1970 Alpine Fastback crushed by a tree. Car or Parts. No reasonable offer refused.

[alpinefastback]

Two weeks ago my 1970 Alpine Fastback got crushed by a tree.
The whole car or parts are available.
As rare as these cars are in the US, I don't want to send it to the salvage yard without saving parts for anyone who needs them.
The car is going to be hauled away on September 1st.

Photos of the carnage:

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[puff4]

Ouch.. that looks sad. I'm sorry for your loss.

On the other hand, it gives me a whole 'nuther perspective on the later Alpines... they actually look pretty neat as a convertible!

It must be a bad time of year for good cars...

This just happened to an old friend's car this past week... he had installed a newly rebuilt motor only 140 miles ago and the car was a rust-free Triumph Herald (finding a rust free Herald is like finding unicorn f*rts, BTW.)

His son was driving and had stopped to make a left turn... a Prius hit him from behind at about 50 mph. Son walked away, thank God, with only a bump on the back of the head from the roll bar.

A good reminder for all of us to make sure our insurance is sufficient. And to hug our kids.

 

[alpinefastback]

When the tree was still on the car, the chassis was touching the ground, so I was joking that it was now a lowrider convertible.

 

[RootesRooter]

It might be work to get them out, but don't send it away with the back-seat seat belts (if the buckles are in good shape), which bolt right in our Series Alpines.

It's not an automatic is (was) it?

 

[alpinefastback]

Thanks for the heads up about the on the rear seat belts. It has a four speed trams.

 

[Bill Blue]

Anyone needing an Alpine radiator with reversed outlets, this baby has it.

Bill

 

[65beam]

offer

the radiator is also a 3 row.

 

[DanR]

: 1970 Alpine Fastback crushed by a tree. Car or Parts. No reasonable offer refused.

Does any one know if the wheels fit a SV Alpine 4 Bolt hub ???

 

[65beam]

70 alpine

the wheels for the fastbacks will fit any alpine. the trans and the rear axle unit will not fit in series alpines. the rear axle is wider and the input shaft on the trans is longer. none of the brake parts will fit either. they are all lockheed and none of the suspension or steering parts are the same.about the only thing that can be used on a series alpine is the engine block and head.

 

[Ken Ellis]

I seem to recall the pumpkin will fit Alpine rear ends, even though the whole unit will not. Feel free to correct me if I'm in error on this...

 

[65beam]

fastback

ken,
it will fit the alpine housing as long as you have the late rearend with the sealed axle bearings and the fine spline axles. the fastbacks with a 4 speed have the 3.89 gears, the autos had the 3.70 gears.

 

[RootesRooter]

Stock GT/Coupe wheels will fit Series cars but you can't mount the Series beauty rings. The faux wire-type on this car should fit without problem.

The 3.89 gears (from your 4-speed) fit Series cars. The input coupling is slightly longer than on a Series car. Some people don't bother swapping the coupling but I prefer not to have to worry about hitting "the big bump." They still used the mushy tab washers, so replacing the ring gear bolts is still highly adviseable.

The gauges are not a direct swap but the oil pressure gauge & line makes a good test unit.

Even if the engine block is bad, it may or may not (don't know where the VIN break is) have the later oil pressure relief valve with matching base, which seems to be very durable. Also, there's the desireable aluminum oil pan (on GT's only).

For the more adventurous, the 3rd/4th gear shift fork in the tranny works in our Series cars (tho maybe only Series IVa and V?). It's a beefier design and seems to outlast the Series version, and most fastbacks ended up retiring with fairly low miles. This part, when worn, is the cause of popping out of 3rd gear.

The hood badge was also used on Series III GT's, but it's rarely intact.

The optional radio is basically the same as Series V, but with black plastic buttons and nobs.

The 1970 model (very rare here in the U.S.) had switched to a metal (brushed aluminum?) dash and console, which some like better than the tough-to-restore wood.

 

[Mike O'D]

Is the hood badge in good shape? Did the 3ST and 3GT have different hood badges?

Mike

 

[alpinefastback]

The hood badge is in good shape, but I have no idea what cars it will fit.
I have a buyer interested in the whole car if it runs, which I'm going to find out when I get home this evening. So I'm going to hold off on selling any parts off until then.

 

[Eleven]

Ouch.. that looks sad. I'm sorry for your loss.

On the other hand, it gives me a whole 'nuther perspective on the later Alpines... they actually look pretty neat as a convertible!

It must be a bad time of year for good cars...

This just happened to an old friend's car this past week... he had installed a newly rebuilt motor only 140 miles ago and the car was a rust-free Triumph Herald (finding a rust free Herald is like finding unicorn f*rts, BTW.)

His son was driving and had stopped to make a left turn... a Prius hit him from behind at about 50 mph. Son walked away, thank God, with only a bump on the back of the head from the roll bar.

A good reminder for all of us to make sure our insurance is sufficient. And to hug our kids.

As a long time Spitfire and GT6 guy, I suspect that roll bar saved his kids life. One of the big reasons I came back to Alpines is that Spits and GT6's are basically coke cans. If that accident happened to a GT6, you would not be able to get out, just through you and the car in the hole and be done with it.

 

[puff4]

As a long time Spitfire and GT6 guy, I suspect that roll bar saved his kids life.

I tend to agree with you, Tracy. His dad and I went to high school together and have both been involved in working on LBC's all that time since... he's a pretty savvy guy and hence the roll bar. You can see by the pictures the damage clearly stopped at that bar.

However, the fact that the Herald DID crush like a 'coke can' also saved the boy's life, in that it slowed that 50 mph Prius down and the Herald took the impact rather than the boy. Had the Herald not crushed, that boy's head would have smacked that roll bar with enough force to very likely crack his skull.

 

[RootesRooter]

Had the Herald not crushed, that boy's head would have smacked that roll bar with enough force to very likely crack his skull.

Which is why I took the roll bar out of my Alpine. There was no way my head would miss the bar even in a low-speed rear-ender.

 

[Alpine 1789]

I went a different route and incorporated a head restraint into my roll bar:

 

[whoizrob]

details on headrest please?

Was it custom made? How is it attached on the back of the rest? Thanks!

Rob

Ps, any pictures from the back of your headrest?

 

[Eleven]

I tend to agree with you, Tracy. His dad and I went to high school together and have both been involved in working on LBC's all that time since... he's a pretty savvy guy and hence the roll bar. You can see by the pictures the damage clearly stopped at that bar.

However, the fact that the Herald DID crush like a 'coke can' also saved the boy's life, in that it slowed that 50 mph Prius down and the Herald took the impact rather than the boy. Had the Herald not crushed, that boy's head would have smacked that roll bar with enough force to very likely crack his skull.

To demonstrate that I have a flat learning curve, one of my dream list cars is a Vitesse...