NUMBER: 67-44
DATE: 3-31-67
GROUP: Engine
SUBGROUP: Oil Pressure Relief Valve

MODELS: Alpine V, Minx VI & Arrow
SUBJECT: New Oil Pressure Relief Valve

A new steel relief valve assembly was introduced in production from the Chassis Numbers shown below, having a thick fibre sealing washer under the head of the relief valve.

Alpine V – B.395 012220

Minx VI – B.006 045731

Arrow – B.051 006069

Should you encounter complaints of oil leaks from this fibre washer, it is recommended that the existing washer, approximately 1/8″ thick, is replaced by a thinner washer, 1/16″ part number 5058200. After fitting new washer, tighten relief valve to 15 ft. lbs. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN.

Check for any signs of damage to the threads of the relief valve and body; replace where necessary. This new washer will be introduced in production in the near future.

The new valve can be installed on up-to models by including the filter base, part number 5058202.

T. H. BULLARD
Manager – Service & Parts

NUMBER: 67-42
DATE: 3-30-67
GROUP: Engine
SUBGROUP: Oil Filter Line

MODELS: Tiger
SUBJECT: Modified Oil Filter Line Attaching Point

A new tie down clip has been introduced in Production to prevent possible rubbing of the oil filter line against the steering column. This change is effective from chassis number B382-001094.

It is recommended that the clip, part number 9179051, be fitted as illustrated in Fig. 1.

T. H. Bullard
Manager — Service & Parts

by Ray McCrary (CAT)

Those TRW engine mounts listed in the Shop Notes manual are superior to stock Ford mounts.

TRW includes an interlocking piece so that if the rubber in the mount fails, the pieces catch and the engine does not fall through.

The Ford mount is straight rubber, and if it rips, that’s it.

The TRW numbers are 82220 for the left and 82221 for the right.

Replace in pairs.

by Barry Schonberger with Bob Jardine and Tom Patton

In 1975 STOA reprinted an article by L.C. (Bud) Bohrer, the 1974 SCCA Solo II “B” Prepared National Champion on “How to Autocross a Prepared Tiger.” To this day, that article (see attached) remains an excellent reference for preparing a Tiger. In the 14 years since that article was published, SCCA Solo II rules have changed considerably (they even let us run tube frame cars), so a few comments are in order. My reference points for this article are two MK I A’s and an MK II that have won consecutive Divisional Championships in competitive SCCA Divisions and one SCCA National Championship. Preparing a car is like climbing Mt. Everest; the goal is to get to the top, but there can be a wide variety of successful paths taken to get there.

Suspension

Start here before you invest big dollars in your engine. All of the power that money can buy won’t get you around the course unless you can get the power to the ground and make the car handle. Starting with the front end, don’t hesitate for a minute to reinforce and rebuild the cross member as to the specs in Tom Hall’s and Torn Ehrhart’s tech tips. The stress that the front of the car will take when you bolt on race rubber is well beyond the original design. Pay special attention to the welds around the shock tower and A arm bushing sleeves. Check the threaded plates where the lower A arm attaches. Don’t hesitate to tack weld the upper ball joints in place. Also, you must reinforce the sway bar clamp bracket slot in the lower arm. (Tom Patton failed to defend a Divisional Championship one year because of this failure). A strip of metal welded across the top will do the job. All inner A arm bushings should be replaced with a solid material impregnated with a lubricant. The solid bushings give the driver a much better feel for the road and eliminate the suspension settings changing as a result of the rubber bushing flexing. ‘The upper A arms may be lowered at the shock tower to obtain an improved roll center and improved camber gain. A 1″ solid or preferably hollow front sway bar set in solid bushings seems to do the job. I would recommend Koni shocks on the front set full hard. Because of the front wheel spring rate on a Tiger, the springs need all the help they can get a spring rate of 250 lbs. and custom 70/30 shocks would be optimum.

Concerning front springs, I found the CAT replacement springs acceptable when used with the rubber seats. I have known people to run them without the rubber seats to lower the car. A hard to get item, but one that makes a world of difference, is a quick steer rack and pinion as offered by Bill Miller in the 70′s. This unit reduces the lock to lock from 3.2 to 2.6 turns, providing a real asset in Solo. (This rack is no longer produced). Front-end alignment was 1.5 degrees negative camber, 3.5 degrees castor and 1/16″ toe out. Toe out helped the car turn in faster.

Current Solo II rules allow 12″, 13 “, or 14″ x 10″ wheels or 14″, 15 “, 16″ x 8″ wheels. The only two wheel sizes that are even up for consideration are 13″ x 10″ or 15″ x 8″. The reason for that is the availability of race tires from the major manufacturers. The current situation is not good. The 13″ tires are still being developed, but not for cars in the Tiger’s weight class. Only two companies have 15″ tires available with a third possible in the future. However, limited development is taking place in this area. The big advantage of the 15 ” wheel is the possibility of running bigger brakes. If you choose that route, however, you will be considered a GT spec car, rather than production, and may have to run the 10% weight penalty (not a good idea with a production car). The best answer seems to be a 13″ tire, 9″ to 10.0″ tread face by 20″ or 21 ” tire circumference. This tire is available from a number of manufacturers. When considering wheel offset, remember the stock front suspension geometry win only accept a 3.5″ backspace before the rim hits the rack and pinion arm. Most applications are only 8″ rims in the front because of this clearance problem. With a 10″ front wheel the offset is to the outside, causing scrub problems because of the design of the spindle and Akerman angles. (Look for new rules allowing 16″ X 10″ wheels in 1992.)

The rear suspension can take on a number of different configurations. I found that the forward spring mount needed to be reinforced. It’s very common for this area to be rusted and cracked. I used the CAT springs in their hardest arrangement. Bob Jardine uses stock springs with additional clamps on the front half of the spring to prevent spring windup. I tried a number of different approaches to traction bars before I discarded all of them and went to Ford Mustang quad shocks. Talk about eliminating wheel hop and being able to launch a car, these babies do the job! Brackets were fabricated for the inside of the frame rails and the axle tubes. Credit for this application goes to Bill Miller, who was familiar with the use of shocks as a torque reaction device on the Hollywood car. The rear axle was raised in the chassis using 1 ” blocks at the spring pads. Blocks could be eliminated by de arching the rear springs. This, in relationship to the front ride height made the car just a hair higher in back. Under acceleration, the suspension would even out. A new panhard rod running from driver’s side to passenger side was fabricated to allow for rear roll center adjustment. A 3.73 LSD with the MKII wide ratio transmission allowed for the car to be driven in only 2nd gear on most courses. Shocks were Sprax Adjustable, set on three clicks or in Bob and Tom’s case, Koni’s set full soft. The softer setting allows the power to get to the ground. I didn’t install a rear sway bar. The car only pushed in tight off camber turns and I would compensate by braking deeper in those comers and getting the rear end to come around. Both Bob and Tom used a 5/8″ rear bar. Stock springs and a bar just might have the same roll stiffness as the CAT springs. Bob likes the stock springs with a 5/8″ bar, because it “gives me a little more compliance on the rear with rough surfaces.” I ran a disc brake conversion on the rear, and Bob ran the LAT disc option, but we’re not confident that it helped in the Solo application. My rear wheels were 13″ x 10″ with a 4″ backspace. The car did have Gremlin metal flares on all four comers.

Brakes

Use a soft street Datsun Z car pad. No metallic or semi metallic, because they don’t heat up fast enough. Datsun pads give you a little extra pad area. Braided brake lines with an adjustable brake bias in the rear line were installed. Bob kept his brake booster, because “It is a lot easier to modulate the brakes if you don’t have to stand on the pedal!!” Bob also suggests “looking at Datsun for rear wheel cylinders that are direct replacements for the Sunbeam, but of different diameters.”

Engine

With the new rules, you can run a 302 bored out .047″ over with any head. This appears to be the hot ticket in the Tiger vs. small block Corvette game. A number of Tiger owners have installed SVO aluminum heads with success. Other full comp heads could be a problem when it comes to headers. For Solo purposes, you want your torque range to be very broad, i.e. low duration, high lift and possibly a split profile. Unless you use a roller cam, it is difficult to get this profile. Big dollar item, but could make the car very drivable in one gear. As a starting point, I found the General Kinetics Co. “Redline” hydraulic cam with 290 Duration 438 lift strong (this area needs more discussion). Because of the RPM range involved and the torque needed, the Edelbrock Torker II with a 600CFM double pumper was used, and time was spent timing the carb (see reference book at end of article). A good electronic distributor with a computer ignition will do wonders in Solo because of the ability to keep the plugs from fouling. If you want to save a little weight on the front of the car, use an early timing cover with the exposed impeller aluminum water pump. A bigger radiator core is a must, along with an electric fan upfront and 6 blade behind. An electric water pump drive comes in handy also to cool things down between runs. You are very limited when it comes to headers. The lack of space is your problem. A set of headers from CAT or J.C. Whitney will do the job.

Don’t go too radical with your compression ratio if you intend to drive’ on the street. Ratios in the 10 to 1 range give you the power without excessive heat and octane problems. Compression does help torque however. Oil control in comers is a problem with the small block Ford. For Solo purposes, a Boss pan and windage tray will solve most problems. However, the investment in an Accusump system is recommended. For Solo, you might have your engine builder set the engine up with pretty wide main and rod clearances. You don’t get much of a chance to warm the oil, and the clearance helps. Bob recommends a good oil cooler to help in cooling.

Engine and Transmission Mounts

Drill an extra hole and add a 5/16″ bolt to the driver side mount. Weld up a solid mount on the passenger side. Bob says enlarging the plate on the tubular transmission mount can control wheel hop. This restricts the movement of the rubber mount.

Rear End

The Dana 44 rear end is plenty tough for Solo. The Power Lock LSD is as tough as they get with its four spider gears. You might consider shimming up the LSD so that the release pressure is higher. Use a gear lube additive to control clutch chatter.

Clutch

Quick acceleration and engine braking are important elements to a successful Solo car. For Solo II, a double or triple disk, racing clutch is essential. With its lightweight (18 21 lbs.) and small diameter (7 9 inches), the racing clutch will make a significant difference. McCleod makes one of the best, followed by RAM and Quarter Master. The down side of this clutch is its in/out characteristic. There is very little feel. Starts can be a problem, it is not streetable and for a Pro Solo launch, you lose the weight of the flywheel. Use a soft diaphragm spring if available with not too high a ratio.

You might also consider an internal throwout bearing slave cylinder. Manufactured by Tilton, QuarterMaster and others, this item has proven to do the trick. Alignment and spacing are critical in the setup. Certain models only work with certain clutches because of clutch finger design.

Fuel Supply

A good Carter, Holley, etc. fuel pump with a constant 5 – 6 lb. pressure is what you need. Install a good, large capacity fuel filter because the Tiger fuel tanks will peel their lining. If you’re in a hot climate, consider a cool can to chill your fuel. It can be located where the brake servo once lived. The stock metal fuel lines are acceptable.

For additional information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Barry Schonberger
(812) 985 9592

Ed note:
Does anybody have a copy of this article by L.C. (Bud) Bohrer, the 1974 SCCA Solo II “B” Prepared National Champion on “How to Autocross a Prepared Tiger.”
Use the contact form and let us know. We’d love to be able to reprint it here.
Thanks

by Tom Ehrhart

Most Alpine engines die and are carried to their graves as a result of the internationally dreaded LOP disease. LOP has been the Achilles heel of the Alpine since the car’s infancy. In fact, LOP can be considered as an influential factor when Ian Garrad thought up the concept of the Tiger.

LOP or low oil pressure, like any disease is survivable with an understanding of its causes. It even can be cured, leaving the patient with a perfectly normal life. According to the factory manual, normal oil pressure is “40 to 45 pounds when hot” (and above 2000 rpm, according to me). And they aren’t kidding. If your oil pressure is below 40 pounds, you’d better start looking for a hospital for a cure or a graveyard if you neglect this warning period.

An Alpine engine will run just as long as a Pinto, Volkswagen or Chrysler slant six engine under normal conditions, if properly and regularly serviced. The design of the Alpine engine demands regular service (oil changes, etc.), which the above-mentioned engines can do without and still run just fine. Unfortunately, our engines have been totally neglected through the years, making them look worse off than they really are. The effect is LOP disease, resulting from premature wear of various components.

Now that we understand how we’ve been blessed with LOP, let’s look at what actually causes it.

Rootes engineers designed our engines to run at very close tolerance. They did not allow for abnormal wear. The engines are designed so well that the normal wear rate of internal components is rather uniform. For example, the rings, timing chain, cam and rod bearings, etc. all deteriorate at the same rate, necessitating replacement all at the same time.

With these characteristics, it is obvious why Alpine engines must be totally rebuilt for satisfactory results. A partial patch job is not usually worth the effort and YOU WILL PAY! This discussion is not meant to address engine rebuilding issues, but to serve as a means of understanding LOP problems that follow. LOP almost always (except in racing) proceeds a catastrophic engine failure. It is related to one of two areas. The first is excessive wear of engine rod, main and cam bearings and a loss of oil pump efficiency resulting from normal wear.

The second is a stuck oil pressure relief valve. Although a stuck relief valve is not the cause of most LOP occurrences, it does represent more than its fair share of Alpine owners’ engine maladies. When investigating LOP, it is only natural to check out the most convenient things first. Of course, the relief valve, located just below the oil filter, is the easiest thing to check. It should be checked first, too, to assure its proper operation before tearing into the engine. A discussion will follow later concerning the relief valve.

Now that we’ve cleared the relief valve of contributing to LOP let’s get into the engine. The major cause of LOP is excessive rod, main and cam bearing clearances. Maximum allowable, according to the Rootes factory workshop manual is: Rod .002″, main .0025″ and cam .003″. Except for the cam bearings, these dimensions can be verified by using a material called “Plastigage.” It’s available at most automotive supply sources and even from J.C. Whitney. It is not possible to check cam bearings with this material nor is there an easy way to verify cam bearing clearance by the average car owner.

A good rule of thumb is: if engine mileage is more than 75,000 and/or rod and/or main bearings are marginal, the cam bearings need replacing too! The oil pump system does not have the capacity to accommodate the increased oil flow requirements if rod and mail bearing clearances exceed those specified. It will be necessary to either install new bearings or, perhaps, have the crankshaft re-ground. Oil pumps are not a major factor with LOP, although, previously stated, they do lose some capacity with use. Rebuilding of an oil pump by the average car owner is very easy and is the topic of another tech tip.

It is entirely possible in most cases to cure LOP with repair of rod, main and cam bearings’ tolerances and the modification that follows:

Fig 1

The oil pressure relief valve is a component in our engines that has a significant effect on oil pressure as a potential failure mode. But, it too, can be modified to increase oil pressure. It’s an easy task and can be undertaken by anyone with a few basic tools. There are three types of relief valves in Alpine engines, depending upon engine serial and series number. (see Figure 1) They appear physically different, but all operate in the same manner, i.e. excess oil supplied by the oil pump causes the spring-loaded plunger to open up past the holes on the side of the valve, in turn allowing excess oil to drain back down into the oil sump. If a relief valve is “stuck”, causing LOP, it will be obvious by noting that the plunger does not move freely nor does it completely close the side ports.

Modification of the relief valve will cause engine oil pressure to be in the 50 to 70 pound region. Pressure in this region will do nothing but enhance engine durability for street driven engines and are absolutely mandatory for race engines. Start the modification by removing the relief valve with a 1 3/16th” wrench. Again, refer to Figure 1 to determine the type of valve you have. For this article, the one on the left was used (1725cc). The other two are used in the 1592cc and 1494cc engines.

Fig 2

The 1725cc valve is disassembled by using a propane torch to unsolder the copper tube from the threaded housing. The other valves are disassembled by carefully filling or grinding the ends off. They are re-assembled by peening over the ends that were filed away. The remaining modifications are the same for all three valves. The next process involves drilling a hole through the end and center of the valve and tapping it with 10?32 threads. After the tapping is done, countersink the hole slightly. (see Figure 2 for complete operation)

Fig 3

Organize the components as shown in Figure 3. Note the addition of a small disc between the spring and the threaded housing, a rubber “0″ ring and a bolt with a nut. Re-assembly begins by placing newly acquired disc into body of threaded housing. Stretch and re-assemble in the reverse order of how the valve was taken apart. Place the small “0″ ring on the bolt and screw the bolt into the valve, but do not cause the disc to move. Lightly secure the nut. (see Figure 4)

Fig 4

Install the valve into the engine. Then start the engine and get up to normal operating temperature. A 15-minute trip at highway speeds should do nicely. You should already have noticed a small increase in pressure. Now, with the engine running at 2500 to 3000 rpm, loosen the nut and turn bolt in until desired oil pressure is obtained ? about 50 pounds or more for street use. Remove valve from engine, clean in a solvent and smear silicone form a gasket around the threads and “O” ring before tightening the nut for the last time.

One word of caution with this modification: it is possible under certain conditions that with the engine cold, the oil pressure could go well over the gauge limit. The end result is a blown gauge and a messy dash and shoes. If the oil pressure goes over 90 pounds when cold, a change to thinner oil is warranted and/or the rod and main bearing tolerances need checking.

One more note on LOP: Alpine engines must run within one quart of the full mark on the dipstick. Hard cornering causes the sump to go dry, if it is near one quart low. You are better off with too much oil (over-filled) than on the low side.

by Steve Finberg

Of late, Alpine engines have exhibited a chronic tendency to leak oil from the front timing chain cover set. As has been explained in an earlier tech tip, this seal is designed as a slinger. The oil is spun off the crankshaft back into the timing cover by a spiral groove and disk.

Russ O’Brien published a tech tip in the October 1984 TE/AE Newsletter (Vol.9, No.8) describing a modification to the front oil seal. He brazed in a custom adapter and used a standard American rubber oil seal. The installation required a special jig and some fancy machining.

Having owned an Alpine since 1967, I had doubts about the need for a modification; the front seal did not leak when new and I did not see how the slinger mechanism could deteriorate.

Recently, while transplanting an engine into my Series V Alpine, I had occasion to pull the timing chain covers of three different 1725cc engines. All had chunks of rubber lodged in the oil drain area at the bottom. A quick reference to the factory service manual and parts book showed the missing rubber seal. A close examination of the parts book shows a rubber “o” ring-like gasket near the timing gears, but it was not obvious where it went. It fits in a well in the front timing cover where it seals the gap between the slinger disk and the cover plate. See illustration.

Replacing the seal

It is my guess the “high quality” English rubber will last only a few years as it is under constant pressure, but it is fairly easy to replace. To replace the seal, first drain and remove the radiator, then disconnect the fan belt. Next remove the starting handle (hand crank) castellated bolt. The right tool to do this is a 1 5/16″ 12 point deep socket (Snap On P/N S421) and a breaker.

I have seen it removed with a pipe wrench, but you will never be able to retighten it adequately without the socket.

Early engines (before S/N B395005604) had a tab type lock washer, which must be bent clear before loosening the castellated bolt.

Next carefully remove the damper pulley with a steering wheel puller, using the two tapped holes in the center section. Be careful, as new dampers are not available. Remove and save the woodruff key.

Before removing the timing cover, clean the encrusted grime from around the cover to keep it out of the engine.

Remove the timing cover by removing 13?3/8″ bolts. Once open, clean out any loose rubber fragments and inspect the condition of the timing chain, rubber tensioner, and the timing gears.

When new, there is virtually no slack in the chain; but the gears are quite a bit pointier than expected in most American engines. My decision was to replace all the pieces, as I did not want to go back in later.

Remove the old cover gasket by thoroughly scraping. Inspect the timing cover for flatness as over-tightened bolts could have distorted the flange. Straightening the sheet metal will allow the new gasket to seal better. A light coat of gasket cement on the new paper gasket is appropriate. Be careful, as too much will ooze out and could get in the oil supply and cause serious damage.

Clean the inside of the timing cover and install the rubber gasket in the well after giving it a light coat of oil for initial lubrication. Be sure the slinger disk is oriented properly and replace the cover. The factory calls for a special tool to properly center the cover hole on the damper shaft, but who has it? An alternate technique is to place a piece of 3 to 5 mill shim stock (1/2″ x 5 1/4″) around the damper shaft and use that to centralize the cover.

Assemble with the shim in place and tighten a few of the hold down bolts.

Remove the damper and shim and tighten the remaining bolts.

Tighten only until the compression lock washers flatten-over tightening will only distort the cover (WHAT? You have not installed lock washers on all the engine cover bolts?)

Reinstall the woodruff key and damper; tighten the crankshaft nut as tight as you can. Use a socket and a breaker bar and secure with maximum force you can muster, short of breaking bar. It will be necessary to secure crank by holding flywheel. Reinstall the fan belt and radiator.

After 2500 miles in 3 months, I am very satisfied with the results. Absolutely no seepage is evident and oil consumption is running about one quart per 1500 miles.

submitted by Bob Yurasits

Courtesy of Street Scene: The Member Only Publication of the
National Street Rod Association and also Cherry Fords, etc.

by Joe Mayall

Ford lovers have, for years, been trying to find ways to make the small block (289/302) Ford engines fit into the confines of early vehicle engine compartments without butchering the firewall. The most obvious and often used approach has been to shorten the stock water pump, and while this does work, it leaves the car owner with he distinct disadvantage of not being able to buy an “over-the counter” replacement.

Jim Cherry is one of those Ford lovers who has found a way to beat the “system”. Jim developed a special kit to shorten the Ford engine for his 33 Ford Phaeton 2 3/4 “, and now after a summer of trouble free running’, and because of many requests, he is manufacturing and marketing the kit. The kit comes in two versions; one with the basics where the customer supplies the items available through normal automotive parts outlets, and the other one has everything needed, including gaskets.

fig 1

While this kit has been designed to be a bolt-on using stock items, there is a simple modification required to the GM water pump. The automotive parts house can do this modification if they are equipped with a press (like one used to press a bearing on a rear axle.) The fan/pulley flange on the water pump must be pressed further onto the shaft (to within 1/8″ of the housing), and then the extra portion of the shaft can be trimmed off leaving a stub for fan and pulley alignment. This is not a difficult modification, and the first parts house we tried did it for us at “no-charge”. Cutting the shaft can be done with a hacksaw but unless the radiator is very close to the water pump shaft, this modification will not be necessary in many applications.

The basic kit (#CFP-I fig. 2) comes with the aluminum adapter, an alternator adjusting bracket (arm), and a special front alternator mounting bracket, The complete kit (#CFP-2 Fig. 3) includes the above plus the modified water pump, the water pump (top) pulley, the crank (lower) pulley, and the rear alternator mounting bracket. Both kits come with complete, illustrated installation instructions and a parts list with the Ford and/or GM part numbers.

Since shortening the water pump also means moving the alternator back, the aluminum spacer must be shortened to get proper belt alignment, and a shorter bolt will be needed. Depending on the front crossmember and the location of the engine, one or two of the crank (lower) pulley grooves may have to be trimmed off, and this should be done on a lathe.

One of the drawbacks to using a shortened Ford water pump is that the modification is very involved, meaning that you would have to carry a spare. With this kit the water pump modification is simple enough that a replacement is readily available, and the modification can be done where and when it is purchased.

The basic kit is (CFP-I) and the complete kit is (#CFP-2). Each is also available chrome plated or in gold irradiate at extra charge. For more information or to order, contact: Cherry Fords, Box 213 R.D. 1, Warwick Furnace Road, Glen Moore, PA 19343. (215) 469-9118.

(Ed note: Call for current price/availability info.)

1. Remove the cooler and both lines from a LATE model Alpine (I used a ’67 Series V).
2. Remove the oil filter and lines from your Tiger.

c4 fig 1
3. Mount the cooler in front of the radiator (there should be holes already in the sheet metal.) Mount cooler on top as shown or from bottom as in Alpines (Fig.1).
4. Position the lines about where they will run in the car. One line will run from the cooler to the filter top center hole; the other will run from the cooler to the oil filter take?off on the block.
5. 

   c4 fig 2

   Now take the line from your Tiger oil filter, the one that runs from the center bolt on the filter (Fig.2). With a hacksaw, cut the fittings from the rubber hose by cutting through the crimped areas!

6. The short piece goes into the block where you will fit one of the lines from the cooler. Cut the line to length.
7. The metal tubing may have to be bent a little to allow you to run the other cooler line to it. Cut the line to length.
8. 

   c4 fig 3

   You can either take your fittings and the cooler lines to a hydraulic shop and have the fittings crimped on or you can put a slight double flare on the metal tube and use hose clamps (which is what I did). A schematic of what you will have is shown in figure 3.

OIL FILTER LINES

Use 1/2 ” ID air conditioner hose, available at your local auto parts store, to replace those leaky oil filter lines, or to hook up your oil cooler. Use the fittings from your old hoses and some quality stainless steel hose clamps.

Editors note: I recommend 1/2 ID “Aeroquip” hydraulic hose with their screw-in and braise-on fittings

by Fred Mistr and Tom Ehrhart

The December 1981 newsletter (Vol. 6, No. 9) contained an article about that dreaded Alpine disease LOP, or low oil pressure. In that newsletter, Sunbeamites were coached on how to nurse your engine back to a healthy life. One area not covered in that Tech Tip was how to massage its heart (the oil pump) back to life.

This Tech Tip is the next best thing to a pacemaker for your Alpine, and a whole lot cheaper, too! In fact, you will save so much money from this tip that you will be able to renew your Tiger East/Alpines East membership for about five years!

Fig 1

Fig. 1

As mentioned in the December newsletter, there are basically three major causes of Alpine LOP: 1) Excessive rod, main and cam bearing clearance; 2) a defective oil pressure relief valve; and 3) the oil pump, the subject of this Tech Tip.

Now that the engine bearings and relief valve all have been renovated properly, let’s get into the oil pump. The pump wears out in two areas 1) the rotor tips and outer rotors, as shown in Figure 1, the rotor and housing, causing excessive end play (Figure 2).

Fig 2

Fig 2

There are no remedies commonly available to the owner for worn rotors. However, we do have a way for everyone to eliminate rotor endplay, which is the area needing the most attention. As the pump is used, the rotor will wear out the inside of the housing, allowing more than the acceptable amount of 0.001″ to 0.003″ end play (see Figure 2 for measurement). Since the excessive gap is really between the housing and rotor, it is a simple matter of removing material from the housing in order to bring the gap back into specification.

Fig 3

Fig 3

This process is accomplished by using a piece of #400 wet/dry sandpaper placed on a very flat surface! Place a thoroughly cleaned pump on top of the sandpaper and hold against the paper by firmly pressing down on the rotor shaft. A drill press works nicely for this operation (see Figure 3). However, with a little care, you may do it with only your hands.

With the pump held in position firmly by the rotor you will notice the housing turns very freely. This is the critical operation stage. While rotating the housing lightly against the paper, you will obviously be removing material. It’s aluminum so it won’t take much effort to remove the material. Check the gap frequently until you are down to 0.001″ to 0.003″. Shoot for 0.001″, since that will obviously give better oil pump efficiency. The finished product should look like that shown in Figure 4.

FIg 4

Fig 4

Remember to thoroughly remove all grit resulting from this procedure before re-installing! If you wouldn’t eat off of it ? it’s not clean enough.

With the oil pump rotor end play held in check, you have greatly enhanced its efficiency. You now have a NEW Alpine engine.

by Ron Fraser

Okay, maybe it is time to replace valve seats. You need:

1. A reliable auto machine shop that can handle the job.
2. Hardened exhaust valve seat inserts, high chromium or 60% alloy.
3. High quality exhaust valves.
4. Silicon? aluminum? bronze valve guides. The head should to heated to 300 to 400 degrees F and the inserts cooled in dry ice for 10 to 15 minutes.

“It is imperative to use a heat transfer compound such as Fluid Weld when installing inserts…”

Fluid Weld-Seal-Lock-International, Glenside, PA 19036

Inserts: Martin Wells Industries, Well Tite Div., Box 01735, Los Angeles, CA 90001. Safeguard Engine Parts, Inc., Manley Valve Div., 400 N State Street, York, PA 17405.

This article was written as an information bulletin only. There are no guarantees expressed or implied for any of the products or manufacturers listed.