Hi Nick,
Unfortunately, the biggest problem that you'll face is a social one: There
are people that have swapped 289's or 302's into Alpines and sold the result
to unsuspecting buyers as a Tiger, supposedly because "that's what the
factory did, anyway". As a result, you'll get admiration and kudos from the
Sunbeam community in general for any Alpine engine swap... except if you put
in a Ford smallblock. Still, people still do it today, generally making very
sure that their motives are not misunderstood, and it can result in a car
that's a lot of fun to drive.
Besides Ron's list, another engine you should consider is the Toyota 22R as
fitted to Celicas and trucks. They are generally bulletproof, were almost
always equipped with the W50 five-speed transmission, and can easily be
prepped to give you 150 or more horsepower, which will make it fun to drive
and still give you decent mileage.
Best regards,
Theo Smit
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