1934 ALVIS SPEED 20SB

After months of work on the rotten frame, the owners have picked up their Alvis Speed 20 SB today.  The car looks stunning and they are very pleased with it.

Stripped back to find the horrors
underneath the metal skin

New parts of the frame going into position

Ready to go to the body/paint shop

All finished

1934 ALVIS SPEED 20SB

Alvis on the trailer ready to go to the body shop

The work on the Alvis Speed 20 ash frame is finally finished and the car is now away at the body shop to have the panels refitted and then be repainted.

September update

Just a quick update on what we have going on in the workshop at the moment:

Work continues on the ash frame for the Alvis Speed 20SB.  We are now on the third door with one left to finish the framework before the car goes down to the body shop for its new paint work.

The machine shop is full of engines from the Austin 18/6, the heavy 12/4 and a Rover 16.  the Heavy 12/4 engine parts are due back shortly and we can start building the engine back up.

We also have a Jaguar V12 E-type which is a new purchase by an existing customer.  At the moment it is not running well so we will sort this out and give the car a service so that he can get on and use it for the last few weeks before the salt is back on the roads again.

More details on each of the projects will follow shortly....

ALVIS SPEED 20SB Ash Frame

The work on the ash frame for the Speed 20 continues.  Ian has been busy making new pieces for the wheel arches by fabricating a laminated ply section.  The first arch is now complete and ready to trim to size and the second one is on the former drying

A wooden former is made

Ian starts building up the layers of ply and adhesive

Adhesive is applied all over each strip

Strips are built up one on top of another

Air bubbles are smoothed out before the next layer is built up
 and eventually the whole lot is cramped together through the holes
visible on the former and then the ends are screwed down so that it
sets in the right shape.  It is then left to dry out for several days 

Once dry the new piece is removed from the former and
will be trimmed neatly to shape before use

Ian offers up the new arch before marking it for trimming

ALVIS SPEED 20 SB

We are continuing with the ash-frame restoration on the Alvis.  We had hoped not to have to remove the rear body skin, but on closer inspection the frame was found to be so bad that we felt it was the only way to be sure of getting rid of all the decaying wood/woodworm.  We have braced what is left of the frame so that reconstruction can take place.



Front scuttle with new timbers in place




N/S rear corner




O/S rear body - note NO fixings so no structure




Previous 'repairs' to O/S rear C-post




O/S rear main structure showing advanced rot




Close up of O/S rear main structure (as above)




Work in progress - note extra braces to
support the body



ALVIS SPEED 20SB

We are back after our Christmas break and now really stuck into the ash frame restoration work on the 1934 Alvis Speed 20 SB.

Ian and Roy have finished taking the doors, front wings, running boards and skins off the car and assessed the true condition of the ash frame which is extremely poor.  Thankfully the owners have not been involved in an accident since there wasn't a great deal of structure left.

Reproduction of the frame sections has started as you will see from the photos below



Doors and front wings stripped
getting ready to remove front scuttle




Previous repair attempt just hanging in mid-air
and not attached to anything




Bulkhead/firewall frame in extremely poor condition




N/S A-post
Previous repair attempts with no structure




Fire damage uncovered caused by welding work on the scuttle skin
and woodworm activity clearly visible




Old (Right) and new windscreen bottom rail




Trial fitting new sections



1934 ALVIS SPEED 20 SB

We are in the process of carrying out repairs to the ash frame on an Alvis Speed 20SB and have just chosen and collected the lenghts of ash before Ian starts work on reproducing parts of the frame.

Some of the ash ready for cutting and shaping