IHMO:
To butcher is bad when butchering is cutting large amounts of sheet
metal to force fit a drivetrain. I remember seeing a photo of an Alpine
with a 440 Chrysler installed. The nose was extended 6-8 inches and the
engine and radiator stuck out so bad the hood wouldn't even come close
to fitting. That is "butchering". Installing a non-Sunbeam powertrain
that "fits" does not fit my definition of butchering. If the process
can be reversed fairly easily, whats the harm? The car will at least be
on the road instead of rusting into a stain on some lonely driveway
[Bill, I think you know ;) ]. If suddenly Alpine prices leap into the
stratosphere, it will be cost effective to reinstall the original
powertrain (as long as you keep it). I have seen your car Bill and I
think you should do the V-6.
On my soapbox,
Tom Hill
Series V (no V-6)
herbeam wrote:
>
> Bill....don't be confused !! Follow your heart, your desires. Like someone
> said..Its been almost 40 years and there is no big movement of desireability
> for the Sunbeam Alpine or making it as valuable as a Cobra or old Corvette
> so do it your way! Alpines and Tigers are really fun cars to drive and
> own...no matter how they are configured or modified. I love the modified
> cars and my heart always tells me to pass along "don't Butcher" a really
> fine example of an original car as I did with a complete series V I found in
> New Mexico several years ago and recently my Series III GT OD to Kurt
> Eckert. I think its admirable for anybody to get a Sunbeam back on the road
> and have some fun no matter what engine trans rear is in under it. The more
> cars back on the road...the better will be new supplies of parts and the
> stronger our alliance to keep everyones cars going.
> Bill...if you can pick up that 64 Automatic for a song and a dance and can
> tuck it away somewhere....then bring it home. From my observation these cars
> are the best for swapping because of the huge tunnel and aft mounting of the
> transmission mount. I am not saying to "butcher" a fine example of an
> automatic...but the ones that are sitting because nobody wants them could be
> fun cars for new Sunbeamers to drive. I still cant decide on which engine to
> put in my IV auto....the 4.0 ford may necessitate fire wall modification to
> get the exaust port away from the steering box....or maybe the rhd steering
> box coming from England will solve the problem...Then theres the new
> Chrysler 3.5 Aluminum V6 in the Concorde , 300 and a special version in the
> Prowler(which is the hot rod w/rear wheel drive) that makes 255 hp!!!! I
> just cant decide.....have got to go to the wrecking yard w/measuring tape to
> check one out and find out what parts bolt it in the Prowler...now wouldn't
> that make an ideal powerplant for a Sunbeam....with a 4 spd automatic
> ...Still Dreaming of 9 sec qtr mile times and Autocross wins......HERBEAM
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Gullatt <bgullatt(at)mesahq.com>
> To: Alpine People (E-mail) <alpines(at)autox.team.net>; Tiger People (E-mail)
> <tigers(at)autox.team.net>
> Date: Thursday, January 14, 1999 8:04 AM
> Subject: Conversions
>
> >I am confused!
> >
> >A year ago I was intending on doing a V8 conversion in my Alpine. I was
> >scolded and made aware that this would be an Alger. I must tell you that my
> >car was only a shell. No glass, No interior, No suspension and No serial
> >number. All I knew is that it was a series V manual car and nothing more.
> >
> >After much deliberation on what my other options were for an engine swap I
> >had the opportunity to get some of the missing parts I needed. Tom Howard
> >had two cars listed on the Alpine site for sale. Larry Mayfield bought one
> >that he is making into his Bonniville car. I got the 1725 and transmission
> >from Larry as well as some pieces parts. Bob Burruss bought the other car
> >for a parts car. From this car I ended up with suspension, wiring harness
> >and serial numbers. Now all I needed was interior and exterior trim and all
> >the glass.
> >
> >In October Bob and I made a trip to West Virginia to look at a BMW he found
> >on Ebay. I had seen a posting on the Alpine list of a bunch of parts in
> >State college, PA. It was only a few more hours drive so we made the trek.
> >What we came home with was a Dodge Dakota packed with parts. A rebuilt 1725
> >(which I have opened to check for new parts finding only new pistons, rings
> >and bearings very thing else was worn.) A factory hardtop, Parish Plastics
> >hardtop, doors with glass, complete interior with dash and gauges, and more
> >boxes and boxes of pieces parts. All of this for about the value of the new
> >pistons.
> >
> >As best I can tell I still need a windshield and some exterior trim. I now
> >have a 95% complete Alpine with a perfect rust free body and numbers that
> do
> >not match.
> >
> >So am I to understand that I should have done an engine swap? Quite frankly
> >I think the beauty of owning any car is that it is a reflection of ones
> >personality. It should not matter what modifications someone makes to it. I
> >do think that I am going to come out OK on my investment in this vehicle. I
> >also understand that you can never get out of it what you put in except for
> >the pleasure of driving and saying I did this. I say do what you want with
> >your car (after letting others convince me to do otherwise).
> >
> >I recently found a '64 automatic Alpine. According to the list this is the
> >least desirable car to have and would make a great car to convert. It seams
> >to me that this is one of the rarer cars out there. It could the sleeper
> >investment. Who really knows anyway?
> >
> >By the way who bought the engine from Tom Howard. It matches my numbers.
> >
> >Bill Gullatt
> >Madison, AL
> >Hodge Podge Series V
> >
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