Noob

[Bok_Tukalo]

Hello everyone. My name is Mike and I will be getting a Sunbeam Alpine Series V in the middle of next month with the intention of restoration. I love cars and working on them but have not had the opportunity to do so after waving good-bye to my early Saab 900 a couple of years ago.

Since I know little about the Sunbeam Alpine (my only British fun car being a Triumph several years ago), I thought I would find some expertise to help me through rough patches that inevitably crop up.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to driving a great car.

Mike

 

[Bok_Tukalo]

Some pictures of the car as I will receive it.

The steering wheel concerns me. I know I can replace the horn ring but the tear in the (?) boss appears to be on a difficult part to replace.

 

[Series6]

Mike,

Welcome to our little corner of the internet. You'll get plenty of support from the membership. Go ahead and ask and we look forward to having you aboard.

Where are you located?

 

[Bok_Tukalo]

Mike,

Welcome to our little corner of the internet. You'll get plenty of support from the membership. Go ahead and ask and we look forward to having you aboard.

Where are you located?

Thank you.

I am in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

[puff4]

Yes, as usual the steering wheel horn ring is busted. They are available new from our European friend.

The padded centre boss is not available new (except for the occasional NOS one on eBay), but there's still quite a few available used that are quite presentable. Someone here might have one they can sell you for a reasonable price.

It looks like you'll need a top... the fitting on that is somewhat tricky, so before you try and fit one I suggest you browse these forums as we've discussed it several times and you can find a lot of tips.

It is very difficult to tell, but do you have a stalk sticking out of the right side of your steering column? If so, you likely have overdrive, a valuable option, but one which requires education on use and maintenance to keep it in good order and prevent damage. Again... browse these forums.

Engine compartment looks mostly stock and everything appears to be there, except that your heater valve seems to be in the wrong place - it should be on a bracket attached to the round brace next to the air cleaners.

Good luck with your Sunbeam. Having owned Triumphs myself, I think you'll find that there's not a lot of difference in terms of how things work or how you work on it. On the plus side, your Alpine has the largest boot (trunk) of any British sports car ever made (true fact), has a more roomy interior than a TR6, and will perform about as well as a decent running Spitfire.

 

[RootesRooter]

Nice find! It looks like a good Alpine to drive and restore at the same time.

 

[Bok_Tukalo]

Yes, as usual the steering wheel horn ring is busted. They are available new from our European friend.

The padded centre boss is not available new (except for the occasional NOS one on eBay), but there's still quite a few available used that are quite presentable. Someone here might have one they can sell you for a reasonable price.

It looks like you'll need a top... the fitting on that is somewhat tricky, so before you try and fit one I suggest you browse these forums as we've discussed it several times and you can find a lot of tips.

It is very difficult to tell, but do you have a stalk sticking out of the right side of your steering column? If so, you likely have overdrive, a valuable option, but one which requires education on use and maintenance to keep it in good order and prevent damage. Again... browse these forums.

Engine compartment looks mostly stock and everything appears to be there, except that your heater valve seems to be in the wrong place - it should be on a bracket attached to the round brace next to the air cleaners.

Good luck with your Sunbeam. Having owned Triumphs myself, I think you'll find that there's not a lot of difference in terms of how things work or how you work on it. On the plus side, your Alpine has the largest boot (trunk) of any British sports car ever made (true fact), has a more roomy interior than a TR6, and will perform about as well as a decent running Spitfire.

Thank you.

I have already been contacted by a member on the padded boss (and I don't even have the car yet!) so it looks as though this site is going to be a great resource for my project.

Yes, it has the overdrive option. The current (soon to be former) owner of the vehicle stated that he had the overdrive repaired recently (in England, at an unspecified expense) so that was something I would not have to worry about anytime soon. Although I will try to find information on this site concerning the proper operation and maintenance of the option.

The major issue (outside of cosmetics) is braking. He has removed and attempted to repair the master cylinder but did not solve the problem. It has a great deal of give and takes pumping. It is so bad, he feels it is not safe enough to drive on public roads since the brakes are erratic.

The less important issue he mentioned is the tachometer. He tried to fix it with some aftermarket shade tree job but it was a failure. I have found the repair download here by Tom Hayden and will be using that.

Again, thank you and thanks to the members and owners of this site for making it available.

Mike

 

[todd reid]

Welcome Mike,

It appears your car has a brake servo (vacuum assisted brakes). These are nice when working, but can have problems as they age. You can get a union for a couple bucks that will allow you to bypass the servo, which may be helpful when you are trying to trouble shoot the brake system.

 

[Ken Ellis]

There's a better-than-average chance that the vacuum booster is the black hole of brake fluid, especially if the car has not been kept up recently. The rebuild is possible, challenging, and potentially unnecessary if you make the move to an earlier-series master cylinder (giving up "power brakes"). It would be prudent, of course, to do a thorough hydraulic system rebuild prior to road use. There are several threads concerning fluid choice, stock repairs, brass sleeving of cylinders, and alternate master cylinders and boosters on the site. They should reveal themselves under "Advanced Search" or by using Google to search this site. Stopping is way more important than going.

Your job with the rebuilt OD is just taking care of it well. There are several threads on care, fluid choice, engagement adjustment, and the perils of selecting reverse while engaged (bad news). But a fresh rebuild by a hopefully-reputable shop is a good starting point.

Best of luck, and let us know your progress.

 

[Bok_Tukalo]

I received the car this past Saturday. It is a little rough. Currently, I am unable to drive it due to the brake issue (it doesn't) but feel confident I can resolve that easily this next weekend.

I found out that it was originally Forest Green (86) and not Carnival Red (39) so I am very pleased; that is my favorite color for any British sports car so I will not feel guilty at all for returning it to the original hue.

I will try to keep you posted on the progress though it may take almost a year. My goal is completion by the time my office holds its annual Christmas car show. Up till now, all American muscle cars and trucks. I will try to slide in on the technicality that this car was manufactured under Chrysler ownership and will point to the Pentastar for proof.

 

[Cactusmasher]

We have several members in Texas and a number of cars in the Dallas-FW area. Suggest you look up Rick Guest (Guesties Garage). He's in your neck of the woods although I don't know how far apart you guys are. He's helpful and knowledgeable and often has parts for sale. You can check the members list for him and others in Texas. Good luck.

 

[Alpine Addict]

Send me a PM I am in Dallas and have a local chapter of the SAOCA. I hope to set up a meet in the near future.

Steve