As I was faffing about on eBay – not sure how I restored cars before eBay, Harbor Freight and digital photography – I found a NOS AC Delco “flame trap” (from Dunstable, England no less) that was reasonably overpriced.  It’s one of those bits that makes a restoration more original (I’m going for “reasonably original” here), but few people seem to reinstall them.  Whatever, I snapped it up.

The flame trap is a little can, part of the crankcase ventilation system that goes between the carburetor and the oil fill spout on the valve cover.  Its job is to prevent a backfire flame from igniting the oil (and fumes) under the valve cover and crankcase - bad if it happened I suppose.

Most Alpiners either close off the ports on the carb and the filler spout or just run a hose between them without a flame trap.  At least, I rarely see an Alpine engine with a flame trap installed, I know because I searched the web trying to find a pic showing how it’s installed.

How do you install it you ask – apparently there are two ways, and both appear to be “correct.”  The first is for Alpines without heaters, the second for those with them. 

Install #1 Without a Heater

I only know the “with or without heater” bit because I went to great lengths to install it the “without” way, only to discover Alphie demanded the “with” way.

The Parts Manual shows the “without” method where an elbow attaches to the oil filler spout and the flame trap, the trap assembly is held in place by an adelle clamp bolted to a valve cover stud then a second elbow goes from the trap to the carb.

From the Parts Manual - the "without" way

I was troubled to learn that no parts store carries ¾” heater hose elbows in stock – actually they might, but I would have to know which vehicle they should punch into the computer to find it, yeah, I have no idea.  I found two elbows on Amazon, but they use silicone hose, a bit modern (and shiny) for a 60-year-old car, but sometimes you gotta go with what you can get.

One of the few pics I found online with a flame trap.
Note,  no heater.

I found that I had to fab a small extension to attach the adelle clamp to push the flame trap away from the valve cover for a smidge of clearance.  Next, I painstakingly nibbled away at the elbows until they fit the space from the oil filler spout to the trap and then from the trap to the carb.  Painted the extension and adelle clamp and installed everything on Alphie forthwith.

Pile of parts for the "without" way, including my fabbed up clamp extension

I had taken the heater hose off the engine block to make it easier to work, but when I went to reinstall it, I learned the difference between Alpines with and without heaters.  The real estate around the flame trap is a snake pit of heater and ventilation hoses.  There is the vent hose that runs from the valve lifter cover to the intake manifold, the heater hose from the engine block to the heater control valve and the flame trap’s assorted hosiery.  A lot of tubing jammed into a small area, which means the flame trap won’t fit that way.  Without the heater hose, it all fit splendidly but not with it.

And here's the problem!

Install #2 With a Heater

The Service Manual shows the second flame trap installation, the “with” strategy.  Toss my cool little home-made extension, which took about an hour and a half to make! and the adelle clamp.  Faff on!

From the Service Manual - the "with" way
(I realize it doesn't show the heater hose, shut up!)

For the with-a-heater set up, the flame trap mounts directly to the oil filler spout and the two elbows do a zig-zag between the flame trap and the carb.  This method allows the heater hose to shoot directly up from the engine block by scootching the flame trap to the side.  Installed this way, I was able to run all the hoses without any hose rubbing against another hose or the valve cover.  Kinda looks like black intestines, but cha-ching!

The "with" way - AKA the "black instestines" way -  with all hoses rerouted
(I gotta get a longer vacuum advance tube.)

In the great tradition of “faffing about,” this operation took way too much time and effort.  I see why people just toss the flame trap and plunk on a straight hose.

One Huge Cable

Next bit of faffing, running the negative battery cable from the battery box to the starter solenoid on the firewall.  Good luck finding a pic or diagram showing how Sunbeam routed the cable.  If you find/have one, please post it somewhere!

I know how its general route, but I had to make a couple of guesses.  I didn’t want to drill any new holes in the floor board or rear seat area, so I routed it through a hole already there and made it work.  Maybe it’s “correct” maybe not, dunno!

After several trips to 2 big box stores, 2 part stores and buying 10 feet of impossible to bend 2 gauge wire, I ended up on Amazon where I ordered 25 feet of 4 gauge wire, a box of silicone boots, some hole grommets, a battery cut off switch and four eyelet tips for attachment hardware.  Yep, way more than I needed but the smallest amounts they sell.  Faff on!

Amazon haul of battery cable minutia (not all of it though)

With a propane torch for soldering (and scorching the wire insulation, as it turns out), I soldered on the tips, fitted the hole grommets and laid out the cable to cut it to length.

I found after I had cut the wire and soldered on the second tip for the starter solenoid attachment, that it was about a foot too long.  Cut off the foot and solder on one of the extra tips – I guess I only bought one too many tips after all – and Bob’s you uncle, one 9-foot (ish) battery cable!  Slip on the silicone boots, bolt it to the starter solenoid and DONE!

Battery box with shiny new grommets and cables, smashing!

This hole was already there and with the little metal tab and groove,
it seemed to fit.  I took this as Sunbeam's original route.
I fabbed up a tab of metal to reduce the buldge in the carpet

Original route?  I dunno, but it will hide under the carpet eventually.

Lots of faffing!