[Healeys] Bumper support brackets

[Perry]

In a land far, far away, 2500 miles west of California…a land of sunshine and rain.  Little English beasts , known as Austin Healeys, used to inhabit the hills and valleys, mountains and shorelines. The sun kept them warm, the rain and salty air often moistened their lightly protected steel underbellies and the dreaded enemy of the beasts brought upon them a scourge, RUST. On many occasions during four decades living among the beasts, in the land of sunshine and rain, I witnessed the results of the scourge. In several cases the scourge caused body parts to fall off the beasts, including the shiny steel bars that originally graced the front and rear of the beast. 

The rear bar had more protection but the front suffered from over exposure.  The little retaining tubes that faithfully held the shiny bar to the underbelly would succumb to the scourge and the bar would eventually droop and the death rattle could be heard as the beasts would traverse the land of sunshine and rain. 

Fortunately there was several hearty souls that cared for the beasts in their time of testing and trials. This was in the days before the Master, Kilmartin, recreated every part of the beasts that had contracted the scourge.  Back then, crude substitutes for the original wonderfully formed underbellies where made to replace the damaged areas and re-establish the connections between the underbelly and the shiny bars supports. 

As stories go, the little beasts would let out a small puff of smoke just to let everyone know how glad they were for the attention received. A smile and a shiny bar….what more could we ask for, except maybe an electrician. 

Hope everyone is safe and well in this time of difficulty for many. 😊
Perry



Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Bruce Steele
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2020 5:04 PM
To: 'WILLIAM B LAWRENCE'; 'Tom'; 'Healey Mail List'
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Bumper support brackets

I would think it would take some serious over-tightening to break the tube loose.  Probably strip the threads before that would happen.  I chased the threads from both sides when I took my bumper off and I’ve had no problems.  My current configuration has the chin scoop on the inside of the rails and the tow eyes sandwiched between the outside of the rails and the aux light brackets.

Bruce Steele
Brea, CA
1960 BN7

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of WILLIAM B LAWRENCE
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 8:45 AM
To: Tom <ah3000me at gmail.com>; Healey Mail List <healeys at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Bumper support brackets

“do the welds ever break and ...” 

Highly unlikely. The tubes are of a heavy gauge and are welded all the way around on both ends. They are not just spot welded. If you are concerned that the bolt may be too tight going into the tube you can clean the thread with a 3/8” UNF (SAE) thread tap.

Bill Lawrence 
BN1 #554


From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Tom <ah3000me at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 12:21 PM
To: Healey Mail List <healeys at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Bumper support brackets 
 
Mike, Skip, Bruce, 

Thank you!   

Internally thread tube, welded to the frame...  do the welds ever break and the tubes just turn inside the frame?   Sounds like something I'll leave well enough alone!

- Tom

On Tue, May 12, 2020 at 9:12 PM Tom <ah3000me at gmail.com> wrote:

How do the brackets that support the BJ8 front bumper attach to the frame?   Is there one long bolt that goes clear thru the frame?   Or are there captive nuts inside the frame?  

thanks,
Tom


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