Sunbeam Rapier H120

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TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#11 Post by TerryG » Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:56 pm

jpsh120 wrote:I'm really hoping it went to someone planning on getting it back on the road.
If you want to find out you could message the buyer saying something like "Hi, I see that you have just purchased an H120, I was wondering if you are planning a restoration or not as I am after some parts" and see what they say :)
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

jpsh120
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#12 Post by jpsh120 » Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:07 pm

TerryG wrote:
jpsh120 wrote:I'm really hoping it went to someone planning on getting it back on the road.
If you want to find out you could message the buyer saying something like "Hi, I see that you have just purchased an H120, I was wondering if you are planning a restoration or not as I am after some parts" and see what they say :)
Well the buyer ID is hidden but I have asked the seller to pass on a message for me!
1971 Sunbeam Rapier H120

jpsh120
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#13 Post by jpsh120 » Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:45 pm

Engine bay now almost complete, just need to fit the radiator and add fluids. Wiring was completed on Saturday and ignition timing set (fingers crossed) so we may be able to turn the key soon!!

Image
1971 Sunbeam Rapier H120

mach1rob
Posts: 1787
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:22 pm

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#14 Post by mach1rob » Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:30 pm

Now I like that!

jpsh120
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#15 Post by jpsh120 » Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:29 am

mach1rob wrote:Now I like that!
Cheers!

Hit a bit of a problem last night when my NOS radiator starting leaking! Going to take my original one for re-core etc but delays inevitable :x
1971 Sunbeam Rapier H120

kevin
Posts: 856
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 7:49 am

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#16 Post by kevin » Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:57 am

This thread has me wondering if i could fit one of these engines in my new project singer vogue! Not done an engine rebuild in quite some time and it would make a lovely car even better in my eyes.
Lovely attention to detail, really hope i can get to see it out and about

jpsh120
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#17 Post by jpsh120 » Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:19 am

Not 100% sure but the engine would probably be a straight swap for yours. The 1725cc engine was an evolution of sorts of the 1600 unit so engine mounts etc I presume are all the same. However.....you might be better off going for a standard rapier 1725 engine rather than the Holbay unit for various reasons;

1. Availability - Holbay engines in good condition are pretty rare and ancillary items (webers etc) can be costly.
2. Cost - As above, buying the engine in the first place could be fairly costly whereas a decent used 1725 engine would probably be easy to source, they were fitted to various rootes platforms of the era.
3. Driveability - The webers are a pig to keep set up and do like a drink. The standard engine uses twin strombergs which will be easier on the wallet and not so troublesome.

The std engine looks almost the same but could be blinged up just like I have done. If you can find a Holbay engine and all the other bits and bobs then go for it. Happy to help if I can.
1971 Sunbeam Rapier H120

kevin
Posts: 856
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 7:49 am

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#18 Post by kevin » Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:32 am

jpsh120 wrote:Not 100% sure but the engine would probably be a straight swap for yours. The 1725cc engine was an evolution of sorts of the 1600 unit so engine mounts etc I presume are all the same. However.....you might be better off going for a standard rapier 1725 engine rather than the Holbay unit for various reasons;

1. Availability - Holbay engines in good condition are pretty rare and ancillary items (webers etc) can be costly.
2. Cost - As above, buying the engine in the first place could be fairly costly whereas a decent used 1725 engine would probably be easy to source, they were fitted to various rootes platforms of the era.
3. Driveability - The webers are a pig to keep set up and do like a drink. The standard engine uses twin strombergs which will be easier on the wallet and not so troublesome.

The std engine looks almost the same but could be blinged up just like I have done. If you can find a Holbay engine and all the other bits and bobs then go for it. Happy to help if I can.
Thanks for that
Need to get the current one recomissioned first then we can see where to go. Not concerened with mpg as its a toy not a daily but we will see eh

tractorman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
Location: Wigton, Cumbria

Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#19 Post by tractorman » Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:52 pm

The only "snag" with the 1600 is that it only had three main bearings. However, that isn't really a problem for day-to-day use and I was certainly happy enough with that engine in my Minx. If you're after a 1725, look for a similar Series VI Minx etc (66-67/8) as the manifolds etc should fit straight over (beware of mixing alloy head and cast head stuff though - the porting is different!) and you should be able to get engine mounting brackets etc from the doner car. The alloy headed engine should have twin carbs, but I seem to remember that the cast headed one was just a single carb engine.

As I say, for day to day driving, the 1600 is a nice engine and I can't really see that you would gain a lot if you fitted the larger one. I was getting over 30MPG on my Minx and a friend was getting about the same with his 1725 version and it didn't feel much faster to 60 when I drove it!

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JPB
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Re: Sunbeam Rapier H120

#20 Post by JPB » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:58 pm

I did that swap in reverse to my Hunter, you'd need a frontpipe that rises further as the engine has a slant to it where the Audax one is vertical, the manifolds would need to be used with the matching engine as the ports are in a different order between the two, you'd need a matching bellhousing and the engine mounts would need to be fabricated or otherwise bodged somehow to mate the Arrow-spec engine to the Audax mount positions. Feasible but scarcely worth the hassle when you could pop a Pinto in with virtually no greater effort. Sorry, but it's right, you could. :oops:

I'd tend to run it with the 1592 for the now and only fit something else if you find it totally underpowered in use. ;)
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

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