Pinto to Cologne V6

[Futuramic]

Hello again, am looking to make the Ginetta super-fast in the near future - to take proper advantage of the sublime handling.There is currently a nast boat-anchor of a 2 litre Pinto in the engine bay. This engine is rough, thrashy and surprisingly gutless. They have a legendary reputation but I just don't like the thing.More cylinders seem like an ideal upgrade, so an obvious choice would be a 2.8 injection V6. There is already a type 9 box in the car; so the V6 version is a straight swap.I know it will fit in the bay as Ginetta themselves made V6 versions of the car. There is also plenty of room and the V6 is actually smaller and lighter than the Pinto.My only question is about mounting the thing (steady!). Does the Cologne bolt straight onto Pinto mounts; or can I just get a V6 set and stick them on my chassis mounting points. The whole thing could be done quite cheaply, which is why I want to.

[garethj]

Are you sure it'll fit under the bonnet?

 

I thought the only Ginettas that could accommodate a V6 under the bonnet were the ugly ones with Escort front lights, G28 and G30

 

They've got the higher bonnet line so can take a variety of engines, yours has the lower nose so can only take the inline 4?

[whitevanman]

Right, the Colonge V6 is not lighter than a Pinto, 2.9 EFI is the best one to go for as its a much more refind engine in comparrison to the 2.8, mounts are different, are you running a Cortina subframe? ( if so I have some spare V6 mounts I can sell you, or I have a set of plans for making your own ) You can also get a 2 into 1 exhaust for the 2.9 which helps a lot when fitting into one of cars. fuel system would need to have a swirl pot fitted in either case about £75 roughly to buy one

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

This engine is rough, thrashy and surprisingly gutless.

You've just described the Ford Cologne V6 to a tee.Forget old crap like that and get yourself a proper engine. Something like a 2 litre Honda or Toyota, Rover 2.0 T16, Ford 2.0 Zetec.

[Station]

I couldn't even imagine using an old Ford engine as a transplant; Pinto's, CVH's, those horrible V4s! Thank God for Yamaha and 16v.

[Milford Cubicle]

VM diesel out of a Scorpio

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

VM diesel out of a Scorpio

Roger that.How about a 2300 Rover SD1 straight six on three Ford VV carbs? that would be a powerful and charismatic powerplant.

[Futuramic]

In terms of the bonnet line there are G26s running the Rover V8 so there is no reason the smaller Cologne should not fit.The only concern I have about the 2.9 is the fact it requires the MT75 box, is this a straight swap for the Type 9, if so I'll do it. The car doesn't have a Cortina subframe, it is full custom chassis, but has standard Cortina mounting legs, so any old Ford should go in there. The reason behind this is that I want to do the whole thing on the cheap, the Cologne is already RWD and has a range of suitable gearboxes. A Zetec conversion would be better in the long term, but forking out for custom bellhousings, sumps and ignition systems is beyond me at the moment.The exhaust won't be a problem. I'll just run a pipe down each chassis side member and stick the exits out under the doors. I've had too many four cylinder cars and am after more!

[M'coli]

What about an Omega V6 engine and gearbox? I'm sure they can be picked up reasonably cheaply.

[Pete-M]

Scorpio 24v is a fucking lovely motor, and lighter than a standard Cologne, 204 bhp, smooth as silk, tweakable, and it can be made to fit the type 9. You'd have to try and find an early Granada lump though - the PATS immobiliser on the BOB engine is a nightmare to retrofit. Another bugger is that all 24v Granny's and Scorpios are auto, so when you fit a manual box they're a bit weird when you dip the clutch, but you can get that chipped out of 'em.

[Albert Ross]

You've not mentioned it, so I'm gonna stick me neb in and mention the bellhousing being a different bolt spread/size. XR4i box would be the best option....try finding one though.....I sold one for use in a 2.8i Crapi and got £150 unknown condition...........Turned out to have been a Goldseal recon. Price was agreed before I drove the car, (I bought it to break, knowing that people wanted V6 stuff)............I could have flogged it 10 times over at that price!

[whitevanman]

In terms of the bonnet line there are G26s running the Rover V8 so there is no reason the smaller Cologne should not fit.The only concern I have about the 2.9 is the fact it requires the MT75 box, is this a straight swap for the Type 9, if so I'll do it. The car doesn't have a Cortina subframe, it is full custom chassis, but has standard Cortina mounting legs, so any old Ford should go in there. The reason behind this is that I want to do the whole thing on the cheap, the Cologne is already RWD and has a range of suitable gearboxes. A Zetec conversion would be better in the long term, but forking out for custom bellhousings, sumps and ignition systems is beyond me at the moment.The exhaust won't be a problem. I'll just run a pipe down each chassis side member and stick the exits out under the doors. I've had too many four cylinder cars and am after more!

Use the Capri 2.8 type 9 box for simplicity I've done loads of these as budget conversions in several different cars, yes they are unrefined. but cheap and tough, all other V6 or diesel choices will cost way more to do