For the gen-x car guys here (Buick GNX content)

[RevolverRob]

If all the various "GE" Toyota engines weren't so tall, I'd seriously consider putting one in my Sunbeam. Alas, none of them will fit without massive surgery and I'm not in the mood to cut up a car that's in fairly good shape. One of these days, I am going to have to figure out what to do drivetrain wise in that car. I ended up sticking a ring in it, back during my 2017-adventure and I'm left trying to decide between a $5,000 rebuild on a cast-iron tractor motor that will never make 120 horsepower and never be particularly reliable, or doing something else.

I keep threatening street port 12A Rotary, because that would involve the least amount of surgery and still be super fun to drive (also not mess with the weight distribution of the car at all). But reliable and rotary aren't two terms that go in the same sentence very often...

The one swap I keep coming back to is the Lotus 2.2 slant-4. Because it's slanted, it'll fit under the bonnet. AND Lotus (more accurately Jensen-Healey) used Sunbeam-sourced gearboxes for their cars, so a bellhousing solution exists to mount either my existing Sunbeam gearbox behind the motor, or swap in a Toyota W-series box. And the 2.2 doesn't produce enough torque (in non-turbo form) to destroy the stock rear axle, but it produces substantially more HP (140 stock) to at least make the car get out of its own way. Again, reliable and Lotus aren't two words that often go in the same sentence together...but hey - whatever.

Plus, I totally admit I have always had a man crush on Colin Chapman. My favorite Blipshift shirt is "Simplify and add lightness" - It's a formula that can't be beat in life.

Meanwhile, back in the reality where I live and I need a car to commute in. I find myself, increasingly, thinking about acquiring a 71-74 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV. Parts are available (ridiculously available compared to British stuff...especially Sunbeam stuff). Stock ratios + 15" wheels will make it easy to cruise at highway speeds without a problem, engines are pretty reliable as long as they are well maintained, and hey...the GTV is a good looking car that handles well. The critical part is finding a nice, non-rusty, example to buy. Everything else can be sorted, but Alfa Romeo and rust are two terms that go in the same sentence together frequently.

[OlongJohnson]

If you need it to be short,

https://www.allpar.com/mopar/la4.html

[RevolverRob]

If you need it to be short,

https://www.allpar.com/mopar/la4.html

I've been keeping an eye out for a Esslinger or A4 midget motor for awhile, but whenever they come up, they're usually out of my price range. If I'm gonna drop 30k building an engine, I'm more likely to go with something that is closer to an off-the-shelf setup, but with a dry-sump system in place and a turbo on it.

Although apparently the Honda F20C and 6-speed drops into the Sunbeam chassis with nary a complaint...and I do have a narrowed Ford axle with a LSD ready to throw in the car. A little Watts link action to keep the rear settled....

[Medusa]

If a 12a will fit, why wouldn’t a 13b?

[OlongJohnson]

Had a 510 with a rotary. Realized my daily driver E36 was a better car in every possible way except the story. Sold it for a small profit and used the freed-up money for part of the down payment on my first house. Probably one of the better decisions I've made with cars.

[RevolverRob]

If a 12a will fit, why wouldn’t a 13b?

A 20B would fit. It’s a ‘63 Sunbeam Alpine, a big enough hammer and a SBF will fit.

What won’t fit in the trans tunnel without significant surgery is the bigger gearbox from a 13B FC or FD and the FB gearbox isn’t stout enough to hold up behind a bridgeport 12A, let alone a street port 13B.

The other problem is getting enough rubber under the car to get anywhere. A slab-side big-fin Alpine can put 205s on the back with fender lip rolliing, but the slab-side makes flares difficult to integrate without cutting the body. The front can’t do much better, without running the risk of hitting the inner fender well at full lock. In other words, 205/50/15 is about the biggest tire I can run, without significant alterations to body and chassis. Probably the best street capable tire is the Direzza Star Spec, at 2200 pounds with me in it, I can probably use every bit of that traction with a street ported 12A and still overwhelm it.

The F20C would probably be terrifying.

Don’t get me wrong, if someone gives me a 13B or a 20B (or a 26B?! Ha). I’d cram it in there.

Also, if I were running a rotary, the exhaust is on the wrong side and Sunbeams route the exhaust through the frame rails, anyways, which I wouldn’t want that much heat near the floor. So...I’d probably run a custom side pipe. Which would sound mean and nasty...

[0ddl0t]

A G-body isn't my first choice, believe me. I own a '95 Supra TT 6-spd hardtop (that's currently a wrecked mess) an '87 Supra turbo 5-spd hardtop, and over the years I've owned too many other older Supras, several MR2 turbos, a Celica All-Trac Turbo, NA8 Miata, S13 240sx, Mitsubishi 3000GT and an Eclipse GSX (well a Plymouth Laser RS-T AWD, but the same car) and a few other unmentionables.
...
My little sister owned an E30 years and years ago before the E30 craze hit (a 91 318IS actually) and she sold it unexpectedly and I was a bit annoyed. I had a Toyota 7M-GTE making around 425-450hp (MK3 Supra it came from made 399whp 428wtq) and I wanted to stuff it in that E30. Oh well.

We had similar tastes: Mr2s, mk2-mk4 supras, s13, e46 m3, 930, etc. My retirement account would probably have an extra digit if I hadn't spent so much monkeying with a 7M-GTE mk2 supra 20 years ago (every time I made an upgrade, the car would make it obvious that something else now needed improvement to keep up). Since then I tend to leave things close to stock...

[Medusa]

A 20B would fit. It’s a ‘63 Sunbeam Alpine, a big enough hammer and a SBF will fit.

What won’t fit in the trans tunnel without significant surgery is the bigger gearbox from a 13B FC or FD and the FB gearbox isn’t stout enough to hold up behind a bridgeport 12A, let alone a street port 13B.

The other problem is getting enough rubber under the car to get anywhere. A slab-side big-fin Alpine can put 205s on the back with fender lip rolliing, but the slab-side makes flares difficult to integrate without cutting the body. The front can’t do much better, without running the risk of hitting the inner fender well at full lock. In other words, 205/50/15 is about the biggest tire I can run, without significant alterations to body and chassis. Probably the best street capable tire is the Direzza Star Spec, at 2200 pounds with me in it, I can probably use every bit of that traction with a street ported 12A and still overwhelm it.

The F20C would probably be terrifying.

Don’t get me wrong, if someone gives me a 13B or a 20B (or a 26B?! Ha). I’d cram it in there.

Also, if I were running a rotary, the exhaust is on the wrong side and Sunbeams route the exhaust through the frame rails, anyways, which I wouldn’t want that much heat near the floor. So...I’d probably run a custom side pipe. Which would sound mean and nasty...

Best 200 tw tires for the last couple years are either the Bridgestone re71r or the bfg rival. I won national championships in a street tire class (200 tw) in 15 and 17 on re71rs, and have rivals as rains for the bmw. The direzza just isn’t on pace anymore nor is the feel as good (I’ve used them too, and the hankooks). Both are available 205/50 15.

I’m fine with massaging transmission tunnels and so on. Necessity for most interesting swaps.

[OlongJohnson]

I can't decide whether this thread is telling me who I want to be friends with, or who I need to stay away from the way an alcoholic needs to stay the hell out of bars.