I'm on the Digest these days, and it seems to take forever to get to me.
So, some of these comments may be late.
Voting - My vote is for the early fins with the non-hooded or non-peaked
rims, like the original Alpine design by Kenneth Howes. Please see my
Monthly Feature on http:/www.sunbeamalpine.ord in the Back Issues section
from June 2000. There are pictures of that original model (and my car)
there. And, I show why I converted from a flat fin fanatic to a pointy
fin fanatic. Though I always loved my flat fin SV, I always thought the
back fin portion looked like a flat piece of paper, and thought the car
was not as sporty looking as other contemporary sports cars. It was not
until I studied Howes' original design and spent some time with a pointy
fin that I realized it was the better execution of the design, and the
better looking one. (IMHO!)
Glass - I don't have experience with door glass or cutting door glass.
But, I have had experience with windshields. The ones that were available
about 8 years ago were all a tad bit narrower than the stock windshields.
There was no option then. I don't know if there is anything different
now. This is not as minor as it seems. Because of the thinner glass, the
rubber did not sit the same and the aluminum surrounds (S3-V) would not
fit right. I actually had to file down some of the aluminum to get it to
fit - and it's still not quite what it was (in my eye, others don't seem
to notice). I kept thinking about putting the original back in, wiper
scratches and all.
Hinges - when I had my car done, my body guy insisted that my hinges had
to be separated and lubricated - even over Rick's suggestion that they be
left alone. Well, sure enough, the body guy broke two hinges trying to
pop out the pins - and this guy is no slouch, and does plenty of
restoration work. This was exactly what Rick warned of. Rick further
warned, and it also turned out to be true, that getting a non-original
hinge to work is very difficult. They were adjusted at the factory for
each car and they are not easily adjusted now. Most of the time there is
sagging, it is the door frame, not the hinge.
Jay
|