Commer information needed.

A

Arrocuda

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Hi... I got to hear about this forum from the Sunbeam Rapier Owners Forum. I own a '71 fastback that is being customised and as part of the process I am planning to turbocharge the engine. Have an LPG system in the lock up that I was planning to fit anyway, so the good news is that I can turbocharge without worrying about detonation and LC pistons etc etc. Obviously once fitted, dual fueling is a no no.

I'm fabricating a plenum chamber at the moment, but what I want to know is will the exhaust manifold off of a 1725cc PB fit on to the head of my car and..... is this off of Commer PB?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/sunbeam-alpine-commer-van-hillman-huskey-manifold-/300490009542?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item45f699abc6

The guy who is selling it doesn't appear to be sure, so I thought I'd ask the experts.

Have a pic of the 'arrocuda' for your trouble.

17094b26858599aab.jpg


Has actually moved on from there..... really need to get it out of the lock up and take some new ones.
 
Hi! Lovely piece of Rootes stuff you have there! Good luck with the turbo job, hope it doesn't detonate too soon...

I don't think that manifold on ebay will fit your engine, assuming your sunbeam has an alloy cylinder head. Stand to be corrected, but why not look at one off a Hunter GT or GLS etc?
 
Welcome along :)
the ebay manifold is not for a commer van. it looks to be for a alloy head engine, I assume you have an alloy head so you would need a manifold to suit, like the ebay one ;)
Good luck with the project and keep us posted on it please :p

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
Thanks for the reply Andy. Reason I can't use the car type manifold is cos it is designed to exit the gases horizontally, same as the one that is on. I need the type that exits vertically so I can weld the flange on it to bolt the turbo to and have it where I need it. Also the car versions have 2 small pipes that come together in a '8' formation where as the Commer is an 'O' (I believe). I got this from looking at the new exhaust pics posted in the parts for sale section. Having an '0' type exit will be better to work with and allow for faster exit.
 
commer manifolds are like this http://66.129.69.181/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2530

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
quote:
Originally posted by commeracer

I assume you have an alloy head so you would need a manifold to suit, like the ebay one ;)




Yep... I have the standard head, with H120 cam and flat top pistons. I think it was Bob that works with the Ginetta racing team that told me it would be about 9.8:1 compression ratio but should be ok.

The one on ebay must be a husky one then as the guy suggests although I thought Huskys had the CIH. I dunno... is very complicated.
 
9.8 seems a bit stout for a blown motor on pump fuel.
I would have thought the STD cam would be more suitable with wider lobe centres [?]
There is a manifold out there to suit what you want , but finding it is the problem :I

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
quote:
Originally posted by commeracer

9.8 seems a bit stout for a blown motor on pump fuel.




Was converting it to run LPG and petrol but now will be LPG only. LPG is a much higher octane rating than petrol which is why it's not as efficient as a fuel as petrol is in LC engines. With LPG the higher the CR the more bang for your buck you get. Manufacturers make cars to burn petrol, hence too low a compression to burn all the gas so less mpg/litre running on autogas.

Dual fuelling classic cars is even more of a compromise really cos you also need to adjust the timing between lpg and petrol burning, so is never going to be very fuel efficient with a mechanical ignition timing device.
 
quote:
Originally posted by commeracer

commer manifolds are like this http://66.129.69.181/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2530




That one must be off of a CIH cos it has the 2nd and 3rd ports too close together for the alloy head port layout.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Arrocuda

quote:
Originally posted by commeracer

commer manifolds are like this http://66.129.69.181/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2530




That one must be off of a CIH cos it has the 2nd and 3rd ports too close together for the alloy head port layout.




Exactly, that,s why the CIH manifolds won,t fit the ali heads :)

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
Took your advice Mr Racer, and bought the one off ebay. Will need a little messing with but should do the job. I'll post a pic of it with this plenum chamber I'm altering, once it's on the block. Only been on here for a few days and can't help noticing what a thriving little community you have going here. The SROC forum is very slow moving by comparison and being a bit of a Rootes fan meself, I do have a passive interest in the old PB. So I might just lurk around from time to time.... see what's going on in here.

Although I've never owned one, the first band I was ever in, back in the 70's, had the use of one to travel to the gigs. None of us could drive so we used to pay the lead singer's mate to use his van. A Commer 2500 of course! (Wouldn't have been much point mentioning it if it had been anything else). So.... many happy memories for me too. [8D]
 
Good show :) hope it works out for you ;)
Do you have any pics of the old Commer you can post up [?]
Yes this place gets busier all the time, so feel free to lurk :D

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
No pics sorry... all I can remember is that it was a 'J' reg' in a very dark green colour, and in winter time we used to open the inspection hatch on the engine cover to try to stay warm in the back. We used to load all the equipment so as to have a 'bench seat' made out of speaker cabinets with a few cushions thrown on behind the existing seats, cos there was far too many of us to all sit in the front.

Is bad news really cos if a dark green panel van ever turns up on ebay, I guess this means I'll have to buy it! :D
 
Welcome along Arrocuda, looking on with interest to see your progress:p:p
BTW. are they wolfies or cobra superslots you have on there[?]

Trev

back to my "rootes"
 
It sure does :D but they very rarely do so don,t worry too much ;)

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
Wolfies Trev... On Rootes cars a lot of the running gear is same spec' as Ford. So lots of wheel options still available. The lowering springs I bought for the struts were Sierra but they fit the keeps perfectly. Total drop at the front with the springs and low profile tyres was about 85mm. ;) Rear remains standard. The customisation was inspired by the '67 Barracuda, which I prefer over the '65, which was the Chrysler model that was launched shortly before the Rapier. So I think of it as the Mk II, the one they never got round to building.

I've been into Customs and Rootes/Chrysler since I was teenager, when I bought my first car, (Hillman Avenger), but never built a custom car. So is really the perfect car for me. Planning on using it as a daily driver as it is a very practical car for a classic. Would be a shame just to drag it to the showground a couple of times a year on the back of a trailer.
 
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