Messages

166

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Unknown Ace

« on: March 30, 2008, 19:46:04 »

Jay,
   
   A coincidenence (or maybe not) that just you are the first one to reply as one of us even thought for a moment it's AEX125!
   Unfortunately I do not have further pictures of this car.
   I'm interested in the possible clue on the front inner fenders that you're referring to that might give an indication to the possible chassis number range.
   The short boot started around chassis # 266.
   Thanks for now.
   
   Jerry

167

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Looking for example of Ace color

« on: March 21, 2008, 21:52:04 »

As far as I know the name sprouted from the red colour of the old style mailboxes in England in the past.
   That colour was, in my eyes, a bright red, neither light nor dark, just in between. Not exactly traditional nailpolish red but not too far off. If you search for mailbox history in England I'm sure you will find several specimens on the internet, if only on a picture.
   The lightest shade of the standard AC reds was Vermillion (my car had that one originally), then Mail Red, then Svecia Red (or is it Svecia then Mail?), then Rouge Irise which definitely is a maroon shade.
   In 2001 at the annual Dutch meeting I met an Aceca owner who showed us an original AC colour chart. There were at least 20 to 25 colours on the small cards held together by a ring, including all the red shades mentioned here. I was very surprised to see such an item and have never seen another one. Maybe someone else here on the forum also has one in his collection? If you like I can bring you into contact with this Aceca owner.
   I'm sure other people can add more useful info.
   
   Jerry

168

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / ACE 500DAE

« on: March 11, 2008, 00:18:32 »

The car you owned should be chassis BE435 (April 1958) and according to the register it still seems to exist, the last listed owner residing in Scotland.
   The 100D2 engine seems to have been exchanged for a similar one but a little newer (990 instead of 806). The current engine was in BE1132 originally.
   The register states you owned the car since approx. 1965 but by 1968 it was already credited to another owner. Can this be accurate since you mention you owned it in the 70s?
   Since you're a member you can access all the registers online yourself by logging into the members area with the username and password stated in ACtion. Next, choose model (Ace) and the register can be downloaded in PDF format.
   I'm sure the registrar Tony Bancroft would be most happy with any additional info on the car's history, for instance the name of the person you sold it to.
   
   Jerry
   
   P.S. Only after posting this reply I saw that Keith beat me by a few minutes []

169

428 Frua Forum / Frua spotting

« on: March 03, 2008, 18:32:19 »

Make that THE Zagato Ace (BEX477) as there's only one of these []

170

General Forum / Unknown Ace

« on: February 24, 2008, 12:36:29 »

It was funny while it lasted but actually I'm much more interested in seeing pics of this 'unknown' Ace and the discussion that might possibly follow!
   So the original purpose of this thread is still the best part for me and I'm still waiting in anticipation.
   Because of the subject, it might also be put in the Ace, Aceca and Greyhound forum.
   Antoine, I sent you an email with instructions how to post pictures.
   
   Jerry

171

General Forum / I have Documents for owner of AC Aceca BEX 652

« on: February 02, 2008, 18:51:53 »

Keith,
   
   Almost 100% true []
   In the end it also involved becoming a member of the Club Cobra forum and using the contact details of their members to establish the final contact.
   But I heartily agree with Keith's opinion on the ACOC, its website and its forum.
   Jim Maxwell already replied to Keith and me including several nice pictures of Cobras he and his brother have owned or still own. All CSX cars of course []
   
   Jerry

172

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Suspension Mount Cracks

« on: January 17, 2008, 16:40:20 »

Peter, if you read the instructions in the following topic I guess you will be able to attach a picture.
   http://www.racecar.co.uk/acoc/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=145
   
   I for one am interested in seeing what the crack on your car looks like. Does it have the same kind of crack on both left and right hand sides? Next time I get my Ace out of the Carcoon surely I will check this potential failure point as well. I will post my findings.
   
   Jerry

173

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Ace -Bristol Racing book

« on: January 17, 2008, 16:20:55 »

The book was limited to 1,000 copies and was numbered and signed by John Mclellan. When I received mine in 1999 John gave me number 316. Why? Because I own BEX316 []
   I guess most numbers are not available anymore but just state your chassis number (in case you like this idea) and who knows what's still possible.
   It's quite a good book, some typo errors but what book hasn't. Especially nice for nuts who crave for detailed history, mainly competition oriented of course as the subtitle suggests. Great period pics.
   
   Jerry

174

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / BEX404 for sale at Barrett-Jackson

« on: December 31, 2007, 15:27:14 »

There are pics of the "real" BEX404 on the Charles Crail website however the car isn't completely finished there yet.
   I say "real" because according to the Ace Bristol register there's a duplicate BEX404 in England.
   That car was offered (and sold?) by Jonathan Bradburn not so long ago. Good to see they were honest about its background.
   
   About BEX403, I remember we bid up to $ 60,000 plus and that wasn't a high price at all even in 2001. However the seller had already told me his reserve price was $ 90,000 so we were not in serious bidding territory yet. Later I found out on the net it was sold at another auction for $ 82,500.
   Maybe I wasn't a serious bidder at that time already owning another one but for $ 60,000 I was dead serious!
   Looking back is always easy but at that time I considered 90K to be a lot of money.
   I regret more being outbid in the last minute on Aceca BEX652 a few months before which sold for $ 7,800 being a restoration project but including its original Bristol engine and gearbox.
   
   Jerry

175

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / BEX404 for sale at Barrett-Jackson

« on: December 31, 2007, 10:29:08 »

I reckon the car shown in the link is BEX403, not BEX404.
   Charles Crail who restored and offered the car on their website already mingled 2 pics of BEX403 with the pics of BEX404, presumably to show what BEX404 might look like once the restoration would be finished. Mind, they also sold BEX403 before.
   Now that's okay but it's not so accurate to show those same pics of the other car when it's going up for auction.
   One thing, 404 has a red interior while 403 has a black one. The pics now show 403 with a red interior. Still it's the old pic. Just compare the following pics:
   http://www.charlescrail.com/gone.php?id=77b6f70a15d895ad0ec3eff51f48dcc3
   http://www.barrett-jackson.com/staging/carlist/items/Fullsize/Cars/62207/62207_Front_3-4.jpg
   
   I thought Photoshop could produce better results?
   
   By the way, I was the highest but still unsuccessful bidder on BEX403 on eBay in June 2001 when Randall Baselt offered it for sale. Prices were still in a different league at that time!
   
   Jerry

176

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Re-assy questions

« on: December 25, 2007, 13:10:06 »

Hello Jay,
   
   Just a note regarding the bonnet locks.
   On my car BEX316 the hinges face to the front so just opposite to Bernie's car. For me, that's more natural because it means the lock covers open in the same direction as the bonnet itself. Maybe the factory never thought of it like this but I'm sensitive to those little things.
   In the Original book by Rinsey Mills BEX1033 also has them the same way and this supposedly is a very original car that was never totally restored. On the other hand in the same book is shown AE24 (which is restored) that has them the same way as BEX494. Unfortunately I can't really figure out how they are fitted to RS5020 that's also pictured several times and is another quite original car.
   I scanned the complete Brooklands Books volume for a suitable picture but couldn't find one. That's a shame because most are period pics and thus more valuable regarding originality than more recent pics.
   
   Merry Christmas to all!
   
   Jerry

177

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Body and Chassis Flex

« on: November 29, 2007, 16:37:14 »

Peter,
   
   From what I've understood the body flexing (caused most probably by the chassis flexing) is more or less accepted as a niggle instead of a serious fault. The common spot where a crack can (will?) develop is where the door is nearest to the rear wheel aperture.
   My car has it on one side. The other side shows no signs (yet) but may have been repaired in the past. I haven't checked it accurately enough to be sure about that.
   Once the crack is there it doesn't seem to harm the rest of the structure too much. That's also what I have read others say in the past but some owners might have other experiences.
   I'm not sure if it's a successful modification to strengthen the body in the area where the stress crack usually appears.
   You didn't make it clear to me if it's only the possible crack(s) or maybe also the general loose/alive feel of the body that bother you. Or maybe even the road manners that might suffer from this phenomenon. Now it's difficult to make a verdict on that last statement until one has also driven a car that's modified in the way described before in this topic.
   However, you probably have an opinion about the quality of the road manners in general. Are you also looking for improvement in this department?
   As a long time owner of a few MGAs which have a quite rigid but also heavy structure I really had to get used to the Ace's general feel.
   
   Jerry

178

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / 1957 Ace Bristol for sale - YPX 630

« on: November 22, 2007, 23:12:51 »

BE367 was estimated to sell between £80,000 and £100,000 but it easily exceeded the upper limit going for £126,500.
   
   Jerry

179

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Solex Carb Tuning

« on: October 12, 2007, 23:26:33 »

Peter,
   
   After logging in choose "Model Directory" in the left hand menu, then from the dropdown list "Please Select Model" choose "Ace". After that on the right hand side of the screen you will see Intro >> Pictures >> and Articles >> of which you choose the last option. Then it's the article at the bottom of the list "Solex Carburettor Service". [Click here] and it downloads and opens in PDF format. Enjoy.
   Thanks a lot for your most interesting article on rebuilding the Bristol engine in ACtion.
   
   Jerry

180

Ace, Aceca & Greyhound Forum / Demister vents for 56 Ace

« on: September 06, 2007, 22:34:33 »

Cars AEX123 through AEX126 all left the factory on the same day, 15 Feb. 1956. AEX127 however left Thames Ditton 10 days later, according to the Ace register.
   Noting the data on the first owner as stated in the register I wonder if 127 was first delivered to the USA as the rest was.
   BTW, I saw AEX123 for sale with a dealer in Belgium in 1997, just as stated in the register.
   
   Jerry