Probably an Alpine then. As I recall, the wire wheels were
knock-offs and the spinners did show the dings of having
been driven on and off a few times. Seems strange that
he'd remove the VIN and other identification. The current
owner did say something about the car being a prototype
(according to the guy who purchased the documentation)
but he also called the car a '65, '66, and a '67 at various
points in our discussions. I believe none of it. Not even
sure if he really had the logbooks in the first place. One
odd thing was the crossmember. It looked like it was set
up for a rear sump. I've never seen a real Tiger crossmember
so I'm not sure if what I was looking at was a modified
Alpine or Tiger piece.
If I had to guess, the car was probably an Alpine that
was wrecked, bought for cheap, then converted and raced
as a Tiger. Are there any Sunbeam saavy folks in the
St. Louis area that would go check it out?
Later,
Dan Jones
-----------------------------------------
The Alpine wire wheel hubs, like the Jaguar, are not simply
'bolt-on' plates with splines, like Spridgets and
Triumphs.. In the front they have the entire bearing race
assembly, and in the rear they replace the woodruff keyed
hub that currently holds the studs. Everybody knows about
trying to get those off.
Making a change is no simple task. Good used parts, that
don't have stripped splines, are hard to find, and new ones
run $250 each. Can't believe anyone would do this.
Especially with their torque limitations.
The Zenith's are also 'bolt-ons hubs (not wheels), but are
built very ruggedly, and use a large diameter 'gear' drive,
rather than small splines. I have seen Tiger's with these
wheels, and they do look good.
Can't believe a car, such as you describe, would use wheels
intended for Mercedes pocketbooks. But, yes, they would be
worth restoring, if true and the correct size and offset.
(P.S. This is second hand knowledge. My son Jay has had
the experience with his Alpine(s).
--
Steve Laifman < One first kiss, >
B9472289 < one first love, and >
< one first win, is all >
< you get in this life. >
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