• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

1725 Camshaft Question

Airportbum

Bronze Level Sponsor
My name is Mike. I have the 66 Sunbeam Alpine that threw a rod the day after I bought it about 2 years ago.
The mechanic finally has the engine apart and is moving things to the Sunbeam Specialties short block. Turns out one or two lifters seized and it was not (they don't think oil pressure related) Of course the oil pickup needs to be replaced. It was full of metal and such. My question is the camshaft. Sunbeam Specialties doesn't have any, and it appears that there are some nicks and marring, and well as a nice groove on a circle (guide?) of about 1/16 of an inch or more. Do i regrind at delta, or buy one from Rootes in the UK? Or any other suggestions? I am a novice at this so if the info is wrong I completely understand. Any advice or thoughts on what to do? The shop is a in Salt Lake and does mostly Jags, Mgs, triumph and what not. They have seen a few sunbeams, but wanted a second opinion as the sunbeam isn't their bread and butter...(or fish and chips or whatever the British saying is)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0293.JPG
    IMG_0293.JPG
    341.2 KB · Views: 46
  • IMG_0294.JPG
    IMG_0294.JPG
    343 KB · Views: 45
  • IMG_0295.JPG
    IMG_0295.JPG
    326 KB · Views: 43

DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
I'd suggest you call Delta Cams. They are familiar with the Sunbeam. I as well as a lot of other members have utilized their expertise.

1-800-562-5500 A good person to contact is Scott
 

RootesRacer

Donation Time
The marring you see is the fuel pump eccentric (pretty normal and not a problem) . The cam looks pretty grindable to me.
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
^^ What RootesRacer said. ^^

That cam looks fine and would certainly be grindable. I'd replace your fuel pump, since it's clearly given the cam a run for its money and the actuating arm is likely shot by now, but otherwise I'd have no qualms about getting that cam refreshed. Get the lifters done (or get a new set) and have the rocker arms dressed and re-profiled at the same time.
 

JSLoeffl

Gold Level Sponsor
FYI, Rootes Group in the Netherlands https://www.rootesparts.com/ had some machined for him in 2019. I purchased one from them for 169.50 + 59.50 shipping (this is euros) about $266 total US funds. Takes Paypal and ships quickly. Got new lifters from Rick. Definitely look at the fuel pump. The stiff diaphragm on my pump trashed the fuel pump lobe on my original camshaft beyond recognition. Not sure mine could have been rebuilt but it gives you another avenue in case Delta doesn't work out for you. Let us know how Delta worked out. I may opt to have my old one repaired and keep as a spare! On another note, they also have 1725 alum head rocker shafts available that they had machined.
 

Eleven

Platinum Level Sponsor
Welcome to the SAOCA site. You've come to the right place and the right folks. The people here know the cars and will give you quality information and support! I encourage you to join the SAOCA Family! Worth every penny of it. Good luck with your car. Bummer it blew before you could enjoy it. Keep us up to date on your project!
 

JSLoeffl

Gold Level Sponsor
Another great option is an Electric Fuel Pump.
Yeah, I ran it for a while with an electric fuel pump while waiting for time to install the new camshaft, but I wanted my Beamer to be as close to original as possible for the nostalgia. Also the only electric pump I could find rated at 2-3psi I did not have faith in (China). Stromberg's are limited to very low psi. But thanks for mentioning that for others.....
 

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
Airportbum: I can't add much to what others have said about the cam, but I would encourage you to think about some of the things you can do to the engine while it apart, none of which are visible or detract from the stock appearance of the engine. The easiest thing is to have Delta regrind the cam to their KB profile. The idle is a little lumpy compared to stock, but the grind wakes up the engine and makes the car more fun to drive. If you want to be a little more aggressive, you can go the Chevy Rod route, which will do nothing but good for the engine. That will cost you a bit at the machine shop, but probably won't increase the work from your engine rebuilder. Finally, there are modifications that can be done to the head that will also improve the engine's power.

If you are interested, I wrote an article documenting my journey 16+ years ago: http://sunbeamalpine.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/issue_11.pdf. There are other important articles that you should read and lots of discussions here. We can point you towards all of that if you are interested, but this is a good place to start.
 

RootesRooter

Donation Time
If your cam turns out too bad to be re-ground, you'll likely find an inexpensive but usable Series V cam here. Unless their prices have shot up, it still costs less than $100 to have the cam re-ground and shipped by Delta Cam in Tacoma, WA. European postal rates are often eye-popping.
 

phyrman

SAOCA Secretary
Diamond Level Sponsor
My name is Mike. I have the 66 Sunbeam Alpine that threw a rod the day after I bought it about 2 years ago.
The mechanic finally has the engine apart and is moving things to the Sunbeam Specialties short block. Turns out one or two lifters seized and it was not (they don't think oil pressure related) Of course the oil pickup needs to be replaced. It was full of metal and such. My question is the camshaft. Sunbeam Specialties doesn't have any, and it appears that there are some nicks and marring, and well as a nice groove on a circle (guide?) of about 1/16 of an inch or more. Do i regrind at delta, or buy one from Rootes in the UK? Or any other suggestions? I am a novice at this so if the info is wrong I completely understand. Any advice or thoughts on what to do? The shop is a in Salt Lake and does mostly Jags, Mgs, triumph and what not. They have seen a few sunbeams, but wanted a second opinion as the sunbeam isn't their bread and butter...(or fish and chips or whatever the British saying is)
Hi Mike, the short block from SS is LOW compression! Have your mechanic/engine guy cc the head and the pistons. A friend out here used one and it has very low power! Decking the head and/or a different piston will fix this issue!
Good luck!

Bruce
 
Top