Engine Swap/Beef up

[Kevin Hawkins]

I have recently come onto the Transit scene having purchased an '89 SWB petrol camper and would be very grateful for the expert advice from all you out there. The van is fitted with a pinto engine which is just so under powered (it has only done 24,000 miles).
a) can the pinto be beefed up?
b) if I change the engine what would you advise I change it to - I am not
bothered if it diesel or petrol at this stage.

I just want a vehicle that will keep up with todays traffic and I do not have to go through the gear box every time the van reaches an ant hill.

Kevin (not another ant hill)

[FredTransit]

I am confused. A 2L in a SWB should be enough, unless your camper fittings and gear are made of lead! We have a 2L in a LWB panel Mk2, and still use her commercialy. She has a twin choke and 5 speed conversion and will still get to 70 loaded. We also have a minbus SWB with a pitiful VV carb and OD box which is a bit slower, but I have never had her fully loaded as we have only used her for film work. What gearbox do you have, and which carb?

if you change the engine, at 24,000 I'll have it!

[madmark]

yes a twin choke carb conversion will give it some more oooomph from a cortina or capri etc!

[gazza]

the venerable pinto has plenty of tuning scope, just depends on what you want, i dodnt think a 180 bhp 2.1 pinto in a camper would make for a pleasent trip round the cotswolds if you are after more torque (puling power) you would be better with a v6, if you want more mpg you need a 2.5 d, petrol engined vans quiter but more thirsty, diesels more economical but louder than petrol. you have to way pros and cons. but in mean time find a carb / manifold off of a sierra cortina or capri, may need some setting up though, another good bet is a 4 branch manifold gets rid of the awful standard cast exhaust manifold, try a web search for capri care at drayton parslow near bletchley, he may be able to help you in your quest for a little more go!

[jay]

change the head as transit engines are lower compression and have a differnt cam.car ones have slightly higher compression and a slighlty longer profile cam.or just put a performance cam in nothing to wild just enough so you will get more mid range torque.you wont want all thep ower at the high end.or to be extreme put a cosworth engine in it that will be one fast camper

[ovlov]

Pinto in a swb could it a 1600 and not a 2lt

[bortaf]

:shock: Pinto in a swb could it a 1600 and not a 2lt

Not allways, the engine in me LBW minibus came from a SWB tranny (G reg) that was a 2.0 and so was one i scrapped a month or so back.
And me Mk2 is a SWB 2.0

[FredTransit]

:shock: Pinto in a swb could it a 1600 and not a 2lt

Not allways, the engine in me LBW minibus came from a SWB tranny (G reg) that was a 2.0 and so was one i scrapped a month or so back.
And me Mk2 is a SWB 2.0

Yeah minbuses, the engine we took out was a 2L, in a SWB. That was in there from new. It just depends what was originally ordered from new.