PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => Pinto FAQ => Topic started by: turbopinto72 on November 06, 2003, 05:31:54 PM
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Welcome to Fordpinto.com FAQ. We will attempt to provide answers to Frequently asked questions in here so as to better provide this board with immidate answers to your questions. To help us along, lets start by identifying some basic subjects that come up allot. Like, Can I use different year body parts on my car? And, what does it take to do a 5 lug conversion. For the next week I would like as much input as possible.
Thanks to all.
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Hi, I was wondering what the bolt pattern size(4x?), wheel offsets, and max widths and diam. can be run?
Thanks in advance,
Joey
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The Pinto bolt pattern is 4 x 4 1/4 with 3.00" backspacing front and 3.00- 3.25" rear. I found out this over the weekend by talking to the local Firestone guy. So there should be wheels available.
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I am in the process of building a Turbo Pinto, shooting for about 300 HP. This will be a daily driver. I am going with a C4 automatic and 8 inch rear end from a V6 Pinto with 3.55 gears. Couple of questions:
-will I have problems with wheel hop, chassis flex, etc. with this kind of HP? Do I need to worry about subframe connectors, traction bars, etc. It will be 99% daily driven, rice eater, possibly to the strip for a baseline, not a racer.
-rebuilding the stock front end, anyone had experience with urethane bushings for long life? I hear they give stiff/rough ride? Suitable for daily driver or stick with stock rubber?
I look forward to your help.
Dave
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Hey, i have a 1980 runabout 2300. its a beast. anyway, im having some troubles at the track with handling. i race on a 1/4 mile oval with about 30 degree banking and the car pushes quite a bit getting in and is SUPER free in the middle and slightly tight out. weve tried messing with the sway bar and air pressures but nothing can eliminate it. Please help. Thanks. ???
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Dave, as far as wheel hop goes you probably will not have much if any hop to speak of however, the best cheepest way to give your car some hook is a cheep pair of slapper bars ( like from lakewood) and a good set of shocks. If the turbo motor is a 2.3, as apposed to a 2.5, you will not have the chassy bending torque to require sub frame connectors. Yous bigest problem will be traction and I recommend a posi unit in the rear end and some real good tires.
Dont wory about the urethane bushings, they will do nicely and will give you a tighter feel for the road rather that skateing around with the rubber ones ( not to say the rubber is bad just that the plastic is better).
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Good question about the car pushing. I know that Brian Walsh has done a lot of that kind of racing and might suggest a few tips. Im sure there are a few more folks on this site that also do that type of racing. I will try and find them.
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I am planning an engine swap on a 1980 2.3L wagon. I have a 302 w/ 5.0 H.O. heads, c-6 tranny and 9-inch rear out of a truck. I have been told the engine came out of a continental???? Anyway, I am looking for any comments/advice to make this a clean swap.
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Sounds like a cool swap. I have not heard of anyone using the C6 though. Maybe its becouse the bellhousing does not remove and its to large to fit??. You may be into a trans tunnel mod to get it to fit?
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C6 will not fit without major firewall and trans tunnel work. Best bet is to sell it or trade for a C4
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I Just Bought my First Pinto for $50.00. The Engines No1 Cylinder had melted and was blowing oil back through the valve cover, so I found a 1978 Mustang II motor and replaced it for $250.00. The car has one small rust spot on the drivers door. and the interior is like show room new. However, I need to replace the brakes and cannot for the life of me figure out how they are removed,, HELP<HELP
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You'll probably get more response if you post in the "General Help" forum.
Also it will be helpful to know if you want the front disk brakes or rear drum brakes (or probably both sets) replaced. The brake setup is a standard design. You'll need some specialty brake tools to do the job right, though.
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On my 74 wagon I need to replace or repair the left front fender (quaterpanel) and was wondering what years are the same for swapping, also are there any vacume lines running off the auto trans, motor runs good sitting still but wont idle strong enuff without foot on gas pedal sitting in drive?? thank you ???
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I believe any 71-78 fender will work on your application. As far as the vacuum lines from your trans. The only line there would be is a (TRS) Transmission Regulated Spark. This is a hobs switch which function is designed to eliminate vacuum (part throttle) spark advance in first and second gear. The line would go from the trans to a Normally open selenoid valve and then branch to the distributor and the carb spark port. I dont know if your trans has this but it should be easy to locate by looking under the car at the trans. Hope this helps.
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I see the carpet kits on ebay for the mighty Pinto, I was wondering if they are worth it seeing how my carpets are soaked with brake fluid, booze, dope stains, cig burns and who knows what else? All from the pre owner, buy the way, what is the minuim bid so I dont pay to much? thank you
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I bought my carpet kit from JCWitney. It worked well , however it was not molded so it took some extra time to install. If the kit you are looking at is a " molded" kit it will save time. If you want to buy a "used" carpet make sure you ask the seller for additional pictures of all the area's that can get real bad like the drivers feet area etc. The factory units will be pretty funky and who knows what they will look ( smell) like when the get pulled up ( read, a 44 oz. coke spilled 4 years ago and is still rotting away the underlayment). As far as a min bid, go $.50 over and see what happens.
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Im considering a turbo swap in my 1977 cursin Wagon. Ho whard is it to remove the computer from the Donor T-Bird and install it into the pinto? Are there any sites detailing the swap, step by step?
Thanks,
Keeb~
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If you go to Turboford.org and do a search for that there will be a whole bunch of info. There are several people on this site who have done the swap, ( including myself) and will be more than happy to answer questions.
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I also have just one more question....I have two, draw through turbo intakes complete. 1 from a 1981 Capri RS Turbo and 1 from a 1982 Mustang Cobra. 1 spools up at idle and blows liquid oil, the second spools fine but blows a freight train of smoke.
If i can get these repaired, will i have to change the compression ratio of the stock non-turbo 2.3? or will it handle the extra compression?
Thanks for the link.
keeb~
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Well, to answer your question. You ( could ) use them on a N/A engine as is BUT the compression ratio may be the least of your worries. Lets say that your engine is 9:1 compression or even 9.5:1. If you keep the boost down you can run any turbo, however the stock cast pistons will probably FAIL. Besides, those drawthru systems ( the factory 79-81 systems)are not the most efficent things around. What you are discribing with the oil that blows is a oil seal failure. Yes , they can be repaired BUT, you still need to pipe the exhaust around to the intake side and then figure out how to exit the exhaust around the stearing. Not to fun.
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TurboPinto72.. .I have a question fer ya...
As far as the cams go...
My application is street/ strip, daily driver, with my current gear ratio and 4 speed, I run 3000 rpm @ 63mph.
I want a faster take-off, (able to light up the tires from a roll of about 5-10mph), and of course a higher top end.
On my '77 2.3, I want to leave the bottom end stock, stock bore (for now), upgrade the intake, 500 Holley, and Headers.
What Hydraulic cam would you recommend? And what lift/duration would you recommend? I am looking at a cam from CRANE. Description from Summit Racing as follows:
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CRN-190071 Camshaft, Hydraulic Follower, Advertised Duration 278/286, Lift .460/.480, Ford, OHC 4 Cylinder
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Would you recommed this cam, or do you have a better cam that I should go with? I am looking at the price and the ease of the overall build. I have decide NOT to go with the turbo at this time, (rapair of the two turbos I have is out of my pocket and budget).
Thanks,
Keeb~
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Well, I looked up your Crane cam and I see that the duration is 226/234 @ .50 and the lift is 420. ( did't see the 460/480 ) . But any way, thats not a bad cam. I think the cam I like better is the Crower cam, grind #
24273. Is 228/238 dur @ .50 with a 476/493 lift and 110 lobe center. Im sure you could get this cam from summit if you asked. I would STRONGLY recomend using a cam pully. I like the Esslinger unit. This will allow you to take full advantage of your cam and ( dial your car in) alot better. I would start it with " 0" streight up and probably end up with it some where in the 6 to 8 deg advanced setting for that bottom end punch you need.
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That makes sence. Thanks for the info...ill be getting my header in next week from Canada so this will give me time to find a cam with that grind. :)
Later,
Keeb~
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just checked out the Crower site....Not too bad pricing either! Ive placed my order and will be going to Esslinger's site in a bit. Thanks!
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Fantastic! I've been looking for that same wheel info for 2-years. Thanks!
~Sam ;D
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Hi,
Thanks for the great column. I'm a newbie to the Pinto scene . . . just started working on cars again after many years away from mechanics.
Anyway, I bought a 1980 Bobcat off the classifieds here and drove it home this weekend. What a blast! The drive train, electrical, brakes, steering and suspension all seem to be working fine to me so far. Although my Bobcat has a 2.3L and 4 speed, with a 8" rear end, I'm considering replacing the transmission with a 5 speed at some point.
I'm wondering if a 5-speed tranny off a Mustang or T-Bird with a 2.3L is a bolt-on replacement or would it require modifying the drive shaft or drive train?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
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I put a 2.3 turbo motor with the 5 speed in my 80 Pinto.
Yes a mustang or Thunderbird turbo trans will fit, but with some work. If I was you this is what I would do. Get a trans from a Mustang with the bellhousing. You may not need to use the bell housing but if your Cat one doesn't work, you know that you have one on hand that will. I did have to cut my drive shaft and the hole in the floor was trimmed a little. The crossmember works but I had to make an adapter to get the mount to line up.
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Thanks for the info!
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hi
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Hi,
Thanks for the advice on the 5-speed. Sorry for delay in replys but I'm still not quite used to the forum discussion thing.
Welp, I just bought Pinto #2 off ebay. After failing to find trim parts for the 1980 Bobcat I'm switching to a '76 Pinto that looks a little more intact. But I have a few questions:
1. I'll be towing the Pinto home ( about 230 miles ) using a U-Haul dolly with
my van. The roads are fairly straight with only an occassional hill (almost all
freeway driving ). Since its an automatic, I had planned to pull the drive
shaft off to prevent damage to the transmission, rather than just putting it
in neutral. Is that being too cautious (waste of energy and is it even
necessary)? Any suggestions on towing would be helpful. ???
2. Are there any postings regarding upgrading the standard 2 barrel carb setup
to EFI ( what's needed to make it work with older Pintos). The turbo
conversion looks a bit too complex for me to handle this winter but that's
a long-term goal/project I'd like to tackle ;)
Kind regards,
Handy
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yes pull the driveshaft if its an automatic and your going to pull it with the rear wheels on the ground. If the car is not running, you'll burn the pump out of the tranny.
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Look for the topic "driveshaft disconnect" in another section of the board that I posted. You will find one I did after the suggestions. It is not hard to do and not long at all. Beats foaming up the transmission fluid. HOpe it goes well.
Steve
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Will do. Thanks again!
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Just thought I'd try posting a picture of #2. Removing the driveshaft was a snap. Thanks for all the tips. But rather than wire the shaft to the car, I just removed it entirely and mated a spare slip yoke to the transmission output shaft. A bungee cord kept it tied to the rear mount. It was an easy tow even with my 4-cylinder van ('97 Honda Odyssey).
This is a great site. Keep up the good work!!
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Here's a picture of my '80 Bobcat. It looks better in this picture than up close . . . not a lot of rust on it but its in pretty rough shape compared to my '76 Pinto. Luckily, I found a junkyard close by that even has a '79 Bobcat with enough parts left over to pick off it. If anyone else has been looking for an odd part off a 79-80 Pinto/Bobcat let me know and I'll pull it before it gets crushed. This junkyard allows buyers to pull parts but they don't ship out and they're definitely not hooked into the internet. They gave me a centercap for my rallye wheel for FREE ( I only had 3 out of 4 of the rallye style wheels before hitting the yard . . . there's one wheel still left now.)
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Hey Everyone, I'm new here. I was wondering where can you get aftermarket fenders? what are some good sites to find parts? thanks
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Hey Everyone, I'm new here. I was wondering where can you get aftermarket fenders? what are some good sites to find parts? thanks
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HI BPANMAN,
Check out links tab an this site and try VFN fiberglass.
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bates 77, are you running dirt or asphalt?
if running in dirt throw away your sway bar you are preloading your chassis.which has a negative affect on handling. you might also play with the lead in your rear axle.trailing the right rear tire from the left rear tire will loosen your car. leading the the right rear ahead ofthe left rear will tighten your car. without knowing car weight spring weights etc. it is hard to determine exactley what it will take to get lined out. if racing on pavement i haven't a clue on setup i've never raced asphalt before.if you will contact speedway motors in lincoln, nebraska they have a very knowlegable staff. their address is www.speedwaymo tors.com phone is 402-323-3200
hope this helps
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:text_yb_please:
what is the silver box on the fender well car wont start i was told this safety box is why
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I am new to the Pinto and I can't find the place to pour transmission fluid into the car, could you tell me?
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I'm also in the process of doing fluid changes, including brakes, on my 78 Pinto Pony. Is there a garage section on fordpinto.com that lists recommended fluids, ie motor oil, trans oil, wheel bearing grease, etc. etc? It's been awhile since I've owned a car with a carb and non-sealed wheel bearings. I don't even have a grease gun for the ball joints.
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I'm also in the process of doing fluid changes, including brakes, on my 78 Pinto Pony. Is there a garage section on fordpinto.com that lists recommended fluids, ie motor oil, trans oil, wheel bearing grease, etc. etc? It's been awhile since I've owned a car with a carb and non-sealed wheel bearings. I don't even have a grease gun for the ball joints.
Welcome!
I don't know if anyone has listed the fluid types for the car but here is what I know by what I have looked up & used.
Motor oil.. 10w30 is recommended by Ford. Trans oil is Type f. I've used regular wheel bearing grease with no problems for years. Can't recall what the rear gear takes but I think it is 75w90. Gas is easy.. regular 87 octane. Dot 3 brake fluid for the brakes, regular antifreeze for the coolant. The universal coolant sold in the stores these days will work just fine. If it has power steering it just takes regular power steering fluid unless I am mistaken.
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Thank you. Does type F go in manual trans too or just automatics?
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I think my hood is stuck? I can't figureout howto post this question anywhere else, but I pull the latch, and it comes up, but its like its stuck on another catch or something. (I don't have much experience with cars,my dads just not home and I can't open it for the life of me)