Okay, so this winter will be the time for me to update the engine & trans in my Pinto, due to the current motor smoking and burning oil.

Currently, it has the stock 2.3 motor, with a Offy intake and Holly 390 4-barrel, and stock 4-speed manual. Car is a 1980 ESS.

My plans are as follows. Instal new motor, convert to mustang T5, swap out the 3.00's in the 8" rear for different gears, and install a LSD.

I recently came across, and bought, a race car (Moddified Mini-stock) from my grandfathers brother. In it is a 2.5 liter truck motor, out of a Ranger. It has a ported head, is bored .030 over, and has a 4-speed on it. I also have a line on a 2.3 liter mustang with a T5, that I can get the whole motor & tranny out of.

So, my plan is to use the 2.5 liter motor & head, use the bell-housing and tranny out of the mustang, and swap out the gears in the rear end.

So here's my questions, I have a few.
 1.) What mods are needed to install the T5? If I recall correctly, I need to do something with the clutch cable, and cut a wider hole in the floor for the shifter. Con someone please outline these issues?
 2.) What fly-wheel do use? Do I use the one off the 2.3? Or does the 2.5 require a different one?
 3.) The current 2.5 has an underdrive pulley due to being a race motor. What harmonic ballancer should I use in place of it?
 4.) The cam that's in it now is an esslinger 2259, power ranger from 3500 to 7500. I think this will be a little too high for my liking. What would be a better cam to run?
 5.) What carb should I run? Should I stick with the Offy intake and Holley 390? Or should I convert to a 2-barrel?
 6.) Other? Anything else I should know before tackling this project?

Thanks so much guys!

Edit: Thought of another question. What gears should I swap to with the LSD? 3.55's? 3.72's? Rear tire size is 245-60-R14's. I don't need them to bake the tires at every launch, but a good burnout would be nice to be able to do, but highway cruising is a must, so I don't want the motor to be at 4k when doing 70 cause of the gears.

Thanks so much for your input. I am more than likely going to try the cam first. If I don't like it, it will be super easy to swap, and I can do it overnight if need be.

And as for the carb & intake, I was thinking about running the Offy intake, and buying a new Holley for it. The one that's on it now is a little temperamental, and I can't seem to get it to run right all the time. I figured I would just invest in a new one and be done with it. I was looking to see if Demon made a carb like that, as my dad has one and loves it, but they don't make a 4-barrel with that low of a CFM rating.

One other thing that got me thinking, is the distributor. I see that MSD makes one, as well as the mating box. Is this worth the money? I've never had an issue with the Ford one, and don't think I need to upgrade, but I thought I would throw that out there.

Oh, and one more thing. While I have the motor out, I am also going to throw on one of those adjustable cam gears too.

Thanks for the input 72pair.

Pulled the 2.5 apart this weekend, and it looks brand new inside. I am also going to try the cam that's currently in it. If I don't like it, I'm sure I can get something different. I also checked the head, and it was planed, so the compression should be a little higher too in the motor.

"I am also going to try the cam that's currently in it. If I don't like it, I'm sure I can get something different."

Hi,  is the cam still in pretty good shape? if so and you want to save a bit of money, you can check out this place.

http://www.coltcams.com/   and  go to profiles.

If you know what type of performance you are looking for you can get your cam ground to your needs.  Geoff is very easy to talk to (i live 20 miles from there) you can send them an email with all your questions and needs. (or call direct)  I had to give him my cam and lifters (lifters to get refaced) and he gave me back my original shaft with a custom street grind for about a 1/3 the cost new. Including the refaced lifters.

cheers

I wasn't sure if the Pinto flywheel would work with the D9 bellhousing so I went on Advance Auto Parts online & ordered a flywheel #50-703 for $54.49 & clutch kit #MU47827-1 for $123.99
 
All parts are for a 1987 Turbo Coupe & Perfection is a Zoom brand so they should be quality parts.
 
BTW, I got the clutch kit for $83.99 + tax & free shipping using discount code FABU at checkout. I did a 2nd order with the flywheel & some other parts to get my total above the free shipping minimum & used the same code & the flywheel ended up costing me $35 + tax.
 
That's $119 for a new flywheel, pressure plate, disc & TO bearing & it even came with an alignment tool. All shipped to my door for free. God, I love those discount codes.

You could get away with just a different clutch disc and t-5 t/o bearing. Regular 2.3 t-5 mustangs used an 8.5" clutch just like the pinto, but had a different spline count.