Hi Folks- New Guy (Kind of windy)

[the_elder_rocker]

Hi Folks-
New to the forum here. Just bought a '67 Sunbeam Alpine. Not a bad old car, really. Body is better than I'm used to finding Little British Cars these days, mostly there. Engine turns freely, oil looks good, gas tank doesn't reek of ancient molassesgas. Tranny (Oops! I mean gender non-specific shifty box!) goes in all gears. Isn't hemmoraging anything on the shop floor. I got sparks last night. Coil tested bad and the LPO (Lovely Previous Owner) had the - coil wire run straight to ground inside the dizzy cap. New cap, rotor, condenser, wires and coil. Tonight I'll see if it will run off of a shot of carb cleaner or a gravity-feed fuel supply. Missing a few bits but not horrible, new carpet kit, top and tons of soft parts came with it along with 2 carb kits and an overhaul kit for the servo. Dated 2009! Missing bumpers, front top header rail, horn ring and windshield wiper arms that I have noticed so far. First things first, of course. Make it run, make it safe, make it pretty is the route I like.
This car is an odd combo in the color department. Paint code 1- Black- with black interior and top. Wire wheels. All the cool and the grief that come with them. Haven't assessed the spline condition yet. Been checking electrical circuits- no smoke yet and less mayhem than I expect with an unfinished project that's been unassembled for at least 12 years! Jack and wrench are in the boot along with 5th wire wheel spare. Bonus! Engine number is a few thousand before chassis number, but is still a SV. At least the car hasn't been cut up for an engine swap. I kind of dig the big 4! I'm no newbie on English machines but this is the first Sunbeam I've been around.
Looking forward to sending some photos and keeping you all apprised as to the progress on the Alpine.
Mike Burgess
Albert, KS

 

[RootesRacer]

Hi Folks-
New to the forum here. Just bought a '67 Sunbeam Rapier. Not a bad old car, really. Body is better than I'm used to finding Little British Cars these days, mostly there. Engine turns freely, oil looks good, gas tank doesn't reek of ancient molassesgas. Tranny (Oops! I mean gender non-specific shifty box!) goes in all gears. Isn't hemmoraging anything on the shop floor. I got sparks last night. Coil tested bad and the LPO (Lovely Previous Owner) had the - coil wire run straight to ground inside the dizzy cap. New cap, rotor, condenser, wires and coil. Tonight I'll see if it will run off of a shot of carb cleaner or a gravity-feed fuel supply. Missing a few bits but not horrible, new carpet kit, top and tons of soft parts came with it along with 2 carb kits and an overhaul kit for the servo. Dated 2009! Missing bumpers, front top header rail, horn ring and windshield wiper arms that I have noticed so far. First things first, of course. Make it run, make it safe, make it pretty is the route I like.
This car is an odd combo in the color department. Paint code 1- Black- with black interior and top. Wire wheels. All the cool and the grief that come with them. Haven't assessed the spline condition yet. Been checking electrical circuits- no smoke yet and less mayhem than I expect with an unfinished project that's been unassembled for at least 12 years! Jack and wrench are in the boot along with 5th wire wheel spare. Bonus! Engine number is a few thousand before chassis number, but is still a SV. At least the car hasn't been cut up for an engine swap. I kind of dig the big 4! I'm no newbie on English machines but this is the first Sunbeam I've been around.
Looking forward to sending some photos and keeping you all apprised as to the progress on the Alpine.
Mike Burgess
Albert, KS

Did you buy an alpine or a rapier?
Your post kinda says both and I wouldnt expect a 67 rapier to have wire wheels.

In any case good luck with your new car!

 

[the_elder_rocker]

Jeepers- It's an Alpine! Now why do I have Rapier stuck in my head!? Sorry, the grey dreary weather we've had so long has drawn out all my smarts! I'll edit that so I don't look like SUCH a doofus! Too bad, Rapier is SUCH a cool word! Makes a guy want to polish the tarnish off of his swashbuckle!

 

[RootesRooter]

Knew a fellow, an Alpine guy, who was so straight-laced he couldn't/wouldn't even SAY the word Rapier. Too suggestive. He called them either Rappers or Rap-PERS.

You're just getting started in Alpines but you should know there's a national Sunbeam-owners meet coming up practically in your backyard (Independence, MO) this summer. Search here for "SUNI" for all the details.

 

[65sunbeam]

Welcome Mike-and thanks for becoming a club sponsor with your first post! You are in the right place to get help and learn all about Alpines and other Rootes cars too. And yes, make plans to attend SUNI-you live SO very close to the location.
Post some photos of your Alpine when you get a chance. I will mail you a few membership items soon! Eric

 

[Gordon Holsinger]

Hi Folks-
New to the forum here. Just bought a '67 Sunbeam Alpine. Not a bad old car, really. Body is better than I'm used to finding Little British Cars these days, mostly there. Engine turns freely, oil looks good, gas tank doesn't reek of ancient molassesgas. Tranny (Oops! I mean gender non-specific shifty box!) goes in all gears. Isn't hemmoraging anything on the shop floor. I got sparks last night. Coil tested bad and the LPO (Lovely Previous Owner) had the - coil wire run straight to ground inside the dizzy cap. New cap, rotor, condenser, wires and coil. Tonight I'll see if it will run off of a shot of carb cleaner or a gravity-feed fuel supply. Missing a few bits but not horrible, new carpet kit, top and tons of soft parts came with it along with 2 carb kits and an overhaul kit for the servo. Dated 2009! Missing bumpers, front top header rail, horn ring and windshield wiper arms that I have noticed so far. First things first, of course. Make it run, make it safe, make it pretty is the route I like.
This car is an odd combo in the color department. Paint code 1- Black- with black interior and top. Wire wheels. All the cool and the grief that come with them. Haven't assessed the spline condition yet. Been checking electrical circuits- no smoke yet and less mayhem than I expect with an unfinished project that's been unassembled for at least 12 years! Jack and wrench are in the boot along with 5th wire wheel spare. Bonus! Engine number is a few thousand before chassis number, but is still a SV. At least the car hasn't been cut up for an engine swap. I kind of dig the big 4! I'm no newbie on English machines but this is the first Sunbeam I've been around.
Looking forward to sending some photos and keeping you all apprised as to the progress on the Alpine.
Mike Burgess
Albert, KS

Welcome!

 

[Alpine 1789]

Just bought a '67 Sunbeam Alpine...

Congratulations on the new car, welcome to the Club and thank you for your support! I am confident you will find the answers to any questions you have as you go on, but it sounds like you have things well in hand already. But, by all means, please do join us in September at the upcoming Sunbeams United. It promises to be a wonderful gathering of Sunbeam owners from all over North America and beyond. And, you will almost certainly be able to find any parts you discover you need in the Parts Room. More information on the event can be found here: https://sunbeamsunited.com/?sfw=pass1622239876

 

[the_elder_rocker]

It lives! Last night I managed to get the Alpine to run on a shot of carb cleaner. Overall very promising. Oil pressure is fantastic, no cloud of blue smoke and the engine doesn't sound like a truckload of washing machines falling down a hill! Starter bushings/brushes are a bit weak, it really heats the lead from the solenoid but that's for a later episode. One of the last two LPO's must have been flogging pretty good recently to get it to run. As mentioned the gas doesn't smell overly horrible and in the short time I had the engine running the fuel pump glass filled with liquid. Didn't even see any fishies swimming around in it. Very promising indeed. On a total longshot I filled the hydraulic reservoirs (after the brake res. that was AWOL showed up in the mail today) and am letting them sit overnight to think about whether they want to co operate or not. Slowly pumped them both with hand pressure and there is a scintilla of resistance. Might work, might not.
Now for something completely different- Thanks for the warm welcome. Forums of today are a stellar source of information on these cars. The dark days of Polaroids and Postage stamps are long gone and thank Goodness for that! I appreciate the time and effort that it takes to keep such a valuable source going!
Thanks!
Mike Burgess
Albert, KS

 

[Tom H]

Mike, good to see that gas filled the glass bowl. There is a way to get the gas from bowl to carb, without the engine running. There should be a lever on the fuel pump, protruding out below the glass bowl. You can pull up on that and release a couple times and that will pump fuel up into the carb.

Tom

 

[the_elder_rocker]

Hi Folks-
Thanks for the insights! UPDATE- No joy on brake/clutch hydraulics. One corner bled down with the vacuum pump but no more. The front brake hoses look like new but the rear is ancient! Pulled it and it's swelled shut! Surprise! Ordered rebuild kits for clutch and brake masters, clutch slave and calipers, hose, and brushes and bushings for the starter. Might as well renew those while the clutch slave is out of the way. Aaah, mission creep- my old friend! The servo was bypassed with a pipe from the brake master to the brake pipe manifold but there is a servo rebuild kit in the box O' spares that came with the car. That's on the list of to-do's while I wait for the post office to drop everything in the box. At least whoever bypassed the servo in the car's sordid past undid the pipes nicely and blocked them off with proper fittings. No surprises waiting in the lines! Took the clutch slave apart and the bore looks really nice. A Great Relief! With a bit of luck the rest of the cylinders will clean up with a light hone and go back together. The Most Recent Previous Owner dropped off the spare wire wheel. Has rot at the outer spoke nipple deck but spokes are tight and holding. Put it together with the new tire and tube that was in the trunk and all's well. Splines are not perfect but far better than I would expect for a spare tire.
More to come--
Mike Burgess
Albert, KS