Well, i have had my 72 trunk car for a while now, been gathering parts here and there but mostly building other projects. The time has now come to work the pinto :) i pulled the 3.8 motor apart this week. looked pretty good. The bottom end will stay as is but i hope to find a cam. 4 of the intake valves weren't sealing well so the heads will be getting a valve job along with some port, bowl and chamber work.
i have been reading through the site this week and found some great brake upgrade info for the front. I'll be doing the granada discs since i have a set and they were dirt cheap. I also scored a set of 02 mustang v6 wheels and tires for $20 so that makes the 5 lug changeover a no brainer for me. i do have a 88 tc rear so now swapping it to 5 lug has to happen, or i have an 8 inch i can use.
tranny will be a 5 speed, either the m5r2 or t5, i would like som input on how the m5r2 fits if anyone has tried it. from what i read this week, a hydraulic slave really doesn't have anywhere to mount, if that's the case then a t5 it will be.
My car came with a 1.6 and a 4 speed. they are for sale :)
i am building the car for the $2011 Grassroots motorsports challenge so cast is an issue. i would like some input on suspension mods for handling, the ax event actually carries more points than the other portions of the competition. Inputs welcome. my car is on cardomain, user name stormy_69
stormy,
This sounds like a fun project. I myself am using the m5r2 (had one lying around). I am putting it in a 78. I haven't gotten as far as the hydrolic clutch master cylinder install yet... but I have prefit the trans in the tunnel. If you use it... the old trans bracket support will have to be cut out. The reason being, the overdrive causes the housing to kick out on the passengers side. Now on my test fitting i was able to squeeze it inbetween the bracket, but will be cutting for final fit. Also the shifter hole on the trans tunnel will need to be cut back an inch or two. Good news... the fire wall does not need to be cut for bellhousing clearance, unless you want to move the engine back. (no idea if original motor mounts will work here, as i am using an engine plate on a 302.)
I have no idea if this works the same on a 72. I only have my 78 to ref. If u need pics let me know, I have some floating around of the mock-up in my car.
Quote from: stormy69 on March 10, 2011, 11:54:42 PM
i am building the car for the $2011 Grassroots motorsports challenge so cast is an issue. i would like some input on suspension mods for handling, the ax event actually carries more points than the other portions of the competition. Inputs welcome. my car is on cardomain, user name stormy_69
Good Luck with that... I tried to do the same back in 05 with my pinto, but blew the budget and life got in the way. Oh well, now the fun can really begin. Because of this though, I did get in 2 magazines (sort of).
Do not know where you are, but if you need some help, let me know. Just send me an email to my profile address or pop a message up on my Facebook Page.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Frankenpinto/348192476964?ref=nf (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Frankenpinto/348192476964?ref=nf)
(http://image.carcraft.com/f/16426628/ccrp_0906_22_z+local_cruise_nights+.jpg)
(http://mysite.verizon.net/project.frankenpinto/2009_0522_update/update052209_files/image072.jpg)
latenight, thanks, shoot me those pics please :) amx @ pobox.com
vonky, your pint is sweet, i plan to have mine prettier tho lol.... i am near zero in the car and have a drivetrain and wheels already. the suspension is my concern right now along with getting the mounts built for the motor and tranny. i made it to grm 07/08 with a 89 mustang, 15 and 17 overall... not bad for a street car i built in 4.5 weeks :)
Thanks, I have been working on the car as time and money allow. first was to get it running, and pretty would follow. With the purchase of a house and 2 kids interrupting progress along with bouts of unemployment, it has taken quite a while to get to this point.
I would recommend subframe connectors if you plan on power. I know that I started to torque my car apart on the passenger side. I will document so that people can follow. With the engine you chose, you should have an easier time fitting that the v8 conversion.
dude, your preachin to the choir! i have 6 kids, 3 in college right now (along with me, i retire from the USAF in 4 months, 23 yrs 9 months)
i am hoping its easier to swap, the accessory and blower drive on the sc motor is bulky and a pain....
i have been preoccupied with the motor and hadnt given chassis stiffing any thoughts yet, sfc's should be a breeze tho. dont expect to break 11.50 so dont want the weight of a cage...
my cage came with the car, mater in fact, I bought the cage for 350 and the car came with it. Would have had to cut it to take it out, so I went with it. With my torque monster 351w, I was actually pulling the car apart on the passenger side. It has since been patched up, but still feel that it needs more reinforcement. If you feel that you will be lifting the front end off the ground at all, connect the subframe. If you do not do that, seam weld the front frame to the body so that the spots to not fail
I will most likely need the bar at some time since I am now aspiring on taking the car out to El Mirage with SCTA to see what she will do. With my math on tire size and gearing, I will most likely be around 140 to 150 as 4th tops out.
Trans is most likely a .71 final ratio with the rear being 2.79 out of a granada auto.