Tiger conversion info?

[Gentleman Rogue]

Hello all! i am new here, and i'll be damned if i can find any information on swapping in a Ford smallblock into my Sunbeam. can anyone point me in the direction of some good reading on this? i have an early 90's 5.0L sitting in my garage for the car, but i want to know what's all involved in cramming one of these engines into the little car. does anyone make conversion motor mounts? i am assuming i'd be stuck running exhaust manifolds?

my car is a '67 Alpine that was left to me by my father. for that reason, i refuse to cut the car up at all- anything i do to it should be reversable if i ever decide to put it all back to stock.

thanks in advance for any help guys!

Dustin

 

[Ken Ellis]

Dustin,
First up, welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of answers to your questions here.

Regarding your conversion -- even the original manufacturing team couldn't fit the Ford into the Alpine without cutting. So if it's going in there, you have to cut. If you've decided not to cut, or make irreversible mods, then the right path for you may be to keep Dad's Alpine stock, and enjoy it for what it is and how it performs when well-maintained. Then, keep your eyes open for a suitable shell or donor car for your conversion -- perhaps one on which the process has been begun, but stalled for one reason or another. This way you have something to drive while the conversion is underway.

If your inherited car is in reasonably good shape, you could of course sell it to finance another -- but it doesn't seem like you'd do that, either.

V6 conversions are popular, and require less surgery, but it's still cutting.
Here's a link you will find interesting: http://danr.mhartman.net/documentation-on-converting-your-alpine-with-a-2-8-v6-ford-engine
There are other modern powerplants that have the possibility of no-cut install -- I believe Toyota and Honda S2000 have been discussed. I think someone's working on a Miata transplant, too. But a well-maintained Alpine can be suitably reliable, and it's possible to adjust the factory gearing to permit reasonable highway performance, too.

So, browse the old posts, fire off your questions, and you'll get many options.
Also, be sure to submit your VIN and details for the Alpine registry. It's always good
to see cars resurface. Post a picture, too!

Again, welcome!
Ken

 

[miket]

Hi Dustin,

You don't need a V8 to match a Tiger. I was just went out in my Alpine which now has a Camaro 3.4 in it and it's a rocket. Much faster than the Tiger I had years ago. I get wheel hop in second from the time a press the pedal, until I lift my foot off the pedal. I don't dare stomp it in 1st since I have the stock Alpine rear end.

There was a little cutting to do to make the transmission tunnel wider. The same may have to be done with a Ford 2.8. You can see an example here:
http://www.britishv8.org/Other/RobWiseman.htm

I used the Alpine motor mounts but I did fabricate a transmission mount similar to the Tiger.

Note with both engines the transmission is a T5 (five speed).

But you don't have to cut the firewall as you would have to, to get a V8 in.

For me, the hardest part was the exhaust.

good luck.

 

[Nickodell]

Apart from everything else, you would have to scrap the fine Alpine steering system and try to get hold of, and fit, the crappy Tiger system of U-joints (to get around the left cylinder bank) and rack/pinion with its ass-backward reverse Ackerman from a donor car. Probably the worst feature of the Tiger, I'm told.

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

well that has pretty much made my mind up then. i'll just have to try to get it running again while keeping it stock(it hasnt run in going on 15 years). it's actually in very good shape; it was kept inside under a car cover for all those years until i picked it up this spring.

im actually a lamen to Sunbeams and i'd appreciate it if you guys could give me an idea of what i have on my hands here. here are some pics:

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

and while i'm at it, my other cars:

1972 Plymouth Duster

1988 Dodge Ram50, getting a 4G63T swap:

part of me wants to try to swap a 4G63T into the Sunbeam- we'll see how the swap goes in the pickup first. i'll get the VIN on the Sunbeam next time i get out to the storage garage to see it. thanks for the comments guys!

 

[chris]

Looking at your photos, I'd say keep it stock. It looks to be a very complete car. Not to mention a hard top in that condition is hard to come by.

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Gentleman,

If you want to be driving your Alpine every day and still be able to out perform a Tiger, you need to go with a V6. A V6 will give you the performance you want, without having to radically modify the body. If you go with a Ford 2.8 V6, you won't need to change the steering either. Changing the steering system, will ruin the wonderful handling that the Alpine is famous for.

If you do go with a V6, I can guarantee that you won't ever want to go back to stock. Your Alpine is a great starting point for a fast, reliable, economical and especially, FUN car. I wish you luck with your little gem.

Jose

 

[sunbby]

old forum info

As an aside, didn't the old forum have a sticky topic about stuffing a V8 into an Alpine, explaining that it's not as easy as it looks/sounds? Does anyone have a copy of that info we could reload into the current forum and sticky?

 

[MikeH]

I recall reading somewhere that said with the cost and mods required, if you want to clone a tiger, you'd be ahead if you just buy a tiger.

 

[Nickodell]

i'd appreciate it if you guys could give me an idea of what i have on my hands here.

What you have on your hands, by the photos, is a nice Alpine quietly crying itself to sleep every night: "I've kept my appearance up; I look a lot better than some of the models I see years younger than me. Look at my paint! Hardtop! Engine! Wire wheels! I wish he'd take me out again, like he used to. I don't want to be kept under cover. Even he says I'm in good shape, but he still ignores me, doesn't touch me any more. Boo hoo!"

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

What you have on your hands, by the photos, is a nice Alpine quietly crying itself to sleep every night: "I've kept my appearance up; I look a lot better than some of the models I see years younger than me. Look at my paint! Hardtop! Engine! Wire wheels! I wish he'd take me out again, like he used to. I don't want to be kept under cover. Even he says I'm in good shape, but he still ignores me, doesn't touch me any more. Boo hoo!"

ive actually never driven it. it was my fathers; he left it to me after he passed away in '94. then, at the age of 11, i was too young and wasnt supposed to get it until i turned 16(great first car, huh?), so it sat covered in the corner of my aunt's garage.

at 16/17, i wanted to take the car and get it running, but that side of my family felt i was too young, and would not let me have the car. being the growing car guy i was, i ended up buying my Duster and working on that. slowly i forgot about the Sunbeam.

fastforward 5 or 6 years, and my aunt is sick of having the car in her garage, and wants me to take it. now with no real place to put it, im stuck between a rock and a hard place. she threatens to sell it out from under me- so i cleared out my storage garage, called a buddy with a trailer, and towed it out of there. with a turbo truck in mid-build, and my Duster in pieces, the Sunbeam is kindof on the backburner at the moment. i am hoping this summer i can get it out of the garage, cleaned up, and hopefully get an idea of what its going to take to get it running again.

thanks for all the kind comments guys!

 

[64beam]

Hi Dustin,

Welcome to the forum and you are lucky to have a very complete, tidy Alpine. It is a shame about the conditions in which you received it, which is how I inherited my Tiger. The way I look at it, use the Alpine as your father would have wanted. Get it running nicely, and then decide if the transplant is the way to go for you. Once you get out with the top off and the wind in your hair, you don't worry about anything else. Good luck with your Alpine and keep us posted.

Regards, Robin.

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

i was actually thinking about selling it for a few days; until i saw this picture:

i just dont think i can sell mine now...

 

[64beam]

The good thing about not selling your Alpine, there are not many things to do to get your Alpine to the same stage.

Regards, Robin.

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

its been a while, i bought a house with a huge garage, and the weather was so nice that i thought id actually clean up the sunbeam and get an idea of what i was working with. i was very surprised how well the car cleaned up, this is after just a quick wash and vaccuum job:

before:

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

one more before:

after:

 

[Gentleman Rogue]

not a bad looking 42 year old! heh

 

[BLISTIC]

Said before and I'll say it once more. What a nice little Alpine.

Personally I would keep it some what original. rebuild the engine with performance in mind.
Hotter cam, balance it, performance rocker and tweak the carb and intake.

No reason to destroy such a survivor.

Mine ont he other hand....Taking it back orignal would cost as mcuh as making it a modified alpine.
Especially when I stumbled upon a stash of TIGER parts! And did I mention a free 5.0...