Would you guys consider putting a 4 cylinder in your ride?

Just bought a project from an estate. It's a glass 34 ford sedan and it had a ford 2.3 Pinto 4 banger in it. First thing I did was yank it out and sell it to a model A guy. Defiantly not my first choice...or tenth choice for that matter. So that would be a BIG FAT NO!

 

Two of the cars in this photo had 4cyls. The other was a inline 6. Tell me you knew before I told ya.

 

def. if it was a t bucket

 

Never. The 429 v8 that's in it now doesn't exactly throw you back too hard. T bucket, yes. 5000 lb caddy, no.

 

Nope. Whilst not a 4cyl, there was a Mazda rotary model A roadster around where I live many years ago. It wasn't received very well at all.

 

tastes are tastes, but wtf!! why people insist in saying 4cyls sound bad???
It aint true, when mine was straight piped sounded like a damn boat at the end pipes, and it was loud as fuk!
Its all a matter of set up. Anything can be made to sound right.

Anyways, cam, head and carbs on a pinto can make wonders, and they even dress up nice.
The jap 4s are sweet too.

 

yeah, split headers w/ 1.75 tubing, shorty turbo mufflers under the cab, and glass packs under the bed. If the law around here was sofer thats how i'd run mine. trust me it will change it drastically.

I now run one w/ 4 into 2 headers on 1.75" tubing then back to 1 2" tube that is split at the transmission w/ a shorty turbo but goes to the rear axle, then a Y connection split it again making it a "fake" dual exhaust, but 1.5" that go into 2 long turbo style mufflers.... its still noisy and sounds real good (i would have never guessed it) but at least the law cant argue w/ the big mufflers.

Hope i helped.

 

At gas prices going at $8.00 a gallon Hell yeah. If I can find one with torque enough.

 

Yes I can. Im currently driving a 84 ranger with the 2.o four speed. It gets better fuel economy than my 71 3/4 big block 402. Out in the back there is one of those 350 diesel olds trucks. someone has transplanted a Isuzu diesel and four speed auto out of a bread van into it. We have a 64 Fairlane htp. it originally came with a 170 and three speed 3.55 rear gear. When we last drove the fairlane 20 years ago it was powered by a 351 winsor and FMX auto. I have a 260 and several 289&302 engines. However Im seriously considering swapping in a 4 cyl of some type. I have a 2.3 ranger engine and 5 speed . . Ive also got a coulpe of Datsun PK,s one a 67 has a little bitty 1 bbl 4 cyl and 4 speed the newer one has a 2 bbl 4 cyl and a 5 speed. At present Gas is $3.50 a gallon here for the cheapest ethanol low octane. We want to turn the fairlane into a affordable daily driver. We dont need power brakes or steering but would like to have air conditioning. OldWolf

 

I've ran both V8's and 4 pots in roadsters. Fuel here is really expensive and for me it boiled down to running costs. Either run a V8 and do 6 shows a year or a 4 pot and do them all and drive the wheels off it. It's slightly different in the UK aswell as pinto motors have been used for years.
My last roadster was the best car i've owned. 2.0 pinto with some head work, 38DGAS carb'd it flew along, easy quick enough, huge fun and you could thrash it about and runs 15's all day long.
Maybe not a good idea in a big truck though. Could you not run a V8 on LPG to bring down the costs. I lived in Oz for years and most cars out there were duel fuel. Just a thought.

 

I had an 84 Ranger with the 2.3 5 speed, and replaced it with a 302 C4 and 3.0 rear gears and got a lot better gas mileage, and have one fun time driving it.
2.3 in a F series will only break a lot of 2.3 parts, give you bad mileage, and embarrassing performance.
And for the record I use to road race a 150HP 2.3 Mustang, and a 200HP 2.0 GT3 Pinto.

 

There are many 4 cylinder rods here in the UK built on a budget, and considering a gallon of fuel costs nearly £6.50 or about $10, there are several pick ups running turbo diesel engines 2.0 or 2.5 litres, the fuel consumption is similar to a modern truck, 30 + mpg, keep the bonnet shut or detail the oil burner who'se to know? I know we all dream of big powerful V8 engines but at single figure fuel consumption, I certainly couldn't afford to drive it anywhere.( My truck has a 2.0 turbo diesel, it keeps up with traffic and is quite cheap to run)

 

Yes

 

Unk,
That is just wro, uh right.

Banger in an Effie bad idea. Maybe a cosworth in a T isn't such a bad idea but a 2.3 in an effie?

Just step back and give it a good thinking.

 

no!

 

in an effie?


No.
But then again....
No.

 

Now this, is blowin it out of proportion.
Why the hell would it break so many parts? and bad mileage? this makes no sense.
A ranger is only a few hundred Kilos lighter than an F100, that btw can be made lighter as well making it into the same weight range as the ranger....
The only thing i can agree is poor performance, and even that is qestionable, poor compared to what? you see 200 horses arent exactley my granma grocery getter. But embarassing? being caught w/ a pushrod up your arse is embarassing, but driving a 4 cyl engine i dont think so.

The point is, not everybody cares about having 800 horses under the hood on a city driven daily.

 

How dare you agree with me. Just stop it!!!

I think that a banger in a Morris Mini is a very good idea. preferably one built by Cooper. Not to be confused with the late model Bavarian Motor Works copies.

 

At least Bonez gets it.....

Build a lighter truck, get it comparaple to a ranger(I believe I can get it lighter). Then install a 2.3L that outperforms a stock 2.3.......

How could the performance suffer, still get at least 20+ mpg and be able to keep up at 70 on the highway.

Assuming you do the speed limit, be able to get from A-B faster than you guys with the V-8's cause you'll be stopping more often to fill up.

As far as it being a truck, how many f100's are truly trucks anyways? by the time you put a independant off a car under it, its a car with a truck body IMO.

I can think of a ton of ways to shave weight off of it....

 

A definite no. (unless you join 2 together....)

 

BTW I drove a 97 ranger with a 2.3L for 150,000m. Done some light mods, ran 275x40x17 wheels, 5 Speed manual. Had plenty of go, wind er up and drop the clutch and grab the brake and you could smoke em as long as you wanted....... Not once did this engine get below 20 mpg and averaged 25, and that was me driving the snot out of it.

 

just build it and let us know what it does. its just a motor....if you dont like it you can always change it. go for it, see what it does...i for one am curious.

 

Just curious, why did you ask the question? I only ask because from your last few responses it sounds like you've made up your mind what you were going to do beforehand and are just looking for reassurance. If it's what you want to do then surely there is no problem, just do it.It sounds to me like you know what you're doing, but you did ask for opinions and that's what you got.
Best of luck in your project whatever you decide.
Paul

 

I was hoping someone would bring this up. I have been interested in running Propane or LPG for years. I have too much on my plate to research this right now. Sounds to me to be good alternative, so you can run a V8 and still make it affordable.
What does it take to change one over?
How much does it cost?
Are there any government tax advantages?
If you are building a new engine what would you do different?
Are ther any change over kits that can be bought or adapted?
Which is better Propane or LPG?
Which is easier?
How do you refuel?
Can you take a vehicle on a long trip with alternative fuels?
Lots of questions but I am sure someone on here knows the answers.
Maybe this deserves a new thread.

 

NO WAY!!!!! i dont like 4 or 6cyl engines. i dont like the way they look or run.i know ive seen with me own eyes some high hp, 4 and 6s. but still didnt like them.cant explain my attitude but i hate them none the less.and feel the same about front wheel drive and imports. id rather push my v8 car than drive a 4cyl. lol

 

if you r only worried ab cylinders,,,,, why nt go with a isuzu diesel 3.9...??? they get ab 20 miles a gallon in thsoe big box vans!! and they have turbo... watch this guy do it and you "cylinder" hassles may be over with.......


if foru cylinders is al you want ;D ;D ;D


http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/showthread.php?3300-67-Ford-F100-with-Isuzu-4BD1T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ88ViL7h6A

 

I got a small block that makes over 400 horse and 444 pound feet accordning to the dyno. it has over 130 k on it and has consistantly gotten 20 MPG for the last 14 years. it is as dependable as a hammer and doesn't have to spin to 8K before it starts making torque.

The banger in the effie is a lot like the fella that was going to build a 400 HP 216. Could it be done, perhaps, is it a good idea probably not.

but what the hell pipe dreams are what the world is made of.

 

20mpg highway or stop and go??? Whats your setup?

I love big motors, and if gas was where it is now or less then sure. But "if" it were to go crazy you all wouldn't consider a 4 banger? I mean wouldn't you rather be able to afford to drive something than have to leave it in the garage??

You all have to be willing to change at some point in time, if everything were to go electric and gas becomes a thing of the past are you all gonna let your car sit and rot or put an electric motor in it and run it????

I mean whether people want to face it or not, petroleum won't be here forever.......

And like I said earlier, Im playing deviles advocate here I'm most likely building a 300 inline six because I like the way they sound........

 

I think we all "get it" but what you're asking about is very untraditional (for a F100) on a very traditional forum. I'm actually surprised at the number of people that posted they would try a similar swap (in a F100, a lightweight roadster is a different story...).

To bring the Effie down to Ranger weight you're looking at dropping roughly 14% of it's weight. Probably doable with a lot of work.

It's hard to tell what you actually want to accomplish. In this topic it sounds like fuel economy is your major concern. I saw in another topic you started that you wanted to build a 300 that would beat a 4.6 Stang.

I actually like the 300 idea. The 300 is a torque monster and you can get pretty good horse power out of them as well, but they'll never win an economy run. They're thirsty in stock form, and and really thirsty when built.

The little banger is a good engine for it's intended use. But in an Effie you'll be cranking the piss out of it all the time.

A 302 with a 5 speed would be a good choice. They're not as thirsty as a 300, parts are readily available and cheap. I don't know what the guy's problem is with the 14 mpg Lincoln. I had an 89 Town Car that would get 22+ on the highway and 18 city. Had a carbed 302 3 speed in an OT F100 that got right at 20.

 

HAMB=TRADITIONAL.
Not saying your points lack validity, just the wrong forum for them.