Hello All

[SeanP]

Hello,
My name is Sean Prevost and I recently Joined your Forum here. I'm a Land Surveyor in San Jose CA. and have been looking for a semi project car to purchase. I wanted to hopefully ask you guys a little about the great looking car as I have only recently became interested in owning one.

Mainly I wanted to ask about part availability and cost. For example if I bought a project car that needed all new suspension bushing and parts how hard would it be to get and what type of money would I be looking at?

For someone that is new to Sunbeams but not working on cars what are some of the pluses and minuses of the different models?

What are some of the things to look for when trying to evaluate a car for purchase that are unique to the sunbeam? Like a trouble rust area that is hard to spot or a part that is hard to get and should be verified is still there and in working order.

Is there a feature of one of the models that is a must have like say the 1725 motor or I have seen OD mentioned on some of the posts which models came with OD?

Luckily or maybe un-lucky for my wallet once I get a project I'm 10 minutes away from Sunbeam Specialties. I plan on dropping by and picking their brain soon but if you guys having any info to pass on like cars for sale or whatever it would be appreciated.

Regards,
Sean

 

[Series6]

Welcome Sean to SAOCA. Good questions and there will be plenty of opinions to follow.

There are several ways to start. What appeals to you? Fins or no fins? What car crosses your path and you just light up on it? There are members in your area. Get in touch with them and look at their cars. Get a ride. Don't rush. Find the right car. Buy the best car you can find or find a runner and fix/correct it. Do a rolling restoration or drive it and when you collect the parts you need, park it and do a ground up. What's your skill level? Don't be intimidated if your a beginner. So was I. I met some of my best friends thru SAOCA.

 

[SeanP]

Well the first time I saw the car was in Dr No and it just spoke to me. I have been researching it since. At first I thought I really wanted the fins but since then I have seen some great looking 66-67's so I'm still on the fence .

I would say my skill level is beginner to intermediate. I was limited by not having a garage but have remedied that. I was into Dodge Conquests for years (one of my first cars) and have owned two. I have done turbo, exhaust, and intake mods on the conquest as well as replacing water pumps, radiator, heads and intercoolers. My buddy had a conquest as well and I have helped him rebuild his suspension, engine, added roller rockers to his head and replaced his rear-end. I would say my weak points are body work and electronics. Which was one of reasons I got out of conquests with their aging computers and wiring.
I think I'm looking for a driver that I can restore as I go or possibly a project like that Kentucky car that has the body work done but just need interior, mechanical or cosmetic work.

I would love to see some of the local cars if anyone is nearby and would not mind me drooling a little on their baby. Just let me know!

 

[Hillman]

Hello,

Mainly I wanted to ask about part availability and cost. For example if I bought a project car that needed all new suspension bushing and parts how hard would it be to get and what type of money would I be looking at?

Regards,
Sean

If these are an issue, buy a late series. I have a SII that needs most suspension parts. It was far cheaper to get a late series front cross-member to rebuild and replace than to consider rebuilding the early series. As well you get slightly bigger brakes.

SII
Fulcrum pins and kingpin bushings: only source is http://www.rootesparts.com/id103.htm

Compare to late series bushings and ball joints from SS.

Use the two catalogs to determine what you are willing to spend.


My general advice is to buy the best body you can find. These cars are easy to fix mechanically (as above, a late series front cross-member swaps into an early car). Later parts are easier to come by. Rust is your enemy. If you see it in one place, it`s likely hiding somewhere else. An OD makes an entirely different car. If you plan on driving at or above 60mph for any significant amount of time get an OD, if you can. That said, don`t pass up a good car for lack of OD. There aren`t that many OD cars and you can always add an OD later.

In the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut, `Welcome to the Monkey House`. You may like it here.

Good luck

Al

 

[SeanP]

Thanks the welcome guys and the info Al!
The prices look reasonable.

 

[SeanP]

67 series V in Kentucky

So I am contemplating taking a plane with my Dad from California to take a look at this car. Only thing is I have no idea other than using a vehicle transportation company which will increase the airfare (round trip) and add 1200-1750 on top of that. Can you rent a flat bed and travel one way? Are there any companies that are renting towing vehicles like that? I think I have scene a u-haul truck with a vehicle trailer just have never done this.

 

[John W]

I think open transport is about $1 a mile. Why go look at it? Or just buy one plane ticket instead of two. Or just drive the car itself home.

 

[KenDemp]

I think open transport is about $1 a mile. Why go look at it?

Far less than that. I just had a Ford Falcon shipped from San Antonio to my home in Mass, ~ 1900 miles, for $800. It had to be able to get on the transport though. There's a guy on HOMB who does classic car transport one car at a time, and he is more like $1.20/mile, IIRC.

Sean, an option is to hire an appraiser to do a pre-purchase inspection and then trailer it. Hemmings has listings for inspectors. Another option would be to see if there is a member of the board willing to look at it for you. I have seen many volunteer to do just that.

Good luck

Ken

 

[DanR]

Sounds to me as if you might be moving a bit too fast.

Talk to Rick at Sunbeam Specialtists near you. Look for owners of the Sunbeams near you. Talk to them ask questions of what they know of available cars near by first.

A long haul from the east coast to CA is expensive.

Most California cars have less rust. Cars from the NE have more rust potential.

Rust is your worst enemy on the Alpines.

Best advice I can give is go slowly, shop closely, if nonavailability then llook beyond!

There are lots of good articles on what and where to look when purchasing an Alpine.

 

[Series6]

Combine a few if the earlier entries. If you must acquire one long distance have a professional inspector or someone how knows these cars look at it first. Take your time. Before I ever heard of SAOCA I bought one from the east coast. Had it shipped to Arizona. Despite the word of the previous owner it was beyond my abilities at the time. Didn't run or stop. I way over spent and lost a bunch when I sold it. Good cars are out there, in a garage near you. Or another member. Found a great car 100 miles away. My current project was purchased from a respected member in this club. Worth having it shipped cross country.

 

[SeanP]

Thanks for the advice guys. I know I was moving fast. It's just very tempting since it was low Milage and all the body work had been done. Im going to slow down a but and talk to sunbeam specialties and see where it leads