This is a continuation of a recent post commenting on 2.8 V6 engine swaps.
At the end of the last post, I implied that there were better ways to go
than the Ford 2.8, and that a high output 4 cyl. could be installed easier
and with less collateral damage to sheetmetal, motor mounts etc. All of the
engines described below are more powerful in stock form than the stock
Mustang II 2.8 V6, and after looking at them, I believe they would install
easier.
I have not personally installed any of these engines, and don't
know if I ever will. I researched this as an exercise, partly because I
think Rootes missed the boat in not opting for a high output 4 cyl. in the
development of the Alpine. I am also discussing these mods as an
alternative to more destructive swaps. I'm not selling kits, parts, or
services, only sharing some free ideas. I apologize for the long post, but
I've been collecting info for a while. If you are still interested, read
on. If not, happy Beaming.
Purpose: To enhance performance without degrading the Alpine's handling and
to demonstrate the performance and adaptability of a high-output 4 cylinder
engine as an alternative to more destructive swaps, while maintaining the
capability to return the car to near-original condition.
Objectives:
1. Perform the engine swap with as little damage or modification to sheet
metal and body parts as possible (reversible).
2. Demonstrate comparable performance and handling that is superior to the
stock or average street-modified tiger on an autocross or tight road racing
circuit.
3. Use carbureted induction or stock FI, normally aspirated and a basic
setup that is available to most owners.
4. Demonstrate the kind of car the Alpine might have been if a high output
4 cyl. Engine had been used instead of a V-8 to improve performance.
In evaluating candidate engines, I settled on the following criteria:
1. Physical dimensions fit in the Alpine engine compartment with little or
no modification (height, length, position of oil pan, exhaust, crankshaft
pulleys, accessories, etc.).
2. Commonly available engine with high production numbers preferred.
3. Parts should be reasonable, and not have "exotic" prices (i.e. BMW, Alfa,
etc.).
4. Stock HP of at least 125 HP (36% gain in HP. over stock 1725), with
tuning potential of
near 200 HP.
5. Light enough to keep the Alpine’s 50/50 weight distribution.
6. SOHC or DOHC cross-flow head for performance and higher red line.
7. Front engine, rear drive engine which won’t need expensive conversion
from
FWD.
8. Induction on the right to best fit FI or dual carburetors without
interfering
with brake master cylinder, steering box, etc.
9. Exhaust on the left, to use existing exhaust passageway in the x-brace
without a crossover.
10. Stock and aftermarket performance parts readily available (especially
"bolt-on"
performance parts i.e. cams, headers, & dual sidedraft carb. manifolds).
11. Greater displacement (up to 2.4 liter) is a plus, to retain power at
high elevations.
12. Trans fits tunnel: is not too long to fit in front of x-member, or too
wide for tunnel (especially saddle brace), and shifter is in the right
position, or can be easily modified to fit Alpine’s shifter opening.
13. 5 speed trans with OD 5th (approximating 1:.80 gearing). Stout enough
to take over 200 HP. Competition gear ratio availability is a plus.
Candidate engines
Toyota 2TG. 1600cc., DOHC, 2 valves per cyl., 125 HP, 1.28 hp./cu. in. ,
Induction right, exhaust left. Comes with twin Mikuni side draft carbs.
This engine was sold with Japanese home-market and some export cars like
the Corolla. No US market cars used this engine. It is no longer made, so
some parts may be difficult to get. A Yamaha DOHC head was fitted to the
stock 1600cc. block from the Corolla. These engines were imported by engine
companies, and sold to engine swappers. A site on the web describes a swap
of one of these into a Sprite. They are difficult to get from Japan now,
but some are available from those who originally bought them. Many parts
are available from Toyota performance dealers (www.toysport.com ).
Toyota 18RG. 1800 cc, DOHC, 140 HP., 2 valves per cyl.,1.27 hp./cu. in.
This was a Celica engine with Yamaha head produced in the 1970s and 80s for
Japanese home market and export to some countries. Comments on the 2TG apply
here. I have a
friend who put one in a Lotus Super 7, and loved it. I recently saw one of
these engines advertised on the web for $800. The seller was in Arizona.
Since this includes the manifold and carbs, it is quite a bargain. Often
these engines were imported with transmissions. The T-50 trans from the PU
seems to be a good fit in the Alpine, and bolts right up to this engine.
Disadvantage would be parts availability. The 18 R block was commonly used
on US import cars. Some performance parts are still produced for this
engine.
Toyota 4 AG DOHC 1600 cc, 16V., 125 hp. stock, 1.28 hp./cu. in. Corolla GT
engine (front engine-rear drive) and MR-2 (mid engine). Very light, small,
and flexible. Used in the Toyota Atlantic competition, so has good
performance parts supply ( www.toysport.com ). Can be tuned to 175 hp.
Relatively available and cheap. FI unit (on right) is elevated above the
valve cover, and may cause
hood clearance problems. Weber/Mikuni conversions available, as are turbo
and supercharger kits. The old T-50 5 spd. trans with early shifter lever
linkage fits perfectly into the alpine shifter hole. On later trans the
shifter is much too far back.
Nissan KA24 SOHC 12 V. 140 HP stock, .95 hp./cu. in. Used in the Pickup
(1990-present). 240 SX (1989-1993) had a modified version of the KA24.
This is one of the largest displacement 4 cyl. Engines produced, and has
great tuning potential. Also used in GT 3 and Nasport series SCCA
competition, so racing development has resulted in a number of after-market
performance parts. The 240 SX engine is reported to be somewhat heavy,
despite an aluminum head. Its block has stronger and beefier lower end, but
we don’t need 450 HP out of this engine. The Pickup engine with its lighter
block, is favored by racers. The Pickup 5 spd. Shifter position looks to be
within 1.5" (a little too far back) of lining up with the Alpine shifter
hole. This could easily be accommodated by modifying the tunnel cover.
Drawbacks to KA24 so far include price (the only quote for engine & trans I
have was $2K.) and maybe weight. I’m inclined to believe the Pickup engine
is in the ballpark on weight, and I wouldn't have to run smog (older car),
AC or lots of add-ons. The KA24 engine is also 1.5" longer than the Alpine
1725, but I
think that could be accommodated easily, and may even help the Trans issue
by shifting it forward a bit. You can do away with the fan clutch and save
about 1.5" up front.
I need to get more measurements on the KA24 Pickup trans, but believe it is
similar to the Nissan Z24 engine’s trans I measured in a Pickup recently.
That box had a shifter that was 2" further back than the KA24 truck trans.
The overall length of the Z24 trans was 31". The Alp trans is 32.5". Since
this trans was about 8.5" wide through the gear box, the Alpine trans tunnel
(which is only about 8-9" wide) may have to be spread with a bottle jack
some. Another option would be to mill down some of the protrusions on the
aluminum trans case. It looks like there are raised mounting points for
outside linkage, and maybe a few cooling fins that could be trimmed down
without harming the integrity of the housing. Probably about another inch
width is needed in places. The shifter cover at the rear of the tunnel
can be modified, and is easily replaced, or a modified one
fabricated.
Nissan KA24DE, 240 SX engine, DOHC 16 V. 155 HP stock Used in 240 SX from
1993 on. Harder to find than SOHC. This engine is heavier than the pickup
SOHC 12V engine, and, since it is newer and more powerful (by 15 HP.), would
be more expensive. Some 240 SX owners swap a Japanese home market turbo
engine into their cars, and presumably their old KA24s would be available.
Some engines may look good, but have problems. Many of these are front
wheel drive (FWD) applications, and after talking to several people about
conversions, I rejected the idea of converting FWD to rear wheel drive.
Anything can be done, and several of these engines have been converted by
rodders, who won't discard an idea just because it's impractical.
GM Quad 4: Exhaust R & induction L, most are FWD
Ford Pinto & Mustang 2.2 ltr.: Exhaust R & induction L
Jensen Healey Lotus engine: Doesn’t fit (too high).
Toyota Celica 3SG 2.0 ltr.: FWD
Others:
Ford Lotus Cortina, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Saab, Porsche 944: Too exotic,
expensive and hard to find parts.
VW GTI, Jetta, Sirocco, etc.: FWD, Cheap and available, and they kick ass
in SCCA and autocross, but IMHO I don’t think VW has made a good car since
the beetle. Does anyone know if the exhaust is on the left or right? Does
anyone care?
Compact V6s like the 300 ZX engine and Toyota V6 might be candidates, but
the shifter position on the 300 ZX trans is WAY back, and these engines
would probably be expensive. Besides, weren't we talking about 4 cyl.
engines?
Discussion: So the cheapest and most available engines that fit the above
criteria are Japanese
(surprise, surprise). This might not sit well with some xenophobes, but I
have owned Japanese cars since 1971, and haven’t found anything better for
the price (except maybe Alpines- - - snicker). If my choice is to install
an
ill-fitting, de-tuned Ford, V6 or a Japanese high-output 4, there is no
contest.
Besides, innovations like DOHC and multiple valves have been around since
the first part of the century. One of the early Sunbeam GP cars had DOHC, 4
valves per cyl. and supercharger. The Japanese just made them reliable,
abundant, and cheap. Horsepower knows no nationality.
Conclusions: Other than price and weight, the Nissan KA24 12V Pickup engine
looks to me like the one with the most potential for a swap to an Alpine.
Datsun 510 and old pickup owners routinely swap it into their cars (see
http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/pictures/engines.html ). It has
a much better power potential than most engines; starting at 140 hp. and
going up to over 200.
I’m familiar with Nissan engines from trucks I've
owned, and know them to be bullet-proof. This one has 152 ft. lbs. torque
and revs freely. Speed equipment is readily available, and simple bolt-on
mods can
easily lead to over 180 HP. It can be used with the existing EFI, or
converted to dual DCOE side draft Webers or Mikunis. The Toyota 4AG would
also make a fine runner - a little less power, but lighter and smaller.
Do you want to talk about these and other 4 cyl engine possibilities? I
have a lot more follow-up info and sources. Contact me at
rexfunk(at)wizzards.net if you have questions, ideas, comments, suggestions.
I would suggest that we keep our discussion off the Alpine Mailing List.
I have no need to sell this idea, to offend others on the list, or to hog
bandwidth (this
post is already way too long). We can set up an informal e-mail ring, and I
will add new respondents to the cc. list as they come in.
Rex Funk
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