Hey guys,
 
I've bought myself a Pinto engine from Scotland and I am eager to fit it to my mk2 escort when it arrives! Crazy you say, but as the engine came with bike carbs, starter, alternator, elec dizzy and a type 9, it was a no brainer upgrade from the ol 1600 kent!
 
Just bout the only thing I will need to finish the upgrade is a 2ltr exhaust system. After asking round, I am pretty set on a set of Pacemakers because of their build quality and sound (yes, the deciding factor :) ). I know they do a standard (PH4310 Pri: 1 1/2" Sec: 1 3/4" Out: 2") and a 'big bore' (PH4315 Pri: 1 5/8" Sec: 1 7/8" Out: 2") and I don't know which one to get.
 
To complete the picture, the buyer bought the engine of a couple of engineers who had it in their super 7. According to the ebay add it was completely overhauled with increased compression, fr32 cam kit, kawasaki carbs (zx6r maybe?), vernier cam wheel and a bit of porting to the head. He never got around to fitting the engine to his westfield after moving to a farm but was told by one of the sellers that they had dyno tuned it and reportedly got 180hp. After a bit of reading, I would find 150-160hp more realistic..
 
Can anyone here recommend if I should go for the smaller or bigger pacemakers? Car will be prodominantly street (little bit of club use) and will probably stick to a 2 inch exhaust to keep noise in check.
 
Cheers!
 

Hey Bud,
 
Lots of guys in the car club have had massive issues with the pacemakers as they have started using thinner flanges and as such they are very prone to cracking.
 
Larger will give better top end power but smaller will probably be more streetable.
 
Not very helpful but someone will be along to give some better options.
 
Good luck with the engine.  
 
Cheers,
 
Matt

Off topic, but how are you getting the engine and gearbox here?

I use a local company called AGS World. Paul Coleman is their state manager and has helped me to no end. After doing a few imports (personal goods from GER and some parts from UK) before, I realised it is much more cost effective going with someone who handles shipping from end-to-end. I get AGS to handle everything from foreign pickup to fremantle port, and then do the clearance procedure myself to save costs.
 
As for the pacemakers... yeah I have heard a couple of negative reports lately... I am hoping to pickup some NOS from an eBay supplier and snap up an 'older' unit. From what I have learnt, pacemakers are still the best local option within the reasonable price range! The jury is still out!

big bore, with a 2.25" system.
get good mufflers that aren't restrictive if you want to reduce noise.

With contacts like those why not get some Ashley ones from the UK?  I'd be up for some myself - group buy time!

Yeah was considering the Ashley headers.. but some guy here in WA recently got a set from Burtons and found them to be of appalling build quality. weld overruns and slag everywhere apparently! For something like a set of new extractors or any other new bit of kit is normally much quicker (4 days with burtons, midland wheels, etc), cheaper and easier to use an online shop's courier service. I've used AGS World shippers to pull over second hand gearboxes, engines etc. The trouble is, the seller/agent has to be able to provide a heat treated IPSM pallet (or at least be able to load the gear onto such a pallet) for any haulier company to even think about taking your shipment. This always involves a bit of inter-continental relationship building, patience and trust. From experience unfortunately not everyone fits the bill ! If I had a solid contact in the UK with the space for a pallet in their garage i'd be sorted...
 
Gazz, thanks for the tip! Especially regarding the choice of muffler and reduction of noise! Have you got a similar setup on your pinto? Did the big bore detract from low-down torque much at all? 

UK always state BHP, so take 30% off the 180hp figure :)
 
2" system is plenty, just pick some headers with 2" outlet as there's no point going 2.25" if  the rest of the system is only 2"
 
Interesting info about the Ashley pipes!

ratta tat tat
UK always state BHP, so take 30% off the 180hp figure :) 

Take 30% of crank hp and get what figure?


Cheers

rwhp, 30% drivetrain loss