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 :o

[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]

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.

[TheArf]

Its all down to personal interpritation

[will_08]

Like you said Arf its a personal thing.

Im not frightened of ecu's, its not exactly rocket science is it. I re-map V20 gas engines at work every other day.

Ive aquired this stage 3 head is all, which are about a £1000 on Burtons website and im torn wheter to build an engine with it or flog it on.

[robo]

Cant say i see where this is going. If you have a 1.6 pinto and it fits the bill go for it, if you can afford a full race zetec great. Every one here is building to their own ideals and at the end of the day the car is not ever going to be an every day driver. Its pleasure miles only and a fantastic platform for later upgrades, just build and enjoy. Worry about upgrades as and when. Smiles for miles;)

Bob

[tkpm]

There are a couple of reasons i'm using a Pinto.

1. It came with the car
2. I don't have a clue about ecu, megjolts efi's

i've not even touched the pinto carb, as i wouldn't have a clue how to put it back together again.

At some point in the future i will replace the engine with something a bit more modern, but i will have pay someone to do that.

Terry

[robo]

http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/PINTO.htm

Nowt wrong with a pinto:)

Bob

[baz-r]

pinto's are robust bits are cheap as chips and there is bits everywhere
i should be fairly cheap to rebuild as long as it doesnt require any machine shop work and your willing and able to do it yourself.
should be an easy fit no cat to fit and no expensive extras needed toget it running
its a personal taste thing really
burton prices ar high btw
if its a 205 block someone would be paying top money for it as thay are sort after
people say its way too expensive to rebuild a zetec silver top
i got a good one with a weepy head gasket it turned out
rings and ful set of shells,gaskets,waterpump etc
cost me £120 total rebuild excluding 50 for the engine itself :rolleyes: plus i got the engie complete as it was pulled out with box and everything so i think i did ok

[alga]

I completely agree with Ash. Pinto design is over 40 years old. It's old, uneconomical and restrictive. Why waste money rebuilding and tuning an 8-valve engine, when it's of near zero historical value?

Actually, I know one reason. If you want to get into engine rebuilding, Pinto is a good place to start. Primitive, crude, robust.

[robo]

Well my mate has an old westfield with a live axle and a 1600 crossflow in it. Its on dcoe 40`s and dizzy with points.That engine was made up out of two he had and he stuck a kent cam kit in it. It owes him nothing and its been in there for 15+ years , its good on fuel, bloody reliable, sounds good and I reckon you would kill youself trying to get past it round here on our roads. Old yes ,crap no way. And a pinto is better than that !!

Bob

[AshG]

haven driven my car with a pinto in it for a whole year and several others i can safely say they are crap.

last year i took it to Exeter show 160mile from my house. it used double the fuel of the people with zetecs and had no chance of keeping up even with bike carbs nice exhaust and a proper setup at ATSPEED. when i got home it was ripped out and replaced for the saab turbo engine. it has almost 4 times the power and easily does 30mpg regardless of my driving style.

all i can say is been there done it got the t shirt.

if you just want a nice little car to poodle about in then fine fit a pinto. if you want a serious tool that will do everything then fit something better.

a 2.0 zetec with bike carbs and a mejajolt is a very very simple setup and will cost you under £500 all done and dusted.

my saab turbo engine cost me under a grand to do the only reason for the added cost was all the silicon hose i need to plumb up the turbo and inter cooler and the ecu

[TheArf]

Hows the back end these days Ash is it straght now. Amazing what can happen with loads of power