Garage Find, Anyone know Healey values?

[gtc]

A co-worker of mine has a neighbor with a '56 Austin-Healey in her garage, and she'd like to get rid of it. I'm not sure whether it's a 100-4 or -6.
All I know so far is:
-It ran up until seven(?) years ago. Something broke, so she parked it.
-My co-worker mentioned mild surface rust from sitting (around the headlights and on a door).

Can anyone suggest what I might offer to start? I'm having trouble finding examples of similar project cars for sale.

I'll know more next week after the co-worker investigates some more.

Thanks!

[Zeke]

A lot. Nice Healeys go for 40K plus. Stellar ones go way up. Think XKE territory. So, a project can be just like a p-car project. Needs little, get out the big money to beat the other offers. If I had the money, I wouldn't hesitate to buy this car sight unseen for 20K. Well, I'd need pics.

[sc_rufctr]

Be careful. Healeys rust big time.
You may think our Porsche's rust but this is at an entirely different level.
And I'm not talking about outer panel rust but the structural steel in the chassis.
It needs to be carefully inspected before any mention of money is made.

But they can be fixed and there are heaps of repair panels and parts available.

They are also some of the most beautiful cars ever made.

[gtilove]

There was a complete 100-4 project for sale at a local swapmeet for $10,500 a couple of weeks ago. It did not sell while I was there.

[Zeke]

In a garage for only 7 years is a good sign. I've got lots of things out in the garage I haven't seen in 7 years.

[BeyGon]

I had a 56 Lemans, if you can get it for anything that you think is ok, I would buy it.

[Joeaksa]

Its prolly a 100-4 but you never know.

Check and you might find it in better shape than you expect. Owned several of them and they are a lot of fun but terrible brakes. Exhaust sound makes you want to toss the radio overboard and just keep shifting gears...

Joe A

[LakeCleElum]

Problem is "Seattle Climate"........I had a 100-6 in college..........Work on it daily.......Nothing more fun that passing someone and hitting the "'lectric overdrive" button.......

[Evans, Marv]

Wow!! Dean had a '56 LeMans. That car would be worth a ton of money now. I had '54 & '56 AH 100-4's many years ago. Really loved them although I ended up putting a Vette V8 in the '56 and later on sold it. Regretted it ever since - the part about putting the V8 in. The center of the body is aluminum and the fenders are steel, if I remember correctly. I would go over and try to access the situation and be prepared to pay between $5K and $8K for the car if it is in decent condition. I also remember something about the rod &/or main bearings having to be changed every 30K miles on these engines. Good luck.

[Dottore]

A nice '56 Le Mans will set you back $125K today.

[Scuba Steve]

That's a lot of money. An old friend named Bill has a 1957 that he bought from a junkyard around 1970 for $50. It's had a big block in it for years now but looks pretty much stock inside and out. With drag slicks the car will go up on its rear wheels while running the quarter mile; it's loads of fun.

I described it to another car guy at work whose reaction was as if something scared had been desecrated until I explained that if the guy didn't buy it, shove that engine in there and stiffen up the frame it would've been scrapped decades ago. So you can have in 2010 an Austin Healey with a big block, or you can have one that disappeared from this world 40 years ago and no longer exists.

[lin7310948]

yeah, back in the day i screwed up a couple of nice BN6 two seaters with small block ford conversions. wish i had them back! as someone stated watch out for rust in the body and chassis and previous damage to the frame. prices seem to be all over the place but a really nice one is expensive. parts seem readily available and reasonably priced.

[johnco]

guy down the street from me has one in his garage parked next to his 63 corvette split window. haven't seen either one of them on the street for the last 20-30 years

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by johnco

guy down the street from me has one in his garage parked next to his 63 corvette split window. haven't seen either one of them on the street for the last 20-30 years

There are still tons of cars stuck away. Just saw an MG TD in a garage covered with furniture.

[BeyGon]

Milt, I know an engineer in Irvine with one, crap all over it. He has had it in the garage for 20 years, he won't sell it. He said his wife needs it to stack stuff. That and he said when the kids get out of college he will fix it up. We know that never happens.

[gtc]

I'm not getting my hopes up yet, but I would certainly love to own either a 100-4 or 100-6 if I have the means.

Thanks for the tips. I'll let you know what happens, and will definitely post pics if I get down there to check the car out.

[MysticLlama]

It looks pretty narrow, it would probably definately be able to get around that post in my garage.

[gtc]

Rob, you may come to regret that! (See photo #1 above)

[MysticLlama]

Eh, 6-7 cans of rust converter, some duct tape, maybe a little bailing wire and it'll hold together.

Here's to hoping you wouldn't buy a rust bucket like that.

[nota]

back when old race cars were not valuable 60's
a buddy got a old healey Le Mans without a motor or trans
he stuffed in a chevy small block and rock crusher with a narrowed 10 bolt rear
when he cut the rear fenders for the dragslicks he said it cut like butter
he had one of the alloy bodys
the car ran a 12 second quarter as street tuned driven to the track car
and every street race he ran, he won and he ran a lot
I watched the car beat a 427 vett on a bumpie back road

thats one of the main reason I hate the car collector markets now
every one talks value
but forgets the fun of old cars