SixasStandard

There was a bit of a 'feeding frenzy' on my car, and it sold to the first person to view after just 3 days on the market, and with 2 other offers on the table! She's now off to live in Birmingham with her new owner.........who's a real Vitesse enthusiast and a thoroughly nice guy. Now that I'm back in the black I suppose I'd better 'revert to type' and indulge in another ill-advised purchase of something rusty and with bits missing. I already have a viewing of a potential purchase booked for Sunday which satisfies both criteria. The Wife has that resigned look in her eyes again!! Ian

You're quite right about the colour code Gary, my mistake. Ian

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys, I appreciate it. First viewing arranged for tomorrow.......so fingers crossed. Ian

Thanks Gary, I don't think that Shadow Blue upholstery was normally available with a white car, but the first owner of this Vitesse was a Knight of the Realm, so I imagine this may have helped smooth the way! The correct interior trim code of 16 for Shadow Blue is on the (original) factory plate on the scuttle, so this is the original colour combination that it left the factory with. It makes the car quite unusual, and as you say, the combination works so well that I'm amazed it wasn't offered by Triumph in period. Regards, Ian

Hello All, This Vitesse has just appeared for sale on Car and Classic: https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1335307 What an absolute spanker.........and VERY reasonably priced too. Yeah, ok........it is mine!.......I'm selling to finance another classic project purchase. I've found that I enjoy working on classics more than driving them!......who'd have thought!! Ian

Latest update on the Alpine (or tarted up Husky.....depending on your viewpoint): Latest progress on the Series 3 has been on the engine bay bulkhead and the radiator surround. Have now taken all of the old paint/filler/surface rust/decomposed grommet material off of the bulkhead and rubbed it down ready for etch prime.......no welding required thank God. The radiator mounting panel was a different matter though. The mounting panel and strengthening pressings that are spot welded to the inner face on both sides seem to have a corrosion weak spot at the bottom where various panels come together to create a potential water trap. Water draining down the channels in the wings at the sides of the bonnet opening drains out through holes in the front apron close to the bonnet hinges, dripping down onto the lower valence behind the grille, which is helpfully raked back and down to maximise the radiator opening. There is a small opening here (whether by design or not) between the various panels to allow the water to escape, but this is so small so as to become easily blocked by mud and grime build up. This had happened on my car, causing rampant corrosion that had eaten its way through two full thicknesses of 20 gauge steel. Being close to one of the radiator mounting captive nuts this is not something that I could ignore, or worse still cover up with some bodge fix. Attached are the pictures that explain the rest.

When I visited Australia last year I was lucky enough to attend the 'All British Day' classic vehicle event in the Adelaide Hills, there were two Commer Superpoise commercial trucks there, a red 1949 and a green 1955, the latter of which actually had a working TS3 engine mounted on the rear bed as a demonstrator. The owner started it up for us, and I really wish now that I'd taken a video of it in action. It was only after the show that I realised that I'd forgotten to take a picture of the engine as well.......I think that I was just too impressed by the spectacle to think of anything else!!

It's never too late Pete to take the plunge and get that Sunbeam Alpine/Hillman Husky/Commer Cob that you've always dreamt of! Ian

I don't think 'thread drift' even begins to describe what's been going on here Pete! Ian

My comment on Nationalization was framed by the context of the thread, so I was referring to the UK, and to industries, not services. In the context of this discussion I consider British Rail to have been a service not an industry, in the same way as the NHS is a service. Some elements of our society definitely warrant subsidization by the State, as they lessen the possibility of social inequality, but such support should be reserved for Services, rather than industries. In that context I would definitely stand by my statement. Ian

The demise of the British car industry was a perfect storm of combining factors. There was insufficient investment in new models caused by the complacency that our previous dominance in World markets had created; in the 1950s and 60s at least there was a genuine class divide between management and shop floor workers, that was ripe for exploitation by the politically motivated; nationalization NEVER works........it just breeds yet more complacency and inefficiency; Unions became a tool of the political ideologues.........men like Derek Robinson, whose only job for the rest of his life after destroying British Leyland was for the Morning Star newspaper; and let's not forget Thatcherism, where 'the Market' was all that mattered, rather than protecting our manufacturing industries by targeted protectionist trade policies. Eventually we'll have to relearn our manufacturing skills in the UK, because it's the only way to provide mass employment for such a broad cross-section of our society, and prevent the social inequality and hopelessness that plagues parts of our country at the moment. Ian

I had to come in from the garage for a break.......trying to weld a patch on a particularly obstinate bit of 58 year old steel in the Alpine's nose lead to a rather unfortunate outburst on my part when I burnt through and had to bin the patch that I'd spent 30 minutes carefully crafting. Hopefully the elderly neighbours had their hearing aids turned down at the time (some of the language was a bit extreme even for me), if not then I'll be expecting a few less Christmas cards this year! Ian

Hello Pete, Yes, the pedals are adjustable, and together with the 'telescopic' adjustable steering wheel, and the Microcell seats with their adjustable rake and generous fore/aft travel, all combined to give the Alpine a very comfortable driving position. I'm 6'3"" with long legs, so not every classic suits my size. In fact I modified the Vitesse's seat runners to get more rearward travel and better leg room. I didn't know that you'd worked at Ryton Pete, were you there during Series Alpine production? If you swapped your order to an Avenger then I imagine that you'd originally ordered an 'Arrow' model Alpine? mine is the predecessor 'Audax' version. Thanks for the recommendation regarding the book, I'll have to look into getting a copy. Ian

Hello Gary, Most people seem to think that I'm insane, so I've not had a lot of moral support really!! My car is definitely a challenge, but then that's what I signed up for.........so it's just head down and plough on!! I'm certainly not short of things to do during lockdown. Regards, Ian

This is where I suddenly realize the worrying level of insight that the missus has regarding yours truly........and I quote......."You always have to make things more difficult for yourself don't you!". My two days of chilly prostration in a gloomy wheel arch clutching a paint scraper certainly seems to back up her hypothesis. Ian

Smoke alarms in the garage Colin?.........very swish!! Ian

In the unlikely event that anyone's remotely interested, here is the latest grisly photographic evidence of my attempts to resurrect my down at heel Sunbeam Alpine 'Ruby'. Several weeks ago (I've lost the exact timeline, in common with those locked in solitary confinement for long periods) I started on the nearside front corner of the car, which, at the time, seemed like a good way to ease my way into the restoration, bearing in mind it was the corner that looked the least frightening. An undisclosed period (and yards of welding wire) later, and I'm still languishing in that same wheel well.........only now with the sort of 1000 yard stare normally associated with Vietnam War veterans with 2 tours under their belt. I have to laugh when I see these extreme athletes entering 'Iron Men' or 'Tough Mudder' competitions, if you really want to test yourself to the extremes of human endurance, then try lying on a concrete floor in -4 degrees temperatures scraping 40 year old underseal off the inside of an Alpine wheel arch for 2 solid days!! Some of the things I'm finding have to be seen to be believed, 'bodgery' just doesn't adequately describe it. Anyway......I'm now close to completing the N/S front section of the project, so O/S front wing here I come!! Ahhh!.......the smell of weld burning through filler first thing in the morning.........it smells like.............Ruby. Ian

Can't remember the last time I was husky with a bird..........the Wife takes a dim view of that sort of thing. Ian

Now now Peter........let's all play nicely!! Ian

You'd need an AWFUL lot of red sauce for that burger Colin!! Ian

Hello All, Spent a very entertaining couple of hours yesterday afternoon removing the front suspension crossmember on my Sunbeam Alpine, as part of my car's body restoration. With the current restrictions (plus the fact I'm a Billy no mates), I had to tackle the job on my own, although I imagine that most classic owners out there are in the same boat at the moment.The removal of the suspension crossmember on an Alpine is a straightforward job when the car is already stripped down, with the engine, trans and steering all removed. There are only 4 bolts securing the crossmember to the front chassis legs, and these are accessed from below via holes in the lower wishbones. I needed to jack the car up first and support the front of the chassis on axle stands with wood blocks to spread the load, removed the front wheels, then prepped for the job by applying penetrating oil to the wells on the top of the front chassis legs where the front crossmember bolts emerge, the rear ones are inaccessible, so you just have to trust that torque will do the job for those. Tools required were a socket, extension bar, breaker bar with UJ, a length of pipe (I used a 3 foot length of thick wall steel pipe), and a low wheeled trolley. The front suspension and crossmember is a heavy unit, so I supported the weight with an engine hoist, and positioned the wheeled trolley below it. With the weight supported you can then undo the 4 bolts, and take my word for it I really needed that length of pipe to apply the required torque to get those bolts out!! One in particular finally went with a crack like a rifle shot, it was that tight. With the bolts out I lowered the crossmember with the engine hoist onto the trolley, and pulled it out forward. It was then that I noticed something drop out of the N/S suspension..........picture attached!! It looks like it originated in a sheep..........and I think it's fair to say that it's been up there for quite some time!!I've found plenty of assorted ephemera in surprising places in cars over the years, but this has to rate as the most unexpected!!Ian

Thanks for looking Colin. My initial request was part of background research for an article I'm writing for the Alpine Owners Club magazine. I have enough material without this particular element, so I'll just go with what I already have. Thanks to everyone who offered their help. This Forum is hands down the most helpful I've ever come across. Ian

Touche!

You obviously haven't seen my recent bills for cutting discs and welding wire!!

Thanks guys, it rather looks like the FB respondent misunderstood my initial request. He appears to have focused solely on the GT6, rather than the Alpine together with the GT6 and the MGB. Thanks anyway for taking the trouble to check your magazine collections........which are obviously quite extensive in some cases!! Regards, Ian