Rear deck lid lettering

[canuck pride]

Hi guys, I have a 1967 alpine sold in Canada.
My question I have is , what year or years did the alpine have the chrome sunbeam lettering across the rear deck lid.
As I start a some body work on the lid I notice that on the inside someone had filled in the hole for the lettering. Not to sure if its original deck lid.
Thanks for any input. Mike

 

[puff4]

The "SUNBEAM" letters across the top back edge of the boot (trunk) lid were standard on all Sunbeam Alpines, all years. Some folks have been known to remove them and fill the holes for aesthetic reasons.

 

[alpine_64]

interesting pic Kevin,

that alpine appears to be a SVGT and has the sparto reverse lamps not the Wipacs. Also they are the inboard bases that appeared later in production that mount the lights inside the over riders not the more regular ones that have them at the edge.. great period pic!

 

[puff4]

interesting pic Kevin,

that alpine appears to be a SVGT and has the sparto reverse lamps not the Wipacs. Also they are the inboard bases that appeared later in production that mount the lights inside the over riders not the more regular ones that have them at the edge.. great period pic!

Thanks, Michael. That car belonged to Michael Etheridge of the UK, and the photo was taken outside his home at the time, at 25 Lucerne Road, Thornton Heath, Greater London. He also owned the Ford Corsair parked in front of the Alpine. He says his SV-GT Alpine was 'disguised' as a Tiger at some point along the way with side chromes, so perhaps that accounts for the reversing lamps as well.

Sadly, in 1981 it was stolen outside a restaurant in Crayford and wrecked... photo below.

 

[whoizrob]

That's good to know!

My SIV GT doesn't have the trunk lettering and I was trying to figure out how to get the proper spacing and drilling to get the letters back on. Thing is I can't see any filler holes on the inside of the trunk lid.

One question I did have, since the part numbers are the same for front and back, the mounting of the letters should be the same on the front and the back. In other words, if I shave the front ones, can I simply mount them on the rear? Any pointers on removing the letters without damaging them?

Thanks!

Rob

 

[Ken Ellis]

3M makes several foam tapes used for mounting trim on cars. I would consider using one of them to attach the letters, if your trunk is currently hole-free. This would hold rust at bay, too.

A Dremel with the appropriate cutoff wheel would slice off the pins. Keep things cool to avoid chrome damage.

 

[DanR]

Rear deck Lettering "Holes"?

I believe that I would get get a template for "Letter Spacing"

and drill the holes back in the Boot Lid.

Several sources are available for "New" letters that would do nicely on your car.

 

[canuck pride]

The "SUNBEAM" letters across the top back edge of the boot (trunk) lid were standard on all Sunbeam Alpines, all years. Some folks have been known to remove them and fill the holes for aesthetic reasons.

With that said, Would that be the same for the front? My front is smooth also. Mike

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Mike,

I had all the lettering and badges removed, and the holes filled on my first Alpine. I think that the Alpine body shape is so clean, that lettering just detracts from the look. The ugliest one was the large round badge on the hood of my 1964 Series IV. I looked like a huge wart to me.

Of course everyone to his own taste, but for me, I like it clean and simple.

Jose

 

[puff4]

With that said, Would that be the same for the front? My front is smooth also. Mike

Your 1967 did not have any Sunbeam emblems or scripts up front, apart from the grille badge and the 'Alpine' script on each front wing.

 

[canuck pride]

Well thanks guys, this helps me out greatly. Mike

 

[alpine_64]

Hi Mike,

I had all the lettering and badges removed, and the holes filled on my first Alpine. I think that the Alpine body shape is so clean, that lettering just detracts from the look. The ugliest one was the large round badge on the hood of my 1964 Series IV. I looked like a huge wart to me.

Of course everyone to his own taste, but for me, I like it clean and simple.

Jose

Jose your SIV shouldn't have had a bonnet badge, that was SI/II with the enamel one and the S3 with the chrome surround plastic inserted one. someone either added it or you had a bonnet off an early car.

 

[puff4]

Michael, I thought the bonnet badge, much like the bonnet flash, was an dealer/factory option?

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Michael,

Apparently, someone, with little taste, put one on mine. I thought it was so ugly, that it was the first thing I took off. Can you just picture the large SUNBEAM lettering across the front, just above the grill opening, then that ugly thing just above it? It was just too much for me. I took all the letters and badges off, and if I´d had the money to do it, I would have taken the door handles off too, and used an electric opener for the doors.

Jose

Jose your SIV shouldn't have had a bonnet badge, that was SI/II with the enamel one and the S3 with the chrome surround plastic inserted one. someone either added it or you had a bonnet off an early car.

 

[V6 JOSE]

Michael,

Come to think of it, you may be right. The car had at sometime in it´s history, been hit in the front and rebuilt, because the paint on the doghouse was a different shade of faded red than the rest of the body when I bought it. Apparently they must have put an earlier Series 3 hood on it, because it had the hood rod on the side like the later series cars did.

Now I feel even more justified in taking it off, since it wasn´t supposed to be there to begin with.

Jose

 

[alpine_64]

Michael, I thought the bonnet badge, much like the bonnet flash, was an dealer/factory option?

Kevin,

the series I/Ii had a chrome/enamel domed badge in the centre of the leading edge of the bonnet. on the series 3 cars they used a plastic insert (the same as the SIV/V grill one but with a round shape) and it was mounted in a chrome plinth. This badge was also used on the bonnet of the later fastback rapiers.

SI/II badge:

S3:

 

[puff4]

Kevin,

the series I/Ii had a chrome/enamel domed badge in the centre of the leading edge of the bonnet. on the series 3 cars they used a plastic insert (the same as the SIV/V grill one but with a round shape) and it was mounted in a chrome plinth. This badge was also used on the bonnet of the later fastback rapiers.

Yes, I know what they came standard with, but I thought that the enamel badge continued to be offered as an option on later cars.

 

[Series3Scott]

Yes, I know what they came standard with, but I thought that the enamel badge continued to be offered as an option on later cars.

No, I've never seen that and it was never listed as an option in the accessory brochures.

 

[alpine_64]

Yes, I know what they came standard with, but I thought that the enamel badge continued to be offered as an option on later cars.

Hi Kevin,
sorry i misunderstood you, i don't recall ever seeing any brochures or parts list where they list the badge as an option. It's possible that some dealers might have done it for customers by request, but i'm pretty sure it was not an official thing.