Clearly, the Alger is a Ford v8 powered Alpine, much like the Tiger.
I'm still a firm believer in making a Better Tiger.. I will still do this
one day.. Vince, you might consider this... There are "other" V8's that
will fit in there. I had a project once myself..
I had a basically perfect Alpine with no rust, but it did have a bad
engine...really bad one. I managed to melt #3 pistone one night...Destroyed
the hed, the block... so I went looking for a replacement.. To make this
long and involved story short.....Look into the BOP/Rover 215 Aluminum V-8.
It's a contemporary of the time... the BOP stands for Buick, Oldmobile, &
Pontiac. A great little engine made from 1961 through 63 by GM. It's 63
10.4:1 compression ratio 4bbl version in the Buik Special produced 200 stock
horses. GM sold the tool and dies, and all materials to BMC (British Motor
Car) in 64, and that basic engine has been in production ever since in the
Rover 3500 Sedan throughthe 70's, and in the Range Rover till this day.It
has also popped up in the TVR, and other british thrill rides.
This engine is physically smaller than the 260/289/302 engine, and being all
aluminum, a fair bit lighter too. I had made up engine mounts and had the
bell housing sitting in the engine compartment and everything fit nicely I
thought. There were still some steering issues to be worked out. I still
believe that once done, it would have been fantastic V-8 Alpine. Light,
quick, and with some speed parts, can turn 9,000 RPM.
If you want to see what this engine is like, check ou the MGB V-8 pages...
Almost ALL of them are BOP/Rover powered. The few factory ones around came
this way stock..
Good luck on your quest Sir Vincent....It is a Noble one.
Rich in Seattle...
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