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Re: engine removal and conversions

To: Scott Donnelly <oharajem@free.midcoast.com>, alpines@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: engine removal and conversions
From: Jay_Laifman@countrywide.com
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 09:38:00 -0700
First, it can only be separated at the engine/tranny.  The bolts holding
the bellhousing to the transmission are internal.  You can't get to them
until the engine is off the front of the bell housing.

Second, on V6 or V8 conversions,my two cents.  #1 - it's your car.  #2 -
fabrication.  #3 - it will never be a modern car.

Ok, #1 is self explanatory.

#2, a conversion relys completely on fabrication of parts, including motor
mounts, transmission straps, radiators, alternator placement, drive shafts,
carb linkeage, exhaust manifolds, etc.  This has two components.  The first
is that most people would have to rely on others for that.  That means
having to be able to tow the car to different places and leaving it there
until it can be done as a side job.  I've been able to fabricate some
stuff, but I was not able to do all of it.  I found that I was very unhappy
with the major inconvenience and delays from relying on others.  The second
component means that the quality of the part will rest heavily on the
skills of the guy who does it. The factory parts might not have been the
best, but they fit, work, and can be found and shipped to you from various
people on this list.  Then, you might have problems where one fabricated
part interferes with another, sending you back to the drawing board for
that part.

#3, after all this, what do you have?  You don't have a "stock" car that a
person will pay extra for.  And, you still won't have a car that will be on
par with today's rockets.  Get one of those if that's what you want.
Moreover, though it will be faster - or may be faster - than stock Alpines,
you really won't be able to prove it because most racing organizations will
put you in modified classes where you probably won't be competitive either.

As a side note, Joe Rodriguez mades a great kit for installing V6's in
Alpines which will take some of the fabrication problems out of the
equation.  But, most V6s that are used are getting pretty old now
themselves and there is little performance support for those engines (some,
just not much).  Of course there is tremendous support for V8's, but that
conversion is full of all sorts of problems and you'd be much better off
starting with a Tiger (where, again as mentioned above, the factory has
already done the fabrication part for you).

Jay

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