Pinto Car Club of America

With a freshly-rescued '73 Squire in the driveway, I find myself wondering if a Zetec four-cylinder will fit in it.  The Locost and street-rod aftermarket sells bellhousings to convert that engine to RWD, and I'd really like modern power in my Pinto.  (Merkurs and Turbo Coupes are getting too scarce, but crunched Contours and Foci are pretty easy to find around Detroit)  And I'd rather it be Ford-powered, though the idea of putting a Miata engine/tranny in it and calling it a "Pinata" did cross my mind too. :D

Any thoughts?

--Chris J.

A pinto guy I talk to is putting the Zetac from a SVT focus in his car.
I love the idea.



Jim

Yeah, if I could find a crunched SVT Focus, I'd definitely go for that.  But I think even the stock Zetec would make for a nice, modern driver since the Pinto is a fair bit lighter than a Focus or a Contour.

My plan for this project right now is to start stripping the Pinto down to restore the body and suspension and brakes, and do a whole lot of measuring to see if the Zetec will fit, and what'll need to be done to make it work.  If it looks like it's beyond my ability, I can always rebuild the original motor and keep it stock.

Quote from: PorchSwing on April 26, 2007, 05:39:37 PM

My plan for this project right now is to start stripping the Pinto down to restore the body and suspension and brakes, and do a whole lot of measuring to see if the Zetec will fit, and what'll need to be done to make it work.  If it looks like it's beyond my ability, I can always rebuild the original motor and keep it stock.

If a V-8 can fit in a Pinto I'm sure you could get a Zetec engine in the car. I think that would be a great Motor / Car combo. Like you said the Merkurs & TC's are getting a little hard to find noe that they are 20+ years old.

turbowagonman