1. Home
  2. Classic Cars - UK
  3. 1969 Sunbeam Alpine Arrow. Body mods

1969 Sunbeam Alpine Arrow. Body mods

I've acquired one, an abandoned project to convert to a convertible, along the lines of the common Morris Minor mod. Being a two-door and with a reasonably low body line I think it looks pretty good with (so far) just the roof chopped. Was wondering if anyone knows of such a conversion? I am broadly familiar with the MMinor procedure regarding stiffening and strengthenig/reinforcement to compensate for the absent roof However, I expect that the stengthenig components need to be of a heavier, larger design given the longer wheelbase and greater weight of the Alpine. I have no intention of giving it out to a 'specialist' shop as this is a budget - but safety driven - project and I will buy in any skills that I don't have myself. Any thoughts? Thanks! TT

Reply to
ttynan
Loading thread data ...

My initial thoughts are is there a Crayford club or one that covers them? There would likely be expertise there on the normal ways of strengthening when removing a roof.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember " snipped-for-privacy@iol.ie" saying something like:

A mate of mine had a Crayford converted Mk1 Cortina and I recall the inner sills were strengthened with fairly large box section running front to back. That was only the most obvious mod - quite what else had been done to stiffen it, I don't recall. Mind you, I made a Hunter convertible, simply by brazing up the doors shut and angle-grinding the roof off :) No problem with stiffening, there.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

Brazing... don't like the sound of that on something that has become structural!

Reply to
Chris Bolus

Depends. Some modern brazing methods are as strong as a weld. Maybe even stronger.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I've certainly been impressed by the quality of brazed joints I've been able to managed recently using pre-fluxed rods. I was hoping that it was forty years of practice eventually paying off, but I suspect that it's an improvement in gas torches and brazing rods that's the real cause.

Reply to
Steve Firth

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.