1959 Austin Healey 100-6

-

8 - Cyl.

Manual

BN6L4382

Gasoline

Thank you for your consideration of this 1959 Austin Healey BN6. Before you read further please note my 12 year E-Bay history and perfect feedback record. I am the owner of a auto restoration and repair shop here in Vegas and have done all the work on this car myself. This car is one of 285 BN6 2-seat models made for north American Export between April 1958 and March 1959. I purchased this car in February 1996 in Carlsbad, CA. According to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate (included) the car was originally exported to Las Angeles. It has lived in California and Las Vegas its entire life and has no rust. The color is Porsche Guards Red. It was painted sometime in the 70s and is real lead based paint that is now illegal because it's so toxic to shoot. I have five files of work and 15 years of receipts documenting all work performed and money spent. Following are some highlights: Dash signed by Carroll Shelby at cobra Day 1998. He and Donald Healey were close friends. Dayton 15X6 chrome wire wheels with stainless steel spokes. Bilstein tube shock conversion kit. All four. Ford Comet aluminum radiator with Spal thermostatically controlled electric fan. Mustang T-5 5 speed transmission. Demon carb. Holley high volume fuel pump with pressure regulator. Summit 16 gallon tank. Braided fuel lines. Trunk mounted Optima battery with Jegs cables and battery cut off switch. Custom aluminum engine bay with 1/4 turn Dzus fasteners. Custom roll bar. Custom rear end supports adjustable for pinion angle. Custom bonnet louvers. Larger front anti roll bar with poly mounts. Painless wiring harness with 12 circuit fuse box. All suspension bushings replaced. Moto-Lita steering wheel. Custom aluminum seat pans. New and never installed. Soft top and aluminum side curtains. Crane HI-6 ignition and coil. Custom access door behind seats. Custom drive shaft. Sony head unit with remote. PPI amp. 4 speakers. Auto Meter fuel and oil temp gauges. Re-sleeved clutch master and slave cyl. New brake master cyl. Front bumper with Lucas fog lights is included. There are minor scratches and dings as one would expect from a 50 year old car, especially a driver. The front valance panel and running lights are off a later model Healey 3000. Apparently it was hit in the passenger's front years ago. Cosmetic damage only. To those of you following this car from its last listing, it is now for auction WITHOUT the factory hard top. The reserve has been lowered accordingly. I am selling the hard top separately because the car did not come close to reserve last time and the top has more value if sold on its own. All body panels are as God and Donald Healey intended. There are louvers cut in the bonnet and I added a roll bar just before my first son was born. Other than that and the dual side exhausts, it looks completely stock. I do not like body mods on these cars. The wheels are only six inches wide which can create traction problems if not careful, but it's a sacrifice I have gladly made to retain the beautiful original lines. The rear end is stock, although it has been strengthened as you can see. The brakes and steering are stock. The engine is a 1963 289 hi-po Ford. Not a copy, a real hi-po, with solid valve lifters, larger crank damper, special hi-po heads, Cobra intake and extremely rare Cobra exhaust manifolds. This engine has been in the car since the 60's and was the reason I purchased this car. I have no actual proof this engine came out of a wreaked 289 Cobra, but the date codes on all the engine parts begin with C3, meaning a 1963 build date. This engine pre-dates the Mustang by a year and a half, and was only found in a few 289 Cobras as it's set up in my car. A guy once offered me $2500, a carburetor, and his wife just for the exhaust manifolds. At idle you can hear the solid lifters and the open pipes, and so can everyone else within earshot. The car originally had a T-10 Borg Warner 4 speed (again Cobra spec) with a Cobra shifter. After the transmission case broke in half one day while I was driving my son home from school, I replaced it With a T-5 5 speed out of a 5.0 litre Mustang. The overdrive is a blessing. The rear end has the Healey 4.10 gears so 5th gear is very welcome on the freeway. I have rebuilt the engine twice in 15 years. Most recently in 2002. I saved all the original internal parts from 1963. Before I purchased it in 1997 it had never been apart. The interior was done in 1997 and obviously is ready to be done again. I just purchased a set of aluminum seat pans from E-Bay in preparation for the new interior. I also have the soft top and frame, and the sliding perspex windows. The engine is behind the front axle line. With all the aluminum parts the engine is 200 pounds less than the Austin block of iron. I had to cut the coils to get the car to ride correctly. The aluminum engine bay was custom made by a shop in San Diego. They also fabricated the roll bar to fit under the top, the child seat, battery box, and adjustable rear end bracing. The engine bay is in several sections. Each is removed with 1/4 turn fasteners. A very clean look. It polishes up to a mirror shine too, but I drive it too much. The clutch is a McLoed heavy racing clutch with steel flywheel and hydraulic master and slave. The Mustang Borg Warner T-5 is a quick ratio unit. The rear gears are 4.10 Healey so you shift rather quickly. 5th gear is 2200 rpm on the freeway. It will happily cruise at 80mph. Top speed is unknown. Steering box is as original and has some play. It has been completely reliable. I have been reluctant to change to rack and pinion because I wanted to retain the stock splined hubs and wire wheels. The main benefit of rack and pinion on this car would be space for a bigger radiator. I like the feel of the steering, and it's as Donald intended. At some point I have replaced all rubber suspension bushings and fitted a large front sway bar with poly bushings. You have to respect the limits of the brakes. They work terrific in normal driving and the pedal pressure is minimal. You just can't really panic stop. In 15 years it has not been a problem. Fellow Austin Healey club members have told me they actually prefer the drums to the early Healey disks. Again I wanted to keep the original look of the car so as with the steering, I left well enough alone. The shocks are Udo Putzski's Bilstein tube shock conversion kit. All four. The ride is fantastic. Also the fuel tank is now a racing fuel cell with large lines, Holley pump and regulator, and Demon carb. In the 15 years I have owned this car I have driven it constantly. The car is sorted to the point where you just get in and drive. No excuses. The mileage is not accurate. The Smiths gauges have never been accurate. I am considering selling only because I have my eye on another toy(of course). Interested parties should e-mail me with any questions. I check my e-mail frequently. The car is being sold as is. No trades please. I am fully aware this car is worth less with this engine than with the stock Austin anchor of a motor, and the reserve is set accordingly. Low ball offers will be politely refused. Please no fake cashier's checks and no out of the country buyers. I've seen it all. Thank you and good luck. Michael