Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[62rebel]

it IS 28 years old, 29 this fall! i rescued a 1980 coupe from certain destruction Thursday; it has the 2.3 OHC 4cyl and 4spd gearbox, power rack and pinion, and dealer A/C. the body is pretty solid for a cheap old car and the rust damage is confined to the header bar over the 'screen and the boot rear panel. i fiddled with it a bit today (Friday) and got it running, even with a 1/2 tank of rotten petrol.

i have this overwhelming urge to build a special now........

[dave7]

I think so. A 2.3L turbo / 5spd from a Thunderbird would be a heck of a lot of fun.

[Rick]

Lots of much later cars are being rescued, and like you say it is 28+ years old now. Had any more thoughts as to what to do with it????

R
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[poodge]

Didn't the mk3 Cortina 2 liter engine also come from the Pinto?
The thing I remember about mine is that it leaked oil,no matter how well looked after.It must have been inherent to that particular size,as the mk4 I had also leaked oil.

[Mog]

Most pommy cars leak oil, it is a tradition ! Jags., Mini's etc. etc. etc.....

[Penman]

Hi
It's the oil that binds together the sand and dirt that constitutes a road surface once you get out of the "heavily" populated areas.

[Greeney in France]

sorry I only just noticed this thread
Yes the pinto has been used on a few brit fords including the Sierra and the Mk1 Escort I had a pinto in my RS2000 and my RS1600
I think later it went into the cosworth sierra too
It was a very good robust engine and stretchable too, I did a bit of tinkering got 150bhp with a good torque curve over the range by changing pistons and high lift camshaft on a stage 3 head
0-60 in 5.5sec top speed was a bit lacking though at 120mph
Yes they always dropped oil via the sump seal and crankshaft seals the sporty escorts at least had the aluminum sump:roll:
I would have loved to tinker with a turbo but costly item in the 80s although I drove a cosworth sierra in the late 80s I nearly lost it on a roundabout due to turbo takeup at an early 1700rpm
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We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[pigtin]

[62rebel]

all things that come from the Earth must return to it someday; Ford was just ensuring that we did our bit......

[mk14dr]

At aint just pinto's though. My kent xflow, although Ive only just built it, likes to mark its teritory where-ever I park it.

The 'pinto' engine came in just about every ford from 1970ish to 199X

Escort Mk1 + Mk2, Sierra MK1 + MK2 (I think they even did a 1300 pinto in the mk1), Granada Mk1 - MK3 (Including the DOHC) Transits, Cortinas, P100's and ofcourse Capris of all mk's

Also, I was under the assumption that the pinto us europeans know and love shares little if anything with the altogether larger US spec 'pinto'

The YB really is more than just a glorified pinto.
And a reliable 500bhp is not out of reach if you have deep pockets, it'll just be everything else you'l break at that sort of power

However you could always do it on the budget, #200block from a transit, reworked head, a cosworth turbo and manifold and a decent set up (amonst a couple of other details) would see you with a decent useable 200bhp(ish)

D

[Uncle Joe]

After reading this thread, why do I get the feeling that the word ''reliable'' means different things to different people?

[62rebel]

well; i consider "reliable" to mean that it starts every time i need it to, it gets me from A to B and back every time, and doesn't need constant maintenance and in fact doesn't refuse to operate even if neglected for long periods. try that with most if not ALL modern autos and see if you're not calling the AA man.
a nuisance oil leak doesn't constitute unreliability to me. it reminds me where i've been parking!

[Uncle Joe]

I have a tendency to agree with you there, but which would be more reliable, I wonder? To use suggested figures, a 500bhp Pinto engine, or a 500bhp big block?

[mk14dr]

[Uncle Joe]

About 1974, I saw a Chevy small block in a pre-war Fiat Topolino, and they have less room than an Escort....

About the same time, I also saw an HB Viva with an FE Ford big block.

So I think that the answer to your question is yes.....