Help me decide if I should buy an Alpine 5

[sunny]

Please help I am desperate. A friend of mine has offered to give me for FREE a 1968 Sunbeam Alpine that is at his mothers property.
I need some help on deciding if this is the right thing for me to do. He says it has been stored in a dirt floor, 3 wall shed since approximately the mid 70's.
It belonged to his brother. One day the engine seized, and it has been sitting ever since.
I have some experience at restoring cars so it is not like I am going into it blind. The issue is that the previous car I restored (which I still have) is a 1980 Triumph Spitfire, and as I am sure you all know the parts availability on the Spitfire is sometimes better than my daily driver.
I have not seen the car yet because it is a couple hours drive, and before I bother him to go with me to see it I want to be sure that I am not getting myself into more than I want to take on.
What I would like to find out from all of you is your opinion on the following:
1) How hard will it be to find an engine for the car if the one that is in it is not rebuild-able. Can parts for rebuilding be easily found?
2) How hard is it to find other parts for it such as under the hood (bonnet) components. Interior items and all other things necessary to restore the car.
3) What do I look for on the Sunbeam as far as the body. Where do they start rusting, and is there any thing that I should know about that says that I should stay away from it.
4) Are Sunbeam's a fairly reliable car? That is really a stupid question isn't it? I've driven a Spitfire for 7 years. It can't be any less reliable than that!
Any help you can give me would be great.
I'm losing sleep at night thinking about what to do!
Cheers!
Ed Sundstrom
Savage, Minnesota USA

[hoppo]

Hiya Ed, well you dont get an offer of a free car every day.....first thought is grab and do it up...But hey do you really like the car? will you be looking at the value of the car or will it be a labour of love?..Well you are in one of the best places to be for getting parts made if no longer available the good old U S of A. Apart from the technical issues that will arise you must consider the finance Number one work out a rough guide to the costs of welding paint and trim these will normally be more than the mechanical costs, You mention the engine is siezed, My hunter engine was bought from a scrapyard in north yorks uk it had been stood for 20 years and was as solid as a siezed engine could be even the carb was completly siezed with rust. However the engine can be stripped and the cause of siezure found and delt with if the bores are siezed then bore and pistons job done if its the crank then grind under size new shells job done pistons and shells are available but some time you just have to modify something similar Gaskets can sometimes be a problem but with care most paper based types can be made at home, You say you have restored a car before so you seem to understand what you are getting into, My advice would be if you think it will be a quick fix forget it, If you would enjoy many months of work derusting and painting cleaning and trying to do the best you can then at the end of your resto I am sure you will have a car you will be proud of.....It may not end up a concours winner but you will have the satisfaction of knowing I DID THAT!! I wish you well, My resto is on track with 99% stripped and cleaned body will be painted in the summer, My intention is to use the old trim and seats as patterns for new material, all things for you to consider My car should take two years but hey ho if its a bit longer then so be it.....

[sunny]

Hi Hoppo,
Thanks for the input.
I do not know where you are located but I am as far North as you can get in the upper 48 states of the USA.
The low temperature last night was -15 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 degrees Celsius) and the high today is supposed to get to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius). Not exactly the environment for picking up cars from broken down sheds. So I probably have a month or two to decide if I take the car.
If I see the car an d it is in great shape for a 1968 I'll take it. If not in such great shape I will probably pass on the offer. You see another problem I have is I have ran out of garage space. I have a 4 car garage, and my wife and I currently have 5 cars. I absolutely love cars, and every one I have would be very hard to part with.
I am going to keep in touch with you and let you know what I decide.
By the way where are you located?

Thanks Again,
Ed Sundstrom

[thowman]

Having just finished restoring a series 1 for someone, I can tell you unless you like making repair sections and are good at welding, the Alpine is not good car to restore. Sure, they are lovely cars, but all the repair panels that we sourced were very poor, and all needed lots of work to sort of fit - especially the sills which are absolutely awful. They should curve along the bottom of the door, and the remanufactured ones are completely straight.

Not a car for the faint of heart. If you are good at making little repair sections and can shrink and stretch - then have a go

Andy