>Terry,
>
>I thought your write up on your car was great. I only have one
>question. Why did you go from the 2.0 to the 2.3?
> From what I
>understand, the 2.0 was designed and built by Ford in Germany and is an
>outstanding overhead cam engine used in all sorts of European sports
>and rally cars. Whereas, the 2.3 was built mostly for US trucks and is
>not up to the specs or performance of the 2.0 - even with the added .3
>cc.
> When I debated what to do with my engine, I had a real hard time
>choosing between the Holbay H120 Alpine conversion, or the 2.0. If I had
>to do it all again, which will probably happen some day, I still would be
>torn as to what to do. So, I appreciate your input.
>Jay
>
>Jay S. Laifman
>Pircher, Nichols & Meeks
>1999 Avenue of the Stars
>Los Angeles, California 90067
>(310) 201-8915
>
>
>
I'd been running the 2.0 for over a decade. It was just flat worn out and
parts were much more common for the 2.3 engine. Also, availability of a
cheap donor vehicle and the excellent transmission fit were also reasons to
make the swap.
You're right about the 2.0 liter, it is an excellent engine and took the
abuse I gave it as a teenager with his first car in stride. The 2.3 liter
is built on the same frame and is from the same engine family as the 2.0
liter. Because of the close kinship, you can easily mistake a 2.0 liter for
a 2.3 liter if you're not very famaliar with them. The 2.3 has much better
bottom end torque but doesn't like to wind up high revs as well as the 2.0
liter did. If you want something that ran much like the Sunbeam engine, the
2.0 liter is your choice -- if you can find a good transmission match. I
was never satisfied with the 2.0 liter's transmission (a 4-speed
straighshift of early '70's pinto vintage) however, the Courier's 5-speed
o/d has been great and fits the car very well. The 2.3 is a better daily
driver engine and if you want to make it scream there are many high
performance kits/camshafts/etc. available because these engines are quite
popular with the round track racers.
Terry Geiger
Florence, Alabama USA
'66 Sunbeam Alpine - a.k.a. "Puff the Magic Dragon"; named so because
everytime you shift gears she puffs smoke.
'67 Sunbeam Alpine - just for parts, just in case
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