Is the Lancia Beta lump worth any effort

[mr2by4]

A relay dedicated to the solenoid circuit is a good idea. Starter solenoids tend to take quite a slug of current, and taking that load off the ignition switch & (long) wiring is a smart move. Had similar issues with the Beta engine I first built mine with - pretty embarrassing when you jump in, turn the key and it just goes 'click'. An easy retro-fit is to use the switched 12V for the solenoid to drive the relay coil, feed the relay power via an inline fuse direct from the main starter terminal and job done - you can do it all neatly, close to the starter, without having to hack the loom. The combination of a 30 odd year old Beta igniton switch and an equally old X 1/9 loom needed quite a few extra relays fitting I found.

I had/have fond memories of the Lampredi TC from owning a number of Fiat 124 SPorts as well as Betas, but back when I had a Monte Carlo (Scorpion) I had already decided it was short on grunt. You can certainly feel the difference in weight & balance between TC & V6, but unless you fancy something a bit off the wall like maybe a VAG turbo unit, a decent V6 is the way to go. I still think it would be interesting to try a modern turbo 4 pot in there, but it'll remain a thought experiment as far as I am concerned, my car building days are done unless I win that lottery

Given the problem you have in sourcing an Alfa engine over there, how about the Toyota option? Don't know how they are for size, but you have some decent domestic V6 motors too.

I think that I have a faulty wire or bad relay inline with the starter solenoid. I don't get a click, I get nothing. Then I try again and it fires right off. As I said, there are a couple of gauges that also work intermittently. I suspect a loose earth(ground) somewhere in the mix. That is never a problem to ignore.
There are actually a couple of engine options that would be quite a bit less money and work better than an Alfa motor. One choice would be to pick up a Toyota 2zz engine with 6 spd box. They are cheap here and if need be can have forced induction added. This was more than enough to make my Elise (us market, not first round) quite a manic drive on the street. It was putting 250 hp to the rear wheels.
I have contacted the local rally organization. I think I will do a few events with them on the twink. If I love the dirt I will make my car into a dirt loving rally machine with the lightweight and robust 6 spd Toyota. If I am not in love, I will likely make it into a street toy with the Alfa motor. I am now discovering a couple of places where I might source a proper Busso (either 12 or 24 valve). I just may need to wait a bit if I don't want to spend a fortune on it. Best news is that I am happy to wait on removing the current 4. It is string enough to make me want to go through the brakes and suspension pretty carefully before I add more power.

[NoCorseChris]

From your description, it does sound like you've got a few jobs to work through! Nothing too serious though by the sound of it though.

FWIW, go for the 24V option if you can. I stuck with the 12V for mine, and with hindsight, think a 24V would have been the better choice. That said, the early 24V motors can be troublesome with cambelt slip issues. The last ones were by far the best, the 166 & GTA era engines. Still have a 166 and the engine is in superb condition at 110k miles. I reckon if I was using it as a donor, I wouldn't bother opening it up....and for me, that's quite an admission as I have been a serial offender when it comes to gratuitous engine rebuilds!

At least you are in the good position where you can get to know the car and enjoy driving it before committing to an engine swap. When I had mine, I had a bunch of what felt like good reasons to build it with a TC then fit a V6 later on.

Good call on suspension and brakes too.

Keep posting, it's good to see the evolution.

[mr2by4]

When I get a chance to go to really "work" on it, I will post a bunch. I will start a new thread with my adventures. My first task is going to be to decide how many circuits I need to keep, since I have a Fiat fuse block, a Hawk fuse block and a pair of relays with a switch hanging off of them under my dash.