A new chapter

[Simon]

I have recently required a tiger from the USA which i have been told that was originally sent to California but then moved to Canada. The car i understand was part of a deceased estate where the car was undergoing the start of a restoration. The car found its way to the UK where i acquired it from a classic dealer. the car was advertised as a matching number a mark 1 1965 model. As you can imagine i was super excited by the car and immediately joined the STC in the Uk and wrote to the STOA to see if any information was available for the history of the car. The numbers provided confirmed it was a Tiger and the that they were correct however after closer inspection of the engine when removed the assembly date of the engine around October 1965 with the ford blue block would suggest that this is not the original engine as advertised but came from a later mark 1A. The car is undergoing a full not and bolt restoration with a tiger expert called Sherwood Restorations from Nottinghamshire England and this will be their 6 full tiger restoration. I have named my car “ HOPE” after the year we have all endured and i would dearly love to reunite her engine and obtain as much of her history as possible.
The chassis number is B9470924LRXFE with corresponding jenson JAL 560427 is correct together with the correct axles but the engine 1906 A27KA is not the engine i have despite being on the valve cover so if anyone can shed any light on this moonstone car i would be very grateful. happy to receive anything and wish you all a merry Christmas and a safe 2021. Thanks for reading Simon.

 

[venice532]

moonstone tiger

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your car.

It is certainly a challenge to figure out the worldwide travels of a 55 year old car so good luck there.

regards

 

[0neoffive]

Across the puddle

Welcome to the mania. Keep in mind that these critters were always mongrels and assembled by fellows with Guinness in their growlers.

 

[HolyCat]

A Little Information

Hi Simon!

The Book of Norman has a section near the back which lists all of the Tigers by VIN number and includes information Norm collected from the owners back in the early 90s. The name of the owner back then was withheld. Norm indicated that there might be an error in the Jensen ledgers for your car, as the tranny and rear axle numbers were the same as what was listed for another Tiger. The colour code is listed as 19 - Moonstone, and the Jensen date is listed as 64/10/09.

Good luck in researching your car's history!

 

[Simon]

Hi Simon!

The Book of Norman has a section near the back which lists all of the Tigers by VIN number and includes information Norm collected from the owners back in the early 90s. The name of the owner back then was withheld. Norm indicated that there might be an error in the Jensen ledgers for your car, as the tranny and rear axle numbers were the same as what was listed for another Tiger. The colour code is listed as 19 - Moonstone, and the Jensen date is listed as 64/10/09.

Good luck in researching your car's history!

Thanks for the update I just feel sorry for the poor thing at every turn she seems to have a confused identity hopefully we can trace her Rootes!! Cheers Simon.

 

[Simon]

Welcome to the mania. Keep in mind that these critters were always mongrels and assembled by fellows with Guinness in their growlers.

Completely understand as i live and work in the area these bad boys were made. Most of my family have been involved in manufacturing parts for the local car manufacturers but like most industries have closed with only the memories left. Luckily i am partial to the odd pint of Guinness but imagine it would have been a pint of Banks’s back in he day!! Especially at West Brom.

appreciate the response, Hope is now underway and off to the blasters and will return in the new year but we are busy locating parts and finalising the upgrades. All the best Simon.

 

[Simon]

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your car.

It is certainly a challenge to figure out the worldwide travels of a 55 year old car so good luck there.

regards

Hi Bob, once I have worked out how to upload i will gladly share some pictures, the current position is that Hope is distributed between boxes, buckets and plastic bags which is really sad but she is about to further lose her dignity as her current clothing is removed back to bare metal. i would like to find out when she was first registered but it seems there is very little information about her although i can confirm she has a new UK time correct plate. It would be fantastic to know what her registration was in the US, so now the search begins. Hope all well with you guys over there it seems that we are rapidly going backwards which can only be frustrating for all classic owners although it seems to have encouraged people like myself to take the plunge!! All the best and i will pop some pictures on cheers Simon.

 

[Simon]

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your car.

It is certainly a challenge to figure out the worldwide travels of a 55 year old car so good luck there.

regards

Bob some pictures of the current state of play.

 

[CLIFF_MK1]

Pictures are great, Simon. I think my Tiger, MK1, was in worse shape at this stage. If you're interested there are some pictures of the restoration of my Tiger on my Album. Good luck with your project, Cliff

 

[0neoffive]

Very Healthy Example

Bob some pictures of the current state of play.

The wee critter looks so much better than the average rust bucket we get here at the shop. Raising the dead takes strong conviction (and banking assistance).

 

[Simon]

Pictures are great, Simon. I think my Tiger, MK1, was in worse shape at this stage. If you're interested there are some pictures of the restoration of my Tiger on my Album. Good luck with your project, Cliff

Cliff thanks very much i will definitely take a look at your album. Can I ask how long it took and did you adopt many upgrades? It looks like we have a complete engine rebuild which i am hoping to contribute too as well as blasting a number of parts back to life.

It will be interesting to see what condition Hope returns from the blasters but that will be in the new year so i will drop a couple of photos on and we can see what’s what.

Great full for your comments and interest many thanks Simon.

 

[Simon]

The wee critter looks so much better than the average rust bucket we get here at the shop. Raising the dead takes strong conviction (and banking assistance).

Well that’s encouraging and you are not wrong. Ive been saving for a number of years and before long the xk150 was out of my price range, healey 3000’s just became unaffordable with a rebuild quoted at double the expected budget for the Tiger so having deliberated for the last 8 years i am now on that slippery slope of classic car ownership:------

All the best Simon.

 

[KenF]

If you're interested there are some pictures of the restoration of my Tiger on my Album. Good luck with your project, Cliff

Simon, good luck on your project, looks like a great base to start with. Lots of helpful folks here, and part hoarders. Look forward to more progress and pictures.

I didn't know this site had the ability to create albums. But it's kind of kludgy to get to. You have to be logged in. The only way to view an album is to click the members 'View Public Profile' choice, go to their statistics tab and click 'Albums Created by.' The 'Pictures & Albums' choice under the Community menu only shows your own, I think. So, there's no way to just go and browse all albums to find something of interest to look at, you have to know the member name first. IDK, just odd way of programming that feature by developers. Okay, end petty rant.

 

[CLIFF_MK1]

To get to albums, click on person's name, drop down menu appears, click on View Public Profile, on right hand side is Mini statistic, then below that is Friends, and then Albums. Ken, you started an album, it would be great to see some of your pictures here. Oh, you didn't have any friends, so I reached out. Just kidding, you don't have to be my friend, but in these times one can't have too many friends, Cliff

 

[KenF]

Oh, you didn't have any friends, so I reached out. Just kidding, you don't have to be my friend, but in these times one can't have too many friends, Cliff

Accepted buddy ol' pal.

 

[CLIFF_MK1]

Thanks, Friend, Simon, to answer your question about my upgrades and your possible upgrades, think about what your goals are with your Tiger. It may not seem important now, but it could be after you get more involved with Sunbeam activities. For example my Tiger is in the "Modified" class which means that I can make many changes or upgrades. But, I can't go back to "Stock" or "Personalized" without changing what I've done. My goal was to keep the classic look of the Tiger, but to improve on It's shortcomings such as frontend suspension, wiring and fuses, and Brakes. Here is a description of the three classes

CONCOURS d’ ELEGANCE CLASSE

STOCK

Stock cars should be as close as possible to “as manufactured” by the Rootes Group, its subsidiaries and suppliers or “as sold” by authorized dealers. Dealer available accessories, to include applicable LAT options, as identified in Rootes Group advertising literature, are acceptable.

PERSONALIZED

The Personalized class includes all vehicles whose configuration and appearance is consistent with stock vehicles but these vehicles have visual and/or mechanical engineering changes and have undergone certain practical modifications reflecting the owner’s taste to improve comfort, Safety, Drivability, appearance or reliability. Moderate performance enhancements over stock condition are also permissible. During concours events, judges should take into account owners’ desired objective, if available, and consider how well it is executed while retaining the spirit, appearance and heritage
of the vehicle.

Modified

This class includes vehicles with extensive mechanical and/or bodywork modifications to maximize performance, handling or styling. No limitations are placed on an owners’ imaginative and effective use of modern performance products, while retaining safety and reliability. Bodywork and chassis must be from a Rootes Group vehicle. Judges should evaluate on basis of workmanship, engineering and performance potential.

Hope this helps with your decisions. Cliff

 

[canbeam]

Simon Do you know the name of Canadian owner or the area in Canada where the car was located? I am in Canada and have a lot of connections with long time Canadian Tiger owners coast to coast, so may be able to help track down the history of the car while in this country. If the engine was switched, it may have happened in Canada. You can PM me. Ron

 

[AshUK]

Hi Simon

Have you asked the guy you purchased your car from to speak with his contact in Canada for the previous owners details so you can start tracing the history?
Does the pink import slip have any owners details?

Nice project that one I believe quite rare in Moonstone. Good luck with the restoration.

 

[Simon]

moonstone tiger

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your car.

It is certainly a challenge to figure out the worldwide travels of a 55 year old car so good luck there.

regards

Bob sorry I haven’t been on for a while but life has been put on hold for a while With the pandemic with a clear focus on work. I haven’t found out too much about the cars travels but hope to get stuck into that at some point. Hope you are well and we can chat again soon. all the best Simon.

 

[Simon]

Simon Do you know the name of Canadian owner or the area in Canada where the car was located? I am in Canada and have a lot of connections with long time Canadian Tiger owners coast to coast, so may be able to help track down the history of the car while in this country. If the engine was switched, it may have happened in Canada. You can PM me. Ron

Hi Ron sorry for the late response I have just put tiger matters on hold for a while. To answer your question I have had zero luck from the guy who originally imported the car and have drawn a blank so can’t really help in that regard. My original post contained the cars pedigree so hopefully someone might be able to shed some light. Catch up soon all the best Simon.