 So, to start off I had already made and restored my BN1 style#2 side screens last year. All that was left to do was to adjust them to fit the door and pop them in place...  Then I erected the top frame and installed & trimmed the front wood header rail... These early style rails used a combination of Everflex on the outer faces and matching interior vinyl on the inner faces. -Later BN1/2 the rails were instead just wrapped in Everflex.
I decided to make myself a new top following an original pattern I'd made last year from an original 100 top: I decided to test my new pattern first by cutting and sewing a practice top out of some cheap vinyl. Then I could make any alterations & adjustments to my pattern before cutting the actual new top out of English Everflex:  The new top being cut out of English Everflex...  Installing the proper aluminum front corner stiffeners in the side flaps that these 100 tops all had...  The completed top fit beautifully! - and now that my pattern has been verified, I can now make these tops available to anyone through: rightwayheritagetrim.com   Here is my new early BN1 style tonneau cover with the correct original hardware and 'Lightning' zipper...  Notice in the front corners early BN1 used Tenax snaps, and did NOT have any grommets over the spring rest studs like later tonneaus did. -Later tonneaus were more squared off in the front corners and used turn-snaps in the corners instead of Tenax, and had grommets over the spring rest studs.    So that about completes the car! I'm very happy and proud of how she turned out - I can't wait to start putting some miles on and getting her well adjusted and broken in so we can start to do some real touring in it! We just registered for 'Enclave 70' in September - the 70th anniversary show of the debute of the Austin Healey 100 - There will be lots of beautiful early Healey 100's there, including the first production car and some pre-production examples. We'll be in good company, and will have our car judged for concours as well.. so wish us luck! For now, here's a few more pics of the finished car:   Until next time -
2 Comments
David Maule
1/19/2022 05:11:54 pm
I have been watching your restoration closely and I admire your attention to detail. I have recently purchased a BN2 with some LeMans modifications and lots of Denis Welsh engine parts. I hope to be at the 2022 enclave with my car and meet you. I would like to have you do a new top and tonneau cover next winter if possible. Good luck at the concours. 1/1/2023 01:37:24 pm
Dear Mr. Chrysler: I come to view your superb website by way of my long standing friendship with Jim Purdin of Oregon, Wisconsin. He and I share an interest in the MG and Jaguar marques. I have virtually no familiarity with the BN Series Austin Healey but wish to compliment your skill and dedication to detail/originality in your restoration work. My plan is to complete my "tour" of your website and see if I can learn how your silver/blue AH 100 fared at the East Coast "Enclave 70" concours this past fall of 2022. The post event drive home in the car with your wife will , I hope , be the subject of a blog on your website. Happy New Year to you on this first day of 2023. Stay safe and well and continue your stellar work as an automotive restoration specialist. Sincerely , Jonathan B. Richards II at Chesterfield, Missouri, USA. My E-mail address is shown above. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2023
|
RSS Feed