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Author Topic: 2.3L Horsepower Boost  (Read 7026 times)

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Offline From_Jonah

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2.3L Horsepower Boost
« on: July 01, 2013, 11:01:54 PM »
Hi all,

This week I'm picking up another 2.3 to overhaul while I'm driving my wagon with it's original 2.3 since I can't have it out of comission long enough to rebuild. I'm wanting to build this motor good. What are some of the best options to boost hp? I'm not expecting to run 8s on a track. I'd just like to have a little more get up and go.

Options I'm currently thinking about doing are

Offenhauser 2 barrel intake. Opinions on which carb to choose? And is it really worth it?

Headers

Lifted cam? Roller cam?

Any other options are welcomed. Thanks in advance guys!(And girls)
1977 wagon - baby blue full restoration project.

1980 wagon - (77 front clip) converted to cruising wagon. (Sold in 2015. Can’t find her again.)

Offline Jerry merrill

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2013, 12:37:02 AM »
Try a full length header and adjustable cam gear so you can advance the cam about 2 deg. do you have a stick or auto? Rear gears?

Offline OhSix9

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2013, 05:59:46 PM »
What are you getting for a core and how much do you want to spend for the whole deal.  Na options are compression ratio, a little port n polish. air in and out goes a long way with these motors.. OBD 1 fuel injection is so easy to wire, robbing a 2.3 mustang for the ecu and all the injection stuff beats a carb hands down. A shorty tubular from a ranger is a good exhaust option. if it has a slider cam do the ranger roller swap if you are not gonna cam it up as well.

The best option bar none is to blow on it a lil. even in small vam and injector trim it makes an amusing 150ish hp and you can probably dig up the stuff for next to nothing as everybody really in to them upgrades these components . Add overdrive behind it when you do the swap. These things breathe so poorly force feeding em is almost a required solution for any gains i would consider money well spent. Aside from being bolt in and bulletproof on the bottom end the 2.3 has little going for it. It is beyond me why the never twin cammed this design. 
Modest beginnings start with the single blow of a horn man..    Now when you get through with this thing every dickhead in the world is gonna wanna own it.   Do you know anything at all about the internal combustion engine?

Virgil to Sid

Offline thmpsn70

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2013, 07:04:30 PM »
Im with ^^^^ him, ranger roller is simple and did my NA 2.3 a wonder in how it ran (but it was a 3cylinder before I swapped it out)

Offline waldo786

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2013, 10:21:04 AM »
What I'm having done is work on the heads with a new roller cam: http://bo-port.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=72.  I also have a FAST ez-efi fuel injection system which will be coupled with an offenhauser dual plane 4 barrel manifold and a stock ranger exhaust manifold.  Sounds fairly similar to what's been said.  I'm anxious to see how this will all perform.

Offline OhSix9

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2013, 10:46:56 PM »
BoPort heads haul balls...  The guy has mastered the art of drilling till ya almost hit water where 2.3's are concerned.
That is a lot of money for a cfi injection system but if it's already in the garage give er. what year is the core? the hot ticket tends to be an extrudehoned and knife edged efi lower and a carb adapter if you are gonna naturally aspirate a newer head.
Modest beginnings start with the single blow of a horn man..    Now when you get through with this thing every dickhead in the world is gonna wanna own it.   Do you know anything at all about the internal combustion engine?

Virgil to Sid

Offline bbobcat75

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2013, 11:15:32 AM »
I know this is not my topic but what year core is good to start with? I have a 78 bobcat, n have been collecting parts for my 85 turbo motor! Still looking for the roller cam!
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Offline waldo786

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2013, 12:50:14 PM »
My core is from my grandpa's 76 wagon, 2.3L.  And now you've got me excited about the bo-port job.  The fuel injection is the fast ez-efi unit.  The throttle body is huge, 1000 cfm, which concerns me a bit for being too big, but it fits on the offenhauser dual plane manifold for the 2.3l.  I have the parts in the garage, so it's definitely going on there :)  The ez-efi is supposed to be a pretty easy plug n play set up.  I'm figuring when I replace my head, I'll put the FI setup on her while I'm working.  I got the FI kit off a guy on Ebay, brand new never used and saved a couple hundred bucks that way, so I'm happy about it.

Offline OhSix9

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2013, 06:27:55 PM »
The reason I was inquiring as to your core year was the assumption you would be getting that head ported and it is really only important to match the intake port shape to that of the head so it affects which intake to recommend. on the d port heads it is common to use a carb adapter , fill the injector bosses or have them welded and port / knife edge the lower. If you are getting a boport head without supplying your own core then find out which head he will deliver. the other thing to look into are his cam grinds. As far as i am aware boport tends to focus on the force fed end of things and I believe that his grinds are turbo focused. Not sure he has any NA cams in his selection. 1000 cfm is way overkill and you might encounter some driveability issues and soggy throttle response.. 500 cfm is generally lots for a 2.3
Modest beginnings start with the single blow of a horn man..    Now when you get through with this thing every dickhead in the world is gonna wanna own it.   Do you know anything at all about the internal combustion engine?

Virgil to Sid

Offline From_Jonah

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2013, 08:46:40 AM »
Sorry it's take. Me so long to reply guys. Anyways, thanks for all the tips! I'm still trying to decide what I'm gonna do. I'm burning oil like a son of a gun so I can decide whether to v8 swap or rebuild my 2.3. I'm probably gonna swap an 8.8 mustang rear end into it after I talk to the guy that does me welding and see if he even wants to touch it. Pintos down here are few and far between. As they are everywhere I guess. I'd love to just get a 8 inch out of a v6 but can't find one.
1977 wagon - baby blue full restoration project.

1980 wagon - (77 front clip) converted to cruising wagon. (Sold in 2015. Can’t find her again.)

Offline Jerry merrill

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2013, 12:26:00 AM »
Are you sure that the oil burning is from worn out engine or just bad valve guide seals. Those are common on 2.3 motors but not that hard to change

Offline From_Jonah

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2013, 09:49:55 PM »
I think it's partly the valve seals but I seem to be burning a lot more of it than I was when I got it (last august). I drive it nearly every day 30 miles or more.

OhSix9: My car is a 1980, is that what you're refererring to as the core year?

Also, as a side note. Any of you that are close to Bama, I went and looked at a coupe today the guy was gonna sell me for $550 in Arab. It was in pretty bad shape so I passed it up cause I don't really have a place for it but if one of you guys wants his # PM me.
1977 wagon - baby blue full restoration project.

1980 wagon - (77 front clip) converted to cruising wagon. (Sold in 2015. Can’t find her again.)

Offline amc49

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Re: 2.3L Horsepower Boost
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2013, 05:57:14 AM »
There is no way a 1000 cfm TB is going to work on a Pinto motor. Good street engines can use 350 cfm and race stuff barely 500. 2.3s are known for fuel dropping out of suspension very easily anyway so FI will help but not overcome the massive TB.

Is the Offy intake the race one with no dual plane dividers? Even worse if so. That poor motor will choke. The stock exhaust manifold reinforces that even more. I wouldn't even think of mods like that without a good 4-1 header there. Four cylinder motors thrive on exhaust tuning.