Don't laugh at my 25MPG ('65 Mustang 6-cyl auto)

[Ecky]

Charlie, I like your taste in cars. Thank you for sharing this!

We certainly have it easy today with electronic control of so many factors. I can tell it was more of an art in the past.

[Charlie Cheap]

Rooster and others, here in the U.S. wide tires means W-I-D-E TIRES...like 13" wide tread and wider. My Sunbeam with 5" rims and 175x70R-14 on front and 185x70R-14 on the rear are almost skinny here in Texas. I am not an engineer but I read their books when building so I have a good idea why things are done. Fuel Injection is better in a modern car because they have computers that read sensors that tell what the motor is doing internally. Higher fuel pressure atomizes the fuel better for FI, but a good carb can do almost as good with 1/10 the pressure. A points system works fine but is not as accurate once above 5000 rpm...though a 4-cylinder with only 4 lobes on the distributor cam can go well above 7000 rpm with good spark. The points can also be updated with a hotter coil, lower ohms ignition resistor, the best available condenser, brass contacts cap, copper wires, and Iridium sparkplugs gapped a little wider. This makes a good long and hot spark. If one understands them, carbs, points, and matching all the pieces for economy can make a nice car even better. Maybe late next summer I will know. The motor is my 2.3 without boring or using high compression pistons. The back yard pix is my shop shot from the patio I built for the wife. She loves to sit in the shade in the summer and by a fire in winter and read...preferably with a glass of wine. I may do that if I ever stop building things.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Charlie Cheap

Rooster, the reason for going to higher voltage electrical systems is the use of electrical power steering, larger computers, electronic ignitions that are heavy electrical drains, and computer shifted automatic transmissions. Add electric torque converter lockup, bigger computer screens, and on-board TV for passengers, and electric demand goes way up.

It's either going higher-voltage or oversizing the alternator and then increasing its drag. Same reason why military vehicles usually resort to a 24-volt system for a long time. BTW a few years ago a friend told me about some Nissan Patrol 160 and Y60 models he have seen in Europe, and got impressed by the 24-volt system fitted to them.

It sells cars/SUV's but I think we have forgotten the purpose of a car...getting us from A to B as efficiently as possible.

When it comes to efficiency, no wonder sometimes it seems like the only way to go from an economical standpoint is to switch from appliance-cars to tricycles. It had been quite common in Uruguay.

[wheelbender6]

The Sunbeam is what Don Adams drove in "Get Smart"?

[Charlie Cheap]

Yes it was but a Tiger not an Alpine. The Tiger had a Ford v8 and 4-speed, while the Alpine had a 1725cc 4-cylinder with 4-speed. Mine now has a 2301cc Ford 4-cylinder with auto overdrive with lockup torque converter. Hoping for a realistic mid 30's MPG highway with 2 people on board and luggage.

[wheelbender6]

They used to make a manifold for mounting a 390cfm 4bbl on a for 2.3 liter Ford. It may be tough to find now.
Just because your Sunbeam is an Alpine doesn't mean you can't mount a machine gun under the hood like Get Smart.

[Charlie Cheap]

Maxwell Smart had a machine gun on his hood because he chased bad guys. I am a bad guy! Okay, a 77 year old bad guy who has lost a lot of his BAD, but I still try. These days I prefer comfort over power, so I have a 4-cylinder rather than a V8, and overdrive automatic with lockup converter for max MPG.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Charlie Cheap

overdrive automatic with lockup converter for max MPG

Vacuum-controlled lockup?

[wdb]

Very nice projects Sir Cheap! I like cut of your jib.

I'm currently working my way through a love affair with inline sixes. I highly recommend the BMW N52 as a source of educational joy. I've had two and they have both been splendid. Although they do tend to leak over time due to variances in coefficients of expansion. Not the end of the world but not exactly Japanese level "reliability".

Anyway I'm following your Alpine project with great interest. They are fun little cars.