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in2sunbeam
4 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Feb 2014 : 16:39:22
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My father is restoring a 69 Alpine GT. The car was sitting in a field when he bought it and it only had 22k miles on it. But he completely dis-assembled and is now getting it back together. He is having one problem. The GT cam was bad so he discarded because he had a parts car. He used the cam from it, but after spending months trying to get it to run we discovered there is a GT cam and a non-GT cam. His engine is a 1725 aluminum head GT engine and the cam that is in it is a non-gt cam...our problem. But we cannot find a cam anywhere. Sunbeam Specialities said they are not available anymore. Any ideas where we can find one?
Barry
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JPSH120
United Kingdom
1180 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2014 : 17:31:51
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The Alpine GT was known as the rapier here in the UK (we know you guys like to change our words  ). Anyway, I'm sure there will be someone here that can help you, I do have one but will not be able to get to it for a while. Out of interest, I'm not 100% sure but I'm wondering if the 2 seater Alpine (series V) which also had the 1725cc engine may have the right camshaft? If so you might find one that way as the Alpine (2 seater) is quite popular in the US.
Good luck and nice looking car btw, more details and pictures would be good.
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Edited by - JPSH120 on 12 Feb 2014 21:41:11 |
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2014 : 18:22:01
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As far as I'm aware the Alpine GT was the only coupe model that was imported to the US. Over here they did a detuned model named 'Sunbeam Alpine' (not GT), as a cheaper option to the Sunbeam Rapier. The Rapier is the car which had the same engine as the Alpine GT which you have.
What is the parts car that you took it out of?.... as that would tell us which camshaft you have already. If the body is the same as the car you have restored it's almost certainly the right camshaft, as that was the only engine option available to US buyers. If your parts car is a 4 door sedan then it is very likely to be the wrong one, as most all of them had the detuned engine fitted.
The detuned engine only had the single carb' (Sunbeam Alpine), whilst as far as I'm aware, all the 94 bhp engines (Rapier and Alpine GT), were fitted with twin Strombergs.
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
Edited by - arrocuda on 12 Feb 2014 18:27:37 |
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in2sunbeam
4 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2014 : 03:52:20
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The GT he is restoring is the dual carb and the parts car was a single carb. According to the factory service manual he has, the single carb was the iron head 1725 and the center to cylinders fire opposite of the dual carb version which means different camshaft. If we could even get a worn GT cam that would be fine. We have a place here in the states that can repair the worn cam by Sunbeam specs. The roadster does have the same engine but no luck finding a cam. Anymore help you can provide would be appreciated. I will try to get more pictures as well.
Barry |
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JPSH120
United Kingdom
1180 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2014 : 12:45:01
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Hi Barry,
If you're still stuck in a few weeks I will try to retrieve the one from the spare engine I have but I think someone will be able to help you.
Jason.
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2014 : 13:36:00
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Yep... someone on here is bound to have a good one knocking around. I've got one too but it's still in the engine that's in the car, and the H120 engine won't be ready any time soon, so was planning to leave the engine in for now.
That way I can at least have the car on the road whilst I'm working on the replacement later in the year. There are a few GT owners in the US that come on here occasionally that might also be able to help you out.
Where the hell is everyone? 
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
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bigt80
United Kingdom
1052 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2014 : 23:41:31
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Alpine Coupe's were imported into the US and known as Alpine's. Alpine GT was as you say, the Rapier, but Chrysler probably thought the model name Alpine had more Kudos in the US than Rapier!
Cams in Ali heads were different, but Alpine Coupe had ali head, just that lift was less in single carb model to Rapier & H120 of course had more lift.
Club has some cams, but haven't found them yet! G.
quote:
Originally posted by arrocuda
As far as I'm aware the Alpine GT was the only coupe model that was imported to the US. Over here they did a detuned model named 'Sunbeam Alpine' (not GT), as a cheaper option to the Sunbeam Rapier. The Rapier is the car which had the same engine as the Alpine GT which you have.
What is the parts car that you took it out of?.... as that would tell us which camshaft you have already. If the body is the same as the car you have restored it's almost certainly the right camshaft, as that was the only engine option available to US buyers. If your parts car is a 4 door sedan then it is very likely to be the wrong one, as most all of them had the detuned engine fitted.
The detuned engine only had the single carb' (Sunbeam Alpine), whilst as far as I'm aware, all the 94 bhp engines (Rapier and Alpine GT), were fitted with twin Strombergs.
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda').
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in2sunbeam
4 Posts |
Posted - 14 Feb 2014 : 22:56:10
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[quote]Originally posted by bigt80
Alpine Coupe's were imported into the US and known as Alpine's. Alpine GT was as you say, the Rapier, but Chrysler probably thought the model name Alpine had more Kudos in the US than Rapier!
Cams in Ali heads were different, but Alpine Coupe had ali head, just that lift was less in single carb model to Rapier & H120 of course had more lift.
Club has some cams, but haven't found them yet! G.
[quote]
If you can come up with a GT cam that would be great!!
We were told that a single carb motor had a different firing order. The center two cylinders are switched on the twin carb. And that makes sense trying to get the motor running with the non GT cam. It wants to run but never fires and we get compression out of the carb. We talked to "Tiger Tom" here in the states that has been around Sunbeams for a long time and he is the one that explained it to me. |
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in2sunbeam
4 Posts |
Posted - 15 Feb 2014 : 14:56:12
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I had my info wrong. You are right the Alpine Coupe all had aluminum heads. We have a non-GT cam and am needing a GT cam. Tiger Tom told my father that the lift is enough less on a non GT cam that the engine will not run. So still looking for a GT cam or I am wondering if we could send the non-GT cam to a place that can regrind it into a GT cam??
Barry |
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 15 Feb 2014 : 19:24:55
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Would be a lot less expensive to buy the camshaft than to have one reground over here for sure. Is a lot of lurkers but not many posters on here at the moment. Give it a week or so and someone will be along with a spare one.
The irony is that if you had asked for a Holbay one, (H120 engine), I could have sorted you out. Looks really nice in the pic, how bad was it when your father started work on it? Finding any with 22,000 miles on the clock is virtually unheard of over here now.
Tim.
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
Edited by - arrocuda on 15 Feb 2014 19:26:06 |
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andyb
United Kingdom
367 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2014 : 11:26:03
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welcome to the forum
nice looking car :)
sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand |
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2014 : 09:15:33
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Hey Barry..... have you found a replacement camshaft yet?
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
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newbie needing help
