Matt writes:
>First, the car in question is a series 3 -- tailfins clued me in here. Is
it
>properly identified as a 64, or would it be a '63? I don't know its
numbers,
>but one of the sites said that the series 4 was introduced in early '64.
Congratulations. The rarest of the Alpines (though don't take that to mean
worth any more). You get the early pointy fins, later interior and the
larger trunk. Be sure to register the car on the SIII Registry with Scott
Christy.
As to the year, I believe it could be either. Depends how the dealer and
the state it originally was sold in dated cars.
>Second, does a series 3 have tube or lever shocks at the rear?
Tubes front and rear - no MG lever shocks anywhere. Shocks are available,
including off the self ones at your local auto supply store. Spax are
available, and Koni's are harder to find right now until Sunbeam
Specialties and others get together to order another batch from Koni.
>Third, the small (~1600cc, I forget the exact size) motor has a
three-bearing
>crank. This worries me a bit, especially as I had thought about trying
for
>a bit more power. Are my worries justified?
I have heard all sides. Some believe the 3-mains can make a faster engine.
Some believe the 5-mains were weaker than the 3-mains; some believe the
opposite. However, bottom line is that neither crank is really known for
problems. In fact, they are both known for being robust. To get more
power, there is not much readily available. About the best and easiest
thing you can do is get the single down draft Weber for the car.
>Lastly, any notorious trouble spots on these cars? I know most of the
pitfalls
>of the 'B (Front suspension, head gasket, floors & sills etc...) from
>experience, but would be interested in the weak spots on sunbeams.
There are none. Actually, to be fair, the biggest drawback I ever saw in
the car in comparison to my friend's MGB, was how much harder the top is to
put up and down. I might also point out that while the Alpine might be a
little slower than some of its later contemporaries (remember that it had
great success at the hands of Ken Miles and others beating MGA's TR3's and
Porsche 356s, and even won at Le Mans, the Index of Thermal Effeciency),
the reason for that was that it weighed more from the extra metal in its
frame. However, the difference in speed some 30 years later is miniscule.
They are all slugs compared to today's econo-box. And, that extra metal
makes the car much safer (I was recently hit by someone who drove straight
into the passenger side of my Alpine at 45 miles an hour. The car was
totalled, I walked without even a scratch - and the car was actually still
able to limp me the rest of the way home. I attribute that to the beefier
frame. The extra weight also comes from the generally better quality of
the parts and features of the car, which you will see after spending time
with the car.
>PS. the series 3 gearbox: 3-synchro?
Yes. However, note that the SIII gearbox is a special close-ratio box.
As others have said, welcome to a great group.
Jay
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