According to Anders Clausager, the first 20 pre-production Big Healeys
(Healey 100) were made at Warwick, before production began at Longbridge in
May 1953. All Fifty-five 100S models were made at Warwick. In late 1957,
production of the Big Healey was transferred from Longbridge to the MG
factory at Abingdon, and it stayed there until the end of Big Healey
production in December, 1967. The very last Big Healey (HBJ8/43026) was
assembled in March, 1968 at Abingdon (it still exists).
In Graham Robson's book, The Big Healeys, and also in Chris Harvey's book,
Healey The Handsome Brute, there is a photograph of the Abingdon production
line. Visible in the picture is a mixture of Big Healeys, MGAs, and a
Bugeye.
I don't know whether BMC installed the engines in Big Healeys from the
bottom or not, but if they did the engines did not have any accessories
(starter, generator, fan, carburetors, engine mounts, etc. because there is
not enough space between the frame rails for all of this to fit.
Steve Byers
Havelock, NC USA
'73 Midget GAN5UD126009G "OO NINE"
'66 BJ8 HBJ8L/36666 "TARHEELY"
'63 BJ7 HBJ7L/20111 "HEALEYUM"
"It is better to remain silent, and be thought a fool
than to speak, and remove all doubt" -- Mark Twain
----- Original Message -----
From: <Herb_Goede@amsinc.com>
To: spridgets <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 16, 1999 11:57 AM
Subject: Abingdon?
>
>
> List,
>
> I've been under the impression, perhaps mistakenly so, that the Sprites
and
> Midgets were not assembled at the same plant as the big Healeys. The
story
> I heard was that the Healey production line couldn't handle the Sprites
> because the Engine is installed from the top (due to the cross member)
> where all big Healeys had the engine installed from underneath. So
> assembly of the Sprite was contracted out to Abingdon who's assembly line
> was set up for top side engine installation.
>
> Could someone in the know confirm or correct this story? In other words
> "Daddy where do Big Healeys come from?"
>
> Thanks, Herb
>
>
>
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