Big-Block Sunbeam Tiger - 427 Super Tiger

Try&CatchMe!

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4
Hi everyone,

A friend of mine shared this article with me recently. It's from last month's (March 2010) Hot Rod Magazine. The link is below. Appearently a Dr. Mike Frielander and his crew at Vintage Performance in Ypsilanti, Michigan, build a 427 dual-quad, side-oiler version of the 289 Tiger. It's a short article with little detail about the build and a few pics of the whole car.

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_1003_big_block_sunbeam_tiger/index.html

I'd love to know how they shoe-horned a 427 into the engine bay!

Enjoy
 

Tiger tamer

Gold forum user
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318
I'd love to know how they shoe-horned a 427 into the engine bay!

They say they had to make a complete custom chassis for it so I would say the inner gaurds are no longer there. The firewall has been moved back as the factory hood catch and heater box area has gone.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Mal
 

tiger331

Bronze forum user
Messages
16
So they commissioned Shelby to build a prototype with a 260ci Ford V-8, called it the Sunbeam Tiger, and then had Jensen (in England) build the limited-production cars. There was room under the hood to wedge in a 427 big-block, a la Cobra, but Shelby got embroiled in the legendary Ford versus Ferrari battle and didn't have time to do that, so all 7,085 Tigers had small-blocks.

I think this is bs, the big block would never fit in the normal tiger, a space frame is needed. And this is not the way to build a "cheap" car in those numbers, as the Tiger was build. I would never do such a build, as the engine is much to heavy. My favorite would be a dart block, stroked to 385 cui completed with good parts. This Tiger would beat the big block every time.

regards
Hans
 
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66TigerMK1A

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1,129
So they commissioned Shelby to build a prototype with a 260ci Ford V-8, called it the Sunbeam Tiger, and then had Jensen (in England) build the limited-production cars. There was room under the hood to wedge in a 427 big-block, a la Cobra, but Shelby got embroiled in the legendary Ford versus Ferrari battle and didn't have time to do that, so all 7,085 Tigers had small-blocks.

I think this is bullshit at all, the big block would never fit in the normal tiger

Ya, not even close ... lol

I still don't get why they didn't make ALL Tigers with 289's ..it looks to me like they were available ...Do you think Shelby ( or Ford ) didn't want the competition? Nah... lol

Interesting about engine size crossover dates... I remember my dad ordered a brand new 1968 Falcon 'futura sports coupe' and it had a 289 2 bbl. auto but the brochure listed a 302 4 bbl. as the 'optional' V8 ( at least in Canada )!

Jim
B382000446
 

TigerBlue

Gold forum user
Messages
827
260 was consevative choice

Ford made the 289 2v the base V8 (a six was the base engine) in the Mustang and all other passenger cars including the Falcon in early 65 or near that time.

As I understand the "story" of why the 260 was the only installed engine for so long (while Ford was no longer using them in any automobile) is as follows.

There was a long term contract to deliver a sufficient number of 260 V8's. The thin wall block castings are different for the larger bore 289. As Ford ramped up production of 289 engines they asked Rootes to agree to substituting 289 engines but Rootes refused. In someone's eyes the Tiger was dangerously overpowered by the 2v 260 so a 289 was just crazy.

This went so far that after Ford stopped making real 260 blocks, they delivered a number of 260 ci engines with 289 blocks that were intentionally under bored. These were installed in some of the last MK1a's. Because they are cast for the larger bore they can be bored out on rebuild to become 289 engines.

The MKII finally got the 289 but with 6 bolts for the bellhousing. All The 260's and early 289 blocks were 5 bolt. Ford produced the 260 on an industrial engine line after they stopped needing them in passenger car volumes.
 

mitigger66

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2
hi all, i have the name of the company and phone number who was responsible for installing the 427 c.i. in the alpine if anybody wants it?
 

66TigerMK1A

Gold forum user
Messages
1,129
hi all, i have the name of the company and phone number who was responsible for installing the 427 c.i. in the alpine if anybody wants it?

I see they have relisted a 347c.i. 5sp. orange Tiger (Alger?) on e-Bay today. In the ad they claim to have built the 427 Alpine in Hot Rod magazine...
 
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