1st Kit Car What Engine
Discussion
Hi All,
sorry if it’s posted in the wrong area, I did look to see where might be best.
I am in the market for a kit car and I have seen two and reading threads on here before joining up there is no perfect find! This is the dilemma I am in now however it’s mainly engine related rather than looks etc.
One of the cars I have seen has the 2.0 pinto engine which appears the most popular in the fitments bar going to the 2.0 zetec engine however the second car I have seen has the triumph dolomite sprint engine which I have read some issues around with the performance and reliability of it.
Has anyone had any issues with either engines or preferences between the two?
Many Thanks
Alasdair
sorry if it’s posted in the wrong area, I did look to see where might be best.
I am in the market for a kit car and I have seen two and reading threads on here before joining up there is no perfect find! This is the dilemma I am in now however it’s mainly engine related rather than looks etc.
One of the cars I have seen has the 2.0 pinto engine which appears the most popular in the fitments bar going to the 2.0 zetec engine however the second car I have seen has the triumph dolomite sprint engine which I have read some issues around with the performance and reliability of it.
Has anyone had any issues with either engines or preferences between the two?
Many Thanks
Alasdair
Which model kit are you looking at?
The Pinto is a tall lump and while used a lot, some consider it heavy and a bit of a boat anchor. Can be readily tuned to give decent bhp. The Doly engine is an old design too, parts are not so readily available but it's a technically "nicer" engine some might say.
Horses for course.
The Pinto is a tall lump and while used a lot, some consider it heavy and a bit of a boat anchor. Can be readily tuned to give decent bhp. The Doly engine is an old design too, parts are not so readily available but it's a technically "nicer" engine some might say.
Horses for course.
The reason the Ford pinto and the triumph Dolomite (dolly) sprint engines were popular for builds is because they came in cars with rear wheel drive drivetrains (gearbox, axle etc). I am not 100% sure but think most of the original applications for the Vauxhall engine were front wheel drive.
Have you considered something with the MX5 engine in it?
MK do a kit as do a few others, with Mazda based running gear as well.
Parts are plentiful and cheap to come by and its easy to look after. Worse case if you break an engine its a few hundred for a replacement.
Get bored and want more power? Bolt a turbo kit on!
MK do a kit as do a few others, with Mazda based running gear as well.
Parts are plentiful and cheap to come by and its easy to look after. Worse case if you break an engine its a few hundred for a replacement.
Get bored and want more power? Bolt a turbo kit on!
shirt said:
The pinto and zetec have the intake/exhaust on the opposite side. The duratec has the same layout as the pinto, but alloy block and more compact. Duratec’s are cheap as chips and bolt straight up to the type 9 box.
The Duratec with throttle body injection is a cracker, had one in my Westie 2000 Sport.shirt said:
The pinto and zetec have the intake/exhaust on the opposite side. The duratec has the same layout as the pinto, but alloy block and more compact. Duratec’s are cheap as chips and bolt straight up to the type 9 box.
The pinto and zetec bolt to a Type 9 but I dont think a duratec does - isnt it a Mazda engine?Duratec is a Ford engine, was just developed in the era where Ford owned some of Mazda and they shared platforms and some powertrain parts.
Needs an adapter plate or custom bellhousing - but they are available.
Debatable that you'd want to fit a Type 9 anyway, they're not the strongest and also aren't that cheap now as they get rarer (partly due to breakages...)
Better with a MX5 NC box as it's mated to a Duratec engine from factory, they have a great shift feel, and if they break they're easy and cheap to replace.
In fact I'd argue you're simply better off with a chassis that uses the MX5 as a single donor rather than go the robin hood route...
Needs an adapter plate or custom bellhousing - but they are available.
Debatable that you'd want to fit a Type 9 anyway, they're not the strongest and also aren't that cheap now as they get rarer (partly due to breakages...)
Better with a MX5 NC box as it's mated to a Duratec engine from factory, they have a great shift feel, and if they break they're easy and cheap to replace.
In fact I'd argue you're simply better off with a chassis that uses the MX5 as a single donor rather than go the robin hood route...
Also bear in mind the Ford x-flow and zetec flow right-to-left in a longitudinal install, so the exhaust is on the left of the car.
Pinto and Duratec flow the opposite way, so the exhaust runs down the right hand side of the car.
It's not necessarily a deal breaker but if your car already has an exhaust system fitted, and visible holes if it were to be swapped to the other side, it's one less thing to change / spend on / worry about.
Nothing wrong with a zetec engine, might not make quite as much power as a duratec but there won't be a lot in it like-for-like.
Pinto and Duratec flow the opposite way, so the exhaust runs down the right hand side of the car.
It's not necessarily a deal breaker but if your car already has an exhaust system fitted, and visible holes if it were to be swapped to the other side, it's one less thing to change / spend on / worry about.
Nothing wrong with a zetec engine, might not make quite as much power as a duratec but there won't be a lot in it like-for-like.
smac said:
shirt said:
The pinto and zetec have the intake/exhaust on the opposite side. The duratec has the same layout as the pinto, but alloy block and more compact. Duratec’s are cheap as chips and bolt straight up to the type 9 box.
The pinto and zetec bolt to a Type 9 but I dont think a duratec does - isnt it a Mazda engine?OP is talking about Robin Hood’s and dolly engines which doesn’t sound like he’s chasing power, I doubt he needs a strengthened box.
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