mickpond

My Pinto engine needs reconditioning and at the same time I would like it worked on to get the output up to about 130bhp. OCS at Winchester and Brett Sims at New Milton look promising but has anyone had personal experience of their work? Any comments on the above or other recommendations will be appreciated.

Hi everyone. The symptoms are that I get some smoke when the engine has been at tickover and I then increase revs or blip the throttle. I had the head off during the summer to do some gas flowing (not porting). No1 exhaust valve had a soft black buildup of about 3mm covering the top of the valve seat that went right up to where the stem enters the valve guide. All the other valves were fine. I could remove the buildup with a scraper so as I said it was quite soft and I finished off with fine wet and dry. When reassembling I fitted new oil seals to all the valve stems and I purchased them from Burton Power so they should be good quality. To be honest the amount of smoke doesn't bother me But I am concerned about the MOT if I get a fussy Tester. I will know by the end of this month. I'm pretty sure the engine has not been converted to run on unleaded but the person who built the car ran it on unleaded and did about 3000 miles. I add a lead replacement additive which also has a ethanol stabiliser. To make it really confusing the engine number says it was produced Jan 1989 which is exactely the month Ford changed over to unleaded. So, it could be the last of the leaded or the first of the unleaded. My reason for thinking it's leaded is when I lapped the valves in the seats cleaned up with little effort. Had they been suitable for unleaded I would have expected them to be much harder. Thanks for the feedback so far. Cheers. Mick.

Is it possible for an amateur mechanic to change the valve guides on a 2L Pinto that has not been modified to run on unleaded? If so what is the procedure? I don't mind buying a couple of special tools. Cheers. Mick.

Hi Richyb66. I removed the Head. Although I did not disturb the Distributor, as I said, I did change Rotor/Cap etc. The Bosch distributor has a strange Rotor Arm in that it only has a 10mm hole that goes over the Rotor shaft. I had great trouble sourcing one so wonder if it is incorrect. I will put all the original stuff back on tomorrow and see the effect that has. Cheers. Mick. For Leslie's info. If you have a marking for 8 degrees btdc then by using a ruler you can measure the distance to tdc. Measure and mark the same distance the other side and you have a mark for 8 degrees AFTER tdc (simple).

After reassembling my 2l Pinto I find it will not accerated below 2000rpm and then takes off like a rocket. Although I had not disturbed the Distributor I strobed the Ignition and found it firing at tickover 8 degrees AFTER tdc and when revved just coming up to tdc (I did change plug Leads/Rotor Arm etc) Engine has Bosch dist with Hall Effect and Vac pipe goes to ECU. Haynes says timing is factory set but can be adjusted. Any ideas on what has happened? Which bolt do I loosen to adjust Distributor? Is it the one that goes into Block? Cheers. Mick.

Thanks brumster. They are fairly close too. I will contact them when I am ready. Cheers. Mick.

Hi. I've recently done some work on my 2L Pinto and some of the bits I needed to remove allowed me to see inside parts of the engine. It is obvious that the engine was not stripped and rebuilt being being put into the car so it is 33 years old. So, I'm looking for recommendations (from personal experience) for individuals or companies that could do this for me. I live in Hampshire but anywhere in the South would be OK. Cheers. Mick.

There are a few reasons why I am going down the R1 route A lot of across the frame 4's do not have equal spacing between the carbs. There are a few companies that manufacture Inlet Manifolds with the correct spacing plus (importantly) the correct angle for R1 carbs. So, plenty of choice. Once you find your way round the carbs they are fairly easy to setup. A crosshead and blade screwdriver, a pair of vacuum gauges, and some small drill bits, are all you need and I already have them. Because of the above I assumed there would be some members in the south that had done the mod. That assumption was incorrect because I have not had any invites to visit. However, I found a Forum called "Classic Ford". On that a person has written a comprehensive article, with photos, of the procedure and another has written on setting the carbs up. I still had a query so posted that and next day had a reply from Australia with the answer. So, I now know what I need and what I need to do. Thanks for the interest. Mick.

Hi Mike. Thanks for the contact and info. Do Bogg Brothers have a website. I am using the 2B during the winter (got too old for using the motorbike) so am not doing the mod till the spring at the earliest. Sometimes I travel up to the Manchester area so If you are happy to give me some contact details then if I come up before then I could contact you and see if you are free for me to visit you. Don't be confused by change in user name and details. I have now joined RHocaR and that is the reason. Cheers. Mick.

Yes, but please note that it has to be collected.

Nobody has shown any interest in these items so I am open to offers. Be a shame to have to take them to the scrap metal merchant. Mick.

The following 2B parts are brand new and still in packing. Orange Nose Cone. £70 (Cost £132) Stainless Steel Bonnet with integral Scuttle. Has holes drilled for Heater Vents and Wipers but no louvers. £200 (Cost £330). Starter Motor. Doner car was a 1987 Sierra with 2L Pinto and standard Gearbox so Starter was bought to fit this setup. £45 (Cost £90). Nose Cone and Bonnet will have to be collected from Bishops Waltham in Hampshire.

Hi. I wanted to list something on the "Wanted" forum but it would not let me do it because it said that I was not a member. Who do I contact to get this corrected? Please don't just give me a name. I need for details such as: How to locate him on the Website, how to send a personal message etc. Thanks. Mick.

Had a minor prang in my 2B yesterday. Result is a smashed Nosecone and a very bent and creased bonnet. I think the Nosecone is still available from GBS but not the Bonnet panels. Mine are stainless steel. Does anyone have some for sale? If not then I need a good fabricator in the Southampton/Fareham/Winchester/Portsmouth area. Cheers. Mick.

I'm impressed that some of you are getting 0 - 60 times of less than 7 secs particularly as these are "real world" figures. When I can get my brother in the passenger seat I will give it a try (Speedo is in the middle of dash so need someone to watch that and operate Stopwatch whilst I concentrate on Revcounter). Because of the comments on 1st to 2nd problems I will also have a go starting off in 2nd. I often do this in general driving because it feels quite happy doing so. If I can get less than 9 secs with 2 people in the car I will be more than happy.