My other expensive hobby - 1963 Sunbeam Alpine - Adventures in Cars [Archive]

RevolverRob

07-20-2016, 04:01 PM

In the "other expensive hobby" thread - I posted about my summer work "restoring" (I use the term loosely, how about, making roadworthy again), my recently acquired (from my father) 1963 Sunbeam Alpine. (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?19605-What-is-your-quot-other-quot-expensive-hobby/page9) -

Rather than clutter that thread up - I decided to make my own thread for the car.

You can see the car is it looked in late 2006 - http://i.imgur.com/bmLZpAB.jpg

Unfortunately, not long after this the car suffered a brake line failure. And shortly thereafter, my parents decided to move and started restoring a farm house from the 19-teens. 10 years, two restored houses, two kids getting married, two new grand kids, and retirement later the car has been languishing, unfortunately, outside for the last two years. This languishing time means the car is in need of some serious maintenance to be roadworthy again. Starting with rebuilding the brakes and then focusing on known trouble points for Alpines (generally the rear axle and overheating issues). Fortunately, the Brits in Conventry built better cars than any other Brits anywhere (seriously), and these little cars tend to hold up and are overbuilt, especially compared to say an MG. Unfortunately, they are far less common than its British brethren which can make parts acquisition a...pain in the ass.

Well, thus far on my adventure, I have managed to rebuild the rear axle, fit an electric fan, get the brakes almost entirely fixed, and do a tune-up on the engine. Alas, like all things, I wait for the inevitable UPS deliveries that bring me parts from far away. In the mean time while waiting, for those parts. I've taken to working on other issues plaguing the car.

The old seats and seat belts were...hazardous. The seats would randomly unlock and fully recline while moving and the seat belt mounts were so rotten, when I crushed open the clips to remove them with a pair of channel lock pliers, the clips broke in half (me thinketh they would not survive a high g-force load...). So, a sourced pair of MGB seats, complete with head rests and clips for shoulder belts, allowed me to upgrade seats and seat belts by installing new 3-point seat belts.

http://i.imgur.com/qsVHLMw.jpg

You can now see the car and her shameless toplessness (warning: completely safe for work!!!) on jackstands.

http://i.imgur.com/DzjqJCy.jpg

My next task cosmetic task will be to paint and adjust the sheet metal covers that conceal the soft-top when it is folded and then fit them to the car. After that, the new soft top should be here and I'll start the install. When my hydraulic line adapters for the clutch and brakes arrive those systems will be complete. Which will be another safety upgrade with new Tilton master cylinders for the clutch and brakes, and a dual-chamber brake master cylinder at that.

In 10-days I intend to drive this car 200-miles from Dallas to Austin. In 12-days I intend to begin the trip driving this car 1400 miles from Austin to Chicago by way of Route 66. Wish me luck!

-Rob

RoyGBiv

07-20-2016, 04:29 PM

Outstanding!

07-20-2016, 05:11 PM

Excellent. :) Are you going to put a Ford 260 in it? ;)

SMD

07-20-2016, 05:13 PM

Nice Alpine! When I was really young, my dad still had his Sunbeam Tiger. Thanks for the memories.

RevolverRob

07-20-2016, 06:32 PM

Excellent. :) Are you going to put a Ford 260 in it? ;)

Unlikely.

I have my eye on campaigning the car in F Street Prepared (SCCA Solo Autocross) and the occasional VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Driver's Association) event. For that to happen, the car needs to have an OEM 4-cylinder engine. The car has a later model-year 5-main bearing 1725cc engine in it now, with twin Zenith carbs, and a newer wide-ratio transmission. I have a close-ratio 4-speed to rebuild over the winter along with the carbs. Next year there will be some minor rust repair, roll bar fitting, and a suspension rebuild.

Erik

07-20-2016, 07:35 PM

Very cool! Looking forward to the thread.

JohnO

07-20-2016, 08:51 PM

Years ago a friends older brother converted a Sunbeam Alpine to a Tiger. If I remember correctly he acquired a Buick 215cc aluminum V8 and installed it in the car. He was quite the craftsman and engineered and built the steering rack to accommodate the larger engine.

Maple Syrup Actual

07-20-2016, 11:27 PM

Super cool.

RevolverRob

07-21-2016, 09:37 PM

Today was one of those days where you don't feel like you accomplished much. Today's completed checklist.

1) I completely finished the rear-end rebuild, I was waiting on some brake drum parts, before finishing it up. Got the driveshaft back in place. Refilled the rear end with fresh gear oil after flushing it.

2) I began the fitting of the heavy-duty headlight wiring harness. The original headlight setup on this car, pulls power straight through the headlight switch. This is a good recipe for dimmed/dead headlights and lots of blown Lucas barrel fuses. The new wiring harness plugs into the old one, so there is no switch re-wiring. However, it splits the original headlight circuit into two circuits and runs both circuits through individual 30-amp relays. This reduces the load on the headlight switch considerably. When I went to wire it in this morning, I realized the easiest thing was to directly connect it to the old harness using OEM-style connectors. Doing this allows me to have redundancy. For instance, if I blow a head light relay (or both). I can disconnect the new harness and promptly reconnect the old one, giving me a backup headlight system. Redundancy is nice on old British cars.

3) I painted the sheet metal covers that conceal the soft-top when it is folded. Tomorrow I will fit these.

4) I installed my hidden kill switch.

5) I cleaned and then painted the inside of the battery box to prep for a new battery and get everything in order.

6) I cut off an annoying bolt that was preventing my newly fitted passenger seat for sliding on the tracks properly.

Here's a picture of the sheet metal covers (they were red, previously), mocked up, but not yet fitted.

http://i.imgur.com/ufjcR5P.jpg

Tomorrow my adapters should arrive and I can finish up the hydraulic system work and get to work bleeding both systems down...Thank goodness for power bleeders!

-Rob

GardoneVT

07-21-2016, 11:33 PM

RevolverRob

07-22-2016, 12:02 AM

Rob, you're a braver man then me.

I love the look of Classic Brit cars (by my standards)like the XJS and XK8, but then I see posts like "Octopus Coolant Lines" and "Lucas Electrics" and run away to my safe space- a garage with two American cars in it.

I dunno man, this car is less complicated, easier to fix, AND more reliable than the 2004 Saturn Ion my wife had when we first started dating. Of course it has the benefit of being a very simple, 53-year old car, too. The most complicated thing about this car is the positive ground charging system. Which just means you have to remember to attach positive wires to grounds when wiring new things in. Although, it does severely limit your ability to get a radio in the car.

I had a customer for a long time who had an XK8, a nice '98 Vintage car...no Lucas electronics in that car...but the Bosch Electronics in it made Lucas Electronics look like the pinnacle of electrical engineering. The customer finally sold the Jag and bought a mid-70s vintage Rolls Royce Silver Shadow...WAY better car by comparison, despite being 20 years older.

JDM

07-22-2016, 12:02 AM

LSP552

07-22-2016, 05:59 AM

Cool, thanks for sharing! Good luck!

hufnagel

07-22-2016, 06:50 AM

A someone who assisted in the restoration of my mom's 1972 MGB, the hardest part is finding the right parts sometimes. Good luck on your adventures with the Sunbeam!

RevolverRob

07-22-2016, 08:43 PM

Parts. I swear, parts will remain the bane of my existence for the rest of my life. I ordered some fittings from Jegs...unfortunately, I did not order a -4 AN to 10mm adapter, so the clutch is still non-functional. I've now ordered the correct fitting...:rolleyes:

I did, however, get the brakes hooked up tomorrow I'll power bleed them and that should leave only the clutch left to deal with. I wired in the switch for my electric fan. Fitted my sheet-metal top covers, and began fitting the new soft-top today. Which is actually a bit easier than I expected it to be...although it's still not simple by any stretch of the imagination.

http://i.imgur.com/1ZPF6HA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xV6Ayy9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/f761uIO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZZ3mLLP.jpg

hufnagel

07-22-2016, 10:43 PM

wait'll you get to the paint part.
half our budget during restoration was eaten by paint and body work alone. the results were worth it though.

http://manybrightdots.com/twg23/pictures/John/vehicles/MGB/mgb.jpg
from when she was basically new. yes, it was bought in Hawai'i :D

http://manybrightdots.com/twg23/pictures/John/vehicles/MGB/HPIM0702.jpg
taken a couple years ago, after a $20,000 restoration (in late 1990s money.) pictures do NOT do justice to how DEEP the paint looks in person.
not bad for a car that was dropped on its side when being removed from the boat ride back from Hawai'i to the mainland in the early 70s. the body guy spent many an hour straightening out the metal before even thinking of applying any bondo, 5 primer/filler layers (sanded in between, only the last one was left to do the final leveling out), 4 layers of color and 3 layers of clear.

Maple Syrup Actual

07-22-2016, 10:54 PM

Super cool thread man. I know nothing about old British cars but I love simple, archaic machines.

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

hufnagel

07-23-2016, 10:24 AM

it was ready in time for Y2K. you know, just in case. damn thing still as points!

JRB

07-23-2016, 11:30 AM

They are very cool cars - a few months ago at the shop, we went through a '64 Tiger that had been nicely restored in the 90's, that also had some substantial upgrades. The engine was a 289 with aluminum heads and a decent intake manifold, but we ended up replacing the 4bbl carb, dizzy, plugs, wires, coil, etc and a small fortune's worth of suspension bushings as well as a new set of bespoke Koni shocks from Rootes - those are some cantankerous dudes, but they know their stuff on these old Sunbeams!
I removed the oil pan to replace its decades-old cork gasket with a modern rubber/steel one for a 5.0HO, and the cast aluminum oil pan itself was a work of art. Pulling the #8 spark plug was a PITA though!
After a re-tune on our dyno it made 266whp and 251wtq SAE. Very respectable numbers for a carb'd 289 that can still run on pump 91.

The Koni's were the second set of shocks we ordered for that car. If yours needs shocks, just bite the bullet and buy those. We learned the hard way. I'm not sure what gear oil spec your gearbox would have, but the Tigers called for an SAE 30 that doesn't exist anymore. After some sleuthing we found a lot of Sunbeam people recommended the Mobil 1 15w50 synthetic for the gearbox, and it worked great.

Did the Alpines have the Dana 44 rear end that the Tigers had? I always wondered how much Sunbeam was actually left in that Tiger..

RevolverRob

07-23-2016, 11:50 AM

Did the Alpines have the Dana 44 rear end that the Tigers had? I always wondered how much Sunbeam was actually left in that Tiger..

No, they have a proprietary rear end. How much Sunbeam is left in a Tiger? Well, the SUNBEAM badges...and the interior...and that's about it, actually.

Tiger has the Ford V8, obviously, a toploader 4-speed, and Dana 44. Alpine is an overhead valve I4 that was designed, I think, right around the turn of the century...judging by some of the oddities of it (the first five years of Alpine production had smaller four cylinders with only 3-main bearings. The bigger motor (1725ccs) has five main bearings and fortunately, that is what I have. The transmission is a Rootes-designed little gearbox that looks about like a tinker toy which matches the rear end.

A little engine rebuild can net me about 110 horsepower at the wheels, much more than that and I will destroy rear-ends annually.

I've thought about how to upgrade the little car overall. Right now I'll leave the engine, because I'd like to run it in F-Street Prepared. Besides, this isn't my only car and I already have a small-block Ford powered car ('63 Mercury Comet). That car is the rip-snorting, wake-the-neighbors-loud, fast car. So, I'd prefer to use the Sunbeam as my lightweight, high-revving, fun little car. If I end up needing to do a new engine, I'll probably end up swapping the car over to a Miata drivetrain. It's essentially bolt-in and lets face it...I can actually get Miata drivetrain parts at NAPA Auto.

RevolverRob

07-30-2016, 10:58 PM

What a grueling week of trials and tribulation.

The last few days have been largely unphotographed, because there wasn't much to photograph. First came clutch-issues. Where the adapters I ordered simply did not work properly. I ended up remake the clutch hydraulic line from scratch and spent about 4 hours doing it. Finally, we got that finished. Now onto the brakes...

First a leak at the new master cylinder. Then a leak on one of the new brake lines, where the flare fitting was lightly damaged. A repair there found the next squirting brake-fluid leak at the block where the stoplight switch is. Where the plug I purchased (converted the car to dual MC bowls) was leaking. I removed the plug and went to install a larger one...and discovered that my threads were cross threaded. Holy Jesus...If you've never tried to tap a hole in an aluminum block with metric threads to standard threads and it's 112-degrees in the garage...After two full days I finally got a plug made and inserted. Brakes pump up! I have brakes! Now it's time to crank it up!

I go to crank it up...No gas. Hmm...check the fuel pump. Check the fuel line...no gas through the line. We get it loose, insert an air hose and blow it out...BLOOP...now it starts pouring gasoline...all over us and the garage floor. After some nice chemical burns courtesy of gas, we get everything hooked up and reinstalled into the fuel pump...Which requires repairing the fuel-pump banjo bolt. FINALLY...I prime the fuel pump and...The fuel pump is dead. Doesn't work...doesn't pump fuel....

At this point the spilled gas on the garage floor, and a nearby torch are starting to look like a viable option...

Finding an original mechanical fuel pump for a Sunbeam Alpine at 2pm on a Saturday, two days before a Route 66 road trip? Puh-lease. Off to the autoparts store and the acquisition of a universal fuel pump...But wait...All universal fuel pumps sold here are...negative ground only. And my little British car is...positive ground.

Can you say F-U-C-K? So, I installed the fuel pump, while my dad converted the car to negative ground. After installing a nice brass tap to shut the fuel off (I was getting tired of leaking gas) and running the pump, we got everything turned on, powered the pump up and...

http://i.imgur.com/vrnlA9t.jpg

The car RAN. So...I drove it.

RevolverRob

09-20-2016, 10:09 PM

I realized I hadn't updated this thread with pictures from my Route 66 road trip. There is a reason for that...

I got the car running and driving. My buddy showed up from Austin. We hopped in the car and drove over to the tax office to register the car. Get the car registered and plated, we pack it down...and get ready to take off.

About 8-miles from my folks house, still well within the city limit of Dallas, the car starts overheating. Fair enough, it is a 103-degree day. I pull the car over and shut it off, letting the electric fan run to cool the car down. Forty five minutes later the car has cooled and I crank it up. I make it a half-mile before the temp gauge shoots up dramatically, I move to shut it off and then it just dies...and hear the radiator cap go, blowing off steam. F-U-C-K.

I call my dad he shows up with a tow strap and the truck and we pull it home. I stick a compression tester on it, #3 cylinder is down on compression. I try to crank the engine over by hand and it's not happening. The bottom line...the engine got so hot it stuck a ring on the #3 cylinder. At that point, knowing there was nothing we could do and my friend was blowing his hard-earned vacation time, we hopped a flight back to Chicago. Since then, my dad has torn the head off...sure enough the rings on the #3 cylinder are ruined. I'll need at minimum new rings and a valve job.

And that's how 3-weeks of wrench thrashing and attempts to get things working...didn't. Now I have to decide if I'm rebuilding the engine in the car or ripping the drivetrain out and stuffing the spare Ford 302, T5 5-speed, and 8" Ford rear end I have underneath it...

will_1400

09-20-2016, 10:23 PM

Ouch. That's a hard hit to take on getting a car up to snuff.

mmc45414

09-21-2016, 04:36 AM

And that's how 3-weeks of wrench thrashing and attempts to get things working...didn't. Now I have to decide if I'm rebuilding the engine in the car or ripping the drivetrain out and stuffing the spare Ford 302, T5 5-speed, and 8" Ford rear end I have underneath it...

Crap...

RevolverRob

01-15-2017, 09:20 PM

Update: While home for the holidays I did some maintenance on our daily driver and then worked on the Alpine.

The good news: After filling the cylinders full of ATF, I waited awhile and then slowly spun the engine over, by hand, with a 2-foot breaker bar. It took all of my 198-pounds on the breaker bar to turn the engine. But after plenty of effort, it spun. And then freed up...and spun and spun and spun! So, I grabbed the powerpack and hooked up the car, gave the carbs a squirt of starting fluid and tried to start it. And it ran. So - the great news is, the #3 cylinder is no longer stuck. However, I'm still reasonably sure I'm going to have to put rings in it and hone the cylinders down. Both my dad and I suspect that since the car has gotten hot a few times, it has likely caused a ring on the #3 cylinder to expand out.

Because the car needs a clutch and a rebuilt gearbox, the decision has been made to yank the drivetrain. We'll tear it down for an overhaul and send the head out for machining and hardened valve seats. In the meantime, I've got a clutch assembly on order. AND...I brought a spare gearbox back with me from Texas to Chicago. After acquiring a workbench (thanks Harbor Freight). I cleaned about 60-years worth of road grime and leaking gearbox oil off of this spare...Next up is disassembly and rebuilding.

13203
13205

Poconnor

01-16-2017, 09:20 PM

My heart says make it a tiger but my brain says do the Miata conversion.

RevolverRob

11-11-2020, 05:56 PM

Well, it's been more than 3-years since I updated this thread. But I have been sort of running an update here and there in a couple of threads here. So let's just jump in with a rough chronological order of things:

March/April of 2017 not long after my last update on this project my dad was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. The car sat in a state of hiatus as I went back and forth between Texas and Chicago while spending as much time with my dad as possible.

November of 2019 my dad passed away; our last real conversation was about what color to paint the car.

Between then and now there has been a flurry of activity.

In June, I leased a single-car garage here in Chicago, not far from my apartment (about 200 feet).

p/CA_SjZop7hF

I put up some lights and then hauled the car up from Texas in August.

p/CDtrLWiJCPm

Meanwhile, I had my tools and spare parts shipped up which arrived in September

p/CFDQk5Cpo8q

And enjoyed a beer or two while working...

p/CEPiDYyp59E

Dog likes to come out and supervise...

p/CFvecjIpL0v

___

So what's the plan here? The first plan is to remove the old British drivetrain. Let the disassembly begin...(early Oct)

p/CGVp5_GpjBd

The motto of my rebuilding: Simplify and Add Lightness - To add lightness, I need to know what things weigh. So I bought a gigantic hoist to use to hold a tiny hanging scale...:rolleyes:

p/CGswCp9Jc3S

But it turns out it isn't all roses...because somewhere along the line someone covered up sheet metal with a bunch of

p/CHT9LJvp7Yw

Bondo

p/CHWtxnVpb2z

Yet the metal underneath is easily fixed with a little patience and hammer and dolly work (last pic here, shows a section I already worked over and cleaned up fairly easily in less than an hour).

p/CHdqnjyJk8l

___

So after removing the drivetrain - the next stage is to fix the sheet metal (body damage and rust areas).

___

After that fabrication for the new drivetrain begins. The new drivetrain will be a Honda K-series engine (likely K24A2, though I would like a K20A2 they are hard to get here), this will be mated to a BMW/ZF 5-speed manual, using KPower (nee KMiata) parts, and controlled with a Hondata ECU. At the rear end, I'll be doing a Winter's Quick-Change rear end. Why a quick-change? Frankly, it's not much more expensive than a custom width 8.8 or 9" rear end and its lighter overall.

As part of all of this, I'll be rewiring the car from stem-stern, re-running all my fuel and brake lines with stainless lines, converting to a dual-bowl master cylinder setup (from single jar original), and of course dealing with other bits and pieces of things as they come up.

I'm doing this work, by myself, in my one car (10x20') garage in an alley in Chicago. My wife is helping me with bigger things from time to time, but for the most part it's just me and sometimes the dog. There isn't a rush to get anything done, but it's a nice thing to work on. I'm teaching myself things as I go along, along with using skills taught to me by my father and grandfather.

___

And of course - the color - https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-yellow-sapphire-3-1-single-stage-paint.html - Dad picked this one from the color sample chart and it was one of the two I had narrowed it down to, anyways.

___

And that is bringing us up to date in November of 2020. Long way to go, but there is a plan and way to get there.

NH Shooter

11-11-2020, 06:10 PM

Time to drop in a 289 and make it a Tiger.

RevolverRob

11-11-2020, 06:26 PM

Time to drop in a 289 and make it a Tiger.

Honda K24A2 w/Hondata. Lighter than a 289, less surgery than a 289, lets me retain the superior Alpine steering and suspension geometry, without worrying about a cracked front cross member (a lot of Tigers need cross member repair/strengthening because of the weight). The the K24A2/ZF 5-speed combo I'm planning should come in around 60-pounds less than the original Sunbeam cast-iron I4/4-speed combo. So, my weight distribution gets better...not too mention ~200-220 rear wheel horsepower in basically stock form.

When I decide that isn't enough, a K24A2 NA build will get me 325 rwhp...and if that's not enough...I mean 4-Piston Racing cranked 1000hp out of a stock K-series block...http://blog.wiseco.com/how-to-build-a-1000-horsepower-engine - Obviously that's not 'normal' - but if I wanted to pay to play...I'm not getting 1000 horsepower out of a stock Ford small block V8...no matter how much I want it to be true...the number of broken 5.0 HO blocks that broke at ~500hp is enough to tell me the truth...the K-series (K24 in particular) is a better engine. Lighter, revs higher, tons of horsepower potential...slap a turbo on it and sky is the limit.

I'll never get enough tire under a stock-bodied Sunbeam to put 1000hp to the ground...so you know a 600 rwhp single-turbo build will be enough. :confused: :eek:

HeavyDuty

11-11-2020, 07:04 PM

Outstanding, I never saw this thread before.

When I went through my mid-life crisis in the annus horribilis that was 2015, after I cashiered my ankle and ruled out the used bike I had just bought but never had a chance to ride I looked at many different options for a drop top toy. I really wanted a last version Thunderbird, but none were in my self-imposed price range. I briefly considered several classic British cars before I chose a Miata. An Alpine was on the list, but I prefer driving to walking and don’t have the mechanical skills that you have.

This will be sweet when you’re done.

OlongJohnson

11-12-2020, 12:40 AM

Bondo

Don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. My understanding is that Bondo brand body filler contained asbestos until about 1983, off the top of my head. So I would be extremely careful when disturbing it if I didn't know the stuff was significantly newer than that. Cans of filler can sit around for awhile if they aren't being churned through in a body shop.

RevolverRob

11-12-2020, 01:47 AM

Don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. My understanding is that Bondo brand body filler contained asbestos until about 1983, off the top of my head. So I would be extremely careful when disturbing it if I didn't know the stuff was significantly newer than that. Cans of filler can sit around for awhile if they aren't being churned through in a body shop.

Hmm. No way to know for sure.

Fortunately, I have been grinding it down while wearing a respirator with P100 filters in it. I'll be sure to blow out the the garage while wearing the respirator. And set up my shop fan upwind if the particles and use it to push it out past me.

It's a little late to avoid disturbing it. Fortunately, most of it is ground out and maybe one more grinding sessions left.

Maple Syrup Actual

11-12-2020, 02:35 AM

OlongJohnson

11-12-2020, 08:56 AM

I am starting to suspect you just have a fixation on asbestos.

I'm a fan of reading MSDSs.

It goes back to when I was 15 and started working in shops, and the crusty old guys warned me about hazards I hadn't even thought about and how they could go wrong. Around the same time, a friendly old dude in the neighborhood was taken by fast-acting leukemia (feeling fine one day, in the hospital in the big city three days later and gone in two weeks). It really bugs me when people affirmatively express the belief that if it hasn't killed them yet, it can't be harmful. I've been called "Mr. OSHA" and "the canary" (referencing the coal mine application, not the cousin of the stool pigeon) by friends.

HeavyDuty

11-12-2020, 09:45 AM

My understanding, gained from years of underwriting asbestos risks, is that so long as it is encapsulated it poses very little risk. I personally wouldn’t worry much about chipping it, but no way would I finish sand old Bondo. Grinding it out, I’d use serious precautions like Rob is taking.

RevolverRob

11-12-2020, 11:02 AM

I'm glad OJ brought it up, I was unaware that Bondo may have contained asbestos. I can't guarantee it is actually 'Bondo' filler used in the car and I don't know when the car was 'corrected' and painted. So, it's better safe than sorry.

While I'm not overly concerned that I will have prolonged exposure to aerosolized fibers, it's worth knowing and taking some remedial cleanup action this weekend, in addition to proactive measures in the future. Bearing in mind my father died, just a year ago, from a leukemia-type cancer likely caused by industrial exposure to benzene, I'll err on the side of caution when potentially exposing myself to industrial hazards.

Just so folks know and the info is out there.

Remedial Measures:

1) Open the garage door and blow as much dust as possible out of the garage, while wearing my P100 respirator.
2) Use a damp cloth to clean surfaces and mop the garage floor with a disposable mop.

Proactive Measures:

3) When I have to finish grinding it out, I'll create a positive pressure bubble of plastic around the front of the car, sealing it and using a box fan to create positive airflow into the bubble. This will contain as much of the dust as possible. Then, when done, I'll just collapse my plastic bubble and haul it out with the dust reasonably well contained.

Maybe that is overkill, but overkill is underrated.

RevolverRob

11-15-2020, 05:21 PM

Well, I thought I was going to yank the engine and gearbox this weekend. But as I looked it all over, I realized I was going to have to take the intake manifold and exhaust header off the engine first...and that ended up taking me nearly six hours with rusted bolts that were impossible to get to.

Still, tons more space under the hood now...

p/CHoHY_-pyFZ

RevolverRob

11-17-2020, 06:13 PM

Productive day. Submitted a post-doc proposal and then feeling kind of brain fried I did this:

p/CHtaIf9JFzZ

RevolverRob

11-29-2020, 09:22 PM

So KPower Industries has three different adapters for fitment between a K-series and a BMW gearbox. When I called the KPower folks (pre-Covid) a quick convo with their lead engineer basically lead me to realize that the Mazda gearboxes weren't worth the hassle, his words were, "If you don't have a Mazda box, don't buy one. Source a BMW the Getrag 260 or ZF 5 or 6-speed from an E36 or E46."

___

I found this Getrag 260 in Ohio on Ebay and convinced the guy to meet me halfway, in Indianapolis. $340 and 40 bucks in gas later...sitting in my garage. The local cost on a Getrag 260 is about 850 bucks - IF you can find one. I was going to use the ZF 5-speed, because it's a little easier to find, but it's also bigger in case size, and has a 1:1 5th gear. Where as the G260 has a 0.81 overdrive 5th gear.

The 260 is bigger than the original Rootes box, but not really that much larger. And in terms of overall length it's nearly 8" shorter. So, in a genuinely rare turn of events for a 5-speed/engine swap into an old British car, I'll have to lengthen my driveshaft, instead of shorten it.

p/CIMDctppjD5

OlongJohnson

11-29-2020, 09:55 PM

RevolverRob

11-30-2020, 02:03 AM

I always thought the ZF in the M3s shifted smoother than the Getrag 250 in my E36 325is. The only E30s I can remember driving were M3s, so no comparison between Getrag 250 and 260.

The Miata tranny shifts nicer than either, but won't hold power unless you find a six speed. Which would take awhile.

They probably all shift nicer than the stock Sunbeam box...and as long as this one doesn't pop out of second and fourth gear...it'll be a major improvement. :eek:

I've read, but have no experience, that most of the BMW shifters have a lot of plastic bushings and a lot of slop. A number of after market shifters out there are all steel or aluminum to eliminate slop/flex. I'm honestly not sure I could get a Miata 6-speed in the car without extensive surgery. I certainly can't get the ZF 6-speed in there.

---

I shoved this thing up in there today and looked it all over (lots of pics tomorrow). But the long and short of it is...the 260 fits in the trans tunnel, almost, perfectly. But one of the bosses on the driver's side of the gearbox hits. Five minutes with an angle grinder and it won't hit anymore and it should fit perfectly. I'll need a custom length mount to hold the shift lever in place and a custom length shifter linkage, but with that...my shifter will come out in exactly the stock location. I actually plan fab my stock shifter handle to fit. I may even be able to modify the original Sunbeam trans X-Member to fit the Getrag and bolt it all into place; not sure yet, but my eyeball-o-meter says, "It's possible".

And the Getrag's shorter length means I gained some very critical exhaust clearance. I can now run a straight back long-tube header, and use a cross over flex-pipe and slot everything into place. It's going to work out beautifully. At this point, my three biggest hurdles are ground clearance with a K24 installed, properly building and routing a fuel system, and building a rear end for the car.

If I had an extra 5k lying around, I could probably have this thing running and driving before Jan 1. Unfortunately, I don't...but that's okay, I'm not in a huge hurry.

RevolverRob

11-30-2020, 11:37 AM

So - admittedly I did this yesterday. But you gotta spread your IG posts out to make it look like daily progress. :rolleyes:

Here you can see this fitted in. First too far back and the bellhousing too low. Pulled back out and adjusted to the correct angle there is a boss on the side of the box that needs to be ground off (last pic). Before I grind anything, I'll connect this to my engine and check alignment and angle. Right now with it sitting in the tunnel, I have 23" clear to the radiator support. A K24A2 is 21" long. I'm going to probably run a tucked radiator on the bumper side of the core support, to free up space.

Importantly, this clears the steering rod that goes along the firewall. That's HUGE, because it means a steering conversion is likely to be unnecessary.

p/CIOIG8PpwTV

RevolverRob

12-02-2020, 05:11 PM

I'm not about to go pro in welding - but ~3 weeks ago I had never held a TIG torch...So I'm pretty happy with my progress thus far. I've learned a few things. And today, I really learned copper welding spoons are awesome for allowing you to more easily strike a scratch-start TIG and pull it off and let the bead cool, while still hitting it with gas, leaving less cratering and oxidation at the end of the weld. The crater I got in this piece today came from balling up the tip and yanking it back too fast. Got to work on my torch speed. And I'm going to swap out this 3/32" tip for a 1/16" and see if I can put a little less heat in (I'm getting warping from overheating).

p/CIT5rPaJ7Yh

TGS

07-22-2021, 02:46 PM

Anything new with this, RevolverRob?

RevolverRob

07-22-2021, 02:53 PM

Anything new with this, RevolverRob?

Aside from moving it across the country from Chicago to Seattle? Not much.

I stripped out the interior to get better access to the rusty bits. I'm planning to mount it to a rotisserie here in the next month or so and then have it media blasted, so I can get to work on metal replacement.

I did buy an English Wheel and small metal brake, but need some more tools to make the floor pan replacements and valance. I realized I have to make a front valance, because the front end damage hidden by bondo is fairly extensive, but at least localized to the valance. Like my floor pans, I can order them from the UK, wait 8-months for them to arrive and pay $2000. Or I can buy the tools, make the pans and valance myself and source sheet metal from the sheet metal shop that is 1/2 mile from my house.

I've got a bit more to go to get the garage setup here in Seattle and then will have to get after it. Hoping by end of August to have it mounted and media blasted.

RevolverRob

07-25-2021, 10:14 PM

Finally, really starting to get the garage setup. Last of the extra furniture that was in the garage was moved to this house this morning. So, I spent time starting to get things put together.

First the Reference Library. This book shelf is a glass front piece and was actually in my dad's garage, holding many of these same books. In Chicago we used it to display antique toys, but I felt like now that there was room, back in the garage it should go.
74832

These are a couple of 1" thick 12" wide shelves that are both 6' long. I screwed them to a couple of spare bits of 2x6 and will come up with some legs. This should make a decent'ish work table for disassembly and I can mount my sheet metal tools to it, for now, while I shop around for something better.

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Setup the shelves I had in Chi here, the garage already had a lot of 'storage' but most of it is pretty abysmal stuff and kind of hard to get to when you're working on a car. In the end, I'll use what is there for storing larger parts, but small stuff still gets sorted into a bin. As you can see, I used a ratchet strap and a nice boat deck cleat that was hanging around in the garage to hang the fiberglass hardtop up out of the way.

74834

Now we're just panning around to see more of the space. Desperately needs more light for working and to finish organizing stuff. Not seen, but off to the left here there is a room that the landlord has, filled with paint and bits and pieces of things to work on the house. We stored some extra furniture in there and basically that's it, so there is a 6x6 chunk of my garage I don't really get to use much. Which leaves me kind of an awkward space as a work bench area. The 'workbench' that can kind of be seen was made out of a hollow core interior door, it's effectively just a shelf. Not suitable for any real work. It'll take some time to kind of figure everything out as I work in the space. I may end up taking the existing 'workbench' out, so I can regain the floor space.

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RevolverRob

07-26-2021, 03:30 PM

Extra space means doing stuff like hanging pictures and decorations accumulated over the years.

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The valve cover has some hand writing on it. It's my dad's writing, one of the last mechanical things he did, before he got too weak, was to do a compression check on the motor. He wrote the psi numbers on the valve cover. When I saw it last fall, I decided to keep the valve cover. So I just kind of wiped the oil/grease off, touched up the pencil a hit and sprayed it with a light coat of poly and stuck it to the wall.

As I stood looking around, I found this printed on the clapboards that make up the walls:

74853

RevolverRob

07-28-2021, 09:09 PM

Best thing about flathead screwdrivers is their life cycle:

Screwdriver -> Chisel -> Prybar -> Locating Pin -> Shiv -> Janky Shiv -> Awl -> Shorter Awl

This one has recently reached 'Janky Shiv' stage:

74939

--

What? You guys don't hang lists in your garage by stabbing them into the wall with a janky shiv?

RevolverRob

07-31-2021, 07:33 PM

I think I've mentioned before, I love tools. I love making stuff, but I love tools. And I especially love sheet metal and mechanical tools. Today I managed to score some useful tools and supplies.

Bead Roller:

https://i.ibb.co/jbnRGcK/900-B6-D2-F-64-F6-4839-A46-E-44-E46-EB0616-A.jpg

Engine Stand and 2.5 sheets of 18-gauge sheet metal:

https://i.ibb.co/m5yfRV0/03-C71029-5741-4-B76-A92-B-C24772-FD5098.jpg

Fixturing jig from Boeing Surplus. This has four counter-sunk holes for bolting it to a workbench and the rest of the holes are threaded 7/16-20 all the way through. Weighs about 50 pounds and will be a nice base for universal mounting different tools:

https://i.ibb.co/R9bmKm7/AEDD1544-AF30-49-CF-806-F-7-A47-C3871310.jpg

___

Man I wish Boeing Surplus was still open, seems like that was super cool. They closed is in '17/18 I think I read, it's an 'online auction' now and the few times I've cruised it, it hasn't been particularly good. Still, I use 'Boeing' as a search in CL and FB Marketplace. In this case, it was the beadroller on CL that I caught, but I ended up getting all of this stuff from the same guy about a half hour away in Seabeck.