New alpine owner

Stalterian(at)aol.com
Sat, 22 Aug 1998 19:12:53 EDT

Hello, I just bought a 1968 Alpine (#B395018363) a month ago and have already had the good(?) fortune to become intimate in an automotive way with the water pump (replaced), rear brakes (bleeding -- brake lines, not me, and cussing -- me, not the car, for 8 hours and then finally surrendering and ordering a new wheel cylinder which should be here Monday), and headlights, which capriciously and without warning faded to black one night while driving home from Baskin Robbins. After spending a day with a wiring diagram, a can of electrical contact cleaner, and an ungainly forearm, I fixed the problem. Just for the heck of it, I unplugged the left horn (or only horn in my case) and the lights went back on. That's right. Unplugging the horn turned on the headlights. It seems I bumped the ground wire for the headlight, which had after 30 years of happy association with its receptacle wiggled loose. I'm sure there's some psychological name for the state of bliss resulting from finally solving a problem that has caused one so much consternation for no apparent reason.

So, anyway, I'm just happy to able to again drive the little angel at night again, me in the driver seat, my little can of silicone brake fluid tightly belted in the passenger seat... can't wait for Monday.

I have wanted a Tiger since my ride as a 19-year-old in a friend's (shortly before he wrecked it) Mk I in which we achieved 90mph in 2 city blocks. It was 23 years ago and it seems like yesterday. But, I can't afford a $25k toy, so when a neighbor put his S. V up for sale, I settled (forgive me) for an Alpine. When my sons are older (9 and 6 years now) I'd like to do that Mustang 2.8 liter V6 conversion on it, but for now I just want to zip around.

I have 3 questions. The car currently has H78-13 nylon belted tires (at least 15 years old, I would guess, hence the H78 designation instead of the P155 or whatever) and I would like to fit radials to the same rims. Any suggestions for a good replacement tire? I'd appreciate any and all comments.

Question 2: Is there a registry of all Sunbeam Tiger/Alpine owners?

Question 3: Are there any other Alpine owners within bad-brake distance of Rockford, IL? It would be fun to get together for commiserative purposes.

Thanks. Paul Stalter, Rockford, Illinois Stalterian(at)aol.com http://www.oasisofjoy.com