need to make a choice of what engine to swap to.have posted here before about duratec's and still feel they are a bit expensive and take a lot of work to bring the costs down(time i dont have).pound for pound wot gives you the most power and ease of install.at the moment the pros and cons are zetec-relatively easy install as its been done many times before but not much above 150bhp.xe gives better bhp but heavier and older engine and not quite as popular.want to start gatherin stuff up and keep things as simple as possible.only want to change engine if there is going to be a worth while power difference.115bhp at the moment to 150bhp isnt a big enough difference to justify my hard earned money effort.
BEC!!!
You could do a Zetec ST170 for not too much money.
The great thing about Zetecs is they are so cheap. My low mileage 2.0 Blacktop cost £55.
As you have a pinto you could reuse your manifold on a Duratec though.
Stu
Stu
[Edited on 2/3/10 by whitestu]
Look hard and you can have a zetec for free... just to back that up heres some prices I paid...
2L Mondeo 99p - Ebay
1.8 Mondeo £10 - LCB
1.8 Mondeo free - LCB
my local salvage yard wanted £200 for 'everything' under the bonnet of a Mondeo when I asked.
But I have a ST170 engine installed (£350 after selling some ancilleries) that gave me 166bhp with bike carbs. That may seem low but there was
157lb-ft of torque and this was running real weak with the carbs previuosly set up for my 1.8.
However, have a look on the Focus ST170 forum and you'll see the standard car can have as little as 145bhp, and owners spend money on panel
filters, induction kits, decats etc and vernier pulleys to get them up to the 170.
Just my preference you see
Steve
As you have a pinto fitted all ready i would if i twas me go for the duratec option
yes the engine will cost more but at least the exhuast and inlet are the same sides as the pinto its replacing, plus it is very tuneable and much
lighter than either the XE or zetec.
if money is the real problem why not just keep running the pinto until you have the funds to do the swap
Ease of install and cheapest has to go to Zetec simply due to the way it bolts right up to the gearbox without a bellhousing. Other than that the
costs are similar between XE and Zetec.
XE has the potential to make 200bhp slightly more cheaply and easily than a Zetec but there's not a lot in it.
But don't dismiss the difference between 115bhp and 150bhp, in a 500kg car that's a 70bhp/tonne improvement (compared to the 30bhp/tonne
improvement you'd get doing the conversion in a tin top)
As much as I like the XE, realistically unless you already have one in good condition it's not going to work out significantly cheaper than a
Duratec.
However, if you want a significant power upgrade from your Pinto then I doubt the Zetec will cut it in standard form, and tuning them quickly gets
expensive so one of the above would be a better starting point.
quote:
Originally posted by iank
XE has the potential to make 200bhp slightly more cheaply and easily than a Zetec but there's not a lot in it.
if you want to go really fast dont worry about what engine you have just make sure it has a big dirty turbo and 9inch rear wheels
being serious though pinto to 150-160bhp zetec on bike carbs is quite a big power jump in these little cars.
the key to having a fast car is to fit the engine then have it properly tuned at a good rolling road. if you haven't already i would suggest you
take your current setup to be tuned as you will be surprised how much improvement a proper tune will make.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by iank
XE has the potential to make 200bhp slightly more cheaply and easily than a Zetec but there's not a lot in it.
At the 200bhp level there is quite a lot in it. You are looking at cams and some head work to get that from a Zetec.
and why isn't a pinto on the cards? 
quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
and why isn't a pinto on the cards?
i think tuning the pinto even further is wasted money and making the engine fragile.would rather get 160ish bhp from a std engine under no stress.the st170 was it hard to put in.want to make it easy as possible.was it hard using carbs and getting rid of injection system.do u still need a managment system,as in megasquirt?does it give any more power than a black top.how does mot emissions go with a fresher engine.do they test accordingly?
quote:
Originally posted by tigertom
i think tuning the pinto even further is wasted money and making the engine fragile.
A standard 2 litre Zetec with throttle bodies and a decent exhaust will put out 165-175 bhp, which will be a noticeable jump from where you are now.
XEs are significantly cheaper to fit than Duratecs, can be upgraded to give similar power with comparatively cheaper parts but at the expense of
having a cast block.
Zetecs are cheap DOHC alternatives to the pinto but are nothing special. Quite easy to fit in place of a pinto though.
BEC U FOOL!! lol
What about a 4age? I've been a passenger in a couple of 4age Strikers and they were superb units - I see one on eBay with 69000miles for about £200.
quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
XEs are significantly cheaper to fit than Duratecs
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
XEs are significantly cheaper to fit than Duratecs
Can't be much in it surely? The only major difference I can think of is the larger Duratecs have a dual mass flywheel, but there are non dual mass flywheels used on some engine variants as flak monkey found.
i was going to fit a duratec before going XE, theres a 2-3 hundred quid in it, which is a lot of money for me
what about using a none ford RWD lump instead?
quote:
Originally posted by franky
what about using a none ford RWD lump instead?
how about saab, i brought 2.3 turbo £250 225 bhp 280 lb torq 2.5 omega gearbox £100 cheap power
quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
i was going to fit a duratec before going XE, theres a 2-3 hundred quid in it, which is a lot of money for me
Duratec is the sensible choice.... think about it....for 200bhp ignoring the fact you need megasquirt, throttle bodies etc as you'll need it for
any injection engine
Zetec- engine free to £100, cams £400 pair, also need springs etc, headwork £200 minimum, new exhaust £300, new bonnet/side panel £100. theres £1100
and you are pushing the engine already...
Duratec-engine £300 for a decent one, st150 flywheel £50, bellhousing £150, hydraulic clutch £50, exhaust mods to pinto exhaust £40, sump £100. So
thats under £800 for an engine just getting started at 200bhp....