Alpine Parts Poll

[agmason]

What type of bracket are you guys using to mount fog lights? Is it commercially available or custom made?

 

[AlpineII]

I see that others aren't interested but I would love to have rubber matts for all my Alpines. I am going to take the newly installed carpet kit out of my Series II this spring and am going to install rubber matts instead.

Steering wheel hubs also gets a vote from me.

 

[RootesRacer]

Steering wheel hubs also gets a vote from me.

Steering wheel hubs would be pretty easy to make, I would but I dont have the equipment or know how to broach the splines.

 

[Alpine Addict]

Re-producing rubber mats has been looked into. The problem is it would cost a lot of money to re-produce these and economically is not feasable. The mats are also different between early/late cars.

I like the rubber mats and would like to put them in both my cars.

 

[Armand4]

How about tonneau covers for the Series I-II cars? I've only seen them for the later Alpines-- would anyone else be interested in getting one for their early car?

 

[ladybeamer]

Steering wheel hubs would be pretty easy to make, I would but I dont have the equipment or know how to broach the splines.

If I can get an original in good shape I can probably get this done. I would need a fairly good one or I'd have to guesstimate the wear to figure the tolerance. Or if you have one and can make a detailed drawing that would work as well, even better would be if you could draw it up in CAD-preferably Inventor but if not I can do that. My husbands company does shafts, tranny's etc. and has all the equipment. with business slow I can probably get time on the machines and for the cost of raw materials I should be able to get some made. I'd need a couple volunteers to test them out prior to final approval.

Re-producing rubber mats has been looked into. The problem is it would cost a lot of money to re-produce these and economically is not feasable. The mats are also different between early/late cars.

If I can get originals to use to make drawings from I can get these quoted. shouldn't be to expensive. I've got a couple suppliers I can check with. If you don't want to send the parts if you can send me a detailed drawing-doesn't have to be to scale, can be hand drawn as long as all measurements are there, I can draw it up for the quotes.

any other rubber stamped or extruded parts?
Or injection molded parts?
Metal stamped parts?
I know suppliers in those areas begging for work.

Has a supplier list been started? It would be nice if there was a way to just put a simple excel sheet somewhere on the site we could all add website links to-just a thought.

 

[alpine_64]

How about tonneau covers for the Series I-II cars? I've only seen them for the later Alpines-- would anyone else be interested in getting one for their early car?

try gogin to ebay and looking up the id texastiger.. he seesm to sell NOS amco ones for SI/II.

 

[lunnon1]

I bought a tonneau cover from texastiger for my s2 and it fits good.

Greg

 

[Alpine 1789]

If I can get an original in good shape I can probably get this done. I would need a fairly good one or I'd have to guesstimate the wear to figure the tolerance.

Caroline: I have a steering wheel with a good hub that I can loan you, but I suspect you need one that can be destroyed for this project. I might be willing to do that, but would like to discuss it first.

The reason I say that is because I assume the hub would have to be removed from the wheel to create the prototype, which would require cutting the hub in half. Since the original is molded on to the wheel, the replacement would have to be a two piece unit that is somehow bonded together. Unless you were thinking the the original could be scanned and edited to create the two pieces and electronically "remove" the wheel.

As for testing, I have a couple of wheels with worthless hubs. I could easily remove the remnants of the original to create a test bed for fitiing the final product.

Either way, I am interested in working with you to pursue this. Please send me a Private Message if you want to talk further.

 

[mikephillips]

Since the original suggestion comes from AlpineII I think he's figuring on steering wheels for the I and II. Don't know if there's a difference between the early and later, never sat down and compared them.

Here's another though, since you husband does transmission shafts, perhaps the early and late overdrive transmission mainshafts since so many are twisted. In fact shafts plus adaptor plates could allow folks to convert since the OD units are as hard to get as good tranmission bits.

 

[RootesRacer]

Hey guys,

Regarding steering wheels, there is a tiger guy out this way that re-casts the plastic hub and rims the wheel in hardwood.

Ive seen his work and its pretty nice.

It would make a like new wheel, with the original look and feel.

If you want I will contact him and put you in touch with him.


Jarrid

 

[ladybeamer]

Jim's going to check on the number of different versions of the hub and wheel and I'm going to see what I can find out. Since I'm new to the Alpine world I don't have the car specific knowledge or the contacts that you guys do.

Here's another though, since you husband does transmission shafts, perhaps the early and late overdrive transmission mainshafts since so many are twisted. In fact shafts plus adaptor plates could allow folks to convert since the OD units are as hard to get as good tranmission bits.

He's an industrial engineer so he doesn't do the parts, he's a process guy. I was a product development engineer and was actually designing aftermarket clutch plates, shafts etc. at my last company where he currently still is. I still have access to the equipment so that works in our favor.
We must think a like-I was on the phone earlier with a guy from CA that just listed an OD on Craigs list. I was thinking about getting it to put on my series 1 and to reverse engineer and see if there's a market for replacements.
If I can get the tranny I'll let you know. Right now money's tight but I'm not sure when another one will come around. He's asking $500-is that a fair price? He did say he doesn't have the shaft so I'd have to modify one. If anyone out there has one or knows how to modify one let me know if this is possible.

 

[ladybeamer]

Regarding steering wheels, there is a tiger guy out this way that re-casts the plastic hub and rims the wheel in hardwood.

Ive seen his work and its pretty nice.

It would make a like new wheel, with the original look and feel.

If you want I will contact him and put you in touch with him.

Contact info would be great.

 

[Alpine 1789]

Contact info would be great.

I would like it too.

 

[RootesRacer]

When I speak to him, I will leave the contact detail for all.

 

[tylerite3124]

I recently got an estimate for recasting the S1 RH and LH window guides in brass so that they would never break like the pot metal ones always do. Complete with drilling and chrome, the pair would have to retail for about $125in order for it to pay. Does anyone think there would be enough demand to sell at least 100 pairs of these worldwide? Or do most S1 owners try to find S2 window guides to replace the short ones? The company also told me that they have a very strong aluminum alloy that would be nearly as strong as the brass and they could cast these for about 20% less cost than brass. Your feed back will be much appreciated as always.

 

[ladybeamer]

I would go with the aluminum IF you can find a plater that would guarantee the chrome wouldn't peel.
I'm not to the restore stage for the interior but once I am, I'd be interested.

 

[RootesRacer]

I would like it too.

Note that the steering wheel contact info was put into a new thread in "stock" alpines.

 

[Alpine 1789]

Thanks Jarrid. I will give him a call shortly.