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Pinto rebuild


Munch

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So, after the NEC I decided I would get my engine rebuilt. I had no running issues with it, but because I couldn't trace the history I wanted to have confidence in it and thought at the same time give it a bit more oomph. I have a mechanic that has been building these engines for decades for both Mountune and Burtons so he was my number 1 choice.

I dropped my car off in January and after the engine came out I realised that the paint on the lower half of my engine bay was in quite a poor state. It was peeling and cracking with chunks missing, so I made the decision to get the engine bay resprayed. I also took this opportunity to tidy up the radiator, servo and master cylinder. I got the car back in the second week of March and booked it in with Haywood & Scott to get a sweet stainless exhaust made. They wanted the car for 2 weeks. As per normal, the engine wasn't ready in time so an old block was fitted so the exhaust could be made.

The exhaust was due to be finished this week and they have asked to have it for another 2 weeks as a couple of race cars have come in that need turning round for an upcoming race. Everything seems to be dragging on now and I have the car booked in for a dyno set up on May the 2nd, and i'm getting concerned it won't be ready. I'm sure it will all come together in time but I just want to drive my car again!

I will get some pictures uploaded in the coming weeks.

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I wanted to keep it original looking, i.e original air filter, rocker cover and carbs with the battery still where it should be, but change the internals and a few other components. I don't want an unruly beast, but I do want a bit more oomph so I've had the crank lightened and balanced along with the conrods and valves, bigger Mahle pistons by 1mm, so I believe this will make it 2040cc, skimmed and ported head and it already had a piper 285 cam so I've kept that. Obviously all new bearings, oil pump, fuel pump, water pump, alternator, starter motor, clutch and Vernier pulley. I may have missed some bits, but I will be finishing the build next week so if I have I will update you. 

I am hoping to achieve 140 - 150hp.

My mechanic told me that I made a great decision to strip the engine as the big end bearings wouldn't have lasted much longer, see picture. It's funny how things work out for the best sometimes.

More pics to follow next week.

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Funny how things work out.....you said it was running fine!! Looks like perfect timing. Sounds like a good spec engine... sure you'll notice a big difference in performance too. Take it you'll fit new clutch while engine is out?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

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On 05/04/2019 at 21:49, katana said:

Hmmm - surprised that you still had oil pressure with those bearings and no damage to the crank? Possibly lose the fan and go electric - good for a few hp and better cooling? 

Look at the bearing very smooth so just wear no tearing or grooves, oil pressure may have dropped  when warm but not sufficient to notice if using the RS 5 clock 

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On ‎06‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 10:51, Monza said:

Funny how things work out.....you said it was running fine!! Looks like perfect timing. Sounds like a good spec engine... sure you'll notice a big difference in performance too. Take it you'll fit new clutch while engine is out? emoji4.pngemoji108.png

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 

Yep, new clutch going in.

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14 hours ago, notenoughtime said:

Look at the bearing very smooth so just wear no tearing or grooves, oil pressure may have dropped  when warm but not sufficient to notice if using the RS 5 clock 

I changed the oil and filter at the end of summer and the oil pressure went up, but it I hadn't noticed it was low.

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51 minutes ago, Munch said:

I changed the oil and filter at the end of summer and the oil pressure went up, but it I hadn't noticed it was low.

That's normal - new oil will always be thicker, but wear that excessive ie. once through the white metal bearing surface, the clearances are well outside normal tolerances and bigger gaps will always give lower pressures! You may have only saved the situation through sufficient flow - if the pump had been moody then crank wear would have been likely. As regards the RS pressure gauge - yes it shows pressure but how much is guesswork, just like relying on a light - these are usually tripped at 5-10psi pressure - woefully inadequate for useful indication of pressure! I far rather have a light flickering with a 30psi pressure switch for safety! 

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I bet you are itching to get out in the car.   My RS is currently waiting for my new engine to go in … I have gone with Omex throttle bodies though for a nice bit of reliability :)    Bit of tuning on the dyno and away I go …. hoping for mid summer :)    

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On 09/04/2019 at 10:30, Mk2Jo said:

I bet you are itching to get out in the car.   My RS is currently waiting for my new engine to go in … I have gone with Omex throttle bodies though for a nice bit of reliability :)    Bit of tuning on the dyno and away I go …. hoping for mid summer :)    

About time how bloody long

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On ‎09‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 10:30, Mk2Jo said:

I bet you are itching to get out in the car.   My RS is currently waiting for my new engine to go in … I have gone with Omex throttle bodies though for a nice bit of reliability :)    Bit of tuning on the dyno and away I go …. hoping for mid summer :)    

You are sooooo right! These things seem to drag on way longer than you think and when the sun comes out you have no car to drive!

Good choice, I did think about the Omex throttle bodies but decided to stay original. Mid summer seems a long way off though, what else are you doing to your car?

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10 hours ago, Munch said:

Good choice, I did think about the Omex throttle bodies but decided to stay original. Mid summer seems a long way off though, what else are you doing to your car?

I also considered the zetec option but decided to stay original in terms of the pinto but want better driveability hence ditching the carbs - no more balancing :D lol …. no other plans.  Already has full SS exhaust, lowered slightly, 4.1 diff (I used to drag race it).   Needs a bit of a resto and paint job really (bottom of the doors are going) but don't have the funds for that - the engine has cost me a fair bit this year so that will have to wait :)  

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51 minutes ago, Mk2Jo said:

I also considered the zetec option but decided to stay original in terms of the pinto but want better driveability hence ditching the carbs - no more balancing :D lol …. no other plans.  Already has full SS exhaust, lowered slightly, 4.1 diff (I used to drag race it).   Needs a bit of a resto and paint job really (bottom of the doors are going) but don't have the funds for that - the engine has cost me a fair bit this year so that will have to wait :)  

What Cam did you go with? 

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On 09/04/2019 at 10:30, Mk2Jo said:

I bet you are itching to get out in the car.   My RS is currently waiting for my new engine to go in … I have gone with Omex throttle bodies though for a nice bit of reliability :)    Bit of tuning on the dyno and away I go …. hoping for mid summer :)    

I have too many projects Jo should concentrate on one tbh

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14 hours ago, Mk2Jo said:

I also considered the zetec option but decided to stay original in terms of the pinto but want better driveability hence ditching the carbs - no more balancing :D lol …. no other plans.  Already has full SS exhaust, lowered slightly, 4.1 diff (I used to drag race it).   Needs a bit of a resto and paint job really (bottom of the doors are going) but don't have the funds for that - the engine has cost me a fair bit this year so that will have to wait :)  

Regarding carbs going out of balance did you have a throttle stop on the pedal? If not that’s the reason as it twists the linkage between the carbs 

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9 hours ago, notenoughtime said:

Regarding carbs going out of balance did you have a throttle stop on the pedal? If not that’s the reason as it twists the linkage between the carbs 

Yes, I have an adjustable bolt under the throttle pedal. My partner is an engine tuner and we decided on throttle bodies for drive ability. 

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That looks nice and it will still rev too with that profile. Throttle body mapping will also keep it nice down on the lower rev range, so good all round. 

I opted for an FR30 purely for my driving style and the type of roads I potter around. This gave a decent increase over what I had, but your combination will give a fair bit more again, I reckon. 😁

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