Was in the mood for showing off the start my latest project and where I am at with it.


This here is the mighty ford 2.3 aka the "pinto" or "Lima" engine, found in:
1984-86 Mustang SVO
1983-1984 Mustang TurboGT,
1985-89 Merkur XR4Ti
1983-1986 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe
1984-1986 Mercury Cougar XR7

So, why use this motor?
First, these motors are crazy over engineered. a good example of this would be comparing the factory piston rods to those on a small block chevy...you would find the chevy's is only
larger by ".008, so very heavy duty for a 4 banger.

Another item that lends to their strength in stock form is the abuse the factory cylinder head can handle with its high nickel valves and 4 cam towers.

That brings me to a sweet point about the '88 2.3T block I am using...the 87 and 88 blocks were cast in Brazil (with a higher nickel content, too ), and I have done my NHRA homework and found that this will allow it to run in the import class, even though it has FORD stamped all over it.

Ok, so the long block is decent, what about the fuel system?
This is the really fun part
I am going to be running a complete stand alone fuel and spark engine management system, called MegaSquirt - Electronic Fuel Injection Computer by Bowling & Grippo * * ©2005

Megasquirt is one of the coolest things to come to the hot rod / Do it Yerself industry in a long time.
Long story short; Megasquirt can control everything.

Not only does this totally control your fuel system, you can also run an electronic distributorless ignition system (EDIS), as well as control your turbo boost pressure, Nitrous with secondary fuel pump, 2-step launch control, Methanol/Alcohol Injection, barometric pressure correction and full data logging, just to scratch the surface
On top of that, it's cheap!
Your average joe can get a complete stand alone EMS for a total investment of about $3-500, a weekend in the garage and a lot of reading.


So with the Fuel, Spark and bottom end in order, we can get to the turbo

This is a pretty simple deal here...
Bolt on a turbo from a 5.9l Cummins 6CT M/T- a Holset HX35W, weld the waste gate shut and add an external WG with boost control solenoid plumbed in, crank it to 25-30lbs/PSI and presto! A great basis for 4-500rwhp and similar torque on a stock bottom end that can in theory run 10's in the right vehicle with a cost of less than the down payment of most newer cars.


Of course there are a lot of other things involved, like cooling that compressed air coming from the turbo, and for that I will be using an Air/Water Intercooler, 100 shot of N2O and a custom short intake that I will be building once I can get back in to the shop next week.

Here's the start to it;


This one still has a hand full or two of cash to go in to it before it is on the strip, but if any one is interested I would be glad to provide some examples of what these little motors can do in stock form (10.xx-11.xx in the 1/4, mostly stock) to the crazy guys with the hot rod aluminium heads and other shiny go-fast parts turning mid to high 9's in the quarter.

Anyway, it's been fun sharing this but I'm out of beer and it's almost my bed time...

One more pic for the fun of it

I knew a guy that ran a pinto 4 banger in a woods race jeep. That thing ripped. He had an Offenhauser 4 barrel intake and a 400cfm holley, headers, cam the works. I was amazed at the power of that engine. I can only imagine how yours is gonna do with a turbo and a stand alone EFI fuel system. Good luck with it.

Well I don't know a huge amount about motors but I know this...
About 6 years ago I had a ford capri "Lazer" in white with pretty much standard everything apart from a few engine tweaks and interior stripdown and before I swapped the engine out it ran a 2.0ltr ford PINTO block.
The only thing it had already done to it was a K&N air filter and a straight thru exhaust with Cherry Bomb back box...
Man that thing flew, OK not compaired to your import tuned motors or Cosworths etc but it gave any RS Turbo a run for its money and ripped the hell out of any XR ( baring in mind the car was literally stripped bar the front seats and dash. and yes I had two breeze blocks sat over the rear arches lol - for those of you in the states unfamilier with the Capri, it had a back end with a mind of it's own lol and the 'breeze block ' trick was a poor mans 'thing' )
Eventually it had a brooklands 280 dropped in and I had it re-built as a replica inc the interior.
Unfortunately The photos have since been lost ( were on film and printed ) due to an ex
But this image gives you a rough idea of what it looked like... from a standard white 2.0ltr lazer to something very similar to this...



^ Those seats are Recaro's ^

And a pic of what I would love to do if I had the money to now... ( this is what i would do b4 i set eyes on a beetle or K G !!! ) I'ld love to drop a Cosworth in there!!
I always liked the "Tiger Stripe" design. And by co-insadence that rear wing is from a Sierra Cosworth.

*Brooklands 280 was a 2.8ltr injection*

Anyway, Threadjack over!! Sry dude and good luck with this project! looks great

Megasquirt FTMFW!!!!!!!!!

ABA good choice in beer

Honda eater lol IDK what it is with Honda and Ford owners but it is always ongoing...lol
but one the one ford engine I do love is those ( and the Falcon engines as well)... There sick and that turbo is sick btw.
It looks like you got something going there, what kind of car are you going to be dropping that in if I may ask?

IK you hate honda's, but much respect.. would be a good run against my buddy Roger Young's honda





I might even be able to get a video if your interested..

I think his best time was a 9.85 or something idk but it's well into the 10s, K24 (2005 honda crv bottom end) K20a2 head (Rsx Type S Head) both fully built with a GT42 turbo @21psi and hes putting down @ 660 whp.

I personally am a honda guy I got a turbo d16z6 (stock sohc civic si motor)
in a 1992 honda civic vx (lightest body 2016lbs from factory) mines stripped, only 220 whp but it's alright.. but like I said much respect I personally like any car boosted, you could say I'm a boost addict