LocostUSA.com

looked but could find anyone who is using a 2.3 liter ford.is anyone using one?those engines can be built to the hilt

I thought seriously about it. It turned out I was able to get a better donor in a Toyota Liftback than I could from a Pinto / Bobcat or Foxbody Mustang

There are a lot more go fast goodies for the Ford than the Toyota

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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

yup just look at the esslinger aluminum head for it. you could use a mustang fox body car as a donor. might make a change in my power plant ideas.... i love the variety locost brings to the table

a 4 cyl fox with a 3.73 rear end would make a great donor. I've found 4 or 5 since I bought and stripped the 'yota.

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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

I have a Ford 2.3L out of a Ranger that I'm using for my build. Plan to run it mostly stock at first except for intake and exhaust. I might do a Volvo head swap some time later on, after the car is running. There is some aftermarket support for it as it is popular in the circle track crowd, but race parts such as the Esslinger heads can be quite pricey. However, you can mix and match various parts for it (head, camshaft, etc) to get decent power out of it, and it comes turbocharged from the factory in the Thunderbird with the only difference being pistons. They are pretty bullet proof from what I've been reading so they can be made to put out quite a lot of power, but they are also very heavy and tall.

How does the Ford 2.3 motors differ from the Mazda 2.3 motors? The Mazda is a Duratec, right? While the Pinto was a Lima?

The reason I ask is that they race the 2.3 motors in F2000 and FSCCA. It seems that Ford is pumping money into this platform as well. I got to believe that some of those parts could filter down, at a "reasonable" price, to guys like us.

The biggest gripe I had with the small Ford motors was that there seemed to be a different bell housing for every single motor, so that would add around $400 or more just to mate it to a north-south drive train?

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Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

For this reason alone I'd go with a Duratec. The Ranger transmissions are pretty reasonably priced and the NC 5 speeds seem to be steadily dropping in price. For not much more than $400 you'll have a transmission that bolts directly to the engine.

If you're really good you'll have the junkyard get you the clutch, flywheel, slave cylinder, starter*, and any other random odds and ends needed to make everything work.

*Based on peoples' postings and my experience, the Miata flywheel will work with the Focus starter but the ranger flywheel needs the Ranger starter.

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

My 95 Camaro T5 trans has the gear shift exactly where I want it, and I hear they do bolt to the Mustang gearbox (need a different shaft bushing or something). Would this also work for the Duratec / Ranger setup?

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Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

I don't think so.

I believe there is one Ford RWD transmission that sort of bolts up to the Zetec but 2 or 3 of the bolt holes are way off. I don't recall ever hearing of anything working with the Duratec/MZR; its pattern seems to be unique.

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

Depends which 2.3 you're referencing. The Mazda MZR and Ford Duratec 2.3 are very closely related, with the MZR having a few additional features which actually make it less aftermarket friendly. However the Ford Lima 2.3 is an entirely totally different engine all together.

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-Justin

"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie

we've been through this before, the duratec and the zetec are completly different engines, the only 5 speed that will bolt to a zetec is a type 9 only available in a mercur xr4i and the only ford 5 speed trans that will bolt up to a duratec is the ranger trans.

the ranger trans has the bell housing as part of the case.THIS TRANS IS ALL MAZDA

the type 9 will bolt to any zetec and older engine including a pinto,a lima, a cvh or a crossflow or a precrossflow, even a lotus twin cam and a choice of either pair of top bolt holes is used dependant upon the combination.THIS TRANS IS EUROPEAN AS ARE ALL THE ENGINES THAT IT WILL FIT ON

as for actually making them work for flywheel and starter, well you are on your own.

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this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

John, while the Type 9 will bolt onto a Zetec, that is not true of the examples that were imported into the US. They have Lima configuration and the same issues as a Mustang 2.3 T5. Done tried it.

If you luck onto the proper Pinto 2.0 bell (can't remember which one, I'm thinking the "Rocket"), it can be used to mate the Zetec to the Mercur Type 9.

Bill

Mod9 - I think it was you that PM'd me for 2.3L fitment, so I'm putting these here. For the record, this is an old 2.3L Lima from a 1976 Ford Pinto. It uses the original 4-speed FOG (AKA lots of other stuff, but FOG is what they call it in the Ford manual. FOG is Ford of Germany.)

Concerning the pan shot, I intended to let the pan drop 1" below the frame rails. I marked it even with the rails and was going to cut 1" lower. Oops. I cut the line instead. A very shallow pan, but it seems to work OK. I don't race and haven't noticed any fluctuations in oil pressure stopping or turning. Some day though I'll add more sump.

As I recall from the PM, you wanted shots that showed the fitment. These were taken while I was designing the hood/nose. Keep in mind that I made the frame H pieces 1" taller and the scuttle 1" taller than book for a total of 2" taller than book at the top of the scuttle. The car is also 4" wider down the middle.

BTW - This is definitely the largest engine I would put in a Locost. Might have been happier with a smaller, lighter, higher reving engine. If you want a V8, seriously consider a Cobra instead.

John

Bill,

the xr4i were based on a 2.3 single overhead cam engine so the only one produced in europe was the same as the pinto, i have swaped that engine into european escorts many times and the only dificulty was the pan due to the escort cross member.

the mk3 and 4 cortnas came with a 1600 and a 2000 engine fitted as standard, the sierras came with a 1600, a 2000 and a 2300 as standard, the cosworth sierras had the 2300. the only difference seemed to be in the top bell housing bolts and you choose the ones that lined up with the trans.

_________________
this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

Wow, that is a unique way to handle oil pan clearance! A castor under the oil pan!

(ducking)

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Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.