Bill Ashby's 1967 Sunbeam Alpine with Nissan CA18DET Engine
as published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XXI Issue 1, July 2013
Owner: Bill Ashby
BritishV8 UserID: bashby
City: Broomfield, Colorado
Model: 1967 Sunbeam Alpine
Engine: Nissan CA18DET
Conversion performed by: owner
Making it Right
Bill purchased this Alpine online in February 2008. A previous owner had already completed an engine swap. The Alpine came with a Ford "Cologne" 2.6L sixty-degree V6 and a Ford C4 automatic transmission installed. That engine seemed okay... until Bill changed the oil! From that point on, it consumed one quart of oil every 200 miles. The body appeared mostly straight and not too rusty, but it had been repainted very poorly. Wiring, on the other hand, was a ridiculous mess. When Bill pushed the horn button, every fuse blew at once. Someone had replaced the Alpine's brake master cylinder with a 1-1/16" bore cylinder, which gave the car way too hard a pedal. In summary, Bill saw potential in the car but recognized that nearly everything the previous owner had done would have to be ripped out and redone correctly. Bill decided he might as well make some improvements...
"How It Was Done"
| Engine: | Nissan CA18DET 1,850cc DOHC four cylinder (bored 1mm over.)
CP pistons.
K1 connecting rods.
Dual Tomei PROCAM solid lifter camshafts (260° duration & 9.25mm lift for both intake and exhaust.)
Nissan cylinder head.
Nissan intake manifold.
Garrett GT2560R turbocharger with internal waste gate removed.
TiAL MV-S wastegate with 1 bar (14.5psi) spring installed.
TurboXS blow off valve.
Front mounted intercooler (FMIC), coated with Swain Tech Coatings' Black Body Emitter.
K&N oiled gauze air filter.
650cc fuel injectors.
Billet Turbochargers (Australia) aluminum fuel rail.
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator.
Lokar LS1 throttle cable.
Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 engine management system.
Haltech turbo boost controller
Chevy LS1 ignition coils.
Ross Performance Parts harmonic balancer.
MaxSpeed Motorsports remote oil filter mount.
Custom fabricated crankcase breather bottle.
Schaeffer Supreme 7000 20w-50 engine oil.
RevShift polyurethane motor mounts.
Spoon torque damper. |
| Cooling: | Wizard Cooling aluminum radiator.
Twin Spal 11" pusher fans on custom mounting.
Spal electronic fan controller. |
| Exhaust: | entirely custom 2.25" stainless steel dual exhaust system.
Fabricated from mandrel bends from Columbia River Mandrel Bending.
Swain Tech "White Lightning" ceramic coating on header and down pipe.
V-band clamps for easy removal.
Dual MagnaFlow stainless steel mufflers (part# 11375). |
| Transmission: | Nissan FS5W71C 5-speed (0.759:1 fifth gear.)
Clutchmasters FX300 clutch assembly.
Wilwood 3/4" master cylinder.
NABCO 3/4" slave cylinder.
Front Range Driveline 32" driveshaft.
Amsoil GL4 manual transmission fluid. |
| Rear Axle: | narrowed Ford 8" axle (centered yoke, not pumpkin)
4.11:1 final drive ratio.
Auburn limited slip differential.
Castrol Hypoy C gear lube. |
| Front Suspension: | stock geometry and steering.
Doug Jennings rebuilt A-arms.
Spax shock absorbers.
Coil Spring Specialties 450#/inch springs (reduce the ride height by ~2".)
(QA1 coilover conversion is planned.)
7/8" front anti-roll bar. |
| Rear Suspension: | custom triangulated 4-link.
PPM Racing Products aluminum radius rods.
QA1 Ultra Ride 15" (part# US602) single adjustable coilovers.
QA1 stud top conversion kit (part# SS110SDM).
HyperCoil 14" 250#/in springs. |
| Brakes: | (master) Wilwood 7/8" bore master cylinder (part# 260-6765). Stainless Steel Brake Company adjustable bias valve. Motul RBF660 fluid. (front) Wilwood Dynalite forged calipers (part# 120-6816). Procraft hub adapters. Wilwood Ultralite HPS 11" 30-vane rotors (part# 160-10358). (rear) Wilwood calipers (part# 120-12160). Wilwood 12.19" rotors turned down to 11". Top hat parking brakes. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Minilite 15x6 wheels (with 4-5/8" backspacing) from Targett Motorsports.
Dunlop Star Spec tires (195/50R15 front and 205/50R15 rear.) |
| Electrical: | Advance Auto Wire wiring harness.
Odyssey PC925 battery, located in trunk.
Nissan alternator.
Cibie headlights.
All other exterior lamps converted to LEDs.
PIAA backup lights.
Triumph TR4 license plate lamps. |
| Fuel System: | custom 16-gallon aluminum fuel tank, fabricated by Boyd's Welding in Florida.
Centroid Products fuel level sender.
Trick Flow Specialties 40-micron fuel prefilter (part# TFS-23000).
Walbro 225 external fuel pump.
Trick Flow Specialties 10-micron fuel filter (part# 23003).
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator (part# 13105). |
| Body Mods: | soda stripped body, repaired and painted by Chemical Skin in Loveland, Colorado.
Glasurit color code MBB317.10 shot with Spies Hecker paint.
Cut and buffed.
Bumpers re-chromed by Paul's Chrome in Pennsylvania. (Overriders shaved.)
Motorcycle style side view mirrors are mounted to the wind wings. |
| Interior: | Moto-lita 14" steering wheel.
(Steering column adjustability and horn button are both functional.)
SpeedHut Revolution gauges with custom faces (marked "Rootes".)
1990 Mazda Miata Sports seats.
Electric seat heaters.
Headrest mounted speakers.
Mr. Mike's leather seat upholstery.
Door panels, rear surround, tonneau cover, and carpet by F&H Upholstery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
Dual hoop bolt-in roll bar (custom fabricated from 1-3/4" x 0.120" tubing.)
Willans 4-point safety harnesses from Targett Motorsports.
Alpine MRP-600 amplifier (mounted in trunk.)
Damplifier Pro insulation applied to floorpans. |
| Weight: | 2502 pounds with 12 gallons fuel, spare tire, etc. (LF: 594#. RF: 606#. LR:650#. RR: 652#. 48% front. 52% rear.) |
| Performance: | 238 RWHP (at 5,800 feet above sea level and 100°F.) |
| Completed: | 2008. Driven ~9,000 miles since conversion, as of April 2013. |
| Comments: | Bill designed over 100 custom brackets/assemblies and parts in SolidWorks for
this project. Many parts were cut to shape on a CNC laser, and then TIG welded
by professionals. It all came together, and the engine dropped right in with no
issues. For any design, Bill advises: "The KISS principle works. Follow it."
(KISS stands for "Keep it simple, stupid.") Bill also advises "Be careful who
you trust, because dollars can disappear quickly. Plan out all of what you want
before-hand as changes absorb time and money." (Example: Bill was inpired to
build a 4-link rear suspension after purchasing new leaf springs.) |
Engine Installation
Nissan CA18DET 1850cc DOHC four cylinder (bored 1mm over).
Engine built and tuned by MAC Autosport in Parker, Colorado.
Stainless Steel Brake Company adjustable brake bias valve.
Wilwood 3/4" clutch master cylinder.
The engine management system automatically compensates for altitude by sensing
barometric pressure through this blue nylon hose. Note also: the black-and-yellow
strip at top of frame are LED lights.
Wilwood 7/8" bore master cylinder (part# 260-6765).
Spoon adjustable torque damper.
Brushed stainless steel shield protects the hood's paint job from exhaust heat.
Chevy LS1 electronic ignition coils.
Custom exhaust header: arguably the most difficult part of the whole project.
The oil filler cap says "Tomei". Underneath: dual Tomei PROCAM solid lifter camshafts
(260° duration & 9.25mm lift for both intake and exhaust.)
"Rootes Twin Cam" badge applied to the intake air plenum.
Intercooler, radiator and blow off valve pipes are mandrel bent stainless steel
with silicone couplers and T-bolt clamps.
Custom fabricated crankcase breather bottle.
Aeroquip Socketless crankcase breather hoses.
Sunbeam Alpine hood release.
Gold foil (mylar) reflective heat shield film.
Nissan FS5W71C 5-speed with 0.759:1 fifth gear ratio.
Sunbeam Alpine steering gear.
Sunbeam Alpine steering idler arm. MaxSpeed Motorsports remote oil filter mount.
TiAL MV-S wastegate with 1 bar (14.5psi) spring installed.
Clutchmasters FX300 clutch assembly.
Nissan CA18DET engines were never offered in North American market vehicles, but they're
available used from various importers. Hang onto the crate! It may come in handy as a stand.
Ross Performance Parts harmonic balancer.
Stock Nissan (Hitachi) alternator and pulley.
RevShift polyurethane motor mounts were made for 1983-91 BMW E30.
NABCO 3/4" slave cylinder.
Custom header fabricated from mandrel bends from Columbia River Mandrel Bending.
Before installation... Swain Tech "White Lightning" ceramic coating.
Connection to the turbocharger.
Garrett GT2560R turbocharger before removal of internal waste gate. (Note vacuum port.)
Front mounted intercooler (FMIC).
Stainless steel MagnaFlow mufflers (part# 11375) and y-pipe.
Fabricated steel motor mount brackets are welded to the sub-frame immediately behind
the front crossmember, not directly to the crossmember as the factory mounts were.
Custom motor mount brackets.
A previous owner had installed a Ford C4 automatic transmission in this Alpine.
Bill removed the big, hacked-up transmission tunnel and built a more elegant one.
Transmission mount. Bill designed parts in SolidWorks, then typically had Focused Light in
Arvada Colorado or D&D Metals in Broomfield Colorado cut them to size on a CNC laser.
Where TIG welding was required, it was performed by Team Carnage Crew in Brighton.
(Bill does his own MIG welding and plans to buy a TIG welder for his next project.)
Stock Nissan CA18DET cylinder head.
Twin Spal 11" pusher fans on custom mounting.
Custom 16-gallon aluminum fuel tank resides where the original spare tire was mounted.
Centroid Products fuel level sender.
Walbro 225 liter per hour external fuel pump and Trick Flow Specialties
40-micron pre-filter (part# TFS-23000), mounted under fuel tank.
Fuel is routed via stainless steel hard lines with Aeroquip FCC-Teflon,
braided hose and AN fittings where flexibility is required.
Front Suspension
7/8" front anti-roll bar.
Stock Sunbeam Alpine front suspension geometry and steering. It works very well, thank you.
Doug Jennings rebuilt A-arms.
Spax shock absorbers.
Coil Spring Specialties 450#/inch springs (reduce the ride height by ~2".)
Wilwood Dynalite forged calipers (part# 120-6816).
Wilwood Ultralite HPS 11" 30-vane brake rotors (part# 160-10358).
Alpine engine compartment space is very tight, especially if you keep the original steering system.
Don't forget, you have to leave enough room for those steering parts to move around!
Rear Suspension
Custom triangulated 4-link rear suspension.
Original front leafspring mounts are used for the lower radius rods.
Upper radius rods connect to custom fabricated mounts.
Ford 8" axle housing narrowed and assembled by Front Range Driveline.
QA1 Ultra Ride 15" coilover shock absorbers with HyperCoil 14" 250#/in springs.
Lower suspension tube mount mounts to the axle using U-Bolts from Stengel Brothers.
QA1 stud top conversion kit facilitated use of Sunbeam's original shock mount hole.
PPM Racing Products aluminum radius rods.
Wilwood calipers (part# 120-12160) and 12.19" rotors turned down to 11".
Top hat parking brakes.
Interior
The new, rearward gear shifter position is more comfortable than stock.
Moto-lita 14" steering wheel.
Sunbeam Alpine steering column telescopes. This nut locks it into the desired position.
Speedhut voltmeter and electronic speedometer ordered with customized faceplate trim.
Speedhut Revolution electronic programable tachometer.
Speedhut Revolution water temperature, turbo boost, and fuel level gauges.
1990 Mazda Miata Sports seats with Mr. Mike's leather seat upholstery.
Willans 4-point safety harnesses from Targett Motorsports.
Custom armrest / storage cubby.
Custom door cards by F&H Upholstery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
Stock parking brake lever position, but the lever and cables are replacements by Lokar.
Custom twin-hoop rollover structure (inspired by Boss Frog design.)
Shoulder harness attachment details.
Fire extinguisher.
This bolt-in roll structure was custom fabricated from 1-3/4" x 0.120" tubing.
Roll structure mounting features added to the B-pillar and rear shelf.
Mounting provision for full size spare tire.
Fuel filler.
Odyssey PC925 battery. Alpine MRP-600 stereo amplifier.
Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 engine management system controller.
The OEM heater has been removed. A Vintage Air Bi-Level heater (part# 50616-VUZ) will be
installed soon. Note Haltech dual channel wideband O2 sensor controller in background.
Sunbeam Alpine pedals. Note Spal electronic fan controller (upper right).
The module at left (with black knob) is a Haltech boost controller for the turbocharger.
Advance Auto Wire wiring harness plus Haltech engine management system computer.
Damplifier Pro sound deadening mastic.
Test fitting of the Moto-lita 14" steering wheel.
Access hole for the transmission oil filler bung.
Lokar parking brake cable attachment.
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Bodywork
Soda stripped body, prepared and painted by Chemical Skin in Loveland, Colorado.
After soda stripping, unfinished steel is especially vulnerable to flash rusting.
Bill used a product called HoldTight 102 to remove all traces of soda.
Founded in 1913 by William Rootes, "Rootes Group" was a British automotive manufacturer.
Rootes Group grew through mergers and acquisitions, and then kept brand identities
intact for marketing purposes while "badge engineering" products and platforms.
Rootes' marques? Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot, Commer, and Karrier.
In 1956, Kenneth Howes and Jeff Crompton were challenged with designing a new Alpine model
sports car for the Sunbeam division. Ford's Thunderbird largely inspired project targets and
styling. The Alpine's drivetrain was initially carried over from Sunbeam's Rapier
model. Components from other divisions and models were also used.
Many of the Alpine's floor area stampings are common with the Hillman Husky.
Sunbeam Alpine enthusiasts divide the ~69251 Alpines produced between five recognized "series".
Series I Alpines (~11904 produced from 1959 into 1960) and Series II Alpines (~19956 produced from
1960 into 1963) look similar, though engines were enlarged and rear suspensions were improved.
Series III Alpines (~5863 produced in 1963 and 1964) feature rear seats, quarter light windows
mounted in the doors, and twin fuel tanks which provide room for more luggage.
Compared to earlier cars, Series IV Alpines (~12406 produced from 1964 into 1965)
and Series V Alpines (~19122 produced from 1965 into 1968) feature various
styling refinements including much more subtle tailfins.
The biggest differences between Series IV and V Alpines are mechanical.
Engine size increased from 1592cc to 1725cc.
The Sunbeam Tiger is a V8-powered, low-volume variant of the Alpine. Only ~7085 were produced.
Production spanned from 1964 through 1967. The two models have very different steering systems.
Ford provided V8 engines for the Tiger. Chrysler bought Rootes Group in 1967.
Chrysler evidently didn't know what to do with Sunbeam. Niche models that recalled
Ford styling... one of them utilizing Ford V8 engines! Chrysler cancelled them.
Rootes Group assembled cars, including the Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger models, in a factory in
the tiny village of Ryton-on-Dunsmore in Warwickshire about six miles southwest of Coventry.
Construction of the Ryton plant began in 1936. With the second world war looming, England
initiated a "shadow factory" program. They needed factories to build military equipment.
Their strategy was to distribute manufacturing production over the countryside and over
many contractors. Rootes won contracts to built Bristol Blenheim light bombers at Ryton.
At other facilities, Rootes built armoured cars and also Halifax heavy bombers.
Hillman Imps weren't produced at Ryton. From 1963 through 1976, the Hillman Imp model was
produced at a newer factory at Linwood in western Scotland. The Hillman Avenger (1971-1981)
and Chrysler Sunbeam (1977-1981) were also made at Linwood. The plant was closed in 1981.
Remember the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon? They were developed at Chrysler's French
(Simca) division in the 1970s. The Ryton plant produced Horizons from 1978 through 1985.
The interesting wrinkle is that Chrysler had sold the Ryton plant to Peugeot in 1978, so
the Horizon was rebranded "Talbot Horizon" for sales by European and British dealers.
After the Talbot Horizon was phased out, Peugeot produced four models at Ryton: Peugeot
309 from October 1985 through early 1993. Peugeot 405 from end of 1987 until Autumn
1995. Peugeot 306 from early 1993 through Spring 2001. Peugeot 206 from summer 1998.
Peugeot closed the Ryton plant in December 2006 and it has now been demolished.
The factory that once built Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger sportscars no longer exists.
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Exterior
Bumper overriders have been removed to streamline the car's appearance.
Like this color? Glasurit color code MBB317.10, shot with Spies Hecker paint.
Although Series 4 and 5 Sunbeam Alpines originally had dual fuel tanks,
they were only ever provided with single fuel filler caps.
Bumpers mounting bolts were welded to the bumper, filled, filed, polished,
and the assembly was rechromed by Paul's Chrome in Pennsylvania.
Ford Thunderbird style Series 4 Alpine (body color) headlight trim has been
installed in lieu of this car's original (Series 5) chrome, spin-on rings.
Cibie European-spec headlights. (Note the pilot bulb at the bottom.)
Note also the LED front turn signal bulb insert, in lieu of 1157 bulb.
Hood louvers were cut by The Tin Element in Loveland, Colorado.
Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger windshields are relatively straightforward to replace
because the frame around them is continuous and doesn't need to be removed.
Motorcycle mirrors.
LED brake and turn signal lamps.
Sunbeam Specialties provided trim, weather stripping, switches, lenses, glass etc.
Triumph TR4 license plate lamps.
PIAA dichroic reflector halogen back-up lamp.
Minilite 15x6 wheels (with 4-5/8" backspacing) from Targett Motorsports.
Dunlop Star Spec tires (195/50R15 front and 205/50R15 rear.)
