Ford Pinto SOHC

Introduced by Ford in 1970, and used in many Ford vehicles including Cortina, RS2000 , Capri and Sierra. The latter was mostly unleaded.

A 1796cc version was introduced in mid-life Sierras and an E-Max 1.6, introduced in 1984, sharing the 1.8 and 2.0 litre rods.

You’re likely to find a Pinto in Mk3-5 Cortinas, Capris, Mk1/2 Escorts, Granadas and Transits. All engines have a rear-bowl sump with the RS2000s being alloy.

The engine is crossflow type with the carb on the right, exhaust left (when viewed from the front). Camshaft profiles can be an issue so we recommend a review of the head flow and an appropriate camshaft is fitted.

We have invested heavily in producing an excellent gas flowed cylinder head for this engine. This, together with the appropriate engine modifications can reliably produce 220BHP as fitted to the Capri pictured. . See the flow graph to the left for a detailed look at the enhanced flow from this head.

Also, pay a visit to our CNCHeads site for more about our gas flowed cylinder head for the Ford Pinto.

We have identified several weak points in this engine such as the crank and rod assemblies. We have options to resolve these points and achieve great race winning results. This is a classic case of building an engine with the right mix of expertise, best components and configuration to achieve good power and reliabity.

Check out how we build our engines

See a comprehensive view of all the major components of our engines. A detailed insight in to how we specify and customise each major component of the engine to produce the ultimate race engine.

Gas flowed Cylinder Head
Camshafts
Balanced Crankshaft
Pistons
Con Rods
Valves & Springs
Dry Sump Systems
ECU management
Fuel Injection & Carbs
Manifolds
Turbos & Superchargers
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