Forum > It's all about the Turbo...
Mods for 1986 merkur in 71
L.D:
what mods are needed besides the 2.3 motor mounts and oil pan for a merkur turbo motor and a t9 in a 71 sedan how about the tranny mount and how much of the passenger side inter fender needs cutting to clear the turbo and will the oil filter adapter clear?
D.R.Ball:
You have a 1971 Pinto ? . The T-9 is a version of the same 4 speed that is in most 2.3's but I'm not sure which one you have. Is this a 2.0 or a 1.6 engine? I think the 1.6 had a different transmission. As for the oil filter yes mine fit in a 1976 Ford Pinto Wagon with a 2.3 but I have not finished the install IE I have not turned the key and checked for leaks. I had to rotate the oil filter assembly so the filter is parallel to the engine not straight down. To get the engine with the turbo exhaust manifold into the car I just cut out the area where the battery was and will mount a cover plate over the hole. Yes, it was rusted any way. You will also need to consider where to place the battery , how to run the wiring, cooling system changes and of course the fuel system. What kind of rear end are you going to use ? The 8 inch rear end was a standard for V-6 Pinto's but I'm not sure if the early models had one offered or will fit... Yes with allot of money and a good fabrication artist , you can make anything fit but remember it's all about the money. I would have just started with a 2.3 or a V-6 and started from an easier car to mod in the first place. After all, a Ford 2.3 will mount the same as any other 2.3 engine , it's getting all of the other details worked out...That makes the swap work...
Wittsend:
I did a two part post on my 2.3 / T-5 into a '73 wagon. Most of the information should carry over. I'll try and post some pictures.
http://www.fordpinto.com/general-pinto-talk/so-you-want-to-build-a-turbo-pinto-part-1/msg76893/#msg76893
http://www.fordpinto.com/general-pinto-talk/so-you-want-to-build-a-turbo-pinto-part-2/msg76894/#msg76894
Read them well because it will reveal the difficulties. Most people see the swap as a 2 on a scale of 1 to10. It is more like a hard 7.
That said, a fair amount of the battery trays are severely rusted. So, removing them is kind of a non issue. I positioned my battery on the drivers front of the engine compartment. I removed a fair portion of the battery tray. My '88 motor has the IHI turbo. The tighter clearance is on the bottom for the wastegate actuator. The out bolt on the exhaust elbow after the turbo has limited space. Lastly there is the clearance issue with the heater fan.
I'm not familiar with the T-9. The T-5 in my case only required reversing the transmission crossmember and slotting the bolt holes. I also had to elevate the clutch cable over the crossmember, but did that with a 1" X 2" steel plate and a big bolt.
I can not caution you enough on the clearances, especially if the hood is stock. It gets tight just about everywhere with the 2.3 in the early Pinto's. I believe the Murkur is without the intercooler which can help.
65ShelbyClone:
Only SVOs and '87-88 'Birds came with intercoolers, so no, the Merkurs didn't have one.
A T9 is the easy way to get a 5-speed for your pinto since it is based on the 4-speed. I wish I had found an XR4Ti driveline for that reason, but I'll have to settle for a World Class T5. ;)
The hardest part of the swap is probably going to be finding the frame and block brackets for a 2.3 followed by a front-sump Pinto pan & pickup. That's been my experience so far, anyway. I found a race pan, but am about *this* close to just using the Turbo Coupe engine brackets and fabricating my own for the frame.
L.D:
Thanks for the info i have the pan and the motor mounts for the 2.3 and going to pick up the smaller blower motor for the heater. The rear end is stock for now but i do have a 8 inch for it i was looking at the wiring harness last night and im sure i will have alot more questions but i do have the merkur wiring harness.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page