I bought one of the VB starters and it appears to fit the car just fine. I
have not verified the ring gear engagement. It is, of course, a generic
replacement for the Lucas starter and not designed specifically for the
Sunbeam. The mounting adapter has a slew of holes drilled around it so the
starter can be rotated on the mount for a "custom" fit. The starter is
based on the Denso unit similar to what is used the Hondas and Acuras I have
owned. It has an integrated solenoid and it almost exactly as long as the
Lucas unit and just a little bit wider. I have had very good luck with
these starters in the past. They have lasted more that 120K miles for me
and only required replacement of the solenoid contacts for continued
service.
I read a few reviews on the internet about the starter in various
applications other than Sunbeam and the reports were all favorable. As for
the price, the going rate for a replacement starter for my Acura is $200
plus a core charge so the price is pretty reasonable in comparison.
As far as ignition, I am using the Mallory Dual-Point also available from
the much maligned VB. No one has mentioned it as an alternative to the
Lucas unit so far, probably because it has 2 sets of points. Double your
pleasure, double your fun! If it turns out to be a maintenance issue I
guess I can convert it to a Unilite unit.
My 2 cents,
Tom Hill
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alpines@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-alpines@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Barbara Blue
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2001 10:09 AM
To: alpines@autox.team.net
Subject: General Ignorance and Lack of Knowledge
The response to my Alpine Touring inquiry, while much appreciated, has
raised
questions in my mind. Here they are is no particular order.
Starters. Does anyone know anything about the gear reduction starters
listed
by Victoria British? At $250 they are rather salty, but may be be worth the
price if they solve the starter problem.
Pertronix ignition. Why is it so popular? Is it wiring simplicity? It
does
not seem to be made (anymore) to fit the Lucas distributor, and seems to
have
a high failure rate. Electronic ignition failures are usually sudden and
catastrophic, and not something that can be jerry rigged to limp home. This
does not sound good. One thing about the old distributors, components are
cheap and can be replaced in a few minutes, even if they require a lot of
attention. How about the Crane Cams FireBall ignition. Is there a problem
with
it?
Transmissions and rear axles. In driving about 750,000 miles with manual
transmissions, and over a million miles total, I have lost one transmission
front seal, one back seal, 3 or 4 throwout bearings and clutches and one
slush
box. Two axle bearings,one differential bearing (or so the mechanic said)
and a few seals is my rear axle count. I usually buy a new car, and put
over
150,000 miles on it before it goes to the crusher. My point is, on an old
car
redo, if the gearbox and rear axle are not making strange sounds and are
behaving properly, why bother? I am especially leary of upsetting the
established wear pattern of differential gears if there are no obvious
problems. In my experience, they are extremely durable and when they do
fail,
it is a bearing that gives a good bit of notice that all is not well.. Do
people go through them, replacing all bearings? What am I missing here?
Current update: Right now I am leaning toward adding an OD and keeping the
1725, sans Lucas. However, if on teardown, a new block is indicated, out
with
the whole drive train!
Thanks to All
Bill
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