jean hertzberg writes:
> My brother is looking for a Sunbeam Tiger in merely reasonable
> condition. He has exhausted the possibilities in the San Diego area,
> and is willing to go anywhere in the country to find it. He enjoys
> mechanical restoration, but detests bodywork. Has anyone any suggestions
> on how to conduct a search, or on what weaknesses to look for once a
> candidate is found?
Hemming's Motor News is a good place to start your search. There
usually are several Tigers for sale each month. Be advised to bring
your bank account, though. I doubt you'll find a "merely reasonable"
Tiger for less than $10,000. If you do, buy it!
Weaknesses: wiring and body rust. The Ford engine and Borg-Warner
transmission are the most reliable parts of the car. All the
electrics are Lucas. Make sure all the gauges and electrical
appliances (wipers, heater fan, blinkers) work correctly, or you'll
be in for some fun.
Look for rust in the front and rear wheel wells, at the base of the
windshield ("scuttle" or "front valance"), in the trunk, along the
bottom of the doors, and in the chassis between the seats and rear
axle. Tigers are unibody cars, so rust will be very difficult and
expensive to repair.
I'm grateful that this forum won't allow you to see me turning British
Racing Green with envy! :-)
Good luck with the search.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
T.J. Higgins uunet!ingr!higgins (UUCP)
Intergraph Corp. M/S IW17A5 higgins@ingr.com (Internet)
One Madison Industrial Park
Huntsville, AL 35894-0001 "Well-weathered leather, hot metal
(205) 730-7922 and oil, the scent of country air"
-Rush
|