BEX1094

[olanatherton]

I have recently become to owner of the above mentioned Ace, and am beginning to inquire about restoration (myself or Professional).

My father bought the car new in 1961 and drove it for about 2 years, after which it was placed in a garage for the next  40 years. Some time after that my dad moved it out on to the driveway where it sat with one tarp after another for the next 17 years. My father passed away in January and the car was willed to me. I have had the original title changed to my name, but have not hauled the car back to South Carolina yet as I am pursuing restoration options and do not yet know where it needs to be taken.

I have photo's of the car without the tarp on it and it is in rough condition though not what I would call bad. The last time I know it was run was about 27 years ago and at that time had a bad babbit bearing on the water pump. At the time it was the only known issue with the car. Now it will need a complete restoration.

Look forward to hearing from other owners with restoration experiences. I look forward to getting this old girl back on the road. I have been looking forward to actually driving this car since I was 5 years old (See attached pic)

I have submitted my online application for membership in the club but have not heard anything as of yet.

Thanks for your comments in advance,

Olan

[administrator]

Welcome to the ACOC!  Membership applications are processed manually so you should hear something in the next few days.  Best of luck with your project.

[Robin A Woolmer]

Olan
Sorry about your Dad but he has left you a very valuable present, I am not an expert of Ace's & Bristol Engines but the car looks superficially to have straight & complete bodywork, clearly mechanically you will need to overhaul the mechanics but the key concern will be the condition & integrity of the chassis main tube structure & the outrigger members as it has been left some time to the weather!
It would be wise to get the car on a lift & give it a thorough inspection underneath & all the tubular cross members, hopefully the structure will be fairly sound & just need cleaning,treating & replacement of some members, it wold be good to have a chassis expert to go through this with you.
I am sure you will find owners in USA who can help & advise on specialists to use, It is a very worthwhile project & it will make a fine car when done.

Good Luck

Robin

[B.P.Bird]

Olan,
What a wonderful project and no doubt full of memories of your father and your childhood. Quite a task, but the body looks to be fairly straight and the Ace looks pretty complete. Interesting to see what looks like the rather sketchy works roll over hoop in the early photo' although that seems to have now been removed. What is still there looks to be the optional oil temperature gauge. I wonder if your Dad raced, or intended to race his Ace Bristol ?
When choosing a restoration shop you might bear in mind the importance of finding people with intimate knowledge of and experience with the Ace: Having someone train themselves at your expense could be less than cost effective. Shipping '1094 to A.C. Heritage at Brooklands is not a cheap option, but the excellence of the result would justify the expense. I speak from recent experience with AE 22 which started in appalling condition and now looks rather good:



I still have a deal of work to do to complete what has turned in to a rather long journey, but you are starting from a better place. So best wishes for a rewarding experience and you will find a fund of knowledge and help within our Club
Barrie

[Robin A Woolmer]

Barrie
Super looking Ace, the colour suits the car, hope my Replica comes out that well!
Robin

[olanatherton]

Thank you for the kind words Robin, I look forward to the challenges that come with this beauty:-)

Olan

[olanatherton]

Barrie,

I look forward to the opportunity to learn from the wisdom and experience in this group. I recently retired from the engineering world, and am certainly in need of the challenge, I am finding retirement a bit of a challenge at this point. I am always up for a new opportunity to learn and expand my horizons, and I find the AC an exciting new direction.

As far as the rollover bar in the picture from 1961, I have not located it yet, but my dad had become a bit of a harder after he retired, and I have only begun tos scratch the surface of his "collection". It is going to take years to work my way through his past, just trying to get my stepmoms house livable again for her at this point.

My Dad was single/divorced when he bought the AC and I have heard many stories of him racing during that period though I have not yet found any proof. I had assumed the bar was factory, but it may well not have been. Based upon your comment it sounds as if you have not seen one like it before?

Thanks again for your replies,

Olan

[Jim A]

Barn finds are one of the best things on Earth, even (or maybe especially) if you own the barn.
Your Ace has been neglected  after being well used but not apparently abused, leaving a very doable challenge.
I got my '57 Ace in 1961 and lost it to fire in 1992.
I envy you the memories and future.

[AC Ace Bristol]

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Olan

Welcome to the AC Owners Club,  Your Dad had good taste and bought well, What a great restoration  project,  The few photos posted  show that BEX1094 
was  fitted with a roll hoop and had a optional Oil Pressure gauge fitted, indicating that BEX1094 could have had  some race, hill climb or sprint history during the early 1960s.
 
Hopefully you come across  some little gems  whilst delving through the family archives, thus confirming that your Dad did in fact  enjoy some competitive driving in Texas and neighbouring States
In the meantime could you please confirm your dads full name and  give a guide to where  in Texas he lived. Hopefully a few of us can  check through  our files and furnish you with some race History of your Dad and  his ( Your)  BEX1094. To complement your History file, each little gem helps create the  full picture  ;)
As you find new information  can you please update this thread and email details to Tim Isles the official ACOC Ace Bristol Registrar ..  ..  ..   
tim_isles@hotmail.com

Good Luck with the Restoration of BEX1094,  Should you require any information  or parts please do not hesitate to ask, there are plenty of ACOC members on both sides of the pond that have spare parts, access to suppliers and years of knowledge . ;)

What a great  retirement Project  and great way to remember your Dad ...  ..  ..   a bonus to the AC Owners Club / Ace Bristol Register, We  learn of the survival of another Ace Bristol that had fallen off the radar after leaving Thames Ditton back  in December 1959. 

Keith
 

[olanatherton]

Keith,

My dads full name was Olan L Atherton (I am Jr), In the time fram that he bought the Ace he was living in and around Dallas, TX, Garland, TX and I know he was traveling between Florida and TX regularly, I have heard him tell stories about some of his trips back and forth including short visits with law enforcement along the way. He had a really heavy foot and loved this car. The picture of myself and my sister with dad and the car was taken in Pine Bluff, AR at my grandparents home so he could have listed it as his residence as well.

I will be going back to my stepmom's in a couple of months to continue delving through more of the things he left behind. I hope to find more treasures related to the car.

Tim mentioned that the car would have left the factory with a tonneau, I just noticed what looks like it might be a tonneau and/or maybe some remnents of carpet in the bonnet photo that I took. I had thought it was long gone. Next time I am there I will look closer at the engine and bonnet compartments and take some more photos.

If he did race any SCCA events it would have been in this Southeast US area. He moved to CA in 1965 sometime and I have never heard him mention racing out there, and I know the car was never titled or licensed in CA, I have documents indicating that he stored the vehicle to avoid CA's onerous environmental rules at that time.

[B.P.Bird]

Olan,
Just looked at the picture you posted of the boot and if you look carefully in the front, port corner you can see the mountings for the extra competition SU electric fuel pump.
That roll over bar  looks like the works option to me - pretty ineffective one would imagine. It does look as though your Dad at least optioned '1094 with competition in mind.
By the bye what was your engineering discipline ? Us ordinary mortals are always in need of correct engineering solutions to our old car problems
Barrie

[olanatherton]

Good morning Barrie,

I was/am an automation engineer for most of my career, then in the last 15yrs I became a Fire & Gas Engineer for the Oil & Gas industry on the North Slope of Alaska. Not a LOT of application with these cars, but it has endowed me with a lot of common sense & ingenuity when it comes to the mechanical world:-)

My first effort at a restoration was a 1947 Chevy Thriftmaster truck I bought at 15 for a $100. Drove it all through High school, and 4 years of college before I tore it down to put a 283 V8 in it but moved 2000 miles away and had to leave it behind:-( Gave it to another friend for a father/son project which his wife did not approve of. I tried to get the truck back, but it was long gone before I found out what was going on.

This will be a restoration of a completely different class!

I hope to soon bring the car to my home to South Carolian and really begin going through it's condition and develop a restoration plan.

Olan

[AC Ace Bristol]

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.
Olan
Interesting that you live in South Carolina,  I bought my Ace Bristol BEX333 from Lee  Kolb back in 2000 when he  lived in Seattle, Lee and Pam moved a few years ago to Aiken, South Carolina 29801.
Not sure how close that is to you, but Lee would love to see BEX1094 as he owned BEX333 from December 1964 to September2000.
If you  live close by, I will confirm address telephone number and e-mail address.

All the best with the Restoration  of BEX1094
Keith
keith.lessiter@gmail.com
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[B.P.Bird]

Olan,
Small World - I can think of two Oil and Gas engineers in the A.C.O.C. and one did time in Alaska. If you survived 15 years as a sharp end engineer on the North Slope '1094 will be a breeze.......
Barrie

[James Eastwood]

Olan,

Welcome to ACOC!

I started a similar project on my Dad's Ace (barn find, in our barn) in 2016. The historical journey and the rolling restoration have been tremendous. With Keith and Tim Isles help I was able to discover more of the events it entered and with the internet I've been able to find photos my father never had access to. I'm always sending my Dad little updates on WhatsApp, and he's enjoyed his 'vicarious restoration'. I'm sure your sister will likewise be interested.

Please post some more pictures, some engine pictures would be of interest.

Question to the forum - the rusty brown colour inside Olan's 1094 boot/trunk on the aluminium panels, is that a factory paint? As I have what looks to be very similar on my car.

Best regards James Eastwood