After I degreased and washed the block from my Parts Car, I found that
even though it was made 300+ blocks before the Tomato's (cast #1980523
with a date of mid-summer 1959 vs #1980854 with a date of summer 1962),
it was stamped with a serial number of B3000757 LHX (flat pistons),
making it from a Series III Rapier, according to the chassis-numbering
bible at
http://www.team.net/www/rootes/chassis.html
The intake manifold appears to be the same as the Tomato's, as is the
(height of the) head, the water pump, distributor, fuel pump and rad
reservoir. The exhaust manifold appears to be the one that the Workshop
manual is actually talking about (the Tomato has headers). The splines
of the gearbox (with OD) shaft are different, but the Tomato had a
later-Series IV gearbox (according to the diagrams in the SS catalogue)
on it anyway. The Series III Rapiers, according to the Sunbeam Rapiers
Owners Club at
http://www.wskisoft.co.uk/sroc/
came with a 1494cc engine and a compression ratio of 9.2:1, though it
doesn't look very different.
So, to make two questions out of a story:
1 - What from the head/block might be of any use, and
2 - Is the gearbox+OD transferrable (with some of the Parts Car
innards swapped over)?
Happy New Year!
--- J e r o m e Y u z y k | jerome(at)supernet.ab.ca - - BRIDGE Scientific Services | www.tgx.com/bridge - - Sunbeam Alpine Series II #9118636 | www.tgx.com/bridge/sunbeam -
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