Mechanic needed - NE Ohio

[61Beamer]

Hi, I have a 61 Alpine II in pieces and am looking for someone for put it back together and get it running for me. My Dad bought it for me for my 16th birthday and we just never found the time to work on it. Life happened and now Daddy is gone but I promised him that some day I'd get it running. Well today is the day! Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who can help me? I'm just outside of Akron Ohio but would be happy to haul it to someone. Thanks in advance!

 

[alpine_64]

There are some very experienced sunbeam guys in ohio.... Im sure you have a few options... Budget may be a limiting factor...

Does it require assembly...or body work?

 

[phyrman]

Glad to see you found the Forum, post some pictures it will aid in your quest!

BD

 

[65sunbeam]

Thanks for joining and supporting our club!
I will PM you the contact info for Doug Jennings who is in Dayton, Ohio. The best Sunbeam guy around!
Eric

 

[Mike O'D]

I'm in the Cleveland area as well as Tom H. I re-built my own car, so I don't have a recommendation for you. I'm happy to talk Sunbeams or help with questions. I also have a pretty good collection of spare parts.

Mike

 

[61Beamer]

I'm in the Cleveland area as well as Tom H. I re-built my own car, so I don't have a recommendation for you. I'm happy to talk Sunbeams or help with questions. I also have a pretty good collection of spare parts.

Mike

Awesome, thanks for your support! I'd love to do it myself but I don't have the space, the time or the mechanical knowledge... Once we retire I'll have more time!

 

[61Beamer]

There are some very experienced sunbeam guys in ohio.... Im sure you have a few options... Budget may be a limiting factor...

Does it require assembly...or body work?

Nice to know I'm surrounded by good people! Yes, budget... It's my and my Dad's dream to get this little guy running and I've been dreaming and saving so...!

 

[61Beamer]

Thanks for joining and supporting our club!
I will PM you the contact info for Doug Jennings who is in Dayton, Ohio. The best Sunbeam guy around!
Eric

Oh!!! Doug Jennings is the guy I spoke to years ago about my little darling. Glad to know he's still in the picture. Hopefully he can help me out with my project!

 

[61Beamer]

I'm in the Cleveland area as well as Tom H. I re-built my own car, so I don't have a recommendation for you. I'm happy to talk Sunbeams or help with questions. I also have a pretty good collection of spare parts.

Mike

Thanks for your contact - my baby is tarped in the yard but as soon as the weather breaks I'll get some pics and share them. Thanks!

 

[61Beamer]

There are some very experienced sunbeam guys in ohio.... Im sure you have a few options... Budget may be a limiting factor...

Does it require assembly...or body work?

The body is in pretty good shape. Needs some TLC and a bit of patching in one corner of the trunk. Unfortunately Daddy was great about taking things apart but kind of ran out of steam when it came to the rebuilding. The engine will be a total rebuild - if its even salvageable.

 

[61Beamer]

Ok! I had a great chat with Doug this morning! So I need the engine completely rebuilt. Can you guys recommend a good shop? Would u need to pull the engine and ship it someplace or can I take the whole car there? Guessing it depends a bit on distance? I can transport either just the engine or the whole car within a reasonable distance.

 

[61Beamer]

Awesome, thanks for your support! I'd love to do it myself but I don't have the space, the time or the mechanical knowledge... Once we retire I'll have more time!

Do you know an engine shop on the area?

 

[Mike O'D]

I did my own - had a local shop do the machining. I don't have a suggestion for someone doing the whole engine re-build. Internet search as a start?

 

[Tom H]

Here's the outfit that did all the machine work on my 1725 engine 10 years ago. I did all the cleaning, planning, and assembly and purchased all the parts- gaskets, Chevy Rods, custom pistons & rings (for the Chevy rod mod) elsewhere. They are a complete engine builder, but probably not familiar with Alpine engines, so you may need to be more involved than just dropping off the engine or car. Might be worth a call:

https://michaels-auto-parts-and-michaels-racing.business.site

 

[61Beamer]

Ok, thanks, I'll keep looking around. I don't have a building, the knowledge or time to do the job myself. Please let me know if you think of anything else.

Thanks!

 

[61Beamer]

Oh cool, Michael's is really close to me! I'll go by and have a chat with them. Thanks!

 

[volvoguys]

Ok! I had a great chat with Doug this morning! So I need the engine completely rebuilt. Can you guys recommend a good shop? Would u need to pull the engine and ship it someplace or can I take the whole car there? Guessing it depends a bit on distance? I can transport either just the engine or the whole car within a reasonable distance.

Doug Jennings is well known throughout the marque and has a very good reputation. But I don't understand how a complete rebuild would be determined without actually seeing it and running a few tests. Even if a motor appears seized it could as simple as the piston rings sticking to the the cylinder walls and if the mileage is relatively low the engine might just need freed and freshened.

I suspect the car has sentimentality and that's a strong motivator to get the car going even if the resto costs are pricey. But lacking the knowledge, skills and tools necessary I suggest you determine just how much money you're willing to put into the car before you do anything. In other words, offer your budget and maybe some guys will chime in. Would you go, say, $10K?

Mark ..... volvoguys

 

[sunalp]

Mark has a very good point. The engine needs to be evaluated to determine what type of work is necessary
to make it run as it should. If the engine is seized and cannot be turned over by hand ( with the plugs removed)
then I could understand the worst case scenario, a complete rebuild. Cars that sit for long periods of time will
deteriorate to a point where major work is necessary. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that Doug wouldn't
take this on. I've had many cars come in where the car needs a restoration and the engine needs to be rebuilt.
I've always seen the engine as a major part of the complete restoration. I have many people I work with to do a
complete job ( I don't have my own machine shop) and I'm sure Doug does too.

Marks point about a budget is also a very good piece of advice. Know what you can afford before tackling a project
such as this. No one really appreciates the amount of work and time it takes to truly restore a vehicle. I have
a friend , also in the restoration business, that said years ago that it takes at least a thousand hours to restore
a vehicle. At that time his shops hourly rate was $60 ( he's more now!). Do the math.

Cheers!
Steve

 

[Bill Blue]

Doug is retired. That translates into only taking on projects he wants to become involved in. Having said that, I'm a little surprised he did not mention someone in Ohio capable of taking on this project.
Bill

 

[61Beamer]

Hi all, yes, for sure this is entirely a sentimental journey I'm taking with and for my Dad - he's gone but I was the son he never had. Out if 5 daughters, I was the daughter who hung out in the garage and got my hands dirty. Not enough to learn how to do this myself though.

Doug is great! We chatted and he'll be there to advise but he's retired and pretty far away so it will be better if I can get it started locally.

I'm ok with the $$$ - it will be worth it!

Planning a rebuild as the engine is already partially taken apart - my Dad had started the work but never got very far so the engine's been sitting open for more years than I care to admit...

I spoke to Michael's and he can do the rebuild. My local mechanic can pull the engine and send it to Michael. It's a tentative plan! I'm so excited to finally get started! Thanks so much for all your help and advice!