Pinto - rebuild or not?!?!?!

[will_08]

Hey guys

my Sierra donor came with a 1600 pinto, which wasnt ideal but i was just going to get IVA'd with it then re-evaluate my options.........

Then my pal said he had this awesome 2ltr pinto, Burton stage 3 head, kent cam, vernier pully, 38dgas with K&N etc. but its a standard Cortina block. anyway i bought that. but now im thinking is it worth while putting money into rebuilding the engine? I know the big ends are worn, havent measured the crank yet. probably going to want honing, new rings etc

I was thinking still fit the 1600 then rebuild the engine as a side project at a latter date? but the engine rebuilt is probably going to stand me at about £500 is it worth the bother??

Will

[brainbug007]

Tough call but personally I'd put the 1600 pinto in till you get thru iva so you're more likely to get an age related plate. Then afterwards you can either put the bigger pinto in or do something like build a zetec up which might give you more power for the same money.

[AshG]

why would anyone ever want to waste a pound on a pinto let alone 500 of them even the older crossflow is a better engine than a pinto. for £700 you can buy a brand new in the box 2.0 zetec that will make loads more power be economical and actually nice to drive.

I started with a 1600 pinto in mine and after a year of messing about i eventually swapped it for a saab turbo engine. never looked back the saab engine is 100000000x more refined and makes 200+ bhp out of the box. the whole conversion including ecu engine and omega gearbox cost me under £600 and a bit of time.

[will_08]

Yeah i see your point, the whole experience is a learning curve with me.

Im happy to fit the 1600 for the iva, then for another project maybe overhaul/fit the 2ltr.

Cant really be arsed at this minute messing with complicated ECU's etc

Think im after some nostalgia

[TheArf]

Go for it Will nothing wrong with nostalgia, new is not always best. Some people cant handle the power of new, not saying you can't, but some do think beyond their capabilities.

[AshG]

give me an ecu and injection any day. picking out jets for carbs etc and fiddling distributors is a pain in the ass. hook up an ecu and type in numbers for what you want it to do is much easier and you don't have to get dirty.

[tkpm]

I spent £250 on my 2L Pinto rebuild,

Head honed, ported and skimmed
Crank polish and balance checked
Piston rings
New bearings and oil seal
All gaskets replaced
Every part was stripped and cleaned

Terry

[TheArf]

Good job we are not all called Ash then as many of the old classics would not be around any more. New is not always best.

[deezee]

Originally Posted by TheArf

Good job we are not all called Ash then as many of the old classics would not be around any more. New is not always best.

A Pinto isn't really the same as a 1960's Lotus Elan. This is about economics. You can spend a few hundred servicing a old, outdated, component. Or buy a newer, better one. I'm struggling to understand the comparison.

[AshG]

almost any engine can be converted to efi. if the systems that are available today were available in the 30s-60s they wouldn't have hesitated to use them back then. when you think about it pretty much every production car since the 80's has come with efi, its hardly rocket science.

i love old classics and understand they should be kept as is but why put an out of date old hat engine in what is essentially a new car especially when it is going to cost more than a modern better engine. i dont see where the nostalgia is in this scenario the pinto was never used in a production 7. if you want proper nostalgia build it with a flat head side valve or a coventry climax like the old proper pre caterham 7's used to have.