Hey all, im 17 and live in washington..  i blew up the original 2.0 in my 73 pinto..  50/50 my fault. Haha  just bought a 2.3 turbo off craigslist.  Its efi, with a la2 computer. With a t5. Will i havto change alot? Fuel tank? Driveline?  Cut holes in the floor for new shifter? Im not too keen on hacking her up cause shes like my most prized possesion.. anything i need to know before starting? I intend on track raceing her.. thanks in advance.

You have to change the Frame mounts from 2.0 to 2.3's, install a EFI pump, cut the tunnel for the T-5 shifter,  either cut the hood or rotate the intake 90 degs, change the heater blower motor to a Air, conditioned car blower, and sort the wiring.

I've put a 2.3 Turbo/T-5 in my '73 wagon. It was a 2.0, C-4, 6.75 car to start. Frankly it seems like a 2-3 on a scale of 10, but in reality it is a hard 7. So, here are some issues you will have (note the '73 has a one year only steering rack):

1. As stated you will need cut out the 2.0 engine mounts and weld in a set of 2.3's. It is critical you get the mounts just right. And, no it can't be described, only experienced.  I had my engine in/out seven times before I was willing to commit to welding.

2a. There is a rather bulbous section on the '73 steering rack. I ground/filed mine down for added oil pan clearance.  I also dimpled my oil pan slightly for additional clearance.

2b. I have the '88 engine which has the lowered intake and notched valve cover.  That said I have only about 1/8" clearance between the rack on the bottom and the hood at the top.  I notched the ends on my intercooler. And..., by the way the intercooler (if are using one - the stock one) needs air.  The Nissan 300 ZX is probably the better of the scoops available.

2c.  I can not emphasis enough the clearance issues so make sure you consider EVERYTHING before you weld the engine mounts in!!! I slotted all my engine/transmission mounts to fine tune this very tight installation.

3. You will need the Pinto 2.3 oil pan and pick up. The turbo cars have the sump on the wrong end. Getting the pick up out of a donor engine can be a hassle because of the bolt placement (and I recall 12 point bolts???). You will need the Pinto dipstick too. The Turbo Coupe stick will transfer, but the mounting hole is not in the same vertical plane.  I did reuse mine, but re-calibrated it to compensate.

4. My engine was an '88 Turbo Coupe. The waste gate actuator has clearance issues with the inner panel.  Pre-'87 engines might not have such an issue???. Since my battery had rotted out a fair amount of the inner fender I just put in a whole new panel fabricated with clearance in mind.

5. As stated the exhaust 90 degree down casting will hit the stock heater fan. Some use the A/C configuration with the fan in the engine compartment.  I adapted a MG Midget fan with very minor fabrication and have more than adequate clearance.   I'd also recommend filing the bolt slots in the exhaust 90 degree down casting to get it to rotate inward as much as possible. Other wise you will have clearance issues with  the exhaust pipe and the frame rail.

6. A radiator upgrade from the 17" to the 20" is recommended.  If you do it right the cradle isn't compromised, but it requires thinking it through, cutting in the right places and welding.

7. An electric fan should be and likely will need to be used. You can wire it to trigger off the computer and trip a relay. I mounted mine as a pusher.

8. A number of Ford pick up trucks used an external fuel pump that will work. You will also need the filter and high pressure lines.  Make sure you mount everything low enough to gravity feed, but high enough not to get hit.  You will also need to fashion a return line.  I drilled a hole and soldered a tube to the gauge sender. If you do it that way be careful as the gauge wire insulator can melt.

9. If your T-5 is from a pre-'87 car you can use the bell crank for the clutch. The levers will have to be bent a small amount to bring then into the right location.  If you have a 87-88 you will have to get the earlier bell housing.  I used a stock Pinto cable and built my own mount that bolts to the bell housing (where the original cable mounted). The cable barely clears the crossmember, but it works.

10. Yes, you will have to cut the transmission tunnel for the T-5.  I hated the shifter location and cut/welded my lever to suit regarding body build and location liking.  The rear transmission crossmember can be reversed and the holes slotted to meet the T-5. There are issued with the T-5 speedometer gear. Search this site because I can't recall the exact problem  I only know that when I used the C-4 gear with the T-5 it bound tight on install and caused the main shaft speedometer gear to back out. It was a pain to get it back without removing the tail housing. Ideal speedometer calibration would best be accomplished by replacing both gears.

11. If you have a manual transmission car you are in good shape. If not be careful because there are about four different pedal configurations on the Pinto's.  You want the early pedals.

12. The driveshaft might work... .  I had a 2.0/C-4/6.75" rear.  When I put in the 2.3, T-5 and swapped out the 6.75" for a 8" rear the original driveshaft fit perfectly. Note that the 8" rear is highly recommend. Most often 3.00 or 3.55 gear are available but you might find 3.40 as they were also available.  Consider your tire size and performance/mileage expectations when selecting ratio's.  I think 3.25 gear would be ideal, but only a very select few Fords ever had them in 8" configuration.  Given I used 3.00 with 13" tires I'd recommend 3.40's. And, if your using any tire larger than 13" get the 3.55's.

I won't even get to the wiring because you need to get this far before those issues pop up. All I will tell you is that the 87-88 harness is a nightmare.

  If you search my posts "Wittsend" I have a lot of the stuff I mentioned with some pictures.  Look especially at the '08-'09 years when I did most of the work. Going to the actual post will provide pictures that aren't in the post summary.

All the best.  I don't want to discourage a willing soul, but it is truly a significant amount of work.

Tom