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Pinto engine?


Chili Ron

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Howdy,

I saw an article about building a high speed racer.

The builder used a pinto engine.

Is there a special pinto engine or do they have some

special things?

No explanation was  given.

Best

CR

 

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Without knowing how old the article is or what kind of "high speed racer" you are talking about it is hard to answer this question.  The Pinto engine has not been made for decades.  The most popular was the 2000cc overhead cam engine.  For a while this was a popular engine for OLD jeeps.  I had a Pinto engine in my 1947 CJ-2.  Old jeeps and old Pinto engines are both getting awful hard to find.

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Formula Ford racing in the early 1970's used the Pinto engine.

 

"Back In the Day," there were tons of aftermarket parts and modifications available for the Pinto and its fundamentally decent engine.  The engine was also used in the Mercury Capri - a kinda neat little "sport coupe."  (I had one for a while and enjoyed the heck out of it!)   

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Had a used pale yellow bare bones Capri coupe.  I don't think they made anything but a coupe but they did have some "loaded with stuff I don't need" versions.  I was stationed at Seal Beach and my family was in norther Utah, right up against the Idaho border.....about 800 miles away.  I could get off on Thursday on a long weekend two or three times a month and make the trip in about eleven hours each way with a short stop in Saint George for gas and a pit stop lunch.

 

I sold it five years later with 223,000 miles on it and I had replaced the transmission, most of the suspensions parts, and the brakes.  Not much else. 

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My oldest friend bought a Brand New Pinto probably in 1973 or 4. He and another guy hopped this thing up big time. Twin Weber carbs with the appropriate manifolds, header, and cam, and of course had a custom exhaust system He lowered and stiffened the suspension, and I don't know what else. We use to try to get the guys with the Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles to race. 

My favorite story from those times is one night, we were headed home after a late night pizza, (1:00 A.M. or so), when a Chevelle with a license plate reading "454CID" puled up beside us at a red light. Mark gave him the "Come on" nod, and the guy just laughed. Mark did it again, so when the light changed, we went. I remember the astonished look on the guys face, because I turned around and waved "Bye Bye" at him. 

At the next light, the guy was ready. When it changed, he was ON IT.  Same astonished look. The NEXT light, he was mad! He pulled up, revved his engine, STARED down the light, and when it changed, was once again looking at my smiling continence, as we again left him behind us. He turned off before the next light.

 

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25 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

My oldest friend bought a Brand New Pinto probably in 1973 or 4. He and another guy hopped this thing up big time. Twin Weber carbs with the appropriate manifolds, header, and cam, and of course had a custom exhaust system He lowered and stiffened the suspension, and I don't know what else. We use to try to get the guys with the Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles to race. 

My favorite story from those times is one night, we were headed home after a late night pizza, (1:00 A.M. or so), when a Chevelle with a license plate reading "454CID" puled up beside us at a red light. Mark gave him the "Come on" nod, and the guy just laughed. Mark did it again, so when the light changed, we went. I remember the astonished look on the guys face, because I turned around and waved "Bye Bye" at him. 

At the next light, the guy was ready. When it changed, he was ON IT.  Same astonished look. The NEXT light, he was mad! He pulled up, revved his engine, STARED down the light, and when it changed, was once again looking at my smiling continence, as we again left him behind us. He turned off before the next light.

 

 

 .... I was waiting for the "other" punchline .......... a traffic cop waiting as you casually/sedately drove away at the green light, and let the challenger have all the "full force of the law" ..... ;)

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The 2.3 overhead cam engine , was given 4 valves per cylinder and Twin turbos and other race goodies and could put out over 1,000 horsepower.

I had a 2.3 in my ford Courier a truck built for ford using mostly Mazada Parts .

 

Jabez Cowboy 

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I am perfectly fine admitting that I really liked the Ford Pintos. I never owned one but drove my friend’s a lot. Easy to work on plenty of zip and good on gas mileage. 

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3 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Capri

 

3 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Capri

 

1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Capri

Let's be honest, that is not the right way to spell it.

 

Did have a Pinto, paid $50 for it. Got tires, battery, and some headlight parts.

 

Got past smog by getting a repair estimate (for a burned valve). $50 for the diagnostic/estimate. The estimate was for over $1,000.

 

Sold it over a year later for a bit more than I had into it. I did not have much into it.

 

The engines can be hopped up. They can even be hopped up without removing them from the car. But to change the cam without pulling the head (special tool) or the entire engine, you can simply drill a hole in the firewall in the right place, then swap cams by removing and installing them from under the dash. Yes, the cam went in and out of the back of the head, not the front where it is easy to get to.

 

On edit: I never did fix the burned valve, did give the buyer the estimate with my receipts. I had less than $500 into the car and drove it a few thousand miles.

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7 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

 

Let's be honest, that is not the right way to spell it.

 

 

So how does one spell Capri...?  :)

 

1971 Mercury Ford Capri Original Car Sales Brochure Catalog

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5 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

So how does one spell Capri...?  :)

Review the forum rules.

:ph34r:

Find the 18th letter of the alphabet.

Move it to before the first vowel.

:ph34r:

But keep the original syllable emphasis, it is funnier that way.

:ph34r:

And makes it sound French.

:ph34r:

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Yep.  Now paint it a pale yellow with a black interior, stick a CB radio in it and a cooler for chow and drinks, and take off.  Top speed was surprisingly close to ninety mph, but it tended to get a bit light over seventy five or eighty.

 

Had to remember to clean or replace the air filter  every two thousand miles or it would just QUIT! Damn paper crap filters.  I carried tree or four in the back.

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35 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

Review the forum rules.

:ph34r:

Find the 18th letter of the alphabet.

Move it to before the first vowel.

:ph34r:

But keep the original syllable emphasis, it is funnier that way.

:ph34r:

And makes it sound French.

:ph34r:


DB1B7414-6969-4127-A839-03018EC0508F.thumb.jpeg.829cffd9eb1dc1f2bc1c5c6ec95a2978.jpeg

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24 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:


DB1B7414-6969-4127-A839-03018EC0508F.thumb.jpeg.829cffd9eb1dc1f2bc1c5c6ec95a2978.jpeg

 

19 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

Delete the second "r." Then I'll give you a :lol:

 

Y'all just be jealous 'cuz y'all didn't have one!  ^_^  

 

 

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My first car was a 73 Pinto with the 2000cc motor and a 4 speed. After header(s), new cam, intake and carb it surprised quite a few 289 Mustangs and 307 Novas and Camaros. I beat the tar out of that thing for 3 years and it took everything I could dish out to it. Ate one throw out bearing while I was learning to drive a clutch and Ford warrantied that!  

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3 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

Delete the second "r." Then I'll give you a :lol:


 

67F5692F-6808-430F-9856-523F8D3C1EC5.thumb.jpeg.ab3cbf03ce6d0d693c2b77a581cdeaaf.jpeg
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

 

Y'all just be jealous 'cuz y'all didn't have one!  ^_^  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Yeah does not know how to spell or apprecite fine motor cars.  Probably owned a Chevy Vega.

Nope! Just having fun with it. ;)

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I had a brand new 1972 Pinto Runabout with a 4 speed. Fun little car, never had a problem. I put about 80k on it and traded it in on a Ford Torino because I needed a bigger car for my wife and two kids.

 

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