here is the first outline of ownership history as is known so far.

Built December 30, 1957

Shipped to a Dealer in Jacksonville, Florida.

The 1st owner(s) are unknown.

The 1st known owner was Duane Postlethwaite, the father of the gentleman we bought the car from.

He bought the car in July 1968 in Miami Beach for $350.

There are receipts for newly recovered seats and paint and body work from June / July 1971.

In 1972 Duane Postlethwaite ran into the back of a patrol car on the palmetto expressway, in the rain.

He damaged the grill, front fenders, radiator, and center section. All but the center section were reused  when it was repaired '79-80.

Unfortunately Mr. Duane Postlethwaite passed at the age of 45 on July 24, 1972.

The next record is in an included notebook log of repairs from 1979 thru 2005

There were some repairs done to tires and a battery cable in 1979. 

After that there are extensive notes of repairs made between 1981 and 1982.

11/12/1981 a Florida title was issued to Maxim Postlethwiate, Duane's son.

Max owned the car until we bought it for dad in December 2005.

Max is a great guy. Super nice.

He made a note in the log book that he met me for the 1st time, 3/6/2000 in the Albertson's parking lot in Gainesville!

On 12/29/2005 he logged that we went for a test drive.

Dec 2005, Max sold the car to us.

1/3/2006 dad titled it.

9/17/2018, the title was transferred to me.

Dad passed 11/4/2018.

I may update this post, and when I do, I'll note the change.

1st post 11/2/2022.

11/3/2022 edits.

Notice, I said that Max sold the car to "us".

Well, there is a story there.

For about 6 years previously, I had been looking for a Healey for dad.

The ones we liked, we could not afford. 

The ones we could afford, we did not like.

All the while, cost was going up and supply was going down.

By the time I was talking to Max about the Healey for dad... it was time.

We needed a decent car now, if we were ever going to be successful.

I was the broker / middleman / whatever. 

Max was, again, awesome. He offered the car to us at a very generous price. 

His reasoning was that he wanted to get to see the car from time to time, and he was also acknowledging that the car was really needing attention.

(hub splines, wiring harness, carb tune, cooling, tires, no brakes... but it was basically sound. A driver project car. A hard state to find a Healey in)

He also liked our legitimate father / son story.

He offered the car at a nice , low, 5 figure price that was very reasonable.

GREAT!!!!

...except... that dad was not going any higher than $2k below the offered sale price.

'cmon.....!!!! DAD!!!!

Well, in the end I wasn't letting this slide. I gave Max $2,000 and asked him to vigorously negotiate with dad, but in the end accept his low offer.

I never told dad. Ever. I didn't tell many people at all untill he passed in November 2018.

For 12 years he enjoyed the car, and that he had bested Max AND Me!

But that was how "WE" bought the car.

Took me a while to go back and find these but it was worth it because I know how much he enjoyed that day.

It was a delight to hear about the Healey at the Challenge, and I'm looking forward to following this thread. 

Ok gang... time to get back to pictures....

These are from the day we bought the car. (Jan 2006)

Max is on the left, I'm on the right, and Dad is up front.

Max had the car hidden away, he didn't like to field "is it for sale questions" very much.

Dad is starting to realize that he is about to part with a pile of money, for a car he can't drive until I do a LOT of work to it.

Notice the checkbook in his shirt pocket. Kids, you may want to Google that.

Yep dad was about to attempt a $2000 price negotiation with a checkbook. lol. 

Frankly Im a little surprised he didn't try to use travelers checks... lol.

After a little digging. There it is. It's almost a clone of dad's first car... some 45 years later.

He's getting excited.

Now it's all the way out and he can see a quirk or two... 

Yep, its a Healey. and those front tires are from '71 ! The rear are older....

You can tell dad is all in now...

Max had a system of carb adjustments....

And the deal is done!

Hours later, it is in the driveway in Tallahassee.

Everyone is just a little happy.

And here it is, in its new home. Note the hardtop, and the tan soft top hanging up. It's original from '57!

Quirks or not, that is a truly beautiful automobile! The lines are amazing. :)