> i have a 1961 series II sunbeam alpine that i want to put rack and pinion
> steering into. also, i want install a ford 2.3l turbo engine. does anyone out
> there know of any resources, personal or commercial?
>
> thanks in advance,
>
> jim bixby
I am seriously considering a NA 2.3L in my series I Alpine and have been doing
quite a bit of research to that end. The Turbo swap has been done by Steve
Alcala in the LA CA. area. He is active in CAT. I talked to Steve and it
sounds like the turbo complicates the swap significantly. Steve says that this
is a big project and involves modifications to the stock steering linkage to
clear some of the turbo hardware. I don't care for turbos personaly, I think
the swap is a natural if you go NA.
Before you all laugh (yes this is a pinto motor) remember that the 2.3L is
closley related to the formula Ford engines. It is very strong, has nice rods,
breaths well and can be spun to 9 or 10K RPM if you are really serious. Those
in the know claim that 300HP is possible and that 200HP in NA trim is
relatively "easy" to obtain. I will be happy with 150HP in a 2200lb Alpine.
There are many performance parts to choose from including parts to stroke the
motor to 3L, the engines are very easy to come by and are quite cheap from
wreckers. I think that this swap has a lot of potential but unless you are out
for something really different I would forget the turbo (my opinion). I am
currently looking at transmission choices, there were a variety of 4 and 5
speeds found behind these engines including the SVO 4-cyl version of the T5
which is reported to be stronger than the plain old NA 4cyl T5 (not as strong
as the V8 T5). I am also considering the SROD aluminum "toploader" 4 speed.
I recently passed on a wrecked '84 SVO turbo mustang for the engine/xmission.
The guy wanted about $1K for the complete car but it had a lot of miles on it.
You can get a late model "low mile" NA engine/5spd from most wreckers complete
with sensors, black box, etc. for about $1400. This is probably the best way
to go (IMO), the late model stuff is port injected and benifits from 20 years
of development.
I think that you can put a rack in an Alpine but I don't think it is worth the
trouble. Some folks that I have talked to prefer the Alpine steering over the
Tiger rack. The Tiger rack is probably not the optimum choice for either a
Tiger or an Alpine so some other rack may outperform the stock Alpine steering.
I am pretty sure you can retain the stock Alpine steering with the 2.3L motor
if you go NA, like I said there are some mods required if you go with the
Turbo.
BTW, there is an Alpine mailing list where I'm sure you could get a lot more
opinions on this subject.
To join the list, mail to: alpines-request@autox.team.net
To post a message to the list: alpines@autox.team.net
If you would like to discuss the 2.3L swap some more or maybe even work
together on it EMAIL me direct at fmarrone@aol.com or
marrone@optilink.dsccc.com
Good luck and please let me know how it goes, I'm real interested in this
swap!!
--
Frank Marrone at marrone@optilink.dsccc.com
1965 Sunbeam Tiger B9471116
1960 Sunbeam Alpine Series I B9009330
1966 Ford LTD 4-door family barge.
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