green but brave..'63 restore

[Mike Armstrong]

Hi Wanda, I'm new to the 'madness' too. There's allot of info on this website, just go to each of the forums around here and start reading all the post's you'll learn allot! Also, check out the Technical Data' section at the top of the page to find out everything about your Alpine. Tons of stuff on Google too. Great bunch of folks here, good luck and welcome.

 

[Gitnrusty]

...Hi Wanda, I want to add my welcom to the others youve received. Youve found what has to be the most imformative and friendly fourm on the web.
...The mention of time zones rang a bell. I guess you still have a 1/2 time zone there? I have spent a little time in St Johns and right now Im looking at a plaque from Cape Spear hanging in my home office.
...Is your Sunbeam a Newfie native? Better learn rust repair! Thats why I moved to the land of fruits and nuts (calif.) Did my share of window screen and bondo bodywork while living in Toronto.
...Again.Welcom!
...By the way, You must remove"ALL" non Sunbeam items from the garage or risk being considered less than fully dedicated to the task at hand!

 

[Wanda]

...Hi Wanda, I want to add my welcom to the others youve received. Youve found what has to be the most imformative and friendly fourm on the web.
...The mention of time zones rang a bell. I guess you still have a 1/2 time zone there? I have spent a little time in St Johns and right now Im looking at a plaque from Cape Spear hanging in my home office.
...Is your Sunbeam a Newfie native? Better learn rust repair! Thats why I moved to the land of fruits and nuts (calif.) Did my share of window screen and bondo bodywork while living in Toronto.
...Again.Welcom!
...By the way, You must remove"ALL" non Sunbeam items from the garage or risk being considered less than fully dedicated to the task at hand!

Thanks Chuck Fella. Yeah..NFLD time zone is a bit of an oddity. Suits us fine, though. Regarding the car origin? Absolutely no idea. To be totally honest I was looking at getting an old Datsun. When that didn't pan out, my best girl decided that we should pick up the beast of a Sunbeam. She dropped the money on the bonnet right there and then.Very similar car, and there was one here on the island. Just an hour and a half drive. She's in rough shape, but I got her for $550. If worse comes to worst...I can part her out for twice that easily. But hey? I'm no quitter. I am absolutely pig headed and stubborn. And with all the resources available here, I think that "we" can make it happen.
Peace Chuck,
Wanda

 

[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.

Thanks for the engine info. A couple of questions... How do I know the size? (How did you know it was a series II engine?) And if servicable, will the engine work with the rest of the "stuff" that came with it?
By the way folks.... Thanks for posting the shop manuals. I will be spending tomorrow in the garage, trying to catelogue what I have and what I need. I guess from there, I will just have to try and figure out what parts are functional and which are crap. Eenie, meenie, minee moe....

 

[Gary T]

Series II Engine

The Series II engine should work fine and it is 1595 cc compared to 1494 cc size for Series I. Go to top of this page Techical Data and then Production Build Dates under Series II and you will find the build date that matches what you have shown from your engine.

 

[Ken Ellis]

Some key things... Serial numbers ranges and formats are different for each Series, and engine types fall into just three main categories over the five series. This is outlined in the "technical data" at the top of the page.
Check out the parts manual, too.

As you go thru your parts, remember never to pitch Alpine parts. You many find you'll need 'em later, or you can trade away or sell them, but it's bad luck to pitch 'em!

 

[Wanda]

Pics of my S3-- stop laughing! it's not funny!

Still 2 crates of parts to sort through, but my inventory is marching along. Here are some pics as she is right now. Be kind. She makes me cry a little sometimes. LOL

 

[DanR]

green but brave..'63 restore ??

Wanda,

Congrat's on your courage to do a restoration....

I've been at it for over a year on a '67 Series V that I had in storage about twenty years and am coming along nicely

I built a Rotisserie to put the Alpine on whereby I could rotate it 360 degrees, making the restoration project very simply when attempting to remove rust, repair portions of the body especially underneath the car that would have been otherwise near impossible.

Lots of body shops have them and many individuals have purchased or make their own.

I have the plans that I found on the internet that I modified slightly to fit my Alpine and other small vehicles and will make it available to those that ask.

I utilized the four jack points on the car and the area upon which I attached the rotesserie.

Send me your E-mail if you so desire.

 

[canuck pride]

Wanda,

Congrat's on your courage to do a restoration....

I've been at it for over a year on a '67 Series V that I had in storage about twenty years and am coming along nicely

I built a Rotisserie to put the Alpine on whereby I could rotate it 360 degrees, making the restoration project very simply when attempting to remove rust, repair portions of the body especially underneath the car that would have been otherwise near impossible.

Lots of body shops have them and many individuals have purchased or make their own.

I have the plans that I found on the internet that I modified slightly to fit my Alpine and other small vehicles and will make it available to those that ask.

I utilized the four jack points on the car and the area upon which I attached the rotesserie.

Send my your E-mail if you so desire.

Hey Dan do you think you could send me the pictures also?
mikethompson1964@yahoo.ca thanks mike

 

[Wanda]

Wanda,

Congrat's on your courage to do a restoration....

I've been at it for over a year on a '67 Series V that I had in storage about twenty years and am coming along nicely

I built a Rotisserie to put the Alpine on whereby I could rotate it 360 degrees, making the restoration project very simply when attempting to remove rust, repair portions of the body especially underneath the car that would have been otherwise near impossible.

Lots of body shops have them and many individuals have purchased or make their own.

I have the plans that I found on the internet that I modified slightly to fit my Alpine and other small vehicles and will make it available to those that ask.

I utilized the four jack points on the car and the area upon which I attached the rotesserie.

Send my your E-mail if you so desire.

Dan. You rock buddy. Thanks for the speedy reply. Did you drill though the chassis welds to remove the body? Or will this work with everything intact? Sorry if it's a stupid question. I was told that because it's a unibody construction, everything stays in one piece...unless you drill out the spot welds.
Thanks again.
Wanda

 

[65beam]

restore

wanda,
there is no separate chassis on an alpine or tiger. don't try to remove the X frame. it's not a chassis! if you do there is nothing left to keep the body rigid. it will sag,bend and pretty soon it's scrap. you can't line up any body gaps on the car. an alpine is not like a TR or big healy. there is no frame to be removed. forget trying to do a frame off restoration. there is no chassis. it's a unibody. just like most autos being built today.

 

[SDuncan]

When you put the car on a rotisserie, basically you remove the drivetrain, front & rear suspension, hood, trunk, probably doors. The remainder of the car is essentially the frame. By looking at the photos of your car, I would suggest you weld in some considerable bracing before you start taking it apart. I imagine a lot of the structural elements of the car are rusted and you could quickly run into big problems if the car starts to sag.

To be honest, unless there is a sentimental attachment to the car, I would take the good parts off and look for a nice solid shell down south. My first Alpine was a rusty one and after 4 years of cutting out rust and replacing metal, I had enough and sold it. I eventually bought a nice solid car from California and am able to spend my time fixing mechanicals rather than rust. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Wanda,

After looking at the pictures, and especially seeing the rear view of the car, I would suggest doing what Scott advised you to do. If that part of the car is rusted away, I can just imagine what the rest of the underside of the car looks like. There are better examples out there, that you can restore for a lot less work, effort and especially money. I admire your enthusiasm, but it can get you in trouble trying to save a car that is too far gone.

Jose

 

[DanR]

Body work....

Dan. You rock buddy. Thanks for the speedy reply. Did you drill though the chassis welds to remove the body? Or will this work with everything intact? Sorry if it's a stupid question. I was told that because it's a unibody construction, everything stays in one piece...unless you drill out the spot welds.
Thanks again.
Wanda

WANDA.... The plans I sent and the PICS's of my car on the Rotisserie clearly will show that the car does not have a seperate frame assy.... The car is a UNI-BODY basically ONE PIECE!

One or two of my PIC's show the Alpine "upside down" without the front cross member and rear axle. What is left is the "BODY"!

Nothing else will "NORMALLY" be removed.

The good part when in that position is that you can see very clearly what areas need attention and you can get to them easily.

 

[KenDemp]

Dan,

Thanks for sending those plans. It looks pretty sturdy, you feel comfortable that the car is secure on it?

Ken

 

[mikephillips]

Much as I hate seeing an Alpine meet it's end I'd agree that the rust problems with this car make it nearly unsavable. The rear in particular is a problem since with that much rust the rear rails that carry the springs and rear end are probably shot. Having replaced them, along with a trunk floor, in my Tiger I know this is a big job. And I didn't start out with nearly the problems you have.

In short you'll need another decent body for rear parts along, or a really great metal fabricator, and if you'll have to do that then buying another car or good tub is a better, cheaper solution in the long run.

 

[DanR]

Dan,

Thanks for sending those plans. It looks pretty sturdy, you feel comfortable that the car is secure on it?

Ken

It is strong enough to hold a much heavier vehicle.

 

[agmason54]

green but brave 63 restore

Wanda,
I have cut better cars than yours in half with an ax. I have a complete rust free S3GT body just waiting for someone like you....I am sure of one member who has seen it and will verify it's condition.It is in the weeds on the photo gallery under 'Vegas'. I admire brave deeds more than anything but there are much easier ways to drive an Alpine.
Good luck
Al

agmason54@hotmail.com

 

[Wanda]

Thanks

Ouch! Well I guess my inexperience is really showing. I hear you when you say that I should buy another shell. The reason that I purchased this car is because it was the only one around. I had looked at having project cars shipped and the cost was astronomical! ( If they would ship at all) So I dove into this one because it was available for peanuts and I was told that it was complete. I have a double whammy because I live on an island on the end of the world. Few models were shipped here making parts scarce, and making it more difficult to get parts here. driving to tow one home would have me dealing with border issues and ferry costs and the like. *sigh* I hate to admit it, but maybe I should have bought the damn american mustang. ( No offence intended to any owners, truly. But they are a dime a dozen at the car shows. Dead common.) I wanted something a little cuter and unique. this was definitely my style.
Any ideas guys?
Thanks again.
Wanda

 

[Wanda]

Wanda,
I have cut better cars than yours in half with an ax. I have a complete rust free S3GT body just waiting for someone like you....I am sure of one member who has seen it and will verify it's condition.It is in the weeds on the photo gallery under 'Vegas'. I admire brave deeds more than anything but there are much easier ways to drive an Alpine.
Good luck
Al

agmason54@hotmail.com

Thanks for the offer Al. But if you see my latest post, you will understand my hesitation. It is a crazy hassel to find someone who will ship, and then it is an absolute fortune.
Peace,
Wanda