1966 Sunbeam Alpine Engine Replacement

[Airportbum]

I finally found someone to swap my engine with a Sunbeam Specialties crate engine in Salt Lake. Mine was the one that threw a rod two years ago. I have the notes on the oil pressure valve for him to look at too.

Is there anything else I should have done while the engine is out? I am putting in a new oil pump.
The speedo gauge was inop. Is that something that can be done after the engine swap or should it be done during the swap?

thanks for all the help. Mike

 

[alpine_64]

Have you stripped down and cleaned and checked clearances on the short motor.. If not do it...

Read the threds on tlthose motors.. Make sure you go over it rather than bolting on thw auxiliaries and driving

 

[Tom H]

I was going to suggest swapping in a Weber carb, but I see from the old posts, there's already on on the car.

Get the tach working and calibrated. Not working could be due to some simple error like , poor ground, loop on rear of tach not installed correctly, rewired ignition circuit not properly fed thru the tach, etc. Most likely even if working it requires calibration as critical timing components have aged over 50 years.

 

[Warren]

Did the short block come with that fancy timing chain cover that actually has a seal in it rather than a spiral cut groove?

 

[RootesRooter]

You're not going to use that same PRV, right?

 

[Airportbum]

Can the PRV valve be cleaned and reused? If not, where would I get a replacement. I don't see one in the sunbeam specialties catalog?

Don't know about the fancy timing chain cover...

 

[Airportbum]

How many hours would I be looking at for someone to strip down the motor and check measurements and what not???

 

[RootesRooter]

Re: PRV. Start advertising to find a replacement. I've had three or four Series V PRV's that started sticking open. I pulled and examined and cleaned them all, then re-installed them. Within a range of several days to a month, they all eventually started sticking again. If someone out there has a proven answer as to why they stick open in the first place, I haven't read it yet.

The steel-bodied PRV used on Arrow Range Sunbeams is the best option, but only occasionally shows up on eBay these days. (You'd also need to find a matching oil filter base) Your safest bet is to find a non-Series V PRV. It won't have the little dimple on the face. The early 1967 factory bulletin advised dealers to replace the Series V PRV with the Series IV part number. The only difference is that the Series V PRV was rated at 45 psi, while the earlier PRV's are rated at 40 psi. I've yet to read of early PRV's having the same sticking problem.

 

[Alpine 1789]

FWIW, there was a lengthy discussion here about 3 years ago re: a member's attempt to design and build a more reliable replacement valve that would fit in the SV base. http://forum.sunbeamalpine.org/index.php?threads/oil-pressure-regulator-questions.25281/. That member, Zack, hasn't been on the site since shortly after he last posted to his tread, but it looks like all of his design documents are still out there, if anyone is interested. However, while I haven't studied the thread in detail, I do see where he wrote that his while his prototype "worked great", there was no oil pressure because the car's bearings had been destroyed when the original valve failed. To me, that means that there is no way to really know his design works, but I assume he was an engineer and he certainly seemed to know a lot more about this topic than me. Still, I'd recommend that anyone attempting to pick up where he left off be very careful.

 

[hartmandm]

My notes have:
Oil Pressure Relief Valve (steel tube version) – Speedy Spares UK Part # 71269824

So check with Speedy Spares to see if they still sell that part. If yes, then you will need to get an oil filter block for the steel OPRVs (series 4 or later series 5 I believe).

Mike

 

[RootesRooter]

Let us know about PRV availability!

The oil filter block to match the steel-tube PRV was introduced on the later, Arrow Range cars. From previous posts, it sounds like a number of us have scavenged filter blocks off of derelict Alpine fastbacks, so they aren't quite as hard to come by.