Pinto engine in a Thing

[bajahank]

Has anyone ever put a Pinto engine in a thing? Or as far as that goes any other engine besides a Thing engine.

[alg]

Worked with a guy to put a Mazda RX2 rotary engine into a 1980 Vanagon. It actually fit well - we needed an adaptor for the trans (he had one made) and had to weld two motor mounts.

I think the length of the 70's Pinto 4 cyl block may be a bit long for
the enging compartment in a Thing.
You can also likely get a new engine for a VW for less than a Pinto.
Then you do not have to deal with water cooling. (D'oh!)

[bucko]

I've heard that the Subaru engine is a good swap choice.

[surferdudedav]

eeeeeee... why???? lol.

[Thingster]

I dunno about a Thing, but i know the ford 2.3 actually does fit under the decklid of a beetle. So i would ::think:: it would fit in a thing.

Justin
_________________
"I like to take my Thing out and play with it."
1974 Thing (Play Toy)
1957 Sedan(Show Car)
1954 Sedan (On the back burner)

[Chris181Westy]

I feel that putting a non-VW engine in a VW is disgusting.
Aircooled VWs eat Pinto engines for lunch all day long at the the sand dunes I go to.
Not to mention they just plain look like crap sticking out the back of any vehicle.
_________________
"So we went for a spin in the country
To feel the wind in our hair
To feel the power of my engine
To feel the thrill of desire"
Roger Waters, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking

[Ferretkona]

A old bronco could handle a pinto motor. Keep the ford motors in their own cars.

There is so many options available for Things - Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 181, corvair. Heck I would even put one of those new fangled Porsche 6 cyl's in before hacking in a ford.

[surferdudedav]

first off im w/ ferretkona and chris BUT to each is own.. at the same time i just think (key word my opion) its just not right.. lol... in a railbuggy who cares but a thing.. ehhh.. even thought nobody asked for my 2cents.. there it was lol.. IM NOT TRYING TO BE A BUTT!!!!

[GeorgeL]

You might want to check out the following sites:

http://www.aussieveedubbers.com
http://www.shoptalkforums.com
http://www.germanlook.com

They each have forums that discuss engine conversions. I haven't seen one in a Thing, but it should be easier than a Bug or Karmann Ghia!

For some reason, people in the US seems to be a lot more parochial about swaps than people in Australia and Europe. Even with rather restrictive engineering requirements there are a lot of swaps being done over there.

George

[Big Luni]

I remember seeing the ads in the HOT VW's as a kid- "Join the Pinto Revolution!" ads to convert a Pinto engine to go in a VW dune buggy. I thought those ads were funny back then, and even funnier when I opened one up just a year or so ago and the ad was still there! Wouldn't a Pinto engine be relitively hard to come by these days? And were they all that great to begin with? It may or may not be a good idea, but whether or not one would agree with the modification, I think it's safe to say that the best days of the "Pinto Revolution" are most likely behind us!

[suntour]

I think the modern equivalent of the Pinto engine is the Eco-Tec. As I understand it, you can tweak that little four banger to produce ungodly amounts of HP.

But it has a radiator, so I don’t pay a lot of attention.
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Order of the Voodoo Spoon

[GeorgeL]