Hello all, Well, I have started on the V8 swap in my '71. I know Pintony will be mad at me because he loves the little 2.0's! I do to Pintony, but mine is just too wild for the street. With 12.5:1 CR I have to run a 50/50 mix of racing fuel so it is costing $60.00 per fillup. I got the 302 HO and T5 Saturday, and the engine looks great! Very clean inside, all I am going to do is replace the timing chain.
I will be posting pictures and text of the entire swap, so maybe it will help others who want to do this. I read on here that the swap manual on e-bay was crap, but no one would take the time to tell me why, so I went and spent the eight bucks for it. It is dated, the Ford part # 's are no longer available. But there is some useful info. I am going to make the mounts described in the book but with some modifications. This is going to be a somewhat lengthy project, time and money will dictate how long it takes. Stay tuned.....
I am ready and looking forward to it....Take your time and lots of pictures...Don't hesitate to ask oppinions...there are some very smart and experienced Pintdividuals on this site....Good Luck!!!!
High_Horse
We can make it better...faster...and stronger...We have the technology.
I haven't forgotten about you guys, just been busy! (Stupid yard work :mad: )
Well the 5.0 is stripped down and waiting on parts, the oil pan can come from a bunch of cars or trucks from the 70's not just MII's. Advance has them for 59 bucks. On their web site is a link that lets you see what vehicles a part will fit, the pan brought up a whole page. (edit: that last statement is not true. although the same pan is listed for the MII it will not fit. read on....)
The 2.0 engine and trans are out, some clean-up work needs to be done to the engine bay and some stuff will need to be moved I'm sure. You don't need to remove the hood, I have mine strapped to the garage door opener bracket, you can also stuff small blocks of wood under the hinges to hold it straight up.
Engine compatment looks messy, everything is pushed aside. Nitrous wiring and solinoids, line lock, cruise control, yes, cruise! Ford add-on no less! I will be taking out the stock mounts next, I started with my little muffler sized air chisel, that just hurt my ears. My brother ( the vetran body man) let me borrow his and he also gave me a special drill bit to drill out the spot welds and I bought hearing protection. These chisels make a LOT of noise!!
Well for some reason I can't get my pics to post, I will keep on trying. The stock frame mounts are out, after drilling the spot welds they came out smooth as butter. I really think you could get them out with a hammer and chisel if you had to. I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole to help line up the spot weld bit, it is flat on the cutting end as it is designed to just go thru the outermost metal. After that the mounts came out with ease.
I smoothed up the frame rails with a small grinder and put a thin coat of split second filler over them and sanded it all down. Turned out pretty good.
I hope to get the oil pan this weekend so I can set the engine in place and start mocking up the mounts.
I think I got it now, here are the pics...
here are the mounts, they can be welded right back in if I ever decide to go back to a 4 cyl- check out the burnt paint from the headers!! ya think the nitrous causes the cyl temp to go up a little? ;D
Well, it seems I have been misinformed. ??? The MII pan and the standard 302 pan are different, even though if you go to the parts store they list the same part # for both cars. The MII is flat all the way to the sump and will give about 1" extra clearance. The other pans have a little drop about 3" before they get to the sump. I have the engine and trans sitting in the car, I have 1/4" clearance over the rack. I had to enlarge the trans mount slots about 1/8" on the outer sides and it popped right in place. The shifter sits 2" further forward than the 4 speed so I trimmed out the opening with tin snips, but the T5 shifter curves back then up and ends up in about the same place.
The MII pans are all but impossible to find, none on e-bay at this time. Summit sells a Milodon low profile pan for $215, the pick-up tube is another $42. Since I am on a limited budget (who isnt these days!) the engine may just have to sit like it is.
Well I had planned on working on the Pinto this weekend but...when I came home from work Thursday and went into the shop, it looked like a tornado had landed in there! I was like :wow:!! Tools and parts and books and oil and drain pans and antifreeze all over the floor, tool carts turned over, stuff strewn everywhere. I asked my wife " :wow: went on in the garage??!! We went down and then I noticed the walk-through door. At the bottom a big hole had been chewed half way through and a big oil spot in front of it. GROUNDHOG!!! Apparently Wed night when I pulled my little Hyundai commuter car in after working on the Church's van, a groundhog was under the hood, and he spent the entire day chewing up the wiring on the car and trying to escape. I could see his tracks were he spilled oil and tracked through it. (I had changed the oil and anti-freeze in the van and had just set the drain pans up and was going to pour it in the waste barrels the next evening). My wife and I looked around the garage for him and then she saw him sitting on the shelf behind the T.V. She said "Go get your gun and shoot him!!" Well, Mr. Groundhog didn't like that idea at all so he went up into the celing where he had chewed a hole where the cable wire comes through. I got my trusty old Ruger .22 and we spent the next three hours trying to get a shot at him! I have access panels so I took them out but there are rafters and wires and heat ducts in there so he had a lot of hiding places. Finally my wife took the air hose and shot air at him and he ran to the end of the house. I had to lay the rifle on a rafter and squeeze through the next one and reach around to squeeze the trigger. I whistled at him and when he raised up I shot him in the head. He flopped a few times and then stuck four feet in the air. So...now I have the task of putting my shop back together and rewiring the Hyundai. He chewed up the battery cables, headlight, fuel injector,alternator and ground wires as well as some vacuum and water hoses. The good news is the Pinto is up on jack stands and covered up so he didn't bother it at all. :) I'm also thinking about putting in a little doggie, make that groundhoggie door!! :laugh:
Geez! What crappy luck! At least the Pinto is safe!!!
Dwayne :smile:
A little update, I got the Hyundai rewired and got the shop back together, did a little extra cleaning while I was at it. I was going to post a few pics of the chewed up Hyundai but my batteries are dead so I will try again later.
I've been doing some trial fitting and measuring on the Pinto, the headers need the extra 1" that a MII pan would give, another member gave me a link to a pan on e-bay that looks like the Milidon, it is $79.00 + shipping, I think I am going to order that one. (Thanks pintojunky!) He is doing a swap on his '73 so we will be trading ideas back and forth. He ordered the MII pan from Advance but it was indeed a regular 302 pan like we thought. He is using the MII mounts and said it lacked a good 1/4" with the pan sitting on the rack.
Here is the item # for the pan on e-bay- 330234394768. I dont know how to post the link
Scored a MII pan on e-bay, so I pulled the engine back out. The brake block needed to be moved, I unhooked the lines that go to the front & rear, left the M/C lines hooked up and moved it around to the fender apron. I rerouted the line for the rear so it runs with the fuel line, the fronts go back to the line lock which just needed to be moved down a little bit. You can get a union to hook two lines together, they are made just for brake lines so you don't need to run a whole new line, just add what you need. I've always been told never to use brass fittings with compression fittings to splice a brake line.
Not much new to report..the MII pan is on and the engine is sitting in the car, still needs to go back more but the top right bellhousing bolt is hitting even with some firewall mods w/ a 3# sledge. My brother the expert body man is going to come down and have a look. At this point the water pump is about even with the radiator support, I would like to get it back two more inches, at the very least one. If any other V8 swap guys are reading could you post some info on where the front of your W/P pulley sits and what mods you did to the firewall?
Pintojunky, where do you stand with your swap? PM if you dont want to post here, but feel free to do so, everyone's info is welcome!!
On another note, the reason the Pinto has been getting limited attention is my Wife and I host a huge Memorial Day block party so we have been getting ready for that. Again this year we will be having riding lawnmower races. A bunch of us hot rod up old mowers and we have drag races, wheelstand compitition, and yes, they will yank the skinnies way up in the air!! :fastcar: Then we have tug o' war, a figure 8 race and then we destroy them in a demo derby! :accident: Funniest thing you ever saw!! My mower is a 12 HP Murry, it is painted up like my Pinto, has the engine raised up and back so it runs off of the big pulley and has a hand throttle on the governor so it can run wide open. It dang near flips over backwards when I dump the clutch! I will get my son to take some pics and help me get them on here-stay tuned!! :amazed: :o :drunk:
haha!! awesome! My friends and I have a couple of tricked out lawnmowers. I will try to post a picture of the one labeled "The Beast" Actually took it out on a state route and PASSED cars with it! Are turf tires rated for 60+ mph?? haha Back on topic though, looks like you are making some headway. I got your PM, I will try to answer some questions, and keep us updated with pics!!
YAAA! My son is off tonight so he loaded some pics for me. First..the chewed up Hyundai
Smoothed up frame rails and relocated brake lines
here are some pics of an '80 firewall and a '71 firewall, big difference between the two...so, as bad as I hate it.....
:'( I lied. I said I wouldn't cut this car up to do the swap, but after trial fitting the engine and trans half a dozen times, it had to be done. The top bolts of the bell were hitting and I still had about 2" of clearance between the rack and the front of the sump, and the headers would not bolt up. The engine needed to go back at least an inch. My brother the expert body man came down and looked it over and said "no problem". We drilled some holes in the junk '71 to see how far back the heater box was, a good 1 3/4". He measured and marked and got out the cut-off tool. I went upstairs to get a beer or so!! This is what it looks like cut out, we are going to make a recessed cover and weld it in. A little filler and paint and I think it will look a lot better than a hammered back firewall. Tomorrow we are going to set the engine in (again!), bolt up the headers and start making the motor mounts. When everything is where it needs to be the motor will come out one more time and the firewall will be fixed.
We are going to do a little more trimming to the bottom left where someone (ah-hem) beat the crap out of it with a hammer, and there are two ribs on the top of the bell that are going to be notched. Should be plenty of room now.
Cool! Glad to see you are on your way to getting the motor in. I took some pics of my car last night for you, but the home computer is so slow, I wanted to load them here at work. As usual, I was in LaLa Land this morning, and forgot to bring my camera, so I will do that tomorrow.
Thanks bobscat. We set the engine in again last night, fits much better now. Got the headers on, we need to make a few minor adjustments and then it is going in for the last time! (I hope) Need to move the brake and fuel lines again, they are too close to the header. I ordered a short water pump from Ford Motorsport, it is 1-3/4" shorter. $140.00
71pintoracer,
Great photos and progress! What headers are you using for your swap? I'm doing the same swap on my 80 Pinto and any input on headers, fitment, etc are always appreciated :).
Thanks!
Hi gearhead, I bought my headers on e-bay, they are old but unused, not sure what brand they are. From what I have read there are two types, on mine the back two tubes go back and the front two go forward and under the crossmember. The other type have two tubes that go out the fender wells so there is some cutting required. I will post some pics when I get them back on. Summit sells the swap headers but I don't know which type. I think they are about $450.00 The "V8 swap manual" that I bought on e-bay says that if you make the front style mounts like I am doing that you can use regular V8 headers, but I'm not so sure about that. Looks really tight and just getting two tubes through there is snug. They give part #'s for two brands, not even sure if they are available or good numbers anymore, the book is really old, I can post the #s if you want. BTW, a friend called a company that makes swap kits for all kinds of stuff, they said they did not have a Pinto kit but were getting more and more calls for one, they are thinking of making one that would use regular 302 mounts instead of the hard to find and pricey MII mounts. I figure about the time I get everything fabbed and welded up and in place they will come out with one!! :P
I ended up buying a set of Hedman's for my car, and they fit pretty decent. However, they are not exactly the nicest out there. I was kind of skeptical at first, but so far have not had any trouble with them, even with it occasionally seeing snow driving. (Which I do NOT recommend for a v-8 Pinto, but sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do) I have the pictures all ready for you 71pintoracer, just keep forgetting to bring my camera to work to download. :hypno:
Thanks, guys! I also have the old swap manual. Another good source of reference information is the MRE book detailing a V8 swap into a Ranger. Similar concept and good info to ponder over a frosted tankard of ale.
Im building a 72 pinto drag car also. But one diffrence is that my pinto is built ford tough with chevy stuff.
So is that rear sump situation causing any problems?
:read: Just to let y'all know, I just brought home a 5.0 from (supposedly) an '86 'Stang with the AOD tranny to put in my '79 hatch. I'll be watching this as your build progresses! I need another daily driver before I can start mine, and I still need a rear, a TV cable for the tranny, plus other odds and ends.
I'm hoping it won't be too long!!!
Hey, I brought the pictures with me today, so I will be emailing them to you. If anyone else has any inquiries on this subject, let me know and I will send you some pics!
Thanks for the pics Bobscat! Work is progressing pretty well, the frame mounts are welded in and smoothed up, the engine mounts are done and the radiator brackets are fabbed. The engine is out for what I hope to be the last time. The engine bay is being sanded and prepped for paint. I will have some more pics soon. Here are a few differences between the early ('71-'73) and late (74-up).
On the late body style
The brake lines are already moved up on the fender apron
The fuel lines run outside of the frame rail instead of inside
The throttle cable is the right style although I found a long and short cable, not sure what year they came from, I put the longer one on my car.
More to come... 8)
OK guys and gals, how about a long overdue update? The engine is in for the final time and parts are going on. I hope to get it fired up soon, maybe this weekend. Here are some pics.
This is the reworked firewall
The reworked transmission mount. And BTW, the shifter sits in almost the exact same place as the 4 speed since the engine was moved back using the MII oil pan.
The engine sitting in the car.
Some pics of the headers.
The engine bay cleaned up and painted. Note the radiator support notched for the radiator cap.
A few more...
YES!! IT RUNS!! ;D ;D ;D Fired it briefly the other night just to hear it run, Sounded great! I only let it run for about 10 seconds since I didn't have the radiator hooked up yet, but I did get to rev it a few times. Then I loaded it on the trailer for a trip to Advance to match up radiator hoses and a fan belt. Saturday was spent getting that all hooked up, put the new carb on, (race prepped and dyno tuned 600 Holley) and some nice looking Ford Racing valve covers. Then I got to let it run for a good 15-20 min. Everything seems good, no leaks or problems. Now it is just a matter of finishing up. I need to shorten the driveshaft 3-1/2" and a list of other minor details. If all goes well I may be able to go for a test drive saturday. I will get some more pictures soon.
Way to go Jimmy!!! I'm looking forward to getting a chance to see that gorgeous Pinto one of these days! I'll probably be around your work soon - got a recall notice on the top mechanism on my convertible - will bring a few photos of my Pinto and try to connect with you.
Dwayne :smile:
Congrats on getting it running. Your progress looks great and I hope it continues to go somewhat smoothly. :2fast4u: 8)
-beegle55
On your engine mounts - Did you end up putting any kind of vibration isolator between the frame and the engine? If not, how is the vibration level? I'm not entirely comfortable with the metal-to-metal bolt-up deal...
Quote from: 71pintoracer on June 20, 2008, 08:39:06 PM
The engine sitting in the car.
Yes I did, and don't laugh because it works great! You know those big blocks of rubber that you put in coil springs to raise the car up? Thats what I used. Advance Auto sells two sizes, I got the large ones,(six bucks a pair) they are about 2-1/2 to 3" square and 2" thick. I cut them in half on my band saw so I have a 1" thick block between the engine and frame mounts and then put the other piece on the bottom. I used bolts with just enough threads to squeeze them together a little and allow the engine to flex. I also used a large washer with a small bolt hole on the bottom to cover the entire block. Like a body shop "fender washer" but more heavy-duty. The engine moves slightly when you rev it and it's smooth and vibration free.
Well, I drove the Pinto on July 4th for the first time in about 2-1/2 months, and all I can say is WOW!! :amazed: I don't have any exhaust yet but I live in the country and I don't think the cows minded at all! Took it easy up the road to make sure everything was working properly, it drove good, steered, shifted, braked and handled good, nice and smooth! After about 10 miles I turned around on a nice straight stretch of road. Eased off in first gear and then punched it. The tires spun, the tach jumped and the shift light flashed in an instant. I grabbed second, felt it go a tad sideways, shift light flashed, hit third, spun a little more and finally found traction. Man what a ride!! ;D
Dude - No laughs here! Awesome quick-fix! If it works, Do it! I've got at least one of those rubber coils sitting around, too! Too bad I'm too far out for that option at this point...
Quote from: 71pintoracer on July 06, 2008, 06:43:11 PM
Yes I did, and don't laugh because it works great! You know those big blocks of rubber that you put in coil springs to raise the car up? Thats what I used. Advance Auto sells two sizes, I got the large ones,(six bucks a pair) they are about 2-1/2 to 3" square and 2" thick. I cut them in half on my band saw so I have a 1" thick block between the engine and frame mounts and then put the other piece on the bottom. I used bolts with just enough threads to squeeze them together a little and allow the engine to flex. I also used a large washer with a small bolt hole on the bottom to cover the entire block. Like a body shop "fender washer" but more heavy-duty. The engine moves slightly when you rev it and it's smooth and vibration free.
Hmmm, lets compare;
4 cyl w/ 12 1/2 :1 c.r.
5 gal high test $22.50
5 gal racing fuel $40.00
total $62.50
V8 w/ 9:1 c.r.
10 gal 87 octane $40.00
The 4 cyl got about 15-18 MPG
The V8 should get about the same (if I keep my foot out of it-yea, right!!)
I think I will still come out ahead :D :lol:
This swap is in the final stages, I am in the process of changing the front springs, the added weight of the V8 dropped the front about 2". Since the car was already lowered 2", well it's a little too low!! I am going to pop in a set of stock springs first and see how that works, I also have a set of V6 w/ A/C springs if needed.
I need to modify (there's that word again!) the valance and air dam and get them back on, and I need to do something with the hood. For some reason that hole for the carb scoop doesn't quite line up! ::)
more pics are on the way...
here are some pics...
oops, put the same one in twice, here are some more
Thanks Pintony, that means a lot coming from you, your Pinto's are beautiful, showcased by the attention to detail. I wanted this engine to look like it belonged there, not just a bunch of stuff thrown together. My brother and I spent a lot of time making parts and pieces and brackets so they look good. For instance, I spent 3 hours making the throttle linkage bracket. I've seen some pretty nasty looking swaps and one of my pet peeves is a big nasty looking radiator hanging down in front of the car where the valance used to be. I trimmed the valance a little and put it back on, and the air dam went back on with no modification at all. i painted the radiator flat black to match the rest of the black on the car and you can't see the radiator. I will post some more pics when I get it all cleaned up. We made the exhaust and put it on, I put short glass packs on it, sounds good. It's really not that loud untill you stick your foot in it! At this point, everything is done except the hood, I am going to drive it without one for now. We are going to hit the junkyard and look at some hoods, big brother is talking about grafting the center of a GT Mustang hood on to the Pinto hood. if you all remember, there is an offset hole in my hood where the scoop stuck through on the 4-cyl. I have 4 other hoods but we are going to play with this one first. I have put about 25 miles on it so far and all systems are go, so I'm drivin' it!! ;D ;D
Man i"m really having a blast driving my Pinto!! ;D ;D This thing kicks butt!! The great thing is it runs and drives smooth as silk but its got gobs of power. I haven't been running it all that hard, just enjoying driving it again. However...I have opened it up a little a time or two, and I've been itching to make a time run to see how it does even though the street tires are no match for this engine. So, I set up the G-meter and hit a lonely half-mile straight stretch of road with a 1/4 mile that I just happen to know where to start and stop. ::) I took off fairly easy then nailed it, tires spun through first gear, I granny shifted at 5500 RPM and spun through second gear, I'm thinking man my 60' time is going to zoop! Hit third and finally got hooked up and sailed through the 1/4 mile mark in fourth just as the shift light came on. As I shifted to fifth to let the car slow down I glanced at the speedo to see it make its way back to 110. Wow! The G-meter showed 12.75 @ 120.3 MPH. I'm shocked to see 12's with the way it spins in 1&2. This baby's gonna be bad fast with 10" slicks!! And there's still that bottle in the trunk... ;) Oh and BTW, people have been asking how much horsepower it has, I guessed around 275. Guess what the G-meter read? 275!! :surprised:
Good morning all!
I just got home after getting and "up close and personal" look at 71pintoracer's Pinto this morning. Let me tell you, friends, the pictures he's been posting do NOT do this car justice. It is one s-w-e-e-t looking ride!!! He has that V-8 installed so neatly that it looks like it has been in there forever!
Nice meeting you, Jimmy, and thanks for the tip on the body man. I'll make a point of talking to him soon.
Dwayne :smile:
Thanks for the kind words Dwayne, nice to meet you too!
I have been driving the Pinto for a few weeks now and so far everything is working great. It runs, idles and drives very well, I drove it when the heat index was 105 degrees and it never went over 200 degrees even when idling in traffic. I can feel the extra weight of the V8 in the steering like in parking lots but it is not bad at all. On the road it is fine, it handles very well. I swapped to disc brakes years ago and it stops good. The power of the V8 is awesome. This thing will hit 100 at the drop of a hat and it is very stable at any speed.
Here are the latest pics...
This picture gives people behind me some idea of whats in store :hypno:
Went to the junkyard Saturday, got the outer skin of a fiberglass mustang hood, we are going to use the center section of it and mold it to the Pinto hood. The plan is to cut the entire center out of the Pinto hood, make a flange to set the Mustang section in and mold it in. I'll post pics along the way. Here are the two hoods. If you look closely at the Mustang hood you can see where the front is damaged, it was split on that corner and across the front so we just peeled it off and left the bottom piece on the car. since it wasn't any good to sell we got it free.
Got the hood pieces molded together, hope to get some paint on it this week. Here are some pics
We used a high strength bonding epoxy to glue it to the Pinto's hood....and I used a gas shock to hold the hood up because the '71-'73 prop rod goes across the front of the radiator support
Then we used a coat of fiberglass and smoothed it out with split second body filler, and a few coats of white primer. Next it will be blocked, sealed and painted with base coat and cleared. Looks easy but it took us about 7 hours of measuring, cutting, trimming and trial fitting to get to this point! :P Looks good though, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.
Thats a mean looking car! There is one problem though, I dont think many people are going to be passing you. They will never see the front end of the thing! :fastcar:
You absolutely amaze me, Jimmy :amazed:
I can't wait to see this is person! Hope we're still on for this evening... I'll call you sometime this afternoon!
Dwayne :smile:
Thanks guys, but I can't take credit for the hood. That is brother Bill's pet project, I just helped. He is a great (semi-retired) body man and is fantastic at fabrication. In fact, this entire project came together as well as it did because of his help. I owe him a big THANK YOU!!
Regardless who did the actual work, folks, the hood looks great. I saw it last Monday evening and it is nothing short of fantastic! Can't wait to see the final result once it's painted.
Dwayne :smile:
71PintoRacer,
Very nice car!!!!!!! Very nice car!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitly a potent v8 Pinto Warrior. I am looking forward to cruising with you during the big Pinto invation......................Badass!!!!!!
High_Horse
Thanks High_Horse, I'm just having fun cruising period! This thing is a blast to drive!
Work is progressing on the hood, had a few stress cracks to deal with. We stiffened it up by using fiberglass mat underneath and got that all smoothed up and seam sealed. Then we used a product similar to spray on bed liner but in white. Really turned out good. Looks like a fiberglass hood and you can't tell that it was cut out and had something else molded in. Then we redid the top and got it all smoothed out and primed and block sanded. The blue base coat is on, Monday we will put the hood back on, lay out the design and get the white and yellow sprayed, clear it and bake it. I'll post pics soon.
Here are the pics, the hood really turned out good, looks like it was made that way.
The close up shows the texture that was sprayed underneath.
And here is the top, time to get the rest washed and waxed, we're off to a car show next Sunday!!
Whooooooaaa! :surprised:
Way to go, Jimmy! It turned out every bit as fantastic as I knew it would! What show are you attending next Sunday? I have to work next weekend but, weather permitting, we're planning on taking one of our old Lincolns to a cruise-in in Harrisonburg Friday night (9/5/08). We've participated in this cruise-in for several years and I have yet to see a Pinto there... you should come on down and give those folks something to look at!
Dwayne :smile:
Hey Dwayne, the show is at Fisher Auto Parts in Staunton, hosted by Churchville Fire Dept. Where is the cruise in being held in H'burg? I'll try to make it.
It's at the Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene at the corner of Port Republic Road and Boyers Road. They have a HUGE parking lot and you can't miss it. The official time is 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. but lots of folks get there earlier. My entire family has hair appointments scheduled at 4:30 so I don't imagine we'll get there much before 6:00. They will hold it rain or shine (I went one year and got soaked) but I won't be there if it's raining! Both me and my car are getting too old for that kind of nonesense! Hope to see you there!
Dwayne :smile:
Wow, over a month since I posted anything, I guess that means I'm done!! ;D Well not quite, I still need to fab up the subframe connectors and most likely I will put in a cage of some sort. I'm just having too much fun driving it right now, I don't want it sitting until this winter, so I am not planning on taking it to the track this year. I don't want to take a chance on twisting the body, I have 13" X10" wide M&H Racemaster slicks and if they hook good with the torque this engine has well it might just pop the doors open!!
I did make another run on the G-meter with the street tires, this time I took off in second gear, easing down on the throttle and keeping as little wheelspin as possible but it still spun all the way through 2nd. This time it ran 12:08 @133MPH. This car is sooo much fun!! Hey rice burners! :2fast4u:
Quote from: 71pintoracer on October 03, 2008, 09:15:53 PM
12:08 @133MPH.
Wow, that's an high trap speed for that ET, better continue working on that cage.
Wow! It's been two months since I posted anything here! All I have been doing with the Pinto is driving, driving, driving!! Well, it looks like it is finally cold for good here in central Va. so it is time to park the baby and get some more work done to her. I had two 5' pieces of 1/8" channel iron made for the subframe connectors, I'm going to get started on pulling the inerior out and getting those fabbed up and welded in. I also have a driveshaft hoop that needs to go in. Pics will be coming soon... :smile:
I am going to start a new topic for the sub-frame connector install. There seems to be some interest on the subject so I thought it might be a good idea to make it a separate topic. I did a search and got some good ideas on how others did theirs. Had to take a break on the Pinto and work on my daughters VW Beetle to get it ready to be painted. I HATE body work!! :cheesy_p: All you get done is sand, sand, sand! Hope to spray it one day this week, then its back to the Pinto! ;D So I guess this topic is done, thanks to all for the comments and for taking a look at my V8 swap!
Hey 71pintoracer,i cant wait to see pics of the frame connectors.Im building a 77 runabout with a 289 4 bbl and im gonna need detailed info on how to make these connectors.Damn your column is right interesting,i read it all and enjoyed it very much.I pictured myself in your shoes cruising down the road in the finished product,geez,cant wait till i can turn my last bolt.Some people actually move thier steering racks down an inch or so but cant figure out how they do it with the steering coupling almost down against the cross member.Oh well,thanks for all the pics and stuff and have a great day.....Mark,Eastern Canada
Hey Mark, thanks for the kind words! I'm really enjoyong the V8, even with a basicly stock engine its got gobs of power. I just finished the sub frame connectors, see my post in this section. (Weld in sub frame connectors, how to) Good luck with your build, PM if you have any questions, I'll try to help! ;D BTW, as far as moving the rack down, you have to cut the crossmember and box it in, (for the steering shaft) lengthen the shaft and modify the spindles to keep the geometry right. I have 1/2" clearance and my scoop sits perfectly out of the hood, so I'm happy with mine. However if you're trying to get it to fit under a stock hood with no scoop (sneaky sneaky ::)) most likely it will need to be dropped.
thats a hell of a sweet lookin ride. i'm currently starting my transformation of my 74" hatchback into a Bitchin Cruiser with a 302 and a 5 speed. Your story was a lot of fun to read and it was nice to be able to look at a completed one to see just what im in for. looking forward to new topics from you.
Thanks jwise, glad to see people are still reading this. The V8 swap is very popular, just not as easy as drop it in, bolt it up and drive away! The '74 is a better choice because of the larger engine bay. Lots of good info on here and lots of good folks to lend a hand with any questions. ;D
Your 71 looks great. I have been a member on this site for a few years, but never really came here much until about a month ago. Your build has inspired me to transform my 78 trunk model into a little sleeper with a 302. You most likely will be glad to know that your project as well as the other red v8 project thread on here have single handedly saved my pinto from a demolition derby death. Just wanted to let you know how good your ride looks and let you know that I will most likely be contacting you for advice later this winter.
Thanks for the kind words! :) Glad to see that I had a small part in saving another Pinto! The '78 is a great car to do a V8 swap. That is my second favorite body style, I also have a '77 cruising wagon that I hope to be working on this winter.
David's car (the red one) is very nice and he did a fantastic job on the swap.
Feel free to ask for any advise you need, either by a post or PM. Since your'e a derby driver, I feel sure you are good at fabrication and "makin stuff work"!! :fastcar:
hi there. quick question, what rearend and gears do u have in your car. just curious. ??? :)
8" w/3:55
looks like someone is having a BIG birthday this week. ;D hey age is just a way of keeping score.
my score is just behind yours. Hope you get some nice goodies. And in case im not here wed. :happy_bday:
Quote from: 71pintoracer on August 30, 2009, 07:47:49 PM
8" w/3:55
Hey Pintoracer:
I trust your judgement, knowing your setup. I have been very hesitant to do a V8 swap ONLY because of the added weight on my front end ('76 wagon). What is your overall impression of the weight impact on your front end? Is the car still manageable? Does it make a huge difference? Is the cornering compromised greatly? The way you talk about your car says you don't mind at all, but I'd like to know what I am "up against" if swapping in a V8 - from a PERFORMANCE/WEIGHT issue, not the task itself. Thanks!
Chris
I can say this about the current handling on my car.
It has no sway bar at all on the front.( Although i DO have a 1" that WILL be going on it after i MOVE! Yahh hoo! sorry LOL)
V8 Mustang II springs cut about 1.5 coils. If you choose these Cut them at least 1" higher than you think you want because they will sag after about a year.
Koni shocks all way round. Very expensive now, but get some KYB's "Gas a just" instead
It rides very nice and handles very well considering the extra weight and no sway bars (yet). No its not going to carve any corners but thats not why i built it.
Move the battery to the back and run 2 wires to the battery. Red and Black and ground to the body front and back as well.
Iron heads. You can use Aluminum heads which will take about 50+LBS off the front.
Run some decent tires up front at least 195's to 205's wide . Yea i loove the look of "Big n littles" but lets face it unless your building a drag only car, skinnys are very dangerous on the street with a front heavy car.
Bottom line , when you lay into the throttle and leave 100' stripes you wont care how fast it goes around corners!!
Very nice, I appreciate the feedback. I >DO< have a front sway bar, so that's probably a good thing. I just put in new springs, but they are "stock replacement", so I probably need to get bigger ones. If I was to go this route, I'd also opt for beefier brakes and do a 5-lug conversion.
Plenty of room in a wagon to move the battery! Aluminum heads - no problem. I have 13" rally wheels, I would definitely go with fatter tires all around.
I guess your "throttle" comment says it all :lol:
Thanks!
Chris
You know, it's feedback like that that really makes me more confident in doing a V8 swap. It's nice to know that when I run into a problem, theres 50 people on here ready to help becuase they've already solved it.
Quote from: popbumper on September 01, 2009, 09:24:10 AM
Very nice, I appreciate the feedback. I >DO< have a front sway bar, so that's probably a good thing. I just put in new springs, but they are "stock replacement", so I probably need to get bigger ones. If I was to go this route, I'd also opt for beefier brakes and do a 5-lug conversion.
Plenty of room in a wagon to move the battery! Aluminum heads - no problem. I have 13" rally wheels, I would definitely go with fatter tires all around.
I guess your "throttle" comment says it all :lol:
Thanks!
Chris I do have a set of front springs that were A/C springs on my 75 and they had my front end up tight without the weight of the A/C whic was stripped before i got it. Also I have the fron bumper off. If you need them they are yours for what it cost to ship.
let me know.
jim
Chris
Thanks 71HRP, you touched on evrything just as I would have said it! Like you said, it's no corner carver but quite honestly, mine drives very good. It's lowered 2" so that helps, and I have 195/50/15's on the front,205/50/15's on the rear, I had my rims custom made with most of the offset to the outside for a wider stance.
The thing of it is, it's a HOT ROD! It's a loud, noisy, powerful, handful of fun!! It's not a family sedan with P/S, P/B, A/C, ect. ect. (Although it does have power windows and cruise control!) When you drive it, you have to drive it. When you nail it, you have to hang on! I'm very pleased with the way it drives and handles, and I love the way it gets sideways in 2nd & 3rd gears!
hi im new to the pinto culture....really i have a bobcat...im not sure of the year. id really like to do a 302 swap but im not sure where to start. any little tips tricks and pointers will help. THANKS lilpinto
reading this thread might help you in that department