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Alpine Innovations

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
I've been trying to get the folks at Alpine Innovations to respond but I don't seem to hear back from them, and when I call nobody seems to answer. Does anyone know if they're still doing business, or perhaps they're away on holiday? I'd like to buy one of their Weber conversion kits.
 

pruyter

Donation Time
I know that Jerome Senn, one of the two owners of this company uses to travel a lot with the consequense that it occurs that he doesn't responds sometimes in a very long time, but in the end he always answers an email. So I guess you have to be a little bit patient and wait until Jerome reacts, be sure he always does that.

Regards,

Peter
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
Thanks, guys. I guess I'll hang in there and wait. I used the web interface to contact them. If anyone has a direct email address for them, I'd appreciate it. You can PM it here, if that works.
 

volvoguys

Diamond Level Sponsor
Kevin,
I reached out to Jerome and expect you'll be hearing from him soon.
Mark .…. volvoguys

Edit: PM just sent.
 
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puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
Thanks, Mark! Yeah, I’d like to get the setup installed for the summer driving season. Cheers!
 

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
What carb(s) are you using now? And, please report back on your driving impressions when done.
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
I'm currently using a Weber 28/36 DCD and although it's way better than the Zenith-Strombergs it replaced, it's got more flat spots than rural Kansas. I'm a pretty dang good mechanic, but I can't seem to sort them despite re-jetting the buggers about a bazillion times. My dad used to describe such things as "enough to make a preacher lose his religion", and that's where I am now. So..... my hope is that a sorted, fresh out of the box carbie will work better than this old Italian widow-maker.
 
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puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
As for getting back to you, yep, sure. My hope is that it can get the most out of the mods I did to the motor when I built it a few years ago. I did the Vizard mod, ported and flowed the head on a bench, did a 3-angle on the seats and lightened the valves, radiused, re-sized and micro-polished the crank, had Delta make a few small changes (of my own design) to the cam, cc'd the chambers and set the compression back to stock (the head had been milled, as have nearly all of them!), and generally blueprinted everything to the gnats eyelash, and then balanced the lot. It's a tight, sweet mill now, with a "stock-but-something's-been-tweaked" feel. To get even more horsies out I had Jeff over at Advanced Distributors work his magic on the dizzy and that added a lot of punch. "Tachometer Tom" Hayden has driven my car and he can testify as to the power of the car - it chirps in first and second rather easily and there's gobs of torque on takeoff. But that carb is really letting down what this motor could do if the barn door was opened a bit further.
 
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bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
Just to revive this thread and getting advice:

Worked on Club mate's 1725 today which has a Weber 28/36 dcd installed. It occasionally dies out when approaching a traffic light and shows some lean out shaking under partial load . Would assume it's running way to lean. Does anybody know the proper jet sizes for it ?
It has 135/140 mains and160/165 air correction jets. Pump jet is 50. Chris Mc Govern's book proposes 140/160 mains, 220/180 air corrections and 70 pump jet. It's running on a foam/mesh aftermarket air filter. Any other jetting recommendations here ?

P.S. I still hate these Italian carbies on a British car, but that's how that car came from California and want to help him...
 
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husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
bernd_st,

If this rough running came about suddenly after a long period of running reasonably well, the problem can most likely be traced to a change in fuel, the quality of the fuel, trash in the main idle circuit, or too lean a jet installed for the main idle circuit. The symptoms you are describing are almost exclusively controlled by the main idle circuit. Also, check for wear and air leakage at the main throttle shaft.

If it was delivered running in this manner, then the simplest fix MIGHT be replacing the DCD with a DGV. The DCD is a good carb but has been out of production a LONG time. Parts for it are probably easier to find on your side of the pond. The list of OE fittings and associated jetting I checked lists Cortina 1600GT and Capri 1600GT as the last and largest displacement OE fitments. After these, Ford went to DGV and DFV's. Check the size of each venturi, if they are smaller than 26 main and 27 secondary, then the 1725 is quite likely too large for the carb. It just depends on what is there, what is needed, what you can find, and time and money invested trying to get the DCD to function. If you want the jets listed for those two apps, I'll be happy to send the full list, main jets are 140/155, idle 55/70, and air corrector 230/180. IIRC, one forum member ended up with the equivalent of of a 70 or 80 idle jet (he drilled his) before he could get his DGV cured for symptoms you are describing. 1725's seem to like a rich idle circuit.


Hope this helps,
 

bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
Excellent feedback, thanks. Didn't drive the car before, but it appears it was running lean all the time. Will check the main throttle shaft for air leakage. At the end think I'll follow your jetting recommendation and also check the idle circuit again...
 

pruyter

Donation Time
The data I have for a 1725 cc Rootes engine with a 28/36 DCD are:
Chokes: primary 25, secondary 27
Venturi: primary 4.5, secondary 4.5
Main jets: primary 135, secondary 165
Air jets: primary 220, secondary 180
Emulsion tubes: primary F30, secondary F30
Idle jets: primry 55, secondary 70
Pump jet: 70

By the way I run on a 1592 cc Rootes engine the so called Weber conversion which includes a Weber 32/36 DGV 5A
and this Italian caruberettor is really adjust and forget, no problem at all.

Regards,

Peter
 

bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
Thanks for your alternative data. "Adjustment" is certainly the key word with this Italian carbies. Same as with the DCOE's. While being at it can anybody explain me what the "air correction" jets are really doing?
 

pruyter

Donation Time
Fuel from the float chamber passes through the main jets and channels to the emulsion tube wells. At the same time, air is drawn through the air corrector jets, through the centre of the emulsion tubes and via the emulsion tube holes to the fuel nozzles and auxiliary venturis and thus mixes with the main air supply as it is drawn through the chokes and into the engine.
Under static conditions the level of fuel in the float chamber and emulsion tube will be identical; however as the engine speed increases and the fuel flow is faster the fuel level in the emulsion tubes drops. By providing additional holes in the lower part of the emulsion tube the necessary air correction is made possible at the higher engine speeds.
 

bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
P.S. Just to give you an update, we put the Chris McGovern recommended jets as above into the carb and the engine runs very sweetly now. No lean out shaking under partial throttle and dying at traffic lights anymore. Almost perfect. Made our day...
 

pruyter

Donation Time
Thanks for the update and by the way the jet sizes I gave you are not from Chris MC Govern theya are from another source.

Regards,

Peter
 

bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
The jet sizes I was referring to originally came from V.W. Derringtons and were listed in Chris McGovern's book:
IMG_20200629_223002.jpg
 
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pruyter

Donation Time
Ah...well the most important is that the problem is solved.
The data I gave you are from a company that was at the time a local Weber consessionaire, "Formula One"of Brighton, Sussex.
They provided the data for Rootes engines 1500 cc, 1600 cc and 1725 cc.
Regarding this data for a 1725 cc engine they are slightly differennt compared with the data in the McGovern book
 
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