1959-1968 Sunbeam Alpine
The oft-overlooked Alpine remains a British sports car bargain
09/24/2018
Ask the average person on the street to name the first classic British sports car that comes to mind, and if he or she can respond without lapsing into a blank stare (mind you, it has been about 30 years since we could last buy one new), you'll likely hear MG, Triumph, Jaguar or Austin-Healey. The number of people who will shoot back ''Sunbeam Alpine'' will likely be low, indeed.
Those who do bring up the Alpine are in on one of the best-kept secrets in British sports car motoring. A contemporary of the MGA and MGB, Triumph TR3, TR4 and TR250 and the Austin-Healey 100-6 and 3000, Sunbeam's 1959 through 1968 Alpine combined charming period style, bulletproof mechanicals, an accommodating interior and above-average weatherproofing. A small but dedicated group of parts and restoration specialists in the U.S. and U.K. continue to keep all five iterations of this Alpine in fine fettle. So if you desire the fun of period sports car motoring but don't want to see yourself at every cruise-in and car show, an Alpine is aces.
Built by Pressed Steel over the underlying structure of the Rootes Group's Hillman Husky, the Sunbeam Alpine's body was of advanced monocoque construction, with an integral under-floor X reinforcement. Also setting the Alpine apart from its home country competition were proper roll-up windows and a well-fitting, fully integrated folding soft top with a permanently attached, three-piece body color metal top cover.
The Series Is, as Sunbeam Alpines built between October 1959 and October 1960 are commonly referred, offered adequately sporty performance, courtesy of a 1,494cc overhead-valve four-cylinder with three main bearings and a cast-aluminum head; two Zenith 36 WIP2 downdraft carburetors, 9.2:1 compression and free-flowing tubular exhaust headers allowed it to make (gross) 83.5hp at 5,300 RPM and 89-lbs.ft. of torque at 3,400 RPM. This engine was mated to a close-ratio four-speed manual with optional Laycock overdrive, and Girling front disc brakes were standard equipment. Underpinning the Alpine were coil springs, wishbones, tubular shocks and an anti-roll bar up front, and in the rear, a live axle, half-elliptic leaf springs and lever arm shocks.
Noticeable visible changes in Series IV Alpines included new indicator lamps, rubber-tipped overriders and re-profiled rear fenders with smaller tailfins.
Like the Series II through V that followed, the first Alpines were nicely trimmed with vinyl seats, a combination of carpeting and rubber mats, safety-minded padded dash tops and bottoms, adjustable foot pedals and ample instrumentation. Options included 13-inch wire wheels, an aluminum hard top, a rear jump seat and the aforementioned overdrive. Series I production totaled 11,904 examples.
The outward changes to the Alpine Series II, built between October 1960 and February 1963 (1962 shown, red), were few--full-length steel side window glass channels and an altered steering wheel rake and seat position for more interior comfort--but changes under the bonnet were what counted for sports car aficionados. The handsome aluminum-topped engine was bored to 1,592cc, and its 85.5hp and 94-lbs.ft. of torque made it more responsive to the throttle. The Rootes Group put their money where their mouth was, supporting SCCA G- and F-Class Production racing, and even developing cars that ran with distinction at Sebring and Le Mans. Forty-four Series IIs shy of 20,000 were built.
The Alpine got a closed-top sibling in 1961, which was created by Thomas Harrington Ltd., a venerable coachbuilding firm that had recently branched into working with fiberglass. Harrington began building personalized Alpine-based fastback coupes; over three years, this firm built about 384 cars, split into Harrington Alpine, Harrington Le Mans and ''C'' Series, some of which came to America. To make a Harrington coupe, the roadster's rear fenders and trunk were cut away and a fiberglass roof panel, incorporating a small trunk in early cars and a larger hatchback-style rear window on later ones, was bolted and bonded on. All Harringtons were well trimmed with full carpeting, Microcell front buckets and fold-down rear jump seats, a walnut instrument panel and standard wire wheels, and Stage II factory tuning pushed their engines to 103hp; Le Mans coupes had standard overdrive and a rear anti-roll bar.
With just 5,863 examples built in the short (March 1963 to January 1964) production run, the Series III was the most refined of the tailfin Alpines, incorporating a surprising number of changes both visible and under the skin. A different windshield design and doors with fixed quarter windows were obvious, while a new steel hard top sported opening rear quarter windows. Under a redesigned soft top were supportive, adjustable new Microcell bucket seats, a telescoping steering wheel and two-speed windshield wipers. Big news was the redesigned gas tank, which was actually two inter-connected 6.75-gallon tanks mounted in each rear fender, allowing the spare tire to stand up in the trunk and leave (a comparably huge) 9.25-cubic feet of luggage space. Larger discs and telescopic shocks up front and closer gear ratio spacing were other changes.
The Alpine range was doubled with the Series III, when the convertible gained the moniker, ''Sports Tourer,'' and a new ''Grand Tourer'' model debuted; this car wore a standard removable hardtop, but didn't have a folding soft top. Taking up the space where the folded top would be was an upholstered jump seat, and up front, a burled walnut dash, wood-rim steering wheel and full carpeting made the ambiance more deluxe. A switch to Zenith W1A3 carburetors with a single air cleaner and a cast-iron exhaust manifold meant a bit less power (80.3hp and 91-lbs.ft. of torque), but more refinement.
Production of the Series IV Alpines began in January 1964, and American Sunbeam buyers could now find Alpines in some of their local Chrysler dealerships, thanks to this company purchasing part of the Rootes Group; Chrysler would absorb all of Rootes in 1967. The Series IV Alpine looked noticeably different from its predecessors because its tailfins were trimmed, and a simple one-bar grille, rubber-tipped bumper overriders and a vinyl-covered dash fascia for Sports Tourers brought the cars up to date. In a nod to the Alpine's most important market, a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic transmission became optional, and a new engine setup, in which a single two-barrel Solex replaced the two Zenith carburetors for 87.5hp, was shared between Sports Tourers and GTs. Starting in the fall of 1964, manual gearbox-equipped Alpines enjoyed full synchromesh, and when the Series V cars arrived in September 1965, 12,406 IVs had been built.
The final Series of Sunbeam Alpines provided even more of what enthusiasts want: power. The car's four-cylinder now displaced 1,725cc and made 92.5hp, courtesy of a longer stroke, and five (versus three) main bearings made for a sturdier engine. Twin Stromberg 150C.D. carburetors, a tubular exhaust manifold, a standard oil cooler, self-adjusting rear drum brakes and a negative earth electrical system were other mechanical improvements. The ''SUNBEAM'' lettering on the car's nose was deleted and the folding top lost its metal boot for a snap-on vinyl replacement, but footwell air vents improved creature comforts. When the Series V was fitted with overdrive, it became a true 100 MPH car and a real competitor to the 1.8-liter MGB; 19,122 were built before production ended in January 1968.
A well-established reputation for reliability and durability has not propelled the Alpine out of the shadows of its more famous countrymen or given it ''build from a catalog'' parts availability, but the upside of this relative anonymity is that values have remained below those of its competitors, great for people who want to pick up a nice example for a reasonable price. While a built total of roughly 70,000 is no match for the roughly 525,000 MGBs built, these Sunbeam sports cars aren't lacking in parts availability, knowledgeable specialists or enthusiastic club support.
Body/Frame
As with any unit-body roadster whose main sources of strength are its rocker panels and floors, rust in these areas is serious, and it tends to begin behind the front wheels, where moisture enters between the front fender and inner wheel arch. If the structure is compromised, inconsistent door gaps and body flexing will appear during a test drive. Lifting the carpet or rubber mat to check where the sill meets the floor, as well as the area around the accelerator pedal, is wise. As with MGBs, rust in these areas is correctible, albeit time-consuming and expensive.
Other potential rust areas include the lower front and rear fenders, door edges, inner rear wheel arches, the rear leaf spring attachment points, the trunk floor and the structural rails that terminate in the trunk. The rear corners of the engine compartment can rust in extreme cases, and late Series V cars can develop rust on top of the cowl. The GT and Series III and newer Sports Touring hardtops have been known to rust, and while patches are available, replacement of the plastic windows is expensive.
''Compared to other British cars, replacement sheetmetal is getting harder to come by,'' explains Aaron Hammond, British product manager for Victoria British. ''The Sunbeam Alpine market isn't big enough for people to make the investment in tooling. There are a handful of people in the U.K. that we can still reliably source parts from, although supply is not as consistent as we'd like.''
Repair patch panels for the front and rear fenders, rockers, rear arches and headlamps can be found, but floor pans will need to be hand-fabricated from sheet steel, and early gas tanks will require repair, as new replacements are not made.
Engines
While it's acknowledged that the Alpine-based Tiger, with its Ford V-8 engine, was Sunbeam's high-performance sports car, the 1,494, 1,592 and 1,725cc four-cylinder engines in the Series I through V Alpines performed adequately and were under-stressed and long-lived; as expected, the big-displacement Series V with five main bearings is the sturdiest, most powerful of the lot. Sourcing new and reconditioned mechanical components is as easy as picking up the telephone, with the exception of engine crankshafts, as noted by Curt Meinel, owner of Classic Sunbeam Inc.: ''Most crankshafts can be re-cut, but replacement main and rod bearings are always in stock.''
The various carburetors used on the Alpine can be rebuilt if they are worn, and a two-barrel Weber is a common, inexpensive substitution requiring a stock Series IV manifold. Rebuilt aluminum cylinder heads are available, as are many pre-made gasket sets.
New and upgraded exhaust system components can be sourced. Regarding engine electronics, Curt notes, ''Luckily like most British sports cars, many of the electrical items such as starters, switches, generators and regulators are common to other British cars of the same era, and are therefore available.''
Transmission/Differential
The four-speed manual gearboxes fitted to the bulk of Alpines are sturdy units, although the full-synchromesh actuation of Series IV and V models makes them easier to live with; rebuild kits and reconditioned units can be purchased, although some components for early Series transmissions are no longer available. It is possible to retrofit a later gearbox (along with the flywheel, clutch, clutch lever and bearing) to an earlier car, although the bulk of retrofitting that takes place these days is the addition of overdrive to the roughly 50 percent of Alpines not so fitted at the factory. Clutch master and slave cylinder rebuild kits can be purchased, as can clutch components.
The Borg Warner automatic gearbox is also sturdy, and numerous specialists across the country can rebuild it. New differentials are not available, but almost all of the components needed to refresh a worn one are.
Suspension/Brakes
Good parts availability makes keeping the relatively simple independent front and live axle rear suspensions in good form. The Series I through III front suspension, which used kingpins, requires periodic greasing, while the later version, with its Metalastik bushings, is comparably maintenance-free.
''Some brake components are hard to come by,'' Aaron notes. ''We stock pads and a handful of remanufactured calipers, but finding early rotors is a challenge. It's possible for enthusiasts to track down these components, but they may have to wait a long time for delivery.'' Rebuild kits for parts like the Alpine's master cylinder are available for order. Sloppy steering is the result of a worn steering box or idler assembly, but new steering components are sold.
Interior/Trim
Alpines with expired door, window and hardtop seals are in luck, because new replacements are being manufactured; the same goes for soft tops. Upholstery and door and interior panels are all available in original or original-type materials, but pre-formed seat foam is not made for Series I-II seats. New complete dash pads are inexpensive, and steering wheels with cracked plastic rims can be repaired. Full GT-style carpeting is sold. Replacement speedometers and clocks are no longer made, but instrument specialists can rebuild non-functioning units.
Curt paints a bright picture for someone bringing an Alpine's exterior appearance back to factory. ''Almost every trim item has been reproduced: We stock the Alpine script, 'SUNBEAM' letters, upper and lower grilles, center grille bars and more. We have reproduced all the lenses both front and rear for both the early and late style Alpines. I would have to estimate that 70 to 75 percent of all parts needed are now available to the Alpine restorer. It's true that some parts are hard to find, but these can usually be found used.''
Rick McLeod, owner of Sunbeam Specialties, explains why unique Series I and II parts are harder to replace than those for later models: ''The cars were in a rapid state of development during the early years, and parts were revised constantly then. Most things look about the same as before, but there were many changes, and many of the parts don't interchange. The most important reason, though, is that the Alpine I-II cars do not share many parts with the Tigers. Since the Tigers are much more valuable, the demand for their trim parts is higher, and Alpine III-V cars benefit from the cross-over.''
SPECIALISTS
Classic Sunbeam Inc.
607-432-2662
www.classicsunbeam.com
Sunbeam Specialties Inc.
408-371-1642
www.rootes.com/index.html
Victoria British
800-255-0088
www.victoriabritish.com
Alpine West Midlands
+44 1527 401498
www.sunbeam-alpine.co.uk
Sunbeam Spares Company
+44 01207 581025
www.thesunbeamsparescompany.co.uk
Kip Motor Co.
972-243-0440
www.kipmotor.com
PARTS PRICES
Brake shoe set, Series I-IV - $25
Bumper bracket, front, two required - $21
Carpet kit, complete with jute backing - $330
Clutch disc - $60
Carburetor rebuild kit, Solex - $25
Driveshaft universal joint - $22
Horn ring, Series III-V - $130
Main bearing set, Series I-IV - $70
Seat upholstery kit - $398
''SUNBEAM'' letter set - $40
Temperature gauge sending unit - $16
Tie rod end set - $40
Transmission rear seal, Series V - $13
Water pump - $70
Wiring harness - $385
CLUB SCENE
Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club of America
www.sunbeamalpine.org
Online club with Alpine Registry, forum, technical data and original manual reproductions
Tigers East/Alpines East
PO Box 1260
Kulpsville, Pennsylvania 19443
www.teae.org
919-484-0818
Dues: $33 (printed newletter)/$29
(electronic newsletter); Membership: ~800
www.team.net/www/rootes/sunbeam/alpine/mk1-5/index.html
Sunbeam Alpine mailing list with historical information, tech tips and factory literature
PRODUCTION
Sunbeam Alpine, 1959-1968:
Series I - 11,904
Series II - 19,956
Series III - 5,863
Series IV - 12,406
Series V - 19,122
Alpine Harrington coupes - est. 384
Wagons are arguably the most practical form of transportation. By extending the relatively low roofline of its sedan counterpart, wagons offer plenty of precious cargo space while still retaining a lower center of gravity for zippy handling and spirited driving whenever the urge may hit. Despite all the fun that can be had in a wagon, massive high-riding SUVs and Crossovers have taken over the modern-day automotive market.
The SUV trend is unstoppable and new wagon models are becoming scarcer as years pass. Back in 1975, sedans and wagons dominated nearly 80-percent of the U.S. vehicle market. More recently, new SUV and truck sales have climbed to around 80-percent since 2011, taking the place of smaller sedans and their longroof model varieties.
In the classic car market, wagons are rapidly gaining popularity. Like the old saying goes, “They don’t make them like they used to.” Classic wagons exude a style that isn’t seen in today’s automobiles and car enthusiasts are gobbling them up like candy. Here are 15 examples of what is available in the classic wagon market today.
Everybody loves a classic woodie wagon! This two-door 1951 Ford Country Squire wagon still sports its original wood paneling, not that fake plasticky stuff seen on the more modern “wood” wagons. The seller states it is a fresh build that has only been driven 500 miles. A 350-cid Chevy Vortec Engine is hidden under the hood. Tasteful modifications include a Fatman Fabrications front end, an 8.8-inch rear end, power steering, four-wheel power disc brakes, and an all-new interior.
As stated in the auction listing, here’s a family hauler that would draw envious glances from Clark Griswold, this 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Station Wagon is believed to be in original condition apart from maintenance and service requirements, according to the selling dealer, who acquired the woodgrain-trimmed wagon through an estate sale. There’s a 350 V8 under the hood and the seller notes service within the past few thousand miles has included new brakes, a new water pump and radiator, valve cover gasket, muffler, and more. Click here to see the full auction details.
“Experience the epitome of vintage charm and modern performance with the 1964 Mercury Colony Park, a California wagon that's been meticulously restored and upgraded to perfection. Underneath its classic blue exterior adorned with wood paneling lies a beastly 390-cid V8 engine, now equipped with a Holley Sniper EFI system for improved fuel efficiency and smoother power delivery. Paired with an automatic transmission, this wagon delivers a driving experience that's as effortless as it is exhilarating.”
This beautiful Brookwood underwent a professional frame-off custom restoration. It’s a restomod of sorts, still sporting its classic looks while implanting some modern creature comforts and technologies. It’s powered by a 480 horsepower LS3 engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission, for starters. Cruise to the classified to see more photos, plus the full list of custom goodies included in this immaculate 1959 Chevrolet Brookwood Nomad.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a classic wagon exactly like this one-of-a-kind 1964 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova. Described as a mild restomod, this station wagon has just 1,000 miles accumulated since its frame-off restoration. The seller states that everything has been done on this car and it “rides, drives, and handles way better than you would expect; straight down the road with no shimmies, shakes, or vibrations.” The craftmanship on this V8-powered Chevy wagon is described as “simply spectacular.”
Volvo wagons are getting hard to come by, especially the 1960s-era cars. The seller states that this two-owner, mostly original 1963 Volvo 122S B22 was used as a daily commuter until a few years ago, has been regularly serviced, and is in good running condition with a recent fuel system overhaul. The original exterior does have some blemishes and surface rust, but the seller assures that “With a fresh paint job, she would really turn heads!”
“There are refurbishments and restorations, and then there’s the kind of treatment this 1953 Willys Station Wagon has received. The work is described as a minutely detailed body-off restoration that has left the wagon in better-than-factory condition. Among the many non-production upgrades said to have been performed on this Willys are heated leather seats, a lamb’s wool headliner, a Pioneer audio system with Bluetooth capability, map lighting, and USB charging ports. The Willys is reported to have a replacement F-head engine of the same year and displacement, now rebuilt, and the wagon is described by the seller as free of rust.”
A muscle car in wagon form is what dreams are made of, especially when talking about the second-generation Chevrolet Chevelle SS. This example, a Placer Gold 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Wagon, gets its power from a rebuilt 402 cubic-inch V8 producing 350 horsepower paired with a T-10 4-speed manual transmission geared with a 10-bolt rear end, plus other great features.
The sky roof (or panoramic roof) on this 1967 Buick Sport Wagon GS adds to this classic car’s luxurious feel. The seller states it is powered by a 350 cubic-inch small-block topped with four-barrel carbs and a Star Wars-style air cleaner. The wagon is described as rust free and ready to drive.
According to the seller of this custom 1956 Ford Parklane Two-Door Wagon, it is so clean that you can “eat off the door jams and spare tire well.” The mild custom sports a 312 cubic-inch V8 paired with an automatic transmission, plus loads of other goodies, including a custom interior. Take a close look at the photos supplied in the Hemmings Marketplace classified listing.
This extremely rare wagon is just one of only three examples produced, and the seller confirms that they do have the production records as proof. Previously owned and restored by the founder of the AMC club of America, the 1959 Rambler American Deliveryman Panel underwent what is described as an exceptional nut and bolt rotisserie restoration just a few years ago. It’s powered by an inline-six engine backed by a three-speed manual transmission, and the engine bay, among other details, is described as stunning.
The classic Chevrolet Bel Air embodies the American Dream of the late-50s, and its V8 engine signifies the era of American muscle. This elegant wagon is offered with an automatic transmission for easy cruising. The seller also states that the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is equipped with air conditioning, its classic AM radio, power brakes, and power steering.
If you’re searching for a wagon that will stop passersby in their tracks, look no further than this flame-adorned 1950 Oldsmobile. Under the hood you’ll find a powerful 5.7L Vortec 350 cubic-inch V8 paired with a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission. The seller states, “this Oldsmobile Wagon is not just about looks and performance, it’s also equipped with a range of features designed to enhance your driving experience.” Get the full details here.
This unrestored 1959 Plymouth wagon shows 78,800 original miles on the odometer. The 318 polyhead Mopar engine is topped with a Holly two-barrel carburetor and exhales through a dual exhaust system. Don’t let the main photo of this beautiful machine on a trailer fool you: The seller states that the car is in survivor condition and it drives without issues. Check it out.
This two-door, six-passenger, V8-powered 1958 Edsel Roundup wagon is described by the seller as a no expense spared custom. The customizations were completed by its owner, Frank Montelone, alongside his long-time friend, the legendary George Barris of Barris Kustoms, which makes this custom wagon an incredibly rare find.
There are more wild wagons where these came from. As of this writing, there are around 50 classic wagon listings on Hemmings Marketplace. Take a look!
Ray pile was a part of the immediate post-World War II generation of hot rodders. During the war, he was a waist gunner in Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers attacking Nazi-occupied Europe and afterward he returned to his home in Southgate, California. This is his car, the Pyle Special. Not much is known about its life before Ray got ahold of the Ford. It was just one of millions of Ford Model A’s produced for 1928-’31.
Just two years after the end of the war, an uncle got him set up running a gas station. That’s when the roadster comes on the scene, and with it, Ken Eichert, the father of current owner Chris Eichert and son of Ray’s benefactor-uncle.
“Ray was my dad’s cousin on my grandmother’s side,” Chris says. Ken had survived a bout with polio earlier in life and was prevented from participating in most sports because of a bad leg. He discovered an outlet in the machines found at his older cousin’s shop and as an honorary member of his car club, the Gaters (note the intentional misspelling as a nod to Southgate).
“My dad was very active with Ray’s roadster. He tore it apart, worked on it, took off the fenders and installed the bomber seat for Ray to race on race day. From 1947 to 1949, Ray was going to the dry lakes with the Gaters, and the roadster was actually a dual-purpose vehicle: it ran full fendered on the street and was Ray’s get-around car, his family car, and then he would race it every month when they had a meet.”
The late hot rod historian Don Montgomery was adamant that the immediate post-World War II years represented the only pure expression of the hot rod: a true street/strip car that was driven by its owner/builder for transportation Monday through Friday and was stripped for racing on the weekends. Postwar racing for hot rods in Southern California circa 1946-’52 was largely either “the lakes”—meaning the dry lakes of the Mojave Desert, mostly El Mirage, or drag racing. At the tail end of the period, drag racing started to become formalized, on closed strips often comprised of aircraft runway infrastructure built for the war. Before that, acceleration contests were an informal activity done on public roads and facilitated by the popularity of drive-in restaurants.
That three-faceted nature of postwar hot rods made them special and keeps them relatable today. Most roads in America are still suitable habitat for 1940s cars—whether they were new cars from 1947 or have been updated to 1940s technology. That ‘40s technology makes for a particularly satisfying operator experience—just automated enough not to be intimidating, but satisfyingly mechanical and interactive in all other respects. The sights, sounds, and smells are pure automobile, and the industrial design of every component says, “built right.”
Small wonder Chris decided to take the roadster back to how Ray had it. It even does a lot to explain why Chris’s father bought it off Ray in the mid-1960s, over a dozen years after it was last raced. It was far out of step with those times. It didn’t even have a flathead V-8. Ray had built the car to use four-cylinder power and its final engine had been a Model B unit, the 1932-’34 successor to the Model A four-cylinder and incorporating many of the popular modifications already done to make Model A engines suitable for high-performance applications.
“The motor that Ray raced with at the dry lakes was a four-banger with a two-port Riley,” Chris says. The Riley was an F-head design, or what the British and Harley-Davidson enthusiasts call “intake over exhaust,” meaning the exhaust valves retain their stock location in the block, but the intake valves are relocated overhead and actuated by pushrods and rocker arms. Even in flathead form, Model A and B four cylinders were respected for their off-the-line performance while the Ford V-8 was capable of greater top-end speed. An OHV or F-head conversion on a four-cylinder usually meant it was capable of keeping up with a flathead V-8 even at those higher RPMs. Chris would love to someday replicate that engine, which he and Ken discovered in derelict condition shortly after Ray’s death in 1987 and deemed unsalvagable.
The roadster’s final outings were to what was then Santa Ana airport. The first modern dragstrip began operation there in the spring of 1950 and Ray quit driving the Pyle Special about 1951. It didn’t move again until 1964 or ’65, when Ray sold it to Ken, who in turn held onto the car more as a keepsake than an active project. As a child, Chris would sneak into the freestanding garage where it was stored and sit in it and later it would provide plenty of father/son bench racing and swap-meet parts buying episodes.
Aside from one brief-but-memorable ride, the car sat in storage until 2007. By that point, it had suffered a couple indignities: its engine sold off to a friend’s speedster project and one fender and splash apron were brutally disfigured in a freak accident involving a large stack of tile.
“My dad was getting older. I told him I wanted to get the roadster going and he told me to bring it over. I took it completely apart and I cleaned off decades and decades of dirt. I actually saved some of it, thinking it was probably El Mirage dirt. I have two cigar vials full.”
That cleaning and disassembly venture was a crash course in postwar-era hot rodding.
“Nothing was precisely done. It was a real trip to see what hot rodders did back then and how they put stuff together. It truly was like going back all those years. Then seeing how it evolved in the late ‘40s into the ‘50s in old pictures, as it became what it is today.
“I ended up buying the motor back from the friend with the speedster. I told him what we were going to do, and he did not hesitate to sell it back to us. I had a friend of my dad’s rebuild the motor.”
Chris then re-installed all the speed parts that had come from Ray, plus a few his father had collected along the way, notably twin Stromberg 97 two-barrel carburetors on an Evans intake and a Mallory dual-point distributor. Chris also discarded Ray’s rear-only mechanical brake setup for 1939 Ford hydraulic brakes contributed by a friend of his father. “That’s the kind of friends my dad had,” he says. “All his hot rod friends knew about the roadster and when I told them I was working on it, they gave him stuff.”
Once the roadster was going, there followed a whirlwind of father-son activity with it, culminating in the twin delights of a Hot Rod Magazine feature story of the still-in-primer roadster, and Ken getting to drive the roadster at El Mirage for the first time ever. Then, Ken died in 2011 and the roadster took another hiatus.
“After Dad died, it sat. I could not get the motor running for snot. I took it to three or four old guys who worked on old Model A’s, hot rod guys, they couldn’t get it running. I kept spending money to no result, so I mothballed it for another 10 or 12 years, from 2011 to about a year or so ago.”
For help, Chris turned to a fellow member of the revived Gaters club, welder/fabricator and hardcore enthusiast of midcentury Americana, Randy Pierson.
“He’s got a period army tent, a period camp stove, he tows his roadster with a ’49 Merc four-door. The body on his roadster is all handmade. He is the pinnacle for our group who keeps us true to that era and what we do and what we don’t do and what we put our signature on as a club as far as being period correct.
“He did some body work (but he said it was one of the nicest Model A bodies he’d ever worked on). It was all hand welded, hand hammered, hand finished. We stripped off down to the color that was consistently across most of the body. He rewired it with cloth wire as it would it have been in period, and he really was meticulous to getting it back to as it was in 1947. We looked at pictures. He kept what he could keep and mimicked what needed to be done to make it true to its 1940s life.”
Also mimicking its 1940s life was the scramble to get it ready for race day. In this case, the West Coast iteration of The Race of Gentlemen, which is not a beach race but is instead held at Flabob Airport in Riverside, California, in the style of the original Santa Ana drags.
Although it still rides on a Model A frame, at some point the k-shaped crossmember from a 1932 Ford was installed, which stiffens the chassis slightly and provides built in mounts for the later transmission and floor pedals. Ray apparently lacked the tools to shorten the driveshaft, however, which pushed the engine and transmission forward slightly. During the rebuild, Chris and Randy moved the radiator back to its stock position to run an original-style hood.
Photo by Todd Ryden
“We found a bomber seat and just a couple weeks before the race, Randy had started to work on the motor to get it running and he too could not get it running right. He pulled it apart and he’s not a motor guy, but he knows enough, and one of his neighbors is an old hot rodders. We changed out the 97s to 81s because the 97s were a lot of carburetor for that little banger motor, especially in duals. Then he still had a hard time. We took out the cam, put in adjustable lifters, and at the very last second, we were trying to find a different cam for it, because we figured there was something going on with the cam. I asked a buddy if he had anything to go in my roadster and he sold me a cam and I sent all that up to Randy, who worked on it feverishly for a week to ship it back down for the races. He got it running and when he got to drive it down the street, he was surprised. ‘This thing has got it. This thing scoots.’ It runs really strong.”
That strong running paid off in a lot of fun at TROG West, giving truth to one more of Ken’s old stories.
“My daughter has a video of me racing a T/V-8 and I pass the camera behind the T, but by the time I get to the finish line, I’ve beat her. It brings back memories of my dad telling me ‘Yeah, that motor will beat some V-8’s.’ It’s one of those moments, again, of my dad’s stories from all those years ago having proof in their pudding. Those revelations keep happening.”
What’s next for this old racer? “I never did get it registered when I moved from California to Texas,” Chris says, “but I am going to get it registered.”
Hopefully, it will be back on the streets soon, paying tribute to that triple-threat nature of hot rodding’s golden era.