Cams And Heads

[Guest robert kinchin]

Hi engine builders!

 

I am in the position of rebuilding my 2.0 pinto injection engine and would like some comment on choice of cams. I am lead to believe that the pinto engine works best with high lift lower duration cams rather than long duration cams. What are the comments from those that have fitted either of these types. I currently have a list of two that seem to suit my purpose, the KENT FR34 (high lift) and the FR32 (longer duration) has anybody used these cams and what are your comments on them?

 

Secondly

 

Can anyone recommend an engineering shop that can recondition and gas flow the head preferably in the wiltshire/somerset border area

 

Thanks in advance to all that may respond

 

VERY SLOW 2B BUILDER ROBERT

[Longboarder]

One way of going about finding a demon local head modifier is to contact the local Ford rally boys perhaps through your local rolling road. They will know who is the top local pinto man and he will recommend which cam goes with his tuned heads best.

 

Nigel

[ibrooks]

Hi Robert,

I have a 2.1 with an FR34 cam. It was running on the standard Ford injection system in my Sierra and it could shift - ask the guys who I was ferrying up the hill from the pub on the North-West gang's Wales outing. I had several offers for the engine that night. I built the engine for torque because I want a nice useable road engine with lazy low down grunt, having said that it pulls hard all the way to the rev-limiter. High lift will increase torque throughout the rev range whereas high duration will increase power at the expense of smooth running at lower revs - racetrack stuff. The FR32 is just beginning to border on this area but is by no means extreme. You say it is an injection engine - is it still injected? or have you just used an injection engine which is now on carbs? The FR32 may have too much duration for the injection system to cope with even the slightly increased duration on the FR34 had the injection system wondering what the hell was going on and it never gave it's best in the Sierra. It came out of the Sierra last week and is now sat on the garage floor awaiting fitting to my Hood with a weber carb which will hopefully allow it to acheive it's potential. I'd recommend the FR34 over the FR32 for a road car so how do you intend to use it.

 

Just as a final note - you are planning bigger valves aren't you? If not then stick to the FR30 as the standard valves will never allow the head to flow what an FR34 is capable of. Mine are what Burton describe as stage 3 but Minisport who actually did the work called it stage 4 (they are like dustbin lids). Why Minisport were working on a Pinto? well the man who runs the rolling road was actually brought up on Pintos when he worked for the Ford works rally teams - nuff said.

 

 

 

Iain

[Guest robert kinchin]

Hi Iain,

 

Thanks for you input. I shall not be using the RH as a every day car but will take it on the road and to track days but not racing.

 

You talk of minisport working on the head what exactly did you have done and for what price?

 

Yes I had planed to add bigger valves and carbs although I had'nt decided what yet.

 

Were minisport helpfull in this as, as you said its no good paying for a good flow job and not doing all the other things necessary to get the most out of it.

 

Robert

[ibrooks]

What did minisport do - well they took a nasty oily lump of metal and turned it into a high performance Pinto head. They fitted new valve guides, new seats new cam bearings and all the bits that came in the Kent Cam kit. They also flowed the ports and machined the chambers out to 50cc. Oh they also cleaned it and painted it. They provided all the parts other than the cam kit (Burton were cheaper). I paid Minisport £600 quid for their work so all in the head cost me £750ish.

 

Advice wise they don't really commit themselves about Pinto's it's just that I know some of the guys that work there, who have Ford backgrounds, through some mates in the trade. I knew what I wanted before I went in anyway. If you walk in off the street and ask about Pintos they'll point you at Power-Zone - persist because the guys in Power-Zone are a set of Max Power clones who will only help if you're driving a Saxo.

 

Iain