Pinto Car Club of America

No one locally can answer me this, they just throw these engines away. Would my 76 2.3 have a zero deck? or is the piston gonna be down in the hole?

Also, is my head a closed chamber? If not, then is there a single plug closed chamber head for the 2.3?

I admit i know nothing about these things. I know Mopars and some GM, but this is the first Ford i've ever owned and till now i dont think i've even opened the hood more than once.

I should also ask, if it is not zero deck, how far are the pistons down in the hole?

Based on stock target dimensions (stroke=3.126", rod length=5.205", block deck height=8.368", piston height=1.583"), the piston should be down in the block about 0.017".  I do not remember where I got the stock target dimensions.  Also manufacturing tolerances will move these numbers.  A 33 year old engine probably has had some work, so you need to measure your deck height to get the actual number.

According to the Ford 1976 manual, your head has a volume of 63.7 to 66.7cc if it is stock.  This Racer Walsh publication has information on different heads: http://static.zoovy.com/merchant/racerwalsh/Back_2_Basics_Sheet.doc (http://static.zoovy.com/merchant/racerwalsh/Back_2_Basics_Sheet.doc)  Besides this forum, there are several other forums that cover the 2.3 since it was used in the Mustang, Thunderbird, Ranger, Mekur, etc.  As always there are exceptions and errors in these publications but they are as close as I have found.  Another useful 2.3 engine info link:
http://www.esslingeracing.com/faq.htm (http://www.esslingeracing.com/faq.htm)

Quote from: oldkayaker on July 05, 2009, 06:24:38 AM
Based on stock target dimensions (stroke=3.126", rod length=5.205", block deck height=8.368", piston height=1.583"), the piston should be down in the block about 0.017".  I do not remember where I got the stock target dimensions.  Also manufacturing tolerances will move these numbers.  A 33 year old engine probably has had some work, so you need to measure your deck height to get the actual number.

According to the Ford 1976 manual, your head has a volume of 63.7 to 66.7cc if it is stock.  This Racer Walsh publication has information on different heads: http://static.zoovy.com/merchant/racerwalsh/Back_2_Basics_Sheet.doc (http://static.zoovy.com/merchant/racerwalsh/Back_2_Basics_Sheet.doc)  Besides this forum, there are several other forums that cover the 2.3 since it was used in the Mustang, Thunderbird, Ranger, Mekur, etc.  As always there are exceptions and errors in these publications but they are as close as I have found.  Another useful 2.3 engine info link:
http://www.esslingeracing.com/faq.htm (http://www.esslingeracing.com/faq.htm)

Hey thanks. Sounds like this thing is already very close. If it IS .017" then i'm a thin gasket and a closed chamber head away from quench without a rebuild. Quench is a BIG step towards a more efficient engine. I'll have to research deeper into this. I'm just really strapped for time right now so i thought i'd ask a few quick questions. And as far as i can tell, my 2.3 has never been apart. Pretty solid little car all around actually, aside from the obvious NW rust issues.