I just bought an Alpine S.V from my uncle in Sacramento. It'd been in a
garage for the last 18 years. I liked the car's looks, and although I
knew nothing about fixing old cars, I gave him $2200 and he very
begrudgingly handed me the keys. I had the car towed down to L.A. a
month ago, enamored with the thought of driving a classic british
roadster that is as old as I am. Since then I've not been able to
think of anything else but restoring that car. I've found myself
spending money on it that I don't even have. Even my girlfriend is
beginning to get jealous of my "Little Suzy Sunbeam." We take it driving
down Mulholland Drive and Sunset Boulevard amidst Jags, Porsches and the
borishly ubiquitous MGs and Triumphs. The interior smells of old vinyl
and warm, combusted gasoline -- a wonderful smell. The engine screams up
to 4,000 RPM before I shift gears and chugs, sometimes dieseling, into
fourth as I bear down the road -- the top down. Little Suzie is the
11,866th Sunbeam to roll of the line, and she's originally British Racing
Green, although it's now (temporarily) primer gray. Since I've had it I've
taken apart the starter (misdiagnosing a low battery problem), put rubber
washers in the throttle linkages to stop an annoying gas pedal rattle,
replaced the soft cover boot, and replaced the clear plastic window on
the convertible top. The body needs some minor work and a new paint
job. What would really make Little Suzie sing is an original radio.
I've seen them in autobooks, and I'm wondering if anybody knows where I can
find one. Also, looking for friendly people in L.A. and beyond to swap
fun, nontechnical Sunbeam stories. Any takers?
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dsotero __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____
dsotero(at)primenet.com /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ /
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