What To Do With A Pinto Engine?

[Biotex]

A buddy of mine is into restoring model A's, T's etc...

 

He found a rust free body someone had put on a Datsun frame and has a brand new pinto engine and freshly rebuilt auto tranny mounted. The datsun frame is all painted up real nice, so is the engine. My friend only wants the body, and offered me the rolling chasis for $200 if I help him remove the tub. (figure two hours max).

 

Now, the frame has independent front suspension, so I guess it was a popular choice for replica Tbucket or something. For $200, I'm finding it real hard to pass on.

 

Some thoughts of running a generator, or a pump, sand blaster, etc... come to mind.

 

What would you do with it?

[mnkyboy]

You could probably sell it, those engines have a pretty good following.

 

Last one I built I was cramming 18psi of boost through, it scooted along pretty good.

[Comanche County]

These are still popular with the flatfender crowd too. Pinto swaps into old CJs were common back in the day.

[jimoshel]

Pinto? Buy yourself a boat and use it for the anchor.

[neohic]

We talking about the 2.3L? Stout little engines! I say do whatever you want with it... it'll last.

 

Not to start any fights with Jim, though. :bowdown:

[jimoshel]

LOL. Wife had a ;92 or '93 Pinto. Nice dependable economical car, Probably had around 290k when the valve train went all to Hell.Somehow the rear ex lifter got stuck in the bore, cracking the bock, making a 3 piece cam and busting a valve head, stem and piston top. I scrapped it. Only paid $400 for it and drove it for 3 years so I ain't complaining.

[dasbulliwagen]

The Pinto engine was also installed in a lot of dune buggies. There is (was) a company that made nothing but speed parts for them but I couldnt tell you who they are at this point. I say leave it in the chassis, slap on a 20's body tub and grille, and make a super cheap rat rod. My 2 cents!

[HOrnbrod]

The Pinto engine was also installed in a lot of dune buggies. There is (was) a company that made nothing but speed parts for them but I couldnt tell you who they are at this point. I say leave it in the chassis, slap on a 20's body tub and grille, and make a super cheap rat rod. My 2 cents!

 

Cosworth in the UK built these engines like no one else could.

[jpnjim]

Buy it!

 

You can always justify it later :)

 

Dune buggy sounds great,

or slap a plastic barbie Jeep body on it and have a blast.

:D

[mnkyboy]

The Pinto engine was also installed in a lot of dune buggies. There is (was) a company that made nothing but speed parts for them but I couldnt tell you who they are at this point. I say leave it in the chassis, slap on a 20's body tub and grille, and make a super cheap rat rod. My 2 cents!

 

Here in the states its Esslinger engineering.

[tbunch]

They are a required engine for pony stock dirt track cars. You can build them up pretty nasty!

[huck731]

LOL. Wife had a ;92 or '93 Pinto. Nice dependable economical car, Probably had around 290k when the valve train went all to Hell.Somehow the rear ex lifter got stuck in the bore, cracking the bock, making a 3 piece cam and busting a valve head, stem and piston top. I scrapped it. Only paid $400 for it and drove it for 3 years so I ain't complaining.

 

how did you have a 92 or 93 pinto jim? they stopped making them in 80

[jimoshel]

My goof. The Pinto was a '74. It crapped out in '92 or '93. I think '93 but memory is a little hazy. I just know it was a dependable little car, right up to the end.

[64 Cheyenne]

The Pinto engine was also installed in a lot of dune buggies. There is (was) a company that made nothing but speed parts for them but I couldnt tell you who they are at this point. I say leave it in the chassis, slap on a 20's body tub and grille, and make a super cheap rat rod. My 2 cents!

 

:agree:

[mnkyboy]

Thats where my last one wound up. I pulled it out of my XR4ti and stuffed it EFI, turbo and all in the back of a sand rail.

 

 

 

 

[Biotex]

I'm not into sand rails, but a fiberglass Tbucket might be cool. I will have it on my trailer in 3 weeks and will get some pictures up then.

[huck731]

my uncle ran a pinto engine in back when he raced at the local track, had it linked to a mustang 2 driveline. he also had the fasted streeted (but not legal) car in the tri-city area and it was an orange pinto wagon with a bunch of racing mods done to the engine from the track.

[Dadinator]

yep, those little 2.3's were also in rangers, mustangs, and turbo versions in the thunderbird and mustang.. Many of them around.

There used to be a lot of aftermarket support for them, but I don't know the current status of them.

[mnkyboy]

There is still lots available for them.

[jpnjim]

yep, those little 2.3's were also in rangers, mustangs, and turbo versions in the thunderbird and mustang.. Many of them around.

There used to be a lot of aftermarket support for them, but I don't know the current status of them.

 

A 2.5L Turbo XJ using the SVO/T-Bird sized turbo & Ford controls/processer could be a fun build,

but I'd be about 10 years late to the party for finding cheap junkyard Turbo Ford parts & parts cars.

 

I've been told the Turbo Volvo engines are very similar,

but I'd imagine the old Ford stuff is much less complicated.

 

 

[mnkyboy]

I have a 2.3l turbo just sitting, I was swapping it into a Datsun 1200. I have all the mounts and already made the wiring harness, I ended up selling the car but kept everything.

 

I thought about swapping it into the MJ but now I'm leaning towards using the engine management on my 2.5l with the turbo.

I should be able to use the Ford injection with a mpfi 2.5 manifold, I just have to figure out the best way to go about hybriding the distributor so I can run the ford tfi.

[jpnjim]

^^^Idea stealer ;)

 

I don't know how good/bad it would work,

and the 2.3L bottom end is probably stronger than the 2.5L's

 

But keeping the Jeep mostly Jeep is cool enough of an idea to make me want to do it.

 

A 4cyl Dakota bellhousing will let you put an AX15 or NV3550 behind it, and will live longer than an AX5

 

Even though I would want the Jeep engine,

I WOULD want to cut an SVO style hoodscoop in as tribute to the donor :yes:

[mnkyboy]

I already have an AX15 waiting to go in, I'm probably just going to buy the adapter kit though. Ive been looking for the Dakota stuff but I havent found any good deals.

 

The 2.3l is probably stronger then the 2.5l and it already has forged pistons but stock they only run about 9psi which I think the 2.5l should be able to handle.

 

I could put a 2.5 Ford crank in the 2.3l and put it in, then I would still have a 2.5l but then I have to come up with a transmission or figure out how to adapt the ford engine to my ax15.

[mnkyboy]

Now you got my gears turning. I have a 2.3l external slave bellhousing off a T5 from a turbo coupe,I bet it wouldnt be hard to make it fit the AX15.

[Biotex]

Finally got around to picking up the engine, tranny and chasis. The chasis is a late 70's Datson frame I believe. Here is what I got for $200 plus the wiring harness, new shifter, new brakes and seals still in the box.

 

I have an offer of $100 for the chasis, so I may be looking for something to put this engine/tranny into. Something light...