ok i always like the 1980 pinto cruising wagon. i would love to do something like a old school tuner build. you know lowered with Enkei 92's Black with Machined Lip the old school tuner look.

BUT that's not the Europa killer.

The Europa killer is going to be pretty much a road-race car. i would like to keep away from tube chassis. if i can. but going to be gutted, mini tubbed, caged and so on and so on.... looking to put a 350 to 400+ hp Small block ford in it. would like to put a 6 speed richmond trans behind that. but at least the 5 speed. but really would like the 6 speed. then cut down a 9" rear.... well anyway you get the point. i'm thinking about putting all of this in a hatchback. looking at about 5 lbs per horsepower.

but right now the build is only in the planning stage.

you may say "Why build a car like that..." why not. but here the story behind this crazy build. i already posted this in the "FordPinto.com Welcomes YOU!" page... but i'll repeat it here for you all... about 2 months ago i got really interested in the Lotus Europa. i always did like that car. when i was 16, there was one running around Westminster. i thought it was mean looking in an elegant way, but i always thought it would be an expensive car. but not too long ago i found one on Ebay. it only went for $9000. i seen this so i went to look up the value of the Europa. i found out you can pick a good one up for $8000 to $15000. not bad, the first gen mustangs go for more. well anyway, i joined one of the biggest Europa club to find out more info. i got this grate idea to make a budget build V8 Europa. but it was doomed form the start. as soon as i put the words V8 and Europa in the same sentence they started to hound on me. saying i was stupid and didn't know what i was talking about. and that just p!ssed me off. so i am going to build a car that will whoop up on the Europa. I was thinking about using a Ford Fairmant. since it uses almost everything from the Foxbody mustang. and mustang has a sh!t ton of roadracing parts. and the Fairmant was a bit lighter then the mustang. but it is still too heavy. weighing in at 2800 lbs. yes that's too heavy. but the pinto hatchback weighs in at around 2000 to 2100 lbs. and i know you can put a V8 in one relatively easily. and i know there are some road racing parts out there, and ppl who use to race then. so now i'm thinking the pinto is the best car for this build.

so i'm here to learn everything i can about the pinto and what can and can't be done....

id consider (and i am) a turboed duratech,,,,,,, 2.0 or 2.3-2.5 any of them are capable of 400 horse and 9000 rpm......and its aluminum......

trust me i've looked into fixing up a 2.3 lima. but it seem to become high dollar after you get above 250 hp. Jon Huber is one of my heroes. runs 8.7's @ 150 with a turbo-ed lima 4-cyl Mustang.

but as for a v8 making it noes heavy.... not really the stock 2.0 is HEAVY.
all cast iron to all cast iron. the lima comes in at about 418 lbs and the Windsor (221, 255, 260, 289, 302, stroker's 331 & 347) comes in at about 460 lbs.

aluminum heads and intake should make up most of the extra 42 lbs, if not more.   


oh and i want to KEEP IT OLD SCHOOL. no EFI... carbs only

got the weight off of http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/engineweights2.html

 

if your in a certain racing class some rules wont allow it.

now see you all are real ppl. i didn't know that, thank you. but is there a class where it's run what you brung? i know in dragracing IHRA & NHRA has them classes but does any of the road racing sanctioning bodies have a class like that?

V8s are great but I wouldnt touch anything with an Iron block thats a V8 anymore LS1 are super cheap and will flat out spank any mild older smallblock.

no no i can't.... chevy goes with chevy and ford goes with ford .

and hooking up EFI is no biggie. it's tuning it that is the pain in the @ss. i don't know how to remap an ECM. but give me a carb, flathead screwdriver, 3/8 socket, and i can tune that carb for 10 different  motor and 10 different set ups. and each time it will only that 5 minutes.

to me EFI is only good for 2 things. daily drive, or your highest most outer reaches of performance. (more then 2 horsepower per cubic inch without going forced induction)

anyway i like the sound of a high winding 289 over a ls1... <--- a joke but true....

How is your 77 project going, get the turbo put in yet? We had a great time at all the tracks we were able to visit, but I really enjoyed the road course track at Summit Point,W.Va. could really get into that type of racing. Check out the stampede on U-tube. Take care.

There are catch-all classes in SCCA.

They are regional classes though.

SPU production based under 2.0l
SPO production based over 2.0l

I have ran both as well as A/S ,GT3 and Spec Miata.

the duracrap 3.0 can do it for you, its light and i can guarantee you can get 600+ out of it, the company noble sports cars did it and put it in their car, or you could build the cossie engine like cossiepinto, 1:5 ratio shouldnt be hard to hit

  if i knew how to play with fuel injection i would just do a bad@ss 2.3 turbo.

Im all for you spanking a lotus Europa with a pinto cause I think those europa are butt ugly personally. lol
That being said why not build a Carbed 2.3 turbo?
 

CSU or C&S for a blow thru,I have one from each and both work well.
The turbo wagon is going draw thru but if I cant get it to run right
it will be blow thru in a week.
Go to the turboforums.co m and lurk in the carb section.

this what you're looking to 'kill'?
 

well... i'm still looking into it. i got to look a the price too. i can get a windsor small block that will put out my target HP (350-400) for about $7000. and that's carb to oil pan. all new, done, just need to put into car and break in.

but i got to look in and price out a carb-ed turbo 2.3 build. and see how much it will cost, and if it's worth it.

this what you're looking to 'kill'?

yes... not that one, but yes that car. what i'm really aiming for are the few d!cks on the Europa forum (a yahoo group). how they treated me was uncalled for.

here was one of the last messages i got.

I wasn't addressing Kris, I was addressing Mike about a timeline pertinent tp the development of the AC/Cobra automobile , nothing more.

I have no interest in Kris' street racing/ dick wagging agenda, whether alone, or backed by a "team" of fellow dick-waggers.

Kris, please, stick a fork in this mess; it's done!

and i never talked about street racing and i did not brag or boast. all i did was try to see if i could do a budget/junkyard build. starting with a low hp 289. (210 - 250 hp). and all i got was defecated on, over and over. i have never been treated like that on any other forums. never.
so to get even with them, i'm going to build a pinto (maybe) to out do my original plans for the Europa.
but before i start to throw money around, i want to do research and find out as much info as i can for this build. 


Bigtimmay
thank you... looking into it now...

ive got less than your initial investment in just the motor in a 2.3turbo pinto(car and all) and am over your target hp level and can drive it anywhere and all the while whooping up on v8s and getting near 30mpg... do that with your351.....

Not even doable.. Without real Bucks See attached Photo

with custom wide body panels to cover the tires.

something like this?

how would you go about doing that?

something like this?

how would you go about doing that?

Thats exactly what I'm referring to. I was planning to do just that to my '80 Runabout before I sank over 70K into my "07 Mustang to install an adjustable corner carving suspension & over 800 RWHP to push me close tp 200 MPH top speeds.
 
I was going to use 2 pairs of '79-'80 Pinto fenders to form my widebody panels from. It really isn't that difficult to visualize how to cut & form the fender skins to the perfect shape if you make cardboard templates & tape them to the body to get the shape right. My build was going to use the Jag IRS that I picked up for $200. It's 63" wide & comes with 10" disc brakes & parking brakes already. My front suspension was just going to be the crossmember & adjustabe A-arms out of a wrecked late model stock car that was 62" wide & had 11" disc brakes already on it.  Stock Pinto is 57" width front & rear roughly. The rest of the width I wanted was coming via wheel offsets.