Building a Ford 2.3L 4-Cylinder Lima Engine For The Dirt Track - HorsePower S16, E16
It's a first for HorsePower - putting together a four-banger, high-performance engine dedicated to oval, dirt track competition. It's amazing how much power you can pack into a small race engine designed especially for dirt tracks.
PARTS USED IN THIS EPISODE:
ARP: Cylinder Head Bolts, 12-Point Head with Undercut Studs, Ford, 2.3L, Kit
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7088
ARP: Main Studs, 2-Bolt Main, Ford, Pinto, 2.3L, Kit
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7090
Canton Racing Products: Oil Pan, Circle Track, Steel, Gold Iridited, 5 qt., Rear Sump, Ford, 4-Cylinder, 2.3L, Each
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7102
Holley: Carburetor, Model 2300, 500 cfm, Holley 2-barrel, Single Fuel Inlet, Dichromate, Circle Track, Each
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7104
Loctite: Threadlocker, 243 Medium Strength, 6ml., Each
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7106
Mallory Marine: Distributor, Unilite, Mechanical Advance, Ford, 2.3L, L4, Each
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7087
Melling: Oil Pump, High-Volume, Ford, Mercury, 2.0/2.3L, Each
More Info: pntv.us/pb_pt_7091
American Powertrain Systems: Custom Flywheel 2.3-5.0
ARP: Bolts
Canfield Industries, Inc.: 2.3 Liter Ford Bellhousing Adapter Plate
Esslinger Engineering: 2.3 Aluminum Rocker (Valve) Cover
Esslinger Engineering: All New Cast Iron Block
Esslinger Engineering: Billet Aluminum Water Pump
Esslinger Engineering: Billet Crankshaft
Esslinger Engineering: Custom Esslinger Aluminum SVO Cylinder Head
Esslinger Engineering: Kit, includes cam, cam tower straps, profile tips, rocker arms, valve keepers, mouse trap springs R/L
Esslinger Engineering: Long Rod Kit 2500cc .030 J.E. forged piston, chromoly 5.7 rods, Total seal classic non-gapless
Esslinger Engineering: Rod bearings STD - CLEVITE
Esslinger Engineering: SVO Aluminum Head Holley Manifold
Federal-Mogul Corporation: Head Gasket, Composition Type, 3.930 in. Bore, .041 in. Compressed Thickness, Ford, 2.3L, Each
Klotz Synthetic Oil: Break-In Engine Oil
We'll continue to post these episodes here on KZhead. If you can't wait for the rest of the build, visit our site to binge-watch: www.powernationtv.com/shows/engine-power
Wait, so I was always pronouncing Lima Ohio wrong? Used to go to the 4 wheel truck jamboree as a kid in the early 2000s, but I called it Lima (lye-muh)...
It’s pronounced lie-muh. But Lee muh is how you pronounce the real Lima that’s not in Ohio. I grew up 15 minutes from Lima Ohio.
Can we get some inline 6 action.
It's not leeeeema it's lime ahh Lima ohio wtf ..
PowerNation you better hope those Lima beans don’t hear you say Lima Like Leema they’ll get pissed it’s like the bean haha
The dyno tells me the man's a perfectionist who can eyeball things. He knows his craft and is obsessed with getting results. Good stuff.
I'm sure Power Nation was flipping the bill on the dyno time and with the intellect that Dan has I'd be taking advantage of that opportunity any day!
The fun part is that dude wouldn't have to eyeball shit out if instead of a carb they'd use fuel injection like, guess who, Ford designed it. A $10,000+ aftermarket block plus add in every other single part of the engine, in other words, probably close to $20K on a 4 cyl for little horses. Get a K20 for $500, slap $5000 in aftermarket parts and get 600 horses, maybe more. I know this class races are just to keep the American car and parts companies in business, otherwise there's no reason to run a carb in anything other than a lawnmower. Better yet, get those 2.3 ecoboosts in there, probably making stock what that completely new motor costs with none of the guessing and time wasted at the engine Dyno.
@@fcorivers Yeah, I was wondering what happened to the 1200 HP they were talking about not 200
+Francisco Rivera ''Get a K20 for $500, slap $5000 in aftermarket parts and get 600 horses, maybe more.'' Why are you lying?
@@basshead. a K20/24 is a very capable modern engine. With time, tuning, and parts, 600whp in a four cylinder is not a pipe dream. There are dudes out there with single cam 1.6L d series honda engines that make 400whp with a cheap turbo kit. If you want, check out Bisi Ezerioha. His claim to fame is high horsepower Honda engines and you may be surprised by what can be done with those little mills.
2.3L NA with 268HP, no turbo. That's freaking amazing
Is it? Honda tuners have been making over 300 hp from NA ~2 liter engines for over a decade.
@@PistonAvatarGuy K20s are pretty new, this lil lump is kinda old tech
@@PistonAvatarGuy yes but this engine is only 2 valve dont forget and designed in the 70s and no varible cam timming, also 2.1 pinto uk versions of these have been getting 240hp plus for past 30 years
@@bigboreracing356 I said why.
@@bigboreracing356 Personal? I rode in a 4 banger Mustang once, a Fox body with a Lima, it was the slowest, most lethargic vehicle that I've ever been in.
over the past 2 years i’ve probably watched this video 5 or 6 times, it’s just that wild
Same
I've always been fascinated by the 2.3 Ford it is an amazing power plant
2.4 Gm 4 cilinders its even better.
I have one in a ranger 323 000 miles still runs pretty good.
This dyno session really accentuated the benefits of port or direct fuel injection. He was able to adjust the fuel distribution with modifying the intake baffle, but you can see how the fuel injection would be able to handle that more accurately. But still, his knowledge of what that engine wants and needs, and the fact that he manufacturers most of the parts is outstanding.
Since this carb is sanctioned by the racing orgs, its cool to see what people come up with to push it to its limits
Webers are my first choice with things like these, but sanctions are there for a reason!
yes ! something besides V8
@@bigboreracing356 That's usually what a v8 nut swinger says when they get whomped by anything but BWAHAHAHA
Buff Barnaby they did make a slant 6
STREET RACER liking your own comment I see that’s good to see that the only person that can be able to stand you is yourself
@@bigboreracing356 Go outside...Breathe, Socialize... At a HUGE V8 Fest! (Ls Fest maybe?)
@@bigboreracing356 nuts
I can only imagine what that little 4 would do in a 4x4 Ranger. That would be sweet.
I just bought a 95 Ranger (no 4x4) with the 2.3 Lima and it’s suchhhh a fun little truck.
Lol... your crazy if you want this little shitbox. Go get yourself a 4.9l i6 best fkrt engine
They are a dam good little 4 cyl. While I agree on the i6. The i4 isn’t no bitch lol
I have both. My '89 F150 has 260,000 miles on its 4.9, runs like the day my dad bought it new. My '99 Ranger (it's a 2.5 Lima same thing) is once again dead in the driveway. At 235,000 miles it dropped a valve in cylinder 4. Got a remanufactured engine that i put 31,000 miles on, before I couldn't take the misfiring, the 20 minutes of warm up to drive it, the 14 mpg it was getting, and not to mention that it had already destroyed the catalytic converter. New head should be here today. Gonna slap it on and push it off a cliff lol I hate this truck! That 4.9 has outlived everything ive owned. Doesn't even matter to me that it's obd1 efi. I'll never get rid of that truck. A 2.3/2.5 LIMA cant even be compared to it.
They came in rangers
I’ve been running this setup for a few years now in my modified 4 mustang dirt car. We run a Goldstar clutch assembly with a 4 speed 2.21 gear ratio in 2nd gear. We run a 8.8 mustang rear end with a 3.45 ring and pinion. We turn 8400 rpm. We run 20 laps. I run my motor 20 races before a refresh. Many many wins and a few track championships. Esslinger, and raceengineering out of Florida is where the best parts come from.
Over 250 in an NA four cylinder is really impressive. I honestly think the Lima motors are underrated.
Imagine putting this engine in an old school Escort or Cortina but with a set of side draft Webers instead 🤔
Nope, go electronic fuel injection with a stand alone (mega squirt 3) and turbo charge it! Now that would be a great little sleeper. That is the plans for my 88 TBird TC!
Dude yes that is exactly what I was thinking and give it 30 pounds of boost with a turbo
Or that yeah lol
Did y’all see the TC build on HRG with Tony & Lucky, the young bloods don’t know about those gems!
Here in argentina we got the Ford Taunus with this 2.3 engine. Very suitable for a turbo development.
That's freaking cool how he trimmed that baffle to get the temps right! That's some awesome stuff right there.
I have a built 2.1l Pinto engine in my Westfield (Lotus) Super 7 street, track, and autoX car. 8.5K rpm redline, 190 HP at 7500, twin 48mm 2 bbl sidedrafts, BIG cam, ported head, all forged internals. Super easy to work on and dead nuts reliable. It's a blast in a 1250lb. car. I totally see why these are popular for dirt track racers. Cheers from Canada!
I had a 1985 and 1985 1/2 SVO Mustang with fuel injected Garrett T3 turbocharged 2.3s in them. They're bulletproof. You can even put a Volvo head on them and the make pretty impressive horsepower. I love the 2.3.
I’m loving having this show on KZhead. I generally enjoy these dudes and their budget/non budget builds
Have been fan of these engines for years. Amazing how much power they can get out of them. Huge props to Esslinger.
i had one 150 shot of nitrous no problem ..strong engine stock
Tell you what. I gained alot of respect for this guy. When he said we build all our components an they are 100% American made. I don't know why we would consider to do it any other way unless we, without a doubt have to.(send it out of country)😲 That's what I'm talking about buddy!!! You are dead right! I tip my hat to you sir. Keep up the great work!
Yep,.So glad he is fighting all this cheap Chinese copycat crap!
this is what I like to see in engine builders, he always aiming for more trying to make it as perfectly tuned as possible. This show how much passion and dedication is in the products he sends out the door. I'm not a 4 banger guy but I can appreciate this kind of stuff for sure.
@@bigboreracing356 ooooh so edgy.
When the head on my ranger cracked... I couldn't find a replacement. Then I found out about esslinger, then I saw the price for a head and then I died.
Me too,food 4 bangers are expensive to build.Try building a high hp VW turbo engine around 500 hp.
@@gerald4027 Which engine?
@@realMaverickBuckley.the 427 came from the 60s or 70s I think it was or the 2.8 ltr 450 to 500 hp nitro hilborn fuel injected sand rail drag engine.
@@gerald4027 when I was younger I was all about VWs I had a bug with a 1915 in it, got tired of blowing those up, got a 2.3 ranger and lifted it with 33s then it blew, gave up on 4 cyl, now I'm ls swapping a Nissan hardbody.
I built my 1993 Mazda B2200 back in 98'-99' it ran the same motor as a ford probe with the exception being the heads were different between the two. Long story short I spent 5k rebuilding my motor, it had more power than stock but not one bit worth it. No actual off the shelf performance parts were available for it. Sucked big ol balls at the time. Next build will be a v8 or a turbo for my 2.5l 1998 ranger.
I originally had one of these in my 1990 Mustang LX. Made a whole 86hp and 138ft/lbs. The 5.0 swap was the best mod I ever did (on that car).
Makes me wonder what a Fox Body would be like with a complete Esslinger swap.
It's a shame more companies didn't support and develop for this engine, the block/bottom end is bullet proof. I knew a guy who built a Pinto with a 2.5 Lima that made 800hp+ on the stock block. I had an '88 XR4Ti that was a blast.
This was my first engine rebuild in my 1980 Mercury Capri. Good memories
Dan S Had A 79, jerked out the 2.3 and put in a 302 w/a 5spd , ran like a rocket.
"Run it again..." When your own machine doesn't meet your performance standards.
run it till it does what he knows it will do.
🤔 I was impressed all along, until we got to the power numbers. I must say that I was confused and disappointed. I was SURE that a pure aftermarket race version of the 4cyl Lima, running 110 octane fuel, with 12.5:1 compression, high performance cam, intake and exhaust, was going to be easily pushing over 370hp. Nope!! I test drove a new 1986 SVO Mustang one day while working at a high performance transmission shop(my 1st real job). One of the owners of the business also owned a Ford dealership, which is where the SVO Mustang came from. It was rated at 215hp on 87 octane pump gas. About 15 years ago I read an article about a guy who specialized in taking stock Lima 2.3L engines and getting 400hp out of them for cheap, which supposedly would equal high 10 second 1/4 mile times in a lightweight, street legal Pinto, Mustang II, or a Fox body! I would expect more than 260hp out of a pure-aftermarket, race-ready, high compression 4cyl with 110 octane racing gas.... I guess you'd need a bunch of boost to bring this engine up to 370hp. But you could pull off the same trick with a regular Lima for a helluva lot less $$$. At least ^this one would be less likely to blow up under boost, although some of the stock Lima engines could supposedly handle over 400hp with just a few modifications, without coming apart.
you can get 400 hp outta them. not shock..
@@HighlanderNorth1 Bear in mind the following. 1. This was with a spec 4712 carb. We all saw the game he had to play to get each cylinder within operating temps with the deflector. While this is necessary ensure proper air/fuel distribution it also creates a restriction in the intake. If he ran it with port injection pointed at the back of the intake valves it would have easily done alot better. 2. This motor is not running on the ragged edge. It's running in a configuration that is safe for night after night operation. If you already know this then disreqard but a typical night at a dirt track at a minimum looks like this. 2a. 2-3 laps of hotlaps 2b. Perhaps 1-2 laps of qualifying (Depends on track/race) 2c. An 8-ish lap heat race (varies on track/race) 2d. An 8ish lap consolation race (if you were unfortunate enough to end up here) 2e. A 20ish lap A Main race. 3. This doesn't consider any caution laps or anything of that sort. So we can safely say one of these motors is going to be covering roughly 33-38 laps of full throttle racing during any given night. If this is a 3/8 mile track that is anywhere from 12.5 to 14 miles of WOT operation. Quite frankly no engine of this size (roughly 140 CUI) is going to live an entire season of 25+ races turned up more than this without a refresh. 4. These aren't 410 sprint motors, this is more for your budget minded folks that don't have the 20k to drop on a motor refresh every 10-12 nights out.
Lima engine will make 400+ HP on turbo, S/C, or Nitrous.
I love the way that Dan is super methodical about everything. Also like the matter of fact , quiet self assurance. Just another good ol' boy. This thing would be pretty awesome in a Pinto running Webers.
What a lucky young man,to have such a dedicated family with him.Thank you for sharing this,as I've had 2 different 2.3's,(one carbed,2nd efi) and wondered how to get that inch of torque.
This is super cool! One of the very few videos that build up an engine and hand tune it to perfection! Much respect!
That is a beautiful engine. Esslinger has done amazing work, very clean everything looks like it belongs together. Amazing.
I love this man. The whole dyno session was perfect. The video editing was perfect. You can tell he's a true master craftsman. I can't believe you can get that kind of power out of an old Lima I4 with old-skool carbs. Just astonishing. 👍👍
My 2.3L Ford makes 305hp and it's totally stock. Runs and idles smooth, doesn't overheat and powers the AC.
I had one of those in a 97 Ranger. Such a reliable engine
Time to boost it! I remember my buddies old body mustang had the 2.3L and it would scream. Didn’t go anywhere but it was fun.
Applied science and fervor! Thank you for your service.
Back in '90 watching pintos race in Riverside CA, THAT was racing!!
I remember daydreaming over there catalog 20 years ago when I owned a 2.3 Ranger.
Me too when I was building my 2.3 turbos.
I still have my 95 ranger with the 2.3.
Their
I appreciate seeing the huge amount of work put into the engine. I would use a slightly tuned Saab or Volvo turbo engine from the 90´es for the same amount of power, but a lot more driveability and no need for constant rejetting and compromises depending on climate.
Absolutely love this program thank you for sharing this awesome video keep up the good work
I’m a proud owner of a 99 ford ranger I bought it with a bad motor and 5 speed tranny but I found a 2.3 sohc on Craigslist with less than 60,000 miles I used everything off the 2.5 and bought a transmission at a local savage yard that came from a wrecked Mazda b2300 it also had low mileage done the conversion 8 years ago and it still runs like new honestly these are one of the best engines ford ever Made !!!!
Love those high revving 4 bangers!
Those were good, highly underrated engines. ( Used in Pintos )
Actually the Pinto had a 2.0L with 3 cam towers instead of 4. The 2.3 is essentially a scaled-up 2.0L
The later Pinto's had a 2.3L. The very early 2.0's had to have the head removed to get the cam out as it came out on the firewall side. Also the very early ones came standard with a pushrod engine. ( 1600 CC )
They were much better in Europe because Cosworth worked their magic on them... The Sierra Cosworth RS500, Escort Cosworth, and RS200 would whip the crap out of any Mustang.
all of a sudden, I want to rebuild my 4cyl Honda
2.2 and 2.5 Chrysler is a lot better
Run it again do it. You gotta love that guy and his passion for engine performance
They explain things so well. they neither assume im an expert, nor an idiot and i adore it.
I have a 2 litre focus svt block in my garage, with the six speed trans attached still it is so tiny. My hand barley fits in the cylinders. That motor was making 170hp from the factory with the cosworth worked head and twin cams. My ‘86 mustang gt only had 220. The motor I swapped into the focus makes 210 at the wheels STILL naturally aspirated. It doesn’t sound like a lot but the car is only 2700 lbs. the plan is a garret turbo set up than make 325hp or so than focus (no pun intended) on some weight reduction to get it down to about 2500lbs with me in it. I’m not looking for anything crazy, I’d just like to give the focus st & rs guys a surprise they’re not expecting.
Nice! Golfs, Focus, Astras etc with anything from a 1.6-2L turbo were our european muscle cars. The 1.8T VW's were known as 350hp, 250k mile engines for little money. They're a blast in sub 2500lb cars with short wheelbases. Now you're getting 400HP 2litres from the factory, and 1000++hp on the track lol.
Aaron Burr Atwood same here. I’ve got an ‘03 Focus SVT parts car, and an ‘04 Focus SVT. I’m going turbo also, and giving port/polish a try. Would love to do Quaife sequential trans, but $$$$$
I’ve got a stock miata, which is currently at 140bhp, I’m building a spare motor in the basement for boost and plan for 250-300 at the back wheels. That plus 2300 pounds should be real fun.
The Fiesta ST have a 1.6 turbo. In Europe they came with a 1.0 turbo.
Then not than
I'm a V8 guy but I found this build to be intriguing! Good video.
The guy is a genius and keeps the regular guys in mind ....Thank you sir.
Amazing seat-of-the-pants engineering. Good stuff.
Great engine run for ever
These little engines will last for ever.
Indeed! Perhaps one of the most underrated engines of all time.
Most engines were pretty reliable back then. Even BMW engines.
You got that right my Lima is at 390,000 miles, 400,000 here I come.
Great for industrial engines. Later ones are a 2.5 in the late 90s and 2000s. I said it already in another post , but about 2yrs ago I changed a broken timing belt on an early 80s 2.3 on a generator. It had about 1500hrs on it and was the original belt. I thought timing belts suck🤣🤣 Here's to another 35yrs on the new belt. 🍻
@@bigboreracing356 You STFU.. They can and will with care.
I had a '79 Mustang with a carbureted 2.3 downdraft turbo that I ported, polished, cammed and put a 4bbl carb on it. I want to say it was a Holley 390. Once I had it jetted right that thing made loved rpms for making power - it just kept pulling. I bought a 2.3 efi turbo and head for it and sold the head I ported and polished to a short track racer. I was no racer but he got to see my work and bought it right up. I really did a meticulous job. This show brings back memories!
Absolutely amazing how far that little Pinto motor is come.. I remember That motor eating Cam shafts.
our 75 Pinto was a 2.3...rock solid reliable. 1st metric fastener engine Ford did.
Nope.. not the first metric fastener Ford did..I spent more than 20 years working on all metric Ford V4s and V6s, made in Cologne from 1961, and some years on 2,0 "Pinto" made from 1970 onward..It may have been the first US made metric Ford, but Ford has been made in UK since 1911 and Germany since 1926....Ford is not just America..These Limas were made in Lima, Ohio for just one year, then the entire factory right down to the work station signs were sent to all all new plant outside of Sao Paulho, Brazil called Taubate....and all the rest from 74 to 90 whatever were Brazilian.... I currently have 4 turbocharge Lima powered cars here and 1 Pinto based engine called YBG here..as well as one remaining Ford V4 powered car...
And these guys probably tripled the output.
yes USA metric engine.
@@bigboreracing356 Because he was taking BS, just like the little wennie girl you are is spewing BS.. Hey einstein..here's a vid on a engine the 2300 SOHC 8v Lima...you don't think that being accurate counts on an engine? Maybe accuracy is a habit...Maybe you're an idiot, that could be accurate.. Ever built one of the engines? 2? 10? Most of us don't want to listen to idiots so...go pretend to be a racer. Street racer..harumph, more like poser.
@@5000rgb a 1974 2.3 made just over 100hp stock.
One of Ford's best motors!
Very impressive numbers considering the ancient architecture
Hey, that's crazy seeing the speedway i grew up around on here. 931 Baby!
This was the most interesting episode by far
Back in the 80s I saw similar 2.3 engines with turbo in the 700hp. Sweet memories.
thank you for this video my hat is off to the family for there heritage and family values thank goodness for you
Here at work we have a wood chipper with a 2.3, the original engine was a duraspark distributer, small port one bbl carburetor engine. A guy gave me a turbo big port engine, it needed a new one. I changed the pistons, the small port intake does fit the big port heads if you use the small port gasket
Long story short my father and I dropped the 2.3 turbo setup out of 1985 Capri Rally car into my 98 ranger stepside, we've also gotten our hands on some of the Rapido goodies... fun times in Nova Scotia
🇨🇦
Have they found anything on oak island yet
@@subconscious.com_usa6691 ya they have found lots, just not really any buried treasure
@@adamadamson6428 Thanks buddy, i think i watched up to about season 3 before i lost interest in the program, its a shame i really believed in the myth, :)
Wow!!! It’s not even a ford engine anymore....that Man is a Scientist with that engine!! I want to see a turbo built 4 banger!!!
Ive got a Honda engine with a turbo that has a factory stock block, crankshaft and head with forged rods and pistons. dynod at over 500 crank hp and 464 whp on 91 octane ampm gasoline.
From a 4 banger. !! Little Logan is one very cool little kid I hope you make it little man
I built one of these for my 83 Mustang LX while I lived in Berlin back in 87. My Autobahn cruiser.
Do an Iron Duke next, Kansas Racing Products makes some neat things regarding the Duke.
are you in Kansas?
My 2000 Ranger (that I still drive) has one of these Lima's in it. Funny to think that it left the factory with only 96 HP. Lol They do have a bit of vibration bc they don't have a balance shaft. Also in stock form, they are non-interference design. The timing belt breaks, by a new one and keep on trucking!
That's a badass 4 cylinder engine, I was very empress
You think that's badass? Check out Boports SVO....
I owned a 94 or 95 ranger with the 2.3 fuel injected 8 spark plugs and factory high flow intake and factory cast headers. The engine was bullet proof. I pulled a 7' x 12' trailer 3500 pound rated trailer for my small business. I hauled everything from lumber to fire wood and more than any of my previous f150 trucks. It was a hard on clutches as I did have to replace the pressure and friction plate twice over about 10 years but no complaints for the grueling work load I put this truck through. It sipped fuel was plenty strong enough to pull loads of locust fire wood that easily weighed 5000 or more that were way over my trailers rated capacity. The only bad thing about the truck was the crap chinese steel used for the frame and spring hangers. I replaced the hangers twice but the frame finally did it in. Here in Rustylvania they use so much salt and calcium cloride on our roads in winter its as if they have a deal the big three to destroy our vehicles so we have to buy nrw ones more often. I loved that little truck. The new version is total crap. Its not designed for the working man. Its way over priced sits way to high and made so you cant service it yourself. If I had the money I would build a truck based on the old design and pay these guys to build me and engine that is way stronger with economy and durability as its main focus. With a frame that will not rust out.
Id love to see what you could with the ford 300 inline six if you havent already improved on the most durable engine ever built. I put a few million miles on one from 1975 to 2002 and it was in a E150. I sold it to a salvage yard and it did a few more years service for them. Ill have to ask them what finally did it in. Was in the van or the engine that died first.
Would love to see one of these in an SVO build up.
A good turbo n aftermarket EFI in an SVO, 500+HP, n half the weight on the nose, eben put battery in trunk, bet you'd be 50/50 weight ratio or Damn close!!!!!
My dream build is either a SVO with a new Ecoboost 2.3, or the old 2.3 but with ALL modern larts and electronics ect. Also thought it would be pretty dang cool to grab a twin turbo 3.5 from a F150 and drop it in a Supercoupe Thunderbird.. Or the 3.7 Mustang V6 with a procharger or actual supercharger one. Just to keep the flavor.
I just still feel bad for the guy who tried to do the very 1st (known anyway) Ecoboost 4 cylinder swap into an SVO. Except there was a HUGE problem when he started... The new 2.3 Ecoboost Mustang wasnt out yet. So instead he resorted to the next best option. He got a FWD 2.0 Ecoboost and gradually made it fit RWD in his SVO. Went through an absolute nightmare between piddley shit like oil pan clearance, accessory drives, steering, the wiring, piping, exhaust... Just everything took twice as much $ and 3 times as long. Pretty sire he finally finished it, BUT I think buy the time he had Ford hsd already released the. 2.3 Ecoboost Mustang... Ya know, the 2.3 engine (the right size and already actually pointing the right way) a rwd 6 speed manual that didnt need any adapter...Ohh and the WIRING!!!! Just buying a whole car, wrecked or not swapping is SO much easier
What a cool sounding motor :)
U guys make it look super easy assembling that engine grate video
“Well it’s all about winning”. I love this guy.
Had this 2.3 engine in my 1991 Ford Ranger I sold it with 230,000 The guy driving it said it now has 300,000.... these engines are amazing.
I had the 2.3L in a 91 Ford Ranger also. I sold mine with 213,000 and saw it a few times around town for the next 5 years. I liked the simplicity of the engine but hated that my non-air conditioned setup had a clutchless plastic fan that spun at the same speed as the engine so that meant stop-and-go traffic required pulling over and shutting off the engine like an air-cooled engine.
Hell yeah giving the Lima some love! Would love to see a 2.3L turbo build, I did a mild build on one in college- hand ported head, ported intakes, Motorsport A237 cam, upgraded turbo running 17 PSI and that thing would run. Never officially ran or dynoed it but I could keep up with 13 second cars! I had that same adjustable cam sprockets on that engine too. Hate to see the price tag on all those Esslinger parts though.
@@bigboreracing356 dohoho you so clever
That is AMAZING horsepower and torque for the 2.3 Lima being naturally aspirated. I have always wanted to build a Honda K24 NA that makes around 300 whp and put it in an EK Civic hatch. I built a 1.8L DOHC VTEC that makes 612 whp on a GT3582R and that was only 22.5 psi of boost and hardly ANY timing.
This was really cool. I've rebuilt a couple older 2.3 engine's. Way back I. The early 90s. But, this was impressive.
Dual cam Volvo head will work on the ford 2.3 and will add a good amount of horsepower and torque with minor modification.
Yes,ive seen quite a few svo mustangs with them heads on.
Minor mods??? Doesn't part of the volvo head need to cut and welded??
B234F head and the head needs modifying and welding you'll also need to fab up intake and exhaust manifolds!
302hobronco Yes but considering the extent of things they can do it’s pretty minor
@@anthonymartin6352 It's doesn't NEED welding" but since the very first guy did it by welding a big sold block of aluminum, everybody since, because they are like 90% of Americans authoritarian followers, they also weld...The back of the head is "as cast" and anybody with a little brains and a OK milling machine could clean up the pack for a clean surface, drill and tap 6-8 holes..say M6.......and machine up a matching block of aluminum and simply BOLT ON the block.....like we bolt on many other things to hold water or oil in...So simple.. But as always inertia in thinking is the rule... As for intake manifold...the bore spacing of the Volvo and Lima is VERY close and very close to bore spacing on Pinto or YB Cosworth....so some guys who are smart enough to listen tried and then adapted YB Cosworth intake manifolds with an intermediate plate.. so that's relatively easy leavinng just exhaust manifold and a guy named "Pyro Pete" does the flange and adaptor and the spacers for the cam belt..All relative easy.
Boasts about his in-house made manifold. Has to hack up aluminum gutter to get it to flow.
Lmao
I'm still shocked by that rig job... I bet the stock manifold doesn't have balance issues...
I imagine his manifolds aren't tested in air flow simulations. "Run it again."
Imagine if for some weird reason that piece of aluminum gets suck in the combustion chambers.
@@armstrong4196 it is aluminum. Softer than steel. Minor damage. Besides it would be impossible for that to happen.
One of my favorite Ford engines.
Back about to 10 years ago we had a 2.0 pinto motor with cast block and aluminum head making 304hp and 265 torque! Running routine laps at 9000-9200 rpm! We put 17 races on that setup no tear downs! Last race it threw the belt, no damage it only slipped one tooth! Soo much fun!
This is the engine my old fox body should have had. Not the 50 or so HP 2.3L it had lol
They made a SVO Mustang for a few years that made the same amount of HP as the 302 at that time (about 210 IIRC). They were a fantastic car but just didn't really catch on. Most guys wanted a V8, I think. Even though with so much less weight, the SVO actually handled better than the GT.
As far as an industrial engine they are great. About 2yrs ago I changed a broken belt on an early 80s model in a generator with about 1500 hrs on it. It was the original timing belt. Here's to another 35yrs on the new belt 🤣
@@danmallery9142 87 turbo coupe....my buddies dad bought one new , we got our mitts on it and saw 5500 in top gear many times.
2.3 turbo actually weighs within 50 lbs of a 302. Throw some aluminum heads on and its not enough to worry about.
@@MrTheHillfolk Laughs at 7500rpm out of 2.8 liters
Makes me want to build one of these engines
*look out everyone we have a badass over here*
@@bigboreracing356 too*
@@bigboreracing356 seems the consensus is that you're the one that should STFU, lil dude.
go crazy,save 20 grand first
I Love that Episode! 2.3 L , Ford Lima Custom Motors! Those Guy's know how to get them Numbers and durability! Classic pretty tough motors to begin with! Just Made Way Better! I want One!
That last pull she was happy as could be
“ ...Run it again “
pretty dang good for a SOHC engine! Looks like a fun project
More powerful than the S2000's DOHC VTEC engine.
@@basshead. Vin Diesel frowns upon that comment
@@basshead. stop comparing apples to oranges. Road engine vs race engine is a pointless comparison. the s2k motor has 10k dollars less billet than that engine.
+sed8181 More like comparing oranges to mandarins. Almost the same fruit.
+zeroyon223 Seems like you didn't watch the video. Ford is superior.
Gotta love them old Ford engines. Very easy to work on and pretty damn bulletproof
This literally put a smile on my face
Ford had that engine putting out 900 hp in group B rally cars in the 80s
That would be the cosworth designed 4 cylinder, not even close to this design.
Nice try but it wasn't a 2.3L lmao
No they didn’t
You're thinking of the Cosworth engine which is a totally different design.
@@TwentytenS4B8 this is true and I didn't mention that in my statement.
I could see one of those engines sitting in a Ranger trophy truck or rally cross Mustang
or a bone stock ranger that's not a trophy truck but with a turbo 😈 There's so many engines I want to swap in in my 99 ranger like the 2.3 turbo from the SVO mustang or the old 5.0 from the 93 Foxbody mustang
Alan Locklear I'm actually building a 347 for a street/trail version of a trophy truck ranger, but this would definitely be cool to. Oh well, I'm already into the 347 and shooting for about 550hp NA.
STREET RACER oh my god you absolute virgin never touch a small block v8 again you don’t deserve to be a part of the car community thecway you act you’d like the reddit incel page though it suits you nicely
STREET RACER yeah my mother didn’t say that I can’t put... my hands on a small block chevy? Well that didn’t work out the way you thought it would...
Childish arguing down below aside 🙄 I'm stuck between throwing a built 2.3 like this into my ranger, or jumping off the deep end and Ecoboost swapping it. Either way will be expensive so it's honestly going to come down to what pops up first
what a nice simple engine. it looks great to learn with
Love the Pinto engine! Had an NA, Turbo carb and TuroCoupe which died when pushing 32 psi! Blew the gaskets out of the turbo!
Famous Ford engine now getting recognition because of the want for small fuel efficient and powerful engines. Lee ma
Stevie Jo there's nothing Ford left on this engine lol Its all essingler. Also its not for fuel efficiency reasons its because these cars are driver by teenagers. Its for safety reasons...once they outgrow this class they move onto the Chevy 350 class.
@@bigboreracing356 ????
@@2810Mad he's literally just a troll telling everyone to STFU.
@@bigboreracing356 pretty sure that was a fact not an opinion
The Cosworth turbo Yb Engine is the best variant of the 2 litre pinto, its a Pinto bottom end with custom cylinders and cylinder heads which made it double over head cam, it was used in the Sierra Cosworths and the Escort cosworth, its good for 1000+hp, but most people run them around 500, the most famous application for it was in the Sierra RS500 Cosworths touring car, which is fords most successful race car it won 25 world touring car championships world wide in every country as well as 100's of domestic rallies, they were getting 190mph + out the thing back in the 80's, it was faster than a Ferrari testarossa. kzhead.info/sun/p7Sch5qZanqsf3k/bejne.html&start_radio=1 kzhead.info/sun/m8axfJyLm5Z7rIU/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/jdJ_h6-lsaJoqaM/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/pbauZdx-bqaLaYU/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/icqJmJaknGinZKs/bejne.html
Magnificent Moto's I had one in a 94 ranger with 498000 miles and beat the ever loving piss out of it wasn't the most powerful motor but reliable as hell
Man what a video......Esslinger you are the man.
Love the sound it makes
Anytime you get that close to 2hp per CI you're doing a lot of things right, and they are only 12hp away.
my 86 SVO had a 2.3
and?
1:40 Dad tapping on the body telling himself “yup that ain’t going anywhere”
One of my dream engine builds for real.always wanted to put a built one in a pinto or some other small ford
I had a boost controller on my 86 SVO and beat 5.0s
Buff Barnaby stock 5.0’s and 4.6’s were weak AF
Doesn't take much. Crank the boost a couple pounds on a stock 2.3L turbo and it makes over 300 ft lbs. They were stout.
STREET RACER did lose somebody in your life and are at the anger stage on stages of grief because I don’t think it’s humanly possible to be this much of an asswipe without being blind drunk, having a tiny penis or having a traumatic experience in your life.
@@ghunt81 Yup!!
@@theeoddments960, lol, that cut like OJ with a new chainsaw!!!
Logan: “I hope they get a good shot” Producers: “let’s show off the part where he’s losing the most”
He’s a lap ahead of the rest of them.
basshead it didn’t really look so as the car in front of him was going only a little bit slower although he looked like he was going to pass him so eh
As long as it looked good I don’t think he cared
That baffle is pure genius!