"Wheeler Dealers" TV show

[Jay Laifman]

OK. Finished. Brabham invented the Tiger? Glad what happened with the dash, bummed about the paint and front lights. Noted the interesting placement of the oil cooler (I put mine behind the grille when I moved my SV into my S3). Noted the new hydraulics.

But the one thing that drives me nuts is that no way the paint was $2,000!

 

[Series6]

On in Washington now.

 

[Series6]

Ok. Let's hear your reviews.

 

[sd_pace]

you know the nest of wires remained behind the dash ... they never showed much from under the car although they mentioned the suspension... never heard of Brabham... thinkin the head was probably replace with a stock head after it was sold ... glad to see the value going up ... still enjoyed seein the show, will watch the rerun tonite...

 

[DanR]

Yeh!! or, God forbid, air conditioning

I did one in my '67 SV 1725 engine. Lots of enjoyment when extremely hot 95-105 degrees here in Sunny SC and with the Hard Top on too!

Now have in with the V6.... Try it you might like it

 

[Alpine 1789]

After 6 months of waiting, it was a little bit of a letdown for me, but it was still very cool to see them working on a car I know so well. Watching it and seeing things they got wrong made me realize how owners of every brand must feel watching them work on and describe 'their' cars.

A couple of random things I noticed that haven't been mentioned yet:

• They never did say whether it was truly a Brabham engine or not. The fact that the head was not doesn’t really tell us much, since they get replaced all the time.
• And, while they implied it was a vintage racer, there were too many things on it (like the wood dash and the fact that there was no mention of any history) made me wonder if it was more of a wannabe.
• I also thought that $2000 was awfully cheap for the paint job, although I noticed they didn't do the engine compartment or trunk and probably not the interior other than the roll bar.
• Finally, while it is relatively minor, I noticed they replaced the original Lucas driving lights with a generic set. It isn't significant, but it still caught my attention and I didn't see any indication of that in the pricing. Makes me wonder how accurate their final tally is.

All that said, I enjoyed watching it and kept the recording for repeat watching.

 

[DanR]

For an added measure....

Maybe I should have contacted them before they started and suggested they include in the Luxury package my Electrical Power Steering (EPS)

 

[65sunbeam]

They sure could have used a Sunbeam owner to do some fact checking!
Jim is right-that was no former race car....Those are Bugeye Sprite seats in the Alpine. Ed said the engine was from a Minx as it had an alloy head and Alpines had cast iron heads? Made a big deal about the exhaust manifold, carbs and air cleaners-which are all stock on a S3. Good points are that the Alpine gets some well deserved air time and they had some great driving scenes. They both seemed to love the car-and this is one that Ed actually can sit in comfortably. I do like that blue color-is it Lake Blue?

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Great to see 'our' very own little Alpine on Wheeler Dealers. It's like a worldwide (wherever the show airs) showcase for any car. Since I've overheard comments at car shows like 'oh cool, saw one of those on Wheeler Dealers the other night!' I hope Alpines in general get the recognition they deserve.

Really happy to hear some of the positive comments about the car on such a popular and widely watched show such as 'they're becoming far more rare these days', the connection with 007, 'one of the best sports cars we've ever created' and in the end Ed asking $19,000 for a non-original Alpine (and getting $18,000!).

I thought I recognized those seats, I used to drive a red Bugeye Sprite in High School. Kinda like the paint color (since mine is Mediterranean Blue). Bummed they didn't show Ed working on the suspension at all (mine needs work). I liked the rare chrome rock guards on the headlights (had them on my first car, a 62 Corvair Spyder) wish they would have kept them on, Thank God they refinished the wood dash rather than cover it up. Is that a 60's vintage steering wheel? The racing number light was cool. Like the idea of hidden Bluetooth speakers. Noticed Ed said the ceramic coating on the exhaust was only $125 but at the end it was listed as $260.

Overall, fun to watch.

 

[Rick Young]

It was fun to see and hear an Alpine on the show.
I was surprised at the cost of a paint job.
Also, I think they said 30 some odd hours for labor. I must be slowing down.
Rick

 

[tigereater]

My husband and I were a bit disappointed. We too thought there were errors and omissions that made it difficult to watch. It would have made it a better show if they had taken the trouble to fact check. However, I'm glad I got to see that much TV coverage of a Sunbeam Alpine. And I'm very happy they didn't cover a perfectly good original wood dash, albeit tatty, with black leather. lol
Gina
In very cold Colorado

 

[DanR]

30 some odd hours @

one man's labor x the number of guys working might be a better estimate

 

[sunbeam74]

Wheeler dealers car

I had looked at this car about year ago. It was a nice solid car. I am fairly certain this had been a car that had raced in VARA back in the 90's. I doubt it had earlier race history. Somehow it had migrated from California to New England about 10-15 years ago.

As for the motor.... it was a Minx motor with alloy head. The valve cover I suspect was from the old Ken Miles S3 Alpine Rootes had provided for the 1963 season. The actual Ken Miles car was scrapped but the parts were sold off in the mid-90's by either Carl Christensen or Don Stephan. (The car swapped hands between the two once or twice and I'm not sure when the parts were split off).

It was a super solid car. It was pretty neat and wouldn't have taken much to go back on the track other than fuel cell, head work, and detailing (that wiring was scary but I have seen much worse). It would have been a good starter car.

 

[Series6]

I found Mike annoying. Every other word was profit or tidy profit. Wondered if he really enjoys driving at all.

These guys were at a Cars and Coffee in Irvine a few years back and I think Kelly, Rich, Mike and I were there. As I recall they were a bit bossy.

At the end when the camera was panning across the front of the car I thought I saw sanding lines under the paint.

When they showed the wiring I thought "Geez Paul should a sent them a harness. Great product plug."

Ok, they really didnt research the car well but there was some great photography. The car looked great and exposed a wide audience to our cars. I'm happy about that.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

These guys were at a Cars and Coffee in Irvine a few years back and I think Kelly, Rich, Mike and I were there. As I recall they were a bit bossy. .

Sounds familiar Nick (good ol' Irvine C&C, the real King of Cars & Coffee, miss those days). Years later I met Mike at a Encinitas Classic Car Nights, seemed like a nice enough guy at the time.

Definitely some stuff to kinda nitpick over in that episode but I agree, overall its great exposure and I won't be surprised to see a surge in new found appreciation for our favorite little sports car.

 

[Jay Laifman]

When I saw the seats, the first thing that came to mind were the Microcell seats that came on the racing Sunbeams - and Harringtons? Interesting that they are Triumph seats.

They didn't paint the engine compartment to match the body. But they did seem to paint it flat black. It wouldn't be my choice, and it's probably easier/cheaper. But, at least they did it.

Yeah, the played up the Brabham engine, but their loose wording made it clear that it wasn't. they never confirmed what cam was in there. They never confirmed if the carbs had different jets. I'd still pay extra for the valve cover!

Someone said they didn't know who Brabham is. He is one of the greatest race car drivers and builders, had success with Sterling Moss in an Alpine, and perhaps he's even pictured on this very page next to the 44 race car (but I'm not sure about that). Here is more about him: http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/index.php?categoryid=82&p2_articleid=14

Definitely looked like stock exhaust headers to me. The cast wasn't until the SIV or SV. And that's why they had to go with that micro alternator to fit the front exhaust tube. Been there, done that.

As I said and others said, I was so pissed when they were going to ruin that dash - and so happy when they didn't. Still don't know why they felt they had to change the lights. Shame.

 

[Alpine 1789]

Definitely looked like stock exhaust headers to me. The cast wasn't until the SIV or SV.

I have been thinking about those headers. I believe the Wheeler Dealer car was a GT. I have a complete S3 GT engine I bought a few years ago and it came with a cast iron manifold that is almost identical to the IV/V manifold, but instead of four studs to hold it to the downpipe there are only two. I have always wondered about this. Could S3 GT's have had an early version of the later manifold? And, could the older header been a $12 option, as indicated on the show?

 

[Jay Laifman]

Ohhh. Now that you mention it, I think you are right for the S3 GT.

 

[Firebuff]

Wheeler Dealers..

I just hate how they make it look so easy.. oh look.. take a couple of screws out and pow. There goes the windshield.. oh look.. couple of screws and bam.. there goes the dash.. Arrrrrrgh! Glad to finally see it.. it has now gave me the motivation to get to work for next spring..!!

 

[Ken Ellis]

Don't be discouraged. That 50+ year-old car had basically no rust, apparently ever. To achieve that, it had to have been garaged all its life, and not driven in snow, and probably rain, too. That means no flame wrench, nutcrackers, cold chisels, cheater pipe extensions, etc. Just unscrew it, and remove it. It did look like it had some work done earlier in its life, too, based on the condition underneath.

Still, 35 hours (man-hours) is pretty optimistic, especially with engine R&R, head porting, dash and interior work, paint prep, etc.

As mentioned above, the exhaust coating pricing jumped a bit from quote to final tally. Maybe the 'estimate' was without sandblasting, prep, and rush charges.