Pinto engines

[Fev]

I was doing some research into the Pinto engines and found that they also came in 2.3L EFI (taller deck height) versions over in the states, some even EFI Turbo charged versions.


I kept looking around at later model OHC 2.3L and they continued making them all the way til 1999(maybe later) in the Ford Ranger. Under all the plastic tubing and such the engine looks very similar to the 2L pinto in the escort and i was thinking it could be a very very EASY swap for a late model, fuel injected, much more powerful engine. Much the same with the 2.6L Mazda Bravo engines too.

Has anyone else looked at these? Anyone know if it can be done?

I'm not sure what sort of work is involved but it seems like it could be a great and cheap reliable upgrade.

[outback_ute]

Would have to be possible but not sure if ever done here due to need to import engine (there goes cheap?) - most people going that far would be looking at a DOHC engine instead. Don't think the Mazda engine is related (making mounts/bellhousing harder) and also it is quite a heavy engine as would a tall-deck Pinto be.

Better option would be to fit EFI from a Sierra on a 2L Pinto

[Fev]

That can be very expensive though unfortunately.

[Puzzlescort]

you can get a 2.3 l pinto from a sierra (UK), or try Esslinger in the states for some drool go fast bits for the pinto
The 2.3 from a sierra uses is the same as a pinto here so everything bolts up - maybe an aftermarket computer...
Most people are looking at a Duratec or Zetec, late model, DOHC etc as they are getting fairly easy to get hold of now. The conversion can add up by the time you change the sump & other bits & pieces
You can get 2.3 strokers done here, they do have a heap more torque, but not common anymore
no real answers for you - sorry, but there are some many options these days

[Fev]

Wow your now joking about the Drooling...

[outback_ute]

Originally Posted by Fev

That can be very expensive though unfortunately.

Compared to importing an engine?

[JamesR]

Originally Posted by Puzzlescort

you can get a 2.3 l pinto from a sierra (UK), or try Esslinger in the states for some drool go fast bits for the pinto
The 2.3 from a sierra uses is the same as a pinto here so everything bolts up - maybe an aftermarket computer...
Most people are looking at a Duratec or Zetec, late model, DOHC etc as they are getting fairly easy to get hold of now. The conversion can add up by the time you change the sump & other bits & pieces
You can get 2.3 strokers done here, they do have a heap more torque, but not common anymore
no real answers for you - sorry, but there are some many options these days

actually, the 2.3 LIMA's [not called Pintos] in the xr4s have a bigger bore spacing and the heads have an extra cam support.
http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthread.php?t=134573

[Puzzlescort]

cheers - I stand corrected, I had seen articles from old Performance ford mags (UK) that had the motor in MK1 escorts and had been told that the crank fitted into a 2ltr block
I will have to go & re read David Vizards book again as he mentions Esslinger etc in his 2ltr Pinto book!

[JamesR]

Originally Posted by Puzzlescort

cheers - I stand corrected, I had seen articles from old Performance ford mags (UK) that had the motor in MK1 escorts and had been told that the crank fitted into a 2ltr block
I will have to go & re read David Vizards book again as he mentions Esslinger etc in his 2ltr Pinto book!

Esslinger also did stuff for the 2ltr Pinto!

[Puzzlescort]

I know Esslinger do stuff for the Pinto - we have spoken to them about getting some rods
I was curious to go back to Vizards book to see if he mentions the 2.3 Lima or if he is just talking the Pinto, I got given the book for my 21st I think - Its gathered a lot of dust since then - lol

[JordyCharlieBoz]

Ive been looking into these engines, and they are not the same.

So you would be looking into a full conversion. Tho i dont think it would be all that hard.

The main thing thats making me think twice about this is that the 2.3efi turbo weighs 204kg and the 2L pinto weighs i think ~150

But what makes it look good is in the thunderbird turbo coupe has 190rwhp stock on 12-14psi. So the internals of this engine must be pretty strong.

And in the mustang the engine is mated to the ford T5 gearbox, you know the same box out of the falcon =) nice and cheap and strong.

The advantages of this ino is that i would be getting a powerful turbo engine cheaper than the likes of turboing a zetec and its still a blue oval engine.

p.s Thunderbird Turbo coupe weighs 1.5tonne and does 0-100 in 8sec. put the engine is an escort lets say 1tonne think of the fun.

[max_torq]

They're heavy iron head engines. Maybe a Mazda FE from a telstar is a good escort swap.

[Fev]

Only problem then is converting the engine to north/south setup which requires cooling system changes, custom mounts, probably customising the crossmember etc.

[R0BD0G]

just more info....quote from wikipedia

2.3 OHC

The Ford Pinto used the OHC version, a 2.3 L (2302 cc) unit introduced in 1974 which has a 96.0 mm (3.78 in) bore and 79.5 mm (3.13 in) stroke. This version lasted until 1997 in various guises. The earliest units produced 66 kW (88 hp) and 160 N·m (118 ft·lbf). This engine has also been known as the Lima engine, after the Lima Engine plant in Lima, Ohio, where it was first manufactured (it was also later manufactured in Brazil).

In 1979-80, a draw-through, non-intercooled turbo version was produced for Mustang Cobras and some Capris. Lack of dealership and owner training resulted in many stuck turbochargers and other maintenance problems. They were limited to 5 PSI of boost though Ford Motorsport sold a wastegate with an adjustable rod which allowed an increase of up to 9 PSI. It was used in this carbureted form in a number of passenger cars, from the Fairmont Futura Turbo to the 1979 Indy Pace Car edition Mustang.

In the 1980s, a turbocharged and intercooled version was used in the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. This was made practical by the introduction of Ford's EECIV port fuel injection system; 1983's 2.3 Liter Turbo was the first production implementation of that advance in technology, which paved the way for across the board use in many Ford passenger car and light truck engines; however, the turbo version never made it into any Ford trucks. Output for this turbo/intercooled version was 142 kW (190 hp) and 325 N·m (240 ft·lbf) for the 1987-88 models with the (T-5) 5-speed manual transmission.

The turbocharged and intercooled 2.3 was also used in the 1984-86 Mustang SVO, while the 1983-1984 Mustang TurboGT, 1985-89 Merkur XR4Ti, 1983-1986 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and 1984-1986 Mercury Cougar XR7 all skipped the intercooler on their turbo versions, which dropped output to 180 hp (130 kW) and 205 ft·lbf (278 N·m) of torque. The SVO Mustang's output increased in 1985 1/2 to 205 HP.

A dual-spark version (with two spark plugs per cylinder and distributorless ignition) was introduced in the 1989 Ford Ranger and 1991 Ford Mustang. This version produced 78 kW (105 hp) and 183 N·m (135 ft·lbf).