Sunbeam63
Donation Time
Hello all,
My name is Solomon Wilharm. I just wanted to share with you my current progress on my Series III Alpine that I've started a frame on restoration. I bought this car back in 2009, picked up in North Dakota off eBay. As you can see from the photos, this is a code 61 car, with the quartz blue and the light blue seats. The serial number is B9200921. If you recall, you may have noticed there was another car that belonged to the username Ghoul. That car was quite the project and I have since taken it off from his hands, so I own two Quartz Blue Alpines. Other than these two, I have seen two on the internet that are restored, and a GT down in Texas for sale on eBay some years back. So I know of 5 total. I will be using the parts car to rebuild my car, as it had some usable body panels. I believe it was fitting that these two old quartz blue cars will be made into one beautiful car.
It wasn't until around 2012 that I finally got my alpine running. The first thing done was changing the ball joints with new old stock ones and replace the rear brake lines and cylinders. Then I started repairing the engine by going all the way down to the head and redid the whole top half of the engine. This old car had once been worked on, but the work was very shotty. The engine had been repainted chevy orange (I'm still not sure it's the original engine), there were bent valves, bent rods, stripped bolt head screws, there are pop rivets in the floor pans, all the interior panels had been changed to an ugly burgundy color, cruddy paint job and it looks like it could have been in an accident at one time.
First thing is first, I wanted to get it running the correct way. The head was planed down, fuel pump replaced, fuel line cleaned out, fuel tanks boiled out and coated inside, the radiator boiled out. Anything mechanical that ran the car was gone through. The biggest problem we had was that the brake booster must have gotten brake fluid leaked in it, so we overhauled it.
In the Summer of 2013, I had the glorious experience of driving the beautiful thing. All these years waiting had finally led up to that point. However, the booster still would not release (I believe there was too much pitting in the booster), so I bought another one in the spring of 2014 in hopes to solve the problem. The day that I replaced booster, I pulled the car out, but unfortunately the clutch would not work; I could put the car in gear, but as soon as I released the clutch, it would not go out of gear. I figured it was the slave cylinder, so I bought and installed a new slave cylinder, had no luck. Now I believe it is the master cylinder that went out.
I decided if the clutch is out, I may as well begin restoring it. In the summer of 2014, I started to take everything out and meticulously label everything in little plastic bags. I can't believe my whole car is inventoried in little zip-lock baggies! Finally, in the winter of 2014, everything is out. You can now see that I have sand blasted and primed the car. The next step will be to start repairing all the damage.
As I had predicted, it was once in an accident. Just about every panel is banged up. This is where that other alpine will come in. I've been told it is better to replace than repair, but as no fins are being made at this time, I will use the parts alpine to restore it. That parts car has come to be a blessing and will be used more than I thought. However, all in all, this car is a lot cleaner than I had expected.
My plans with the car is to restore it as original as I can possibly get it, and to do it the right way. The way I saw the horrible engine work turned me off to cutting corners, and this little car deserves much more. So far, the only things that won't be stock on this car is the synchronized transmission I picked up, big fat white wall tires and complete light blue carpet (it is an ST, so it came with rubber mats). Otherwise, this car will be as original as possible, including the color and interior color. The paint and interior are actually in the process of getting matched now. I'm hoping to have it done by the fall of this year, but it is an expensive hobby, and as a college student, I can only do so much! I'd appreciate any comments and tips given, as I know I'll need it. I'm doing my research on this car, but I welcome all thoughts; help me do this right! Thank you so much for taking interest in this car!
My name is Solomon Wilharm. I just wanted to share with you my current progress on my Series III Alpine that I've started a frame on restoration. I bought this car back in 2009, picked up in North Dakota off eBay. As you can see from the photos, this is a code 61 car, with the quartz blue and the light blue seats. The serial number is B9200921. If you recall, you may have noticed there was another car that belonged to the username Ghoul. That car was quite the project and I have since taken it off from his hands, so I own two Quartz Blue Alpines. Other than these two, I have seen two on the internet that are restored, and a GT down in Texas for sale on eBay some years back. So I know of 5 total. I will be using the parts car to rebuild my car, as it had some usable body panels. I believe it was fitting that these two old quartz blue cars will be made into one beautiful car.
It wasn't until around 2012 that I finally got my alpine running. The first thing done was changing the ball joints with new old stock ones and replace the rear brake lines and cylinders. Then I started repairing the engine by going all the way down to the head and redid the whole top half of the engine. This old car had once been worked on, but the work was very shotty. The engine had been repainted chevy orange (I'm still not sure it's the original engine), there were bent valves, bent rods, stripped bolt head screws, there are pop rivets in the floor pans, all the interior panels had been changed to an ugly burgundy color, cruddy paint job and it looks like it could have been in an accident at one time.
First thing is first, I wanted to get it running the correct way. The head was planed down, fuel pump replaced, fuel line cleaned out, fuel tanks boiled out and coated inside, the radiator boiled out. Anything mechanical that ran the car was gone through. The biggest problem we had was that the brake booster must have gotten brake fluid leaked in it, so we overhauled it.
In the Summer of 2013, I had the glorious experience of driving the beautiful thing. All these years waiting had finally led up to that point. However, the booster still would not release (I believe there was too much pitting in the booster), so I bought another one in the spring of 2014 in hopes to solve the problem. The day that I replaced booster, I pulled the car out, but unfortunately the clutch would not work; I could put the car in gear, but as soon as I released the clutch, it would not go out of gear. I figured it was the slave cylinder, so I bought and installed a new slave cylinder, had no luck. Now I believe it is the master cylinder that went out.
I decided if the clutch is out, I may as well begin restoring it. In the summer of 2014, I started to take everything out and meticulously label everything in little plastic bags. I can't believe my whole car is inventoried in little zip-lock baggies! Finally, in the winter of 2014, everything is out. You can now see that I have sand blasted and primed the car. The next step will be to start repairing all the damage.
As I had predicted, it was once in an accident. Just about every panel is banged up. This is where that other alpine will come in. I've been told it is better to replace than repair, but as no fins are being made at this time, I will use the parts alpine to restore it. That parts car has come to be a blessing and will be used more than I thought. However, all in all, this car is a lot cleaner than I had expected.
My plans with the car is to restore it as original as I can possibly get it, and to do it the right way. The way I saw the horrible engine work turned me off to cutting corners, and this little car deserves much more. So far, the only things that won't be stock on this car is the synchronized transmission I picked up, big fat white wall tires and complete light blue carpet (it is an ST, so it came with rubber mats). Otherwise, this car will be as original as possible, including the color and interior color. The paint and interior are actually in the process of getting matched now. I'm hoping to have it done by the fall of this year, but it is an expensive hobby, and as a college student, I can only do so much! I'd appreciate any comments and tips given, as I know I'll need it. I'm doing my research on this car, but I welcome all thoughts; help me do this right! Thank you so much for taking interest in this car!