Lewis Vanbibber's Journal

Son Bill and I bought ALFY (TC3995 XPAG 4621) on the 24 th of Dec 2020 and it arrived at my house on the 31 of Dec 2020. Bought from COPART.com salvage auction . He was badly burned with much damage done.
After getting many new ignition parts we started ALFY 's engine on the !/17/2021. He ran well with good oil pressure and was very quiet with a little tappet noise.
" ALFY LIVES"
I first cleaned and removed the interior and ordered some parts.
The biggest sheet metal problem is with the scuttle as it is warped and out of shape. I had removed the windshield and up rights,but remounted them as the bolts holding the uprights go through some of the side wood , adding strength and helping to hold correct measurements and shape. I have mounted a temporary wooden instrument panel to hold shape and add strength ,allowing me to do the necessary metal work to bring the scuttle back to correct height and shape.
Have also started doing some work on the wood.

I am 87 years old and had thought I was through with this crazy old car stuff , but am enjoying working again. ( 3 to 4 hours every day ) Think I need a nap.
cheers for now lew

Well I feel better after my nap, so thought I would post some Pics of before and now. First time trying this so-----
Not great with computers , but get get help from son Bill. Hey , !!! I had a tough time dealing with ball point pens when they showed up. Enjoy.
cheers lew

Made the floor boards as I had a nice ( ok , timber) left over from making one for a n MG-A I was restoring.

Still working away on Alfy ,usually 2 to 3 hours each day. I have been able to find most of the parts I need at this moment . Will need more later as I progress. Was able to get some needed parts from fellow member Hugh , our Canadian friend .
Other parts from Frame Up and Moss and eBay.
I am making some of the wooden parts , just because I like to do something that is specifically from me.
I am sure I may have messed up on some of the sites here , if so , yell at me . I don't mind being corrected , ask my wife of 60 years.
Also ,spent 20 years active duty and 5 years National Guard.
Spent a lot of time correcting the scuttle as it was a bit out of shape, to put it mildly .
The structure is not as bad as I expected ,but still a challenge.
I may never get this old guy finished , but son , Billy is a car nut and does not sell anything that has wheels. I think he has 29 cars including his high school car, an English Ford Panel . His first was a bug eye Sprite I gave him for his 16th which he drove from Long Beach, Ca. to New Hampshire , where we lived at that time.
cheers friends Have a Nice Day

Car Show in Grass Valley. My 250 GT

An update to let you know Alfy is getting attention and is doing fine. A few hang ups ,but not bad. Finding parts is not as tough as I thought., but you do have to work at it. Our Canadian friend Hugh has been a big help as others in the group offering help , advice etc. Thanks guys.
The scuttle was the most difficult of the work on the tub. The fire did a lot of miss shaping of the sheet metal, but eventually it yielded to my enthusiasm and very big hammers. The doors were not bad,but everything required a lot of hand labor pounding, beating ,shrinking , swearing , band aids etc to get the job done.
The wood work is not difficult , but can be frustrating at times.
Got my virus shot with no side affects , except my arm was a little sore for awhile.
cheers

Hi All hope you all have had your shots.
Alfy continues to get daily attention for 2 or 3 hours and progress is showing . All fenders are off stripped of paint and primed as well as the tub. Gas tank cleaned straitened and primed.
Dealing with some tember issues and the doors fitting which
seems to be a real grimlin we are all faced with.
It has been a real challenge but worthy of the effort, in my estimation. My son , the Porsche fanatic, might differ with the old man .
cheers lew

Hi all
Still working on Alfy and making progress. I have found the
upholstery to be difficult, time consuming and frustrating, but so far I have survived.From the Frame Up videos are a great help.
Alfy now has some clothes on his body. Perfect--- No ,but presentable. My aim has not to make a concours event car , but to save the old boy from being broken up for parts and lost forever , and be a nice driver.
Perfect has never been my aim on these old Brit Cars that I have restored , as I drove,owned and race these guys when new and remember them as not being of the best quality and a bit rough as new. But still loved them .
Hope to have not bent anyones nose , but remember these were inexpensive cars.
cheers lew