• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

Here's another Beam

RootesRooter

RootesRooter

Donation Time
Rare to see such a nice Coupe model. Both of my daily driver fastbacks in the 80s and 90s were Coupes.

On another recent fastback thread, I mentioned that almost all fastbacks I had seen over 40 years had a large chunk broken off the steering wheel column shroud next to the turn signal/high beam switch. Add another one.
 
Last edited:
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
RootesRooter said:
Rare to see such a nice Coupe model. Both of my daily driver fastbacks in the 80s and 90s were Coupes.

On another recent fastback thread, I mentioned that almost all fastbacks I had seen over 40 years had a large chunk broken off the steering wheel column shroud next to the turn signal/high beam switch. Add another one.
Click to expand...
Someone should tell them that you need to push the end of the directional switch to operate the horn. There was a guy that came to me a few years back when I had my 69 at the Dayton show and told me he had a 69. He took lots of photos and liked the color scheme of my car. I wonder if he liked my car so well that he built this. As far as the turn signal switch breaking the column cover I can't quite see how the high beam switch could break this because the switch is mounted on the floor on my four cars and there is no flasher function on the directional switch. 100_0256.JPG
 
Last edited:
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
Take a look at this photo. I bought this in Cleveland and parted it out. It was not a GT.100_0600.JPG
 
Warren

Warren

Bronze Level Sponsor
Gee I'd rather get a tetanus booster shot then deal with a car like that. That really makes a ton of mouse poo and rat poo look like like a blast with the leaf blower.
 
RootesRooter

RootesRooter

Donation Time
Please tell me this is AFTER you parted it out.

Can't help noticing the white car has that same telltale chunk missing from the steering column cover.
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
The car in the crusher was stored inside at a Meineke shop when I bought it and the owner had started a restoration. The car was complete and drivable and the rust wasn't bad and was easily repairable. It was a low mileage car but had spent most of it's life in Pa. The windshield still has the parking permit for the university at Pittsburgh. We had it parked outside the garage at one of our rental houses. Local kids climbed on the roof of the garage and were jumping onto the roof. I paid $200 for it and since I parted it I've sold a lot of the car. It weighed only a few hundred pounds when it was set in the crusher. It did have the 3.70 rear end gear. I checked my parts book and over the production run there were five directional switches used dependent on the country and model. All of my cars were early production ( #711, #904 are GT's ) so I wonder if running changes were made and the flasher mode was added in the switch. The dip switch stayed on the floor.
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Barb and I checked it out yesterday. A beautiful car with fewer than 15,000 miles on it. Literally a 50 year old new car. The transmission is not only fine, it still has the new car stiffness! To see it is too love it, its that good. I would rate its performance as "leisurely", but that's okay. However, if we were to buy it, we'd have to find storage as we'd never get it in the basement and (eventually) get rid of the DuraPine. We're not ready to do that. Barb is still a top down girl.

Miamisburg area has some ferocious hills. As we were leaving, I got caught in a downhill situation that called for a relative long application of very hard braking. It was good, being in the DuraPine and knowing that I would not run out of brakes. Not sure I'd have felt that way in the '69.

Bob, if we were to buy it and drive it say, 50,000 miles over five years, assuming no salty road mileage, how rusty would it be? In short, I'm not sure I should have a car this nice.

Bill
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
Bill,
I have to admit that it is a great looking car and is well detailed. Our car is the GT version with the dual carb, aluminum head and has more HP. You've seen me drive mine thru the mountains and I have to say that the brakes are fine but I tend to use the gears instead of riding the brakes. It was fun when we cruised the Blue Ridge a couple years back. Considering the route we had thru the mountains when we had the Invasion in N. Carolina I will say it was a hand full on all of those U turns. The braking system is Lockheed instead of Girling. I'm sure you noticed the dual brake master. The brake booster is connected to the front wheels only. As vacumn comes up the front brakes clamp down hard. Steering is a lot different than a series Alpine because of the struts and the front end geometry. The steering reminds me of a stock Tiger especially at low speed. One of the rust areas especially on the GT version was the rocker area. The GT had the aluminum covers that were riveted on and were just a dirt trap. Rust in this area was always a problem and I didn't reinstall on the white car. This car didn't have the rocker covers as standard so that makes life easier. Keep it clean and rust won't be a problem. We've put about 10,000 miles on ours since we restored it. They're a very comfortable car for long trip cruising with lots of interior room and a large trunk area. With the windows down it's a wide open hard top. Did you notice the flow thru ventilation? You can turn on the fan with the heater shut off and outside air flows thru the vents on the dash. The heater core is twice the size of an Alpine and since the car doesn't suffer from leaks around the windows I can say that heat is not a problem. I have mine in the shop and I'm pulling the radiator and lots of other things so I can detail it. Jean mentioned that now is the time to install the AC so we can drive it everywhere. Yesterday our neighbor and I were looking and thinking about where to hang the compressor. You do deserve a car like this. FYI, Jose says it would be an easy V6 conversion. BUY IT! I would except that I'm now renting storage for a couple of our cars.
 
Last edited:
RootesRooter

RootesRooter

Donation Time
Bill,
The brakes on my two Coupes were superior to my SV's. When it comes to hills, I'd be more concerned with getting UP the hills than braking going down. One time, with four people in the Coupe, I made the mistake of trying to, from a dead stop on a steep hill, start up the hill before the engine had warmed up. I almost burned up the clutch trying but it would not climb. An extra five minutes of idling and it was OK to go. And this was in a car that, despite its size, weighs about the same as a Series Alpine. For longer distance drives, it can be very comfortable - IF the seatback position is ideal for you, since it doesn't adjust. With those caveats, I really like this little Coupe!
Dick Sanders
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
Bill Blue said:
Bob, we've decided to look for storage space. How big should it be for this car?

Bill
Click to expand...
Bill,
The overall length is 14 ft. 6.5 inches. Width is 5ft 4.5 inches. I rent a couple 10 X 20 units at a local U Store It complex for storage of a couple cars. If you buy it and need anything call me.
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
Warren said:
Gee I'd rather get a tetanus booster shot then deal with a car like that. That really makes a ton of mouse poo and rat poo look like like a blast with the leaf blower.
Click to expand...
Warren,
Rust is something we've learned to deal with in this part of the world. I once saw a Tiger restoration that the X frame had rusted away at all four pints of attachment to the sills. It's a way of life. The side dents and the roof bulge of this car are a result of being picked up by the end loader. I still have NOS fenders, valance and several other replacement / repair panels for these cars. There are cars I would like to buy but we are out of garage space.
 
Warren

Warren

Bronze Level Sponsor
I got a 26 foot trailer best garage I never built. I can't save every orphan nor harvest it's parts. I had to pass on a series 4 GT because the guy at the wrecking yard wanted way too much money for it. Apparently he could get more money from the state of California to wreck the car.
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
Warren said:
I got a 26 foot trailer best garage I never built. I can't save every orphan nor harvest it's parts. I had to pass on a series 4 GT because the guy at the wrecking yard wanted way too much money for it. Apparently he could get more money from the state of California to wreck the car.
Click to expand...
Warren,
I use one of my trailers for storage in the winter. Using the trailer causes problems in the summer. I have a three car garage with my shop attached along with what was our small barn when I was a kid back in the 50's. That gives me room here at the house for five of the Beams I also rent three different storage units and use the garages on rental property. The Beams are inside , the two SUV's, the Malibu, the van and the Impala set out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top