[Healeys] Looking for a 100/4 restoration project

[britfan1 at epix.net]

Are the mounting pegs on the “Austin of England” boot-lid badges a different distance apart than the “Austin-Healey” badges?  My BN1, which left the line on Nov. 25, 1954, had the “Austin of England” badge on it when I bought it.  Paint stripping showed that the car had at least 3 different colors of paint on it (and pounds of bondo, plus pop-riveted patch panels on the rear fender doglegs!) but there were only 2 holes in the boot lid where the emblem was.

Sarah Carr
BN1 in PA

From: Michael Oritt 
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 8:42 PM
To: Michael Salter 
Cc: healeys at autox.team.net 
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Looking for a 100/4 restoration project

OK, I'll hijack this string:  My BN1, a December 54 car has an "Austin of England" badge on it whereas according to conventional wisdom it should have an "Austin-Healey" badge instead.

The car had been repainted a few years before I bought it in 1999 and I have not taken the paint on the lid down to bare metal to see if there are any filled holes but there is no sign of any.  Also the casting had an appropriate level of pitting on it when I bought the car, approximately in keeping with that on the hinges, etc. indicating originality.  

Of course it is possible that the PO--or the painter--decided for some unknown reason to put on an "A of E" badge.  But I think it is just as likely that sometimes parts on hand were installed whether or they are out of sequence, etc.

BTW, I still have never heard a credible explanation as to why the nose badges changed from "Austin-Healey" to "Austin Healey" without the hyphen. Someone once posited that a supplier furnished incorrect badges that were bought at a discount and the rest was history but that does not seem likley to me.

Best--Michael Oritt

On Wed, Jan 28, 2015 at 3:25 PM, Michael Salter <michaelsalter at gmail.com> wrote:

  There is one on eBay Item # 151555249859

  Fairly early BN1 I think...has an "Austin of England", they were replaced fairly early on..


  Michael S

  BN1 #174


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