Hi Chaps

As my car should be hopefully sva'd and running for this summer i am looking for a small winter projects... engine upgrade. Currently I am running a nice rebuilt 2.0 pinto. I am planning on buying a 2.0 pinto engine with a 205 block that can be borded out to 2.1. Any ideas of much i should budget for this project. Assuming the following. Obviously new pistons will be needed, and i will want new little and big ends, new main bearings, and the block machined. My cylinder head is in good condition so i will be using that. Hopefully the crank will be ok and a polish will suffice.

Ideas on price??

Ash

Any reason for replacing the little/big ends? they are pretty damn strong on a later (205) Pinto.

I got mine done by Scholar engines. replaced pistons - replaced big end bolts with ARP items - bored to 2.1 - skimmed top surface - lightened flywheel and dowled - reassembled the short engine an balanced the lot - £800

What about buying an already tuned Pinto engine - Like most things they usually are a bit cheaper if you let someone else do all the work!

Obviously you don't always know what the engine has done, but the Pinto is still a well used in racing engine so it wouldn't be a massive problem to find a good one I would of thought!

There is a guy local to me (who helped out with a couple of tool probs I had) who races in a variety of historic classes, and he is often looking at tuned Pintos, so give me a shout if you want me to ask him for one, for you!

cheers mate,
Steve.
(once again thanks for the food!!!)

Just a thought, but most of the power gains from a pinto are through cylinder head work.

You would get a lot more BHP per £ spent by spending it on the cyl head than by going to 2.1. You can get 10- 15 BHP by spending £500+ on the 2.1 or 50-60 BHP by spending that on the head/carbs etc.

I know where I spent my money

Just doing the same myself and I asked the same question a while back. Do a search and you will find lots of useful information.

I set a budget of £1,000, £500 for top and £500 bottom and with a bit of dealing I may just stay within that. That does not included carbs, megajolt and accessories (ram pipes, filters etc)

I was going to go 2.1 with new V6 pistons but am now looking at a deal with a rebuilt 205 with marhle pistons and arp rods & bolts.

Do a search on "pinto" and my user name and you should find some previous threads.

I had already bought a 205 engine but had I not done so I would probably have looked around for a zetec or duratec as it would seem they offer better potential for similar money and less weight.

Power limited by the head, Revs limited by the rods.
Close to 2.1 ( 2.05) is available with standard oversize pistons but you do need the injection rods to rev around the 7000 mark and then not for to long.
Cosworth rods and V6 pistons and you have 2.09 and 8000 rpm and no block skimming ( or a little if you want). The crank will go to more than the rods easily just watch the flywheel (dowl it).

If you have restraint then get a good head and then a cam around 300 duration then some way of getting enough fuel and air in, then your next power upgrade is the bottom end so you can rev it..... IMHO.

Mookaloids got the right idea.

The main thing you gain from going to 2.1 is a bit of torque and virtually no power increase.

A decent head can unlock some serious power though. Plus you can get away with a wilder cam in a locost because the lower down torque is less critical because they are so light. Would probably suggest that an FR33 or RL31 would be good. If you can get hold of an injection head you will already have hardened valve seats to play with and a better port shape. Get group 1 valves fitted, though watch the lengths of some of them you need std length ones, not gp1 length, otherwise the valve train geometry can be a touch poor!

As for porting, get yourself a die grinder (you can get electric or air powered ones) and a good book, and follow that through. It wont be as good as a pro job, but it will save you a lot of money.

Have bronze valve guides fitted when you get the valve seats enlarged, then you can grind away the valve guide in the ports, doesnt give you much, but its better than nothing.

If you want to go to 2.1, AE make 2.25mm oversize pistons which give you 2.1 and they will fit the conrods with no modification.

Unless the big ends and little ends are knackered, dont bother replacing them.

180bhp can be had from a pinto, for not too much cash.

David

[Edited on 25/4/07 by flak monkey]

What are these Pinto "little ends" you all keep going on about?

Well I assumed he was on about the small end of the conrod, and have now remembered that the gudgeon pin is a press fit in the end of the conrod. What a fool