Allard M Type Restoration Completed

 Click here or on the photo above to view 3 photo galleries of this beautiful M Types transformation

My M type is chassis no. 716. I bought it November 2005.

35 years ago I had another M type, chassis no. 823 reg. no. JC 9688 which won many concours awards. I sold it to finance a business venture and often regretted it even though the business venture was successful. My old carhas beenregularly rallied by its present owners, John and Kate Manley-Tucker including the Alpine and the Paris-Peking.

When I bought MUA 630 I decided to make it even better so I stripped it right down to the chassis and rebuilt it with several improvements and a hot engine.

One of the big problems with the M bodyis the rather flimsy "B" post. They tend to become very strained over years of abuse and the doors sag and the body flexes so I designed a reinforcing bracket which is quite discrete andhas improved rigidity in that area.

It's got a "new" French engine that was stripped down and rebuilt with an Isky hot road cam. Offenhauser alloy cylinder heads, a pair of new Stromberg 97s on an Offenhauser dual inlet manifold.Side change transmission rebuilt with Lincoln Zephyr gears and the back axle ratio changed from 4.1 to 3.54. Generator (dynamo in UK speak) replaced by Speedmaster's alternator/ generator lookalike for improved lighting etc. The starter was also replaced with a high torque unit. An aluminum radiator was fitted along with water pumps from Speedwell's improved cooling significantly.

I have been amazed at how much more stuff is available nowadays for classic cars in general. In the old days I had to search scrap yards, other Allard enthusiasts and suppliers for old stock. Nowadays, particularly with eBay and the internet in general, there is so much more available old and new. The flathead market in the 'States has spilled over here to a number of suppliers, it's great. I was never a computer fan but rebuilding the Allard has converted me into a computer nut.

I completed the car at 2 am last Saturday (11th July) and Liz and I drove it over to the Allard gathering at Pickering later that morning (170 miles). I loved every minute of the drive there and back and the drive over the Yorkshire Dales with the other Allards to the steam railway station at Grosmont was wonderful. They've got the Atlantic Class steam engine the Sir Nigel Gresley working there, what a fantastic piece of good old fashioned solid engineering belching steam and smoke.

Cheers,

Mel Herman

Comments

[andrew wilson]

Hi Mel, Just looked your Allard up on t'internet!! Wow - I saw it last when in bits. I see now why you won t' cup for the last two years. Good luck this year.

Not entirely sure in your spiel who exactly was ".... piece of good old fashioned solid engineering belching steam and smoke." Was it you, the Allard or Sir Nigel Gresley?

Does Liz drive it?

[Roy Stark]

Hello Mel
What a wonderful restoration you have done . I am so pleased to see my old car in such stunning condition .
I don't mean to be churlish but when I made my restoration 1974 I noticed how unstable the door posts were and at that time my father came up with a simple solution - he welded some angle iron into 'L' shaped brackets which we attached to the post and the chassis . This provided much needed support and was easily hidden behind the trim.
I know how you must have felt when you sold your first Allard and there's not a month goes by that I don't think about the car and regret it's sale however I have my memories of happy times with my father doing that first restoration.
The brackets were on the car when you purchased it in 2005 so I would appreciate it if you would acknowledge the contribution my father made to your design.
His name was
Frank Herbert Stark 1923-1989
Motor Mechanic and engineer in Lincolnshire from 1950 1960
Best regards and happy motoring
Roy Stark