Alpine Club Forum

I drove to Natchez MS this past weekend for the Brits on the Bluff car show overlooking the Mississippi River.

I attended a local community car show last weekend. Had no expectation of what I was going to find. Turned out to be pretty nice; food trucks, DJ, Police Dog demo, lots of people, and about 40 cars but only 3 Brits. I saw old and new Corvettes, Camaros, Chevelles, a GTO, Mopar cars and trucks, 3-4 Porsches, Mustangs, Thunderbirds, custom street rods, and some custom trucks too. People were great.
I was eating my coconut Italian ice, minding my own business under a shade tree, as the awards were being presented. I wasn’t paying much attention. I wasn’t expecting anything with all these great looking cars on the field. Then, I heard off in the distance, the announcer said, “1963 Sunbeam Alpine”. That’s all I heard. I wondered what they were giving me; so I put my Italian ice down and walked quickly, about 60 yards, toward the announcer’s tent. As I approached the tent, the announcer was pointing toward the center of the field where a lovely lady was waiting for me. When I got to her, I saw she was holding a really big trophy. I said, “is that for me?” She said yes. I asked, “what did I win?” She said, “Best in Show”. I was floored. I couldn’t believe it.

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

Just a Saturday neighborhood drive..

Beautiful photo! Best time of year...

Beautiful, peaceful view. Nice looking ALpine too

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Keep'em-on-the-Road

'67 SV Commodore Blue Restored & Modified 2.8 V6 FORD; T5; A/C; Electric Power Steering (EPS; REAR DISC BRAKE KIT
V6 CONVERSION COMPONENTS available & STRAIGHTBACK HEADERS for your V6 Alpine
Tiger2Dan’s Link: ​ ​http://danr.mhartman.net/
PDF file on Converting your Alpine: Kits available
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13vKZ9JhB0vO8p2PrMl1x1qfCxh17xJIg_KCIo7HeFok/edit
?ts=5a51997d

On Saturday, October 15th, I attended the Myrtle Beach Car Show, sponsored by the Grand Strand British Car Club. Ninety-six cars and 2 motorcycles were registered for their 9th Annual Britfest. Sunbeams were represented with 4 cars. Dave Romknick from Summerton, SC was there with his '64 Black Mk 1 Tiger, James Moran from Myrtle Beach brought his '68 Green Series V Alpine, John and Sandy Miller from Durham, NC brought their red Series I Alpine with a Toyota engine and 5 speed, and I brought my yellow Series III GT.

I’ve been attending the Britfest in Myrtle Beach, SC for 4 years and find the GSBCC members to be quite sociable and helpful, just like the people in the BCC of Charleston, SC and the BCC Midlands Center Club in Columbia, SC. This seems to be a common thread with mixed British Car Clubs. People don’t have an elitist attitude like some of the exclusive single marque club members tend to. LBC owners have a ‘blue collar’ demeaner that sets us apart from the ‘corner office’ guys. They make no pretense about their cars and treat each other and interested car fans with respect and appreciation for what they have and enjoy sharing with others. I like sharing my stories with them and laughing about the adventures these LBCs bring to us. There is never a dull moment, but why should there be? It makes all LBC owners into a sturdier community. Maybe that’s why we are so good at taking life in stride and just carrying on.

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

Simply put, and eloquently penned. I agree with You that Brit car owners are a Breed unto themselves. Tweaking a car frequently brings relaxation and enjoyment, as we are able to maintain and repair Our Cars with very few resources available, and You don't need to be a computer scientist to diagnose any condition which may arise throughout the ownership(custodianship) experience of these truly remarkable automobiles. Thank You. Great Photos! Dave.

After isolating an elusive fuel line leak to my two barrel Solex carburetor intake tube and fixing it with a Permatex sealant NAPA found for me I drove this sunny weekend. My tach has been reading high the past 1/2 century and I’m good with that!

November 12th was a banner day in Charleston, SC. It was the 9th Annual Rockabillaque on the main historic strip of East Montague Avenue in North Charleston. We call this area Park Circle, which is a large garden community founded in the early 1900s with a street grid plan around a central circular park that’s 300 feet in diameter.
One of the defining features of today’s Park Circle, is a Olde Village District with a wide variety of restaurants, residences, shops, and even a theater. After hours, Park Circle nightlife kicks in with its high-spirited eclectic mix of businesses, including wine shops, a beer bar, an authentic, Irish pub, and a sports bar, to name a few; live music is a commonplace too all around the Circle.
So, what is Rockabillaque? It’s a Food Festival. It’s a Band Festival. It’s an Automotive carnival and a tribute to the Dames of the 40’s and 50’s. And that’s where this article will focus. Now, I’ve not attended any of the previous Rockabillaque events, so this was a new experience for me. Previous Rockabillaque Festivals have drawn 15,000 people from all over the Low Country and this one was no different.
The day at the show started at 10 AM. The only other Sunbeam guy attending was Dave Romanick with his 1964 Black Tiger. We arranged to meet before the show to arrive together and park next to each other. We got lucky and our wish came true.
The cars at this show were a complex mix of rat rods, customs, dream machines, rice-burners, trucks, choppers, some nicely restored vehicles, some well-preserved originals, and 6 Brits. Besides the two Sunbeams we saw a Triumph, 2 early Minis, and an MGB 4X4. We didn’t count the BMW Minis scattered about the community.
The other stellar event at this show that I thought would be a welcomed change of pace for me was the Pin-Up Girl contest. I tell you, if I had the moxie when I was in my 20’s to walk up to women, strike up a conversation, and ask to take their picture, I might not have arrived at my current stage of life without some serious broken bones and hospitalizations. But, as I get older, rejection and disappointment do not matter anymore. I’ve learned to take things in stride and keep on going. Anyway, it’s not likely that a old guy will get punched in the face.
Dave, with his son’s family, and I wandered the streets of Park Circle taking in every sight to be seen. Along the way, I took pictures of some of the more nostalgic and obscene vehicles, and Pin-Up Girls wandering the streets around us. It was a beautiful day following hurricane Ian the day before, and by noon-time Park Circle was elbow-to-elbow with people.
Having our Sunbeams parked side by side at this autojumble was a great teaching experience for us. It’s interesting to me that so many people have never seen a Sunbeam. So, our objective was to educate the public about Rootes history, vehicles, and the evolution of the Series Alpines and Tigers. The day went by quickly because Dave and I were constantly talking Sunbeams. The comparison of my ’63 Alpine GT and Dave’s ’64 Tiger showed the change from the finned Series 1-3 cars and the squared tail of the Tiger. When asked what’s the difference between Alpines and Tigers, the answer was simple… 4 more cylinders. There were people around our cars all day long with stories of their experiences with Sunbeams and their appreciation for such interesting and beautiful cars.
Yeah, it was a great day and one I’ll do again next year. Awards were given out, but Dave and I didn’t stay till 5:00 to see who won what. Our award was the draw that our Sunbeams had parked among all the other ‘vehicles’ that were towed or driven into the show. We really felt appreciated by the other car owners and enjoyed their presentations and conversations as much as they enjoyed ours.

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

Just a little Sunday drive with my Alpine and a friend with a bunch of old British convertibles..

The British Car Club of Charleston runs tech sessions a couple of days a month at the President’s garage. The doors are opened to club members to fix, replace, adjust, modify, or just maintain their LBC. I scheduled myself for maintenance work and to replace my electric fuel pump on my Alpine GT.

When I pulled onto the lift to start and oil change, I could not open the bonnet. The rod to release it was very hard to pull and wouldn't move far enough to disengage the locking mechanism. All I could think was that I left a tool in the locking tray that got lodged between the release arm and the side of the tray preventing the lock from releasing the locking pin.

From under the dash, I was able to get my hand on the bonnet rod and force it back to release the hood. Once it was opened, I was happy to see I left no tools in the lock tray. So, why was the bonnet rod not cooperating?
Since I was not the right size to slide under the dash, one of the properly sized guys at the garage, Dave, slid his wirey fame into position and got situated upside-down with his butt on the seat in what I called the ‘death-dive’ to get a closer look at the bonnet rod. I took up an erect position at the engine bay to manipulate the rod's attaching clip to the locking mechanism. After several attempts to make the rod move freely, we removed it from the car to see what's causing the hang-up. There were two things that appeared to be problematic, 1) the rod had a bend in it where it went through the retainer bracket and 2) the retainer bracket was loose and canted upward when the rod was pulled.

Once the rod was out, it was clamped down in a vise and straightened. Reinstalling the rod was not difficult, but the bulkhead grommet popped out and needed to be refitted. This required removing the bonnet locking tray to access the grommet hole just above the heater core. Dave also had slim fingers to reinstall the grommet. I was useless because my finger stumps lacked the manual dexterity to reach and manipulate the grommet back into the hole.
That done and once again assuming the 'death dive' position under the dash Dave got the rod through the grommet and secure it to the dash framework. With the rod in place, I reattached it, aligned the lock mechanism, reassembled the locking tray parts, and attached it to the bulkhead.

The rod moved freely, and the lock functioned properly. It was time to close the bonnet to see if it would reopen. I hesitated to lock the bonnet down, but Dave did not and pushed the bonnet closed. He said, "if worse comes to worse, we put it on the lift, remove the suspension, and drop the engine. What's wrong with that?" Fortunately, one tug on the bonnet rod and the bonnet popped open like it was meant to. That is something it hasn’t done in a long time.
I finally started the oil and filter change about an hour behind schedule. In fact, I got most of the work done during my visit, including fresh differential fluid. The electric fuel pump swap will just have to wait for another day.

So, wirey Dave spent about 30 minutes in the 'death dive' position and survived it. If it were me under the dash, working upside down I would have never survived. Thank goodness the BCCC has a dedicated garage and a bunch of enthusiastic guys who make themselves available a couple of times a month to offer any and all services to club members. It makes membership well worth the price of admission.

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

Preparation for the Great Scot British Show at Furman University in Greenville, SC has been an ongoing project for the past week. Nothing too intense, just the usual vacuuming, cleaning and polishing. Since it will be a 4-hour drive from Charleston to Greenville, I've done some preventive maintenance to the car, like greasing the bushings, pulling the wire wheels and cleaning old spline grease and renewing with some fresh goo. Also took the opportunity to really clean the wheels and tires off the car. While up on jacks, I lubed the calipers and pad retainer pins to see if I could get rid of a faint chirp that disappears with a slight tap on the brakes but will return shortly after. I'll see if this works or else there may be some issue hidden in my spinning front left wheel.
The show is on Memorial Day weekend. I hope the traffic isn't too bad going there. The return trip is on Sunday with hopes that it's an off-day for travel.


May30, 2023: Brake chirp is gone.

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-30 09:40 AM by fritzwich.

I had a Grand time at the British CAr Event at Furman University in Greenville, SC today.

A bit of cool weather today and some wind but a good turn out even with the threat of rain in the forecast.

Before 3PM all was well.

I left a bit early around 2:30 - 3PM heading home (Greenwood, SC) and made it to Ware Shoals before running into some rain showers.

The it became somewhat heavier but not bad on home.

It is great to have wipers that function perfectly.

RIch in SIII (Summerville), Tom J and Greggers in V6's (Atlanta area) and Jim A in his Tiger (Maulding) were in attendance in their very nice Sunbeams.

Keep'em-on-the-Road and show them to the public. Serves as Great advertizment for our Sunbeams.

DanR

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Keep'em-on-the-Road

'67 SV Commodore Blue Restored & Modified 2.8 V6 FORD; T5; A/C; Electric Power Steering (EPS; REAR DISC BRAKE KIT
V6 CONVERSION COMPONENTS available & STRAIGHTBACK HEADERS for your V6 Alpine
Tiger2Dan’s Link: ​ ​http://danr.mhartman.net/
PDF file on Converting your Alpine: Kits available
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13vKZ9JhB0vO8p2PrMl1x1qfCxh17xJIg_KCIo7HeFok/edit
?ts=5a51997d



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-27 09:34 PM by TigerDan.

What I did with my Sunbeam Today…
Well, it’s Memorial Day Weekend and time for the Great Scot British Car Show and Gallabrae Scottish Games at Furman University in Greenville, SC.
I booked my hotel and registered for the Show a few months ago just to be sure to get a place to stay close to the event. A soaking rain was forecast for most of the Carolinas, but I didn’t let that change my mind. This was an event I wanted to attend because it was this very same show that I missed in 2019 due to mysterious electrical Gremlins in my Alpine that disabled it in Greenville the day before the show.
There were a few Gremlins in my car that had to be rooted out before any long trips were planned again. That trip to Great Scot Show was my first show, and long drive since taking possession of the car only a few weeks before. The Gremlin in Greenville was the electrical connection to the fuel pump installed by the previous owner. I didn’t know both wires to the pump fell off bringing the car to a dead stop. I called AAA for transport back to Charleston and rented a car to get my wife and I home.
Once I had the time and the place to find the source of the problem, I reattached the wires to the fuel pump using small clamps to secure them. That wasn’t the only issue discovered during this examination. I looked at other ‘safety’ and ‘reliability’ modifications the previous owner did. His electrical cut-off switch for the fuel pump was useless because one of the wires had fallen off and the other wire was barely touching the switch. I remembered that the PO said he installed a new alternator, so I checked his electrical connections to it. Yep… lose connections too. As you might presume from these issues, the PO’s intentions were good, but his applications could have been tragic.
Rain and high winds were predicted, but held off till late afternoon on Show Day. As I was driving back to the hotel, I heard a phone ringing, and it wasn’t mine. I found the phone and discovered it was Dan Richardson’s. It fell out of his pocket when we were talking about door hinges and hard top clamps at the Show. His phone fell between the passenger seat and the door frame.
The next day the rain had settled in, it was steady, but I was ready to start my trip home. I had to stop along the way to return Dan’s phone but shortly thereafter, I was back on I-26 clipping along at highway speeds.
The trip home was flawless. My 60-year-old Alpine took to the road like it was just built. The over-drive unit made the run seem effortless and the reassuring tone of the exhaust was a sign that all was well.
My mission was accomplished. Greenville was finally in the book, and my Alpine was cured of the maladies inflicted while under the previous owner’s care.
Many more events are already booked for 2023 in the Carolinas, and the Sunbeam United in Kentucky, too. Hope to see you at some of them.
Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

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Richard Fritz
WizzzBANG Motors
Summerville, SC

Attended my town Memorial Day parade. I got my favorite parking spot!