green but brave..'63 restore

[Wanda]

Hey.
It's been a while since I have been here. We have moved house since I purchased my old '63. I finally managed to get most of the "non-car" items out of my garage so that I can start work on my project. Sorry to burden you guys with a rookie... but I guess that you were all there once. I have taken on the ambitious task of restoring an absolute beast, that I found a year ago. I am told that the machine is complete ( but totally dismantled ) I have what I believe is the original engine/ block ( turns by hand, I am guessing that this is a good start) and a host of other parts.
I fear that I am striving for the unattainable... but I purchased the car for a song. I know how to turn a screw and I have am fortunate enough to have a doting partner that loves to see tackle new projects and is willing to fund my whims. ( Don't be hatin'!)
So no harm in trying. I am not afraid of the hard work, but I am sorely lacking in experience. Anybody out there want to give an old girl a leg up on where to start? I am sure that the good Lord will reward you for your patience in the afterlife. And you can have a lot of fun at my expence with your more experienced buddies. Yes?

 

[alpine1963]

Hey Wanda and welcome to the Alpine world. Not knowing more about what you have makes it very hard to say where to start. Is the motor in the car? If so, are you planning on removing it for a rebuild? So many things can be going on at the same time while you restore. You can have parts being re-chromed while you work on the body etc. The very very first thing you have to do is determine what kind and how thorough of a restoration you are going to do. Give us some more information as to how far you want to take this car and the advice will roll in! Is your 63 a Series 3 or a Series II? Heck it could even be a Series IV. We look forward to hearing back on what you want to do with her.

Cheers,

 

[Wanda]

re:green

Wow!
That was quick. I guess the time zones really come into play.
I just realized that I am actually posted under the "cars for sale" section. oh well. If that is my biggest mistake, I am golden.
The vehicle I believe is a series iii. ( I have the vin off the engine block written down, but I wasn't expecting a rapid reply) There was a plethora of extra parts with the car, but they were all in boxes/crates. I am told that it is "all there". I bought myself a manual and had started catelogueing everything that I have. I think that I might actually be able to get this girl on the road with what I have. I would prefer to keep her stock, but that is yet to be determined. If I have my way... I will take the hull right off her, clean up the chassis and build her up from there. However, I was told that you can't do a frame off on the Alpine. Sounds odds. Is that accurate?

 

[Wanda]

Moved the thread

Hey Fella. I copied my original post under chit chat where it belongs. I don't want to piss people off by baiting them with a "false" ad.
Be chattin'.
Wanda

 

[SDuncan]

Alpines are unibody cars, like most cars built these days, a "frame-off" resto isn't possible. I think the way you proceed is going to depend a lot upon what condition the body is in. If it requires a lot of rust repair, you might have a steep hill to climb. Is the car basically a rolling, stripped shell as it sits right now? Where in Canada are you located?

 

[Wanda]

Oh. Ok. Hmmm...maybe I'm using the wrong terminology. I should be able to remove the body from the chassis though, right? I just can't remove panels from the frame. Is that right?
The body is pretty rugged. Door bottoms and trunk floor need to be replaced. I would like to clean up the chassis too. It will just crucify me to think that I repaired and refinished the body, only to put it on a rotten chassis. I would feel like I cheated. I know that the battle is uphill, but I want to be as thorough as possible.
thanks for weighing in S!
Wanda

 

[Wanda]

And Oh! The vehicle has all the mechanics out. Dash, seats battery interior trime removed. Doors, bonnett, hard top and windsheild are still attached.I am in Newfoundland.

 

[Gary T]

Sunbeam Restoration

Welcome to the world of Sunbeam. I see that you are using the Shop Manuals which are very helpful. You can go to the top of this page under "Technical Data" and then go to "Tech Manuals". There is a listing "Sunbeam Alpine Parts Catalogue" you can use on this site or print whatever sections you may need. The parts list has both pictures and part numbers with differences between all of the Series I through V. Take a look, it will be very helpful to sort your parts.

 

[RootesRacer]

Wanda, the term "unibody" relates to the structural rigidity (something the frame provides in older technology cars) is provided by the body panels themselves along with special stampings that make the body strong and rigid.

Absolutely none of the body panels are bolted on to the car, they are all welded and in most cases the panel seams are leaded as well.

You cannot do a frame off restoration because the panels cannot be removed without extreme and non-practical expense.
Individual damaged panels can be removed, repaired or replaces, but the practicality soon becomes a lesson in economics.

HTH

 

[Wanda]

Thanks gary. i noticed some of the links for the shop manuals. Awesome. I tried to purchase one but had little luck. I will take full advantage of this site's generousity. They will be a great help. Especially when I get some of the exploded views enlarged and hung on the garage wall. It's gonna be a paint by numbers project for me, until I get my feet wet.

 

[Wanda]

Thanks H.
But am I correct in saying that the body can be removed as a whole to expose the chassis and suspension and the like? It just can't be removed piece by piece, but only as one unit right? Where in the hell is it bolted on? Or is that a weld too?

Wanda, the term "unibody" relates to the structural rigidity (something the frame provides in older technology cars) is provided by the body panels themselves along with special stampings that make the body strong and rigid.

Absolutely none of the body panels are bolted on to the car, they are all welded and in most cases the panel seams are leaded as well.

You cannot do a frame off restoration because the panels cannot be removed without extreme and non-practical expense.
Individual damaged panels can be removed, repaired or replaces, but the practicality soon becomes a lesson in economics.

HTH

 

[alpine_64]

Wanda... thre unibody is a series of structures that are all intergrated.. there are no seperate "chassis" sections. The front and rear rails are welded in parts of hte inner guards and then the outers are welded to those. You cant "unbolt" anything.. its a matter of cutting off panels and sections or drilling out spots wleds to take it apart.

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Wanda,

The only part that you can unbolt from the body itself, is the front crossmember, which has all the front suspension bolted to it. It is the only thing that would even come close to what you would call a frame. Think of your Alpine body as an egg shell. It has no seperate piece. The shell is complete as a unit. Everything like rear end, doors, trunk, hood, seats and the rest, are just bolt ons, but the shell itself is the frame, to which everything else is connected.

Welcome to the madness. You´ll have many enjoyable hours working on your Alpine, but along with the joy, comes frustration, because of availability of some body pannels and parts. Usually it is finding the small stuff that causes the most frustration, especially if you want it absolutely stock. Have fun and please keep us informed as to the progress.

Jose

 

[Wanda]

Gotcha! Sorry if that was painful for everybody. So I'm looking to crawl into all the nooks and crannies with a wire brush? So be it! Hmmm....Maybe I'll hire some cheap labour. I know some people who will work for beer.
Thanks folks

 

[Ken Ellis]

Depending on the restoration resources available in your area, a few folks start by completely stripping down the car, and then getting it 'dipped' to remove all paint and rust down to bare metal, even inside cavities. I've never had this done, so I don't know the expense, but it is thorough.

To make traditional cleaning more expedient, a rotisserie is used to support and spin the car so that the undercarriage is more accessible.

Searching the site will turn up photos of each...

Good luck!

 

[mototron]

Dipping the car is not a great idea ,it removes paint and primer even from non accessible areas that can not be recoated which will cause rust in areas that might not had any to start with .
As with any Resto you have to make a plan ,decide on what the car will be used for ,daily driver ,concourse or the many areas in between
Set a budget of what you can afford to spend .
evaluate the car ,it may need to much work to make it perfect
there is a wealth of information and experience for free on this Site
Just ask and you will get answers ( Maybe to many answers )
Hope this Helps
Rocco
61 Series II #86 VRG

 

[Wanda]

Hey.
I found an old original post from a while ago when I first registered here.
The plate in the engine bay reads as follows:

BC4 9201854 LRX
SB
61
I think that I was incorrect when I said I had a 63. Obviously it should be a 61. But I believe that it is a series 3. Where and how will I find the chassis plate? ( Or is that it?)

Also the engine block has the following info: I tried to kinda space it out for location so that you guys would know where the numbers were located.

H R

1980707 A 4-6-62
So I guess the engine is from a 62?

Hmmmm.... Looks like I am building a "Frankenbeam"

 

[mikephillips]

No, thatt's a series 3 vin. The 61 is the color code for the original paint, see below. The engine on the other hand has been replaced from a series 2 it seems, from a junk yard I'd suppose. So who knows the overall internal condition.

•Code 52 - Lake Blue
•Code 53 - Wedgewood Blue
•Code 61 - Quartz Blue Metallic <====
•Code 67 - Light Green Metallic
•Code 68 - Autumn Gold Metallic

 

[Wanda]

No, thatt's a series 3 vin. The 61 is the color code for the original paint, see below. The engine on the other hand has been replaced from a series 2 it seems, from a junk yard I'd suppose. So who knows the overall internal condition.

•Code 52 - Lake Blue
•Code 53 - Wedgewood Blue
•Code 61 - Quartz Blue Metallic <====
•Code 67 - Light Green Metallic
•Code 68 - Autumn Gold Metallic

Yup! Just found my mistake. I was correct the first time. Funny Mike. I just found my serial number listed in the registry. I don't remember adding it. Does someone do this automatically?
Thanks for checking in.

 

[Ken Ellis]

If it's a car under discussion, but not owned by someone on the site, the Registry "curator" (currently me) may grab the numbers so that the information is captured. This would happen if the car is seen on ebay, 'bring-a-trailer' or craigslist, for example.

As the owner, you can certainly update the info in the registry to reflect current engine choice, options, color, etc. as you see fit.

I was staying out of the way on this one until the details were settled...

There's a current post regarding the registry's recent update, and what features and information may be added in the future. That post also has details on how best to handle updates.

Happy fixin' !