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57/58 Alken Fiberglass Coachbuilt Project
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luvtheeluvbug wrote:
Any progress?


It's been a long summer. I spent time on and off filling in the small fiber cracks. The body has lots of bulk heads to strengthen the body and as the resin settled over time it cracked there. It is just about read for primiing in the next week or two.

In a couple of areas I did a skim or epoxy resin on it was like concrete to work it off. While it does not look much different it is getting closer to priming and then all of the block sanding.

It was about 2 months since the last post........

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luvtheeluvbug
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess it's kind of a trade off working on fiberglass versus metal; no rust but a lot of cracks and holes to fill. Well, the soon to come fall and winter chill will start to push us all into our garages to our projects!
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Took today to finish the rough sanding and took the Alken outside for some sun. I hadn't fully washed the body since I got home from the soda blaster so it got a good hose down and clean.

Later I made a stand to hold the doors and one for the windshield so that they can be primed easy.

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luvtheeluvbug
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will you do the paint yourself?
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not sure if I will get to do the final paint myself. I have done some paint and show work.

Finally got some primer on today! Used a Transtar polyester quick fill primer. Went on pretty good but the pot life is only 45 min so it is a pain to keep stopping after a pint, remix in the catalyst and keep going.

Lots of small pits fo fill where the are open "squares" in the fiber. "Wax on Wax off" in the future I see....

I made the stands for the doors and the windshield from some lumber left over from another project.

The doors, hood, deck lid and windshield frame with two good coats. Will do some filling, sand and prime again. I like the look of the open fiber and sheet on the underside of the hood and deck lid.

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JeffL
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Got a chance to do some priming today and work through the engine compartment. Finally looking like a car again. Just a little after they 2 year mark when it was delivered from CA.

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JeffL
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, with the primer done I worked through the black on the fender wells, engine and truck area (got a little generous and got some run in the luggage and engine areas. It was tough to switch between the smooth walls and the webbed walls of the fiberglass. it took 1.5 gallons of paint to do the black, about $400 in material. I used the same mixture as the chassis to match it. You can see that I put the car on the side to paint it, there are tons of curves and tight areas to get paint into, this allowed me to get some better coverage.

Looks like I am moving now so I might need to find someplace local to paint it. Bummer.

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Jacks
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Really looking good! Does it use a KG windshield?
PS Stalled on the clutch arm for now...
J
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jacks wrote:
Really looking good! Does it use a KG windshield?
PS Stalled on the clutch arm for now...
J


Thanks, it uses a 52-55 English ford consul windshield. With all the other brilliance how did they pick this, at least my original looks good.
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anything new? I can't wait to see this car finished!
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luvtheeluvbug wrote:
Anything new? I can't wait to see this car finished!


Sorry to say that I have moved about 10 hours away to a new job in Georgia. The Alken will go back into the dark corners for a while until I get my new place setup and move everything down. I was close to getting it painted. If I knew a great quality shop in the Cleveland area I could get the painting started I'd just move the Alken there.

This type of movement is hard on restorations (it will be the 4th move for my 56 Ghia) but this was a good opportunity to be the plant manager of new $100M plant we are just building.

So, I type this from my little condo without a garage.........

In December it will be 2 years since I started this thread and purchased the Alken.

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Jacks
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the report. Will you have the body sprayed off the chassis?
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JeffL
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jacks wrote:
Thanks for the report. Will you have the body sprayed off the chassis?


Hi Jacks, yes if I can find someone to paint it I will take them the dolly I made for the body. We can use this to paint the body separate from the pan and let them do a nice job. I was trying to get all of the black under body parts and luggage areas painted so they only had to focus on the color.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JeffL wrote:
If you read some of the last posts you know that:

Dr. Allan White was Presidnet of the Alken Corp
John McNamara was the engineer at the Alken Corp
2100 Zeno Place, Venice, CA was the address of the Alken factory
John A Wills who was famous with fiberglass at the time designed the fiberglass construction and molds, I have one of his books
William F. Pierson desinged the body and filed the pattent
Ray Beggs buys an Alken in 1958 and it is used for the Brochure
Bob D'Olivo takes B&W photos for Motor Trend in 1958
Wayne Thoms is sitting in the Alken and was the editior for the Motor Trend 1958 photo shoot
Bill Friedauer races an Alken at Riverside on June 29, 1958 for promotional reasons
Los Angeles 31st Pomona fair Sep 12-28, 1958 - Alken is shown to the public
Nov 58 R&T my red Alken is used for the pictures


George Lippincott bought two Alkens to help start his electic car business at NicLSilver
Frank Kurtis was responsible for the chassis
Victress was responsible for the body design
Merrill Powell was at Victress who designed the Pioneer Electric, I talked with him too!
Bill Quirk - at Victress additional Pioneer Electric car photos
Victress Mfg. 11823 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA
Los Angeles 32nd Pomona fair Sep 18-Oct 4, 1959 - Pioneer Electric is shown to the public
NicLSilver sells out to FDI in about 1966
FDI sells the electric cars from storage in 1978

White and McNamara used my Alken for photos and promotions and then sold if to NicLSilver as one of their two Alken electric test mules.

NicLSilver wanted their own line of cars so they got with Kurtis and Victress to make the chassis and body (both top notch groups at the time). There were 3 electric cars sold as a lot from NicLSilver/FDI so it is likley this "Pioneer Electric" still exists.

If anyone is good with DMV connections maybe the license plates and VINs listed on the invoice can be found?

It gets better...... I got an email from one of the gradsons of NicLSilver who is a Samba member, Brent. We talked for a while and he is trying to pull some family history togeterh and the Pioneer Electric is part of it.

From Brent I learned that the triangle L in the NicLSilver logo was for Geroge Lippincott's family logo, L for Lippincott. They also went on to make surfboards (which he would love to find one called a Dyno) and skateboards (which he has a few of). Below is an article on the skate boards and pioneer electric.

http://karmannghias.org/GAlken/slides/AlkenSaleFDI.jpg
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1075354_vanish...battery-co

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Loren turned me on to this thread so I can see the differences between the Ghia and Beetle pitman arms.

Here is a Dyno surfboard (the top graphic as been Greeked for production) and it is 3.5 miles from the Victress Mfg. 11823 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA location!

Sorry if this is considered a tread Hi-Jack, at least there is a VW Bus in the photos!

BTW, I read this thread from the beginning and you are doing an exceptional job at the restoration. I can't wait to see the finished product.

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JeffL
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CerveloMikey wrote:
JeffL wrote:
If you read some of the last posts you know that:

Dr. Allan White was Presidnet of the Alken Corp
John McNamara was the engineer at the Alken Corp
2100 Zeno Place, Venice, CA was the address of the Alken factory
John A Wills who was famous with fiberglass at the time designed the fiberglass construction and molds, I have one of his books
William F. Pierson desinged the body and filed the pattent
Ray Beggs buys an Alken in 1958 and it is used for the Brochure
Bob D'Olivo takes B&W photos for Motor Trend in 1958
Wayne Thoms is sitting in the Alken and was the editior for the Motor Trend 1958 photo shoot
Bill Friedauer races an Alken at Riverside on June 29, 1958 for promotional reasons
Los Angeles 31st Pomona fair Sep 12-28, 1958 - Alken is shown to the public
Nov 58 R&T my red Alken is used for the pictures


George Lippincott bought two Alkens to help start his electic car business at NicLSilver
Frank Kurtis was responsible for the chassis
Victress was responsible for the body design
Merrill Powell was at Victress who designed the Pioneer Electric, I talked with him too!
Bill Quirk - at Victress additional Pioneer Electric car photos
Victress Mfg. 11823 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA
Los Angeles 32nd Pomona fair Sep 18-Oct 4, 1959 - Pioneer Electric is shown to the public
NicLSilver sells out to FDI in about 1966
FDI sells the electric cars from storage in 1978

White and McNamara used my Alken for photos and promotions and then sold if to NicLSilver as one of their two Alken electric test mules.

NicLSilver wanted their own line of cars so they got with Kurtis and Victress to make the chassis and body (both top notch groups at the time). There were 3 electric cars sold as a lot from NicLSilver/FDI so it is likley this "Pioneer Electric" still exists.

If anyone is good with DMV connections maybe the license plates and VINs listed on the invoice can be found?

It gets better...... I got an email from one of the gradsons of NicLSilver who is a Samba member, Brent. We talked for a while and he is trying to pull some family history togeterh and the Pioneer Electric is part of it.

From Brent I learned that the triangle L in the NicLSilver logo was for Geroge Lippincott's family logo, L for Lippincott. They also went on to make surfboards (which he would love to find one called a Dyno) and skateboards (which he has a few of). Below is an article on the skate boards and pioneer electric.

http://karmannghias.org/GAlken/slides/AlkenSaleFDI.jpg
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1075354_vanish...battery-co


Loren turned me on to this thread so I can see the differences between the Ghia and Beetle pitman arms.

Here is a Dyno surfboard (the top graphic as been Greeked for production) and it is 3.5 miles from the Victress Mfg. 11823 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA location!

Sorry if this is considered a tread Hi-Jack, at least there is a VW Bus in the photos!

BTW, I read this thread from the beginning and you are doing an exceptional job at the restoration. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Thanks that's awesome. I can let Brent know you have one!

And thanks for the nice comments. Looking for a good paint shop in Cleveland/Pittsburg area if you know of one!
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Stock Steve
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats on the new job, Jeff! Keep up the good work, when you can, on the Alken!
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

While watching the tv show Americarna, I saw what looked like a hardtop Alken. I've read the thread and you are doing an awesome job on the restoration. The car is in Florida
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vdubmyk wrote:
While watching the tv show Americarna, I saw what looked like a hardtop Alken. I've read the thread and you are doing an awesome job on the restoration. The car is in Florida
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nice find! and how come I'm not suprised it's in FL? Smile Fiberglass heaven down there!
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GLHTurbo wrote:
vdubmyk wrote:
While watching the tv show Americarna, I saw what looked like a hardtop Alken. I've read the thread and you are doing an awesome job on the restoration. The car is in Florida
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


nice find! and how come I'm not suprised it's in FL? Smile Fiberglass heaven down there!


Had a chance to discover this car in about 2005. The owner did not know what it was and I identified it. When I went to buy it, I saw that is sat outside for years and the current owner was not truthful so I didn't buy it. The Alken changed hands to another owner that put it on a chassis, lost interest and sold it to Forgotten Fiberglass Geoff. The back glass and bottom rear support is missing.

Here is a link to when I saw it about 10 years ago!

http://karmannghias.org/YAlken/

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PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2015 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jeff, any updates?
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