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.

Hi. Whilst browsing I came across this old post and thought some owners might find the following interesting. All figures are approx. Using Megadodo's data then I will assume a 2B with 2L Pinto weighs 750 Kgs. Standard Pinto gives 105 BHP. My 2L Pinto has been lightly tuned by Vulcan Eng. with Gas Flowed Head, Kent Cam, 4 Branch Manifold with Caterham Silencer, 4 Honda Fireblade carbs and gave a Dyno figure of 134 BHP. Subaru Impreza 2L Turbo weighs 1240 Kgs and gives 218 BHP (My favourite car). POWER TO WEIGHT FIGURES: Standard 2L Pinto 105/0.75 = 140 BHP/Tonne. My 2L Pinto 134/0.75 = 178 BHP/Tonne Subaru 2L Turbo 218/1.25 = 176 BHP/Tonne. Even the Standard Pinto figures are pretty impressive. Now the Subaru has 4 wheel drive and the Turbo and a 0 - 60 time of 5.8 Secs. I know just by feel that my 2B will not approach that figure (I have had 3 Subaru Turbos). However, the Pinto feels to have much better mid-range torque. So, under normal driving conditions, on the move, on B roads with some traffic I reckon it would hold it's own. I know that, when overtaking, if I drop a cog, I am impressed with the acceleration and short time it takes to overtake something. I'm quite happy for anyone to rip apart the above figures or statements. Also, like Alimcc, I would be interested if somebody has tried some 0 - 60 times. I am not a good enough driver to get a true indicative figure. Cheers. Mick.

The next time the garage is clear (I'm working on something else at the moment) I will get the RH in, jack it up, and see if I have an access plate. Fingers crossed!! Mick.

Several of the replies indicate that you only need to get to the Diff end of the shaft. This is fine when removing the shaft. However, when replacing the shaft, the UJ on the splined (Gearbox) end will allow the splines to flop about. I would have thought it very difficult to get them to enter the Gearbox if you can't get access to support and guide them.

Thanks for the replies and possible solutions. I think I will go for Chris's solution of a hinged side panel. Cheers. Mick.

On the assumption that, if I know how my 2B was built, I will know how to take it apart, I have been watching the Build videos and the following has struck me. Order of build/installation is shown as: Engine and Gearbox. Rear subframe and axle, Propshaft. You then start putting on the panels. When this is done you cannot see the front of the Propshaft from above or below. To remove the Engine and Gearbox you first need to remove the Propshaft so how do you get at the front? It would not make sense to cut out the Floorpan and if you remove the top of the Transmission tunnel panels it is still covered by the twin chassis tubes. Lots of you must have removed the engine and gearbox from a built 2B so what is the procedure? Cheers. Mick.

OK. Found them on Youtube. I can work my way through them slowly so as to give myself time to digest one part before moving onto the next. Cheers. Mick.

I did not build my 2B but bought it 3rd hand. If I could see how it was put together it has got to be useful should I have to take anything off. So, could somebody loan me their Build video for a few weeks? I will return it within a month and pay any P&P incurred. Is there anyway I can find out what the Donor vehicle was? The Reg No is E104 DRM. Cheers, Mick.

A few weeks ago I posted a topic titled "Suspension Setup specialist". The ride and handling on my RH was terrible. I had bad Bump Steer where, if I hit a bump, the wheel would leave the ground and when it landed would veer off. It was unpredictable and would sometimes go right and sometimes left. Result was I had to grip the steering wheel tightly and was constantly correcting. There were a couple of places that members have recommended but both were around Birmingham about 150 miles away. I decided to try one further South in the hope of adding a closer one to the recommended list. I found one at Kemble near Cirencester (80 miles from me) and booked it in. They found and corrected the following: Camber - NS cambered in 10 mm, OS cambered out 5 mm (Should be very slightly cambered in). Tracking - 10 mm Toed in (should be straight ahead). They also found the Steering rack Tie rod ends were different lengths and so were the top Wishbones. Additionally they lowered the front ride height so that (they said) the wind would tend to push the front down as apposed to trying to lift it. It has also reduced the spring pre-tension and given me a slightly softer ride. The transformation is amazing. The car is a joy to drive. Took them just under 3 hours and cost £250 including VAT. So, I can highly recommend them. Details are: Neil Garner Motorsport. Unit 8. Kemble business Park. Nr Malmesbury. SN16 9SH 01666 577449 Cheers. Mick.

I can't post photos. I am not the Builder and neither was the previous owner so don't know history. I have used Bob's quick method of checking Camber and got the following. Measuring over a distance of 15" (diameter of wheel). Drivers side wheel is leaning OUT, at the top, by 5 mm. Passengers side wheel is leaning IN by 10mm. Bob says both should lean in slightly. There are several things about the car that lead me to think that the car was built and setup for track use and has not been changed. I have decided to get suspension checked and setup for road use. I have found someone near Cirencester. When it's been done I will report back. Hopefully I will be able to add someone to the clubs "Recommended List". Thanks for all the interest. Mick.

Hi. Thanks for all the feedback. I'm running tyres at the recommended 18 -20. I'm interested in the Handling Kit. The GBS site lists 2. ET 15 and ET35. More info please on what you get and the difference 15 to 35. Mine has already been converted to Wishbones so will it still be an advantage to me? Still waiting for someone to recommend a place to get setup checked. I will use Bob's method of checking Camber as soon as I can borrow a long Spirit Level. Cheers. Mick.