Healey List Excerpts

REPLACING WINDSHIELD WIPER RUBBER

Click here for PDF document provided by J. Scott Morris

DOOR SHUT PIPING

I need to know where the "door shut piping" goes on my 1956 100M. These pieces were provided by Heritage but were missing from my car. I have a pair each 32" long in black.

Answer:

Here are a few pictures of door shut pillar piping as fitted to Hundreds.These glue along just under the edge of the aluminum shut pillars. Up near the top end where the piping gradually disappears behind the aluminum trim at the inner curve, the inner core of the piping is removed to allow the piping vinyl to squash flat as it disappears.

However, a word about Hundred  and Longbridge built 100/Six shut pillar piping colours here. They were trimmed in various colours. Healey Blue exterior paint had piping that was a pale greyish blue. Carmine Red cars had an orangey red piping, Coronet cream cars had a pale beige piping. Ivory cars and black cars that were trimmed in orange/red had orangey piping.
Spruce Green cars had green piping. later BN2's with Florida Green paint had black interiors and black piping. If you have any doubts about what your piping colour should be, feel free to contact me.

Rich Chrysler

WATER CHANNEL

Before I start the interior install, the upper trim rail (water channel), trim rail, chrome molding for the rear cockpit have to be installed.  My question is the upper trim rail, the water channel does this go behind the rear shroud lip or just up against the interior side of the shroud?  and just plain pop rivets? does the top get sandwiched between the upper and lower trim rails?  Very confusing install since the books don't really have a good picture. The chrome piece goes on last?  Thanks  Gene   64BJ8

Answer:

Gene, the grey painted water channel must be pop riveted up into the inside of the shroud before the shroud is installed on the car as per pics. It cannot be fitted later.
Then the chrome trim rail is installed on top of the painted shroud with #6 chromed countersunk posidrive screws with some caulking to seal things between paint and chrome. The top bows assembly needs to be fitted and adjustments made so all the cantrail pieces (pretrimmed in a thin pebbly ivory vinyl) and weather strips will fit properly. Then the top is fitted, beginning with the back edge of the top material being clipped with black barbed clips to the J shaped grey hoop that is then screwed onto the rear drip channel.  This J channel has a thin black rubber lining fitted inside that gets sandwiched against the drip rail. There is usually a degree of trial and error fitting of the top material to this strip before a final ideal fit is found.
Unfortunately the last step with the J strip fitted can't be photoraphed too well because by then the top is installed and is in the way. Once the entire top assembly is installed and you're satisfied with the fit, the rear quarter panels and finally the rear fold down assembly can be installed into the car.

Rich

SCUTTLE SEALS

The scuttle seals on my 3000 MkII BT7 are missing.  Any comments on the ones from Moss (fit/quality/originality)? Looks like they get them from AH Spares.

Answer:

I just finished installing a pair of roadster scuttle seals that came from AH Spares. Although they are awkward by design to install at the best of times, I found that these gave no more trouble than the usual struggle! This is a situation that calls for about 4 hands at once, though there isn't room for them.

The fitting of them involves working them into position and marking where the holes for the split pins will need to be located. Then it's off the car, punch the holes as needed and split pins with flat washers (not supplied) must be pressed into the lower flap, the unit repositioned on the car, and the pins pushed up through the locating holes on the cowl side flange and fender rear curved flange.

Using an old original scuttle seal as a pattern, about an inch needs to be cut off the end of the seal that will end down behind the top door hinge.
With all this fitted in place, the upper flaps of the seal must be eased open and the split pins must be opened up to lie flat and tight to the flange metal. This will now leave you with a scuttle seal assembly with the wide top most flap sitting over the top surface of the cowl, and the upper end protruding some 2" beyond the surface of the cowl.

Now some very careful cutting and glueing needs to take place. First, the top flap that will sit in the front corner closest to the windscreen will need a triangular shaped corner cut off. This upper surface rubber flap needs to be contact cemented to the top surface of the shroud. The only thing I would criticize about these scuttle seals is the height of the seal from where it fits the inside of the U shaped trough to where the top surface flap glues to the top surface of the shroud. It is a bit too tall, requiring some cheating to make the flap glue down and sit properly.

The end protruding out toward the passenger compartment will need to be trimmed away so that all that remains is a single flat vertical edge flap that will turn inboard 90 degrees and attach to the vertical edge of the shroud with a single #6 screw and flat washer. This bent over end flap will make an end for the scuttle trough, something like the idea of an end on an eaves trough on your house. A bit of black weatherstripping sealant will finish the job and make it waterproof.

This last detail is done wrong on so many cars. Most folks will simply chop the end off leaving the water trough open so in a rainstorm, the water will collect in the trough and come back and pour into the car.

The only thing I would criticize about these scuttle seals is the height of the seal from the inside of the U shaped trough to where the top surface flap glues to the top surface of the shroud. It is a bit too tall, requiring some cheating to make the flap glue down and sit properly.

I'm sending three pics of these fitted seals for reference asking their respective webmasters if they might post them to John Sims site and the Austin Healey Club of Ontario site (AHCSO).

Rich

100-4 ALUMINUM B-POST AND SILL PLATES

I'm looking in the factory parts book for the 100-4 BN1/2 and I noticed
That the aluminum plates that cover the B-post and the sills have a change
point at VIN 2235.  What's the difference between the earlier ones and the later
ones?
Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Paul B.

Answer:

The early cars to change point Body #2235 (NOT VIN #2235) had much narrower rectangular chrome striker surround plates mounted to the B post. There was absolutely no room for error or adjustment in or out on the post without the hole for the striker shank showing along the edges. Later cars had wider chrome striker plates that allowed some forgiveness in the position of the locating holes in the alloy plates. See pictures showing an original early Coronet cream car with the narrow striker plate, and a later Carmine Red car showing the later wider striker plate.

One more important point...when doing these alloy plates, I purchase the Kilmartin ones that are accurate with the proper rectangular depression in the striker plate area, and allow you to cut your own holes sized as needed.

Rich