big block into ford pinto

[beef_bourito]

I was wondering if anyone has ever swaped in a ford 400+ci into a pinto. is it a direct swap or do i have to make some mods/ are the mods difficult? where can i order a 400+ci engine (the cheapest place anyone knows of other than a junkyard) and how much would i have to pay? I'm not looking for a crate engine just a stock 400+ci engine.
I saw a pinto on tv (the spike show "BOOM" and they torn it to shreads but that's beside the point) and thought to myself that it would make a pretty good sleeper.
It would be my first car and what i want to do is swap a big block in, turbocharge it then run 2 different exhaust systems, one running with mufflers and a cat, the other running with the turbo and no cat. also have a second intake running without the turbo and, with the flick of a switch, it will go from a quiet, non-turbo, big block to a screaming turbo-big-block.
another thing was thinking of was a retractable hood scoop, have it flush with the rest of the hood and then when that switch is flicked it pops up and the turbo sucks in air from the outside.
this whole buildup would be over time and it'd probably take a while for me to have enough money to even afford a big-block but it would be a fun project. any help would be appreciated.

[astroracer]

1st car? You had better sharpen up your fabrication skills. Putting a small block Ford into a Pinto is very do-able as the Pinto and Mustangs of that genre are basically the same platform. Stuffing in a BB is going to be tougher. It can be done though as long as you are able to fabricate a new frame to hold the beast up. You also need to know that the small block Windsor motor came in a 400 cube displacement and most of the big blocks still available in the 'yards are generally 460 FE motors. I don't know a lot about Fords though so don't quote me on this.
A Pinto is a pretty small package to be running dual exhaust and intake systems on. You'll be doing well to package one system cleanly... Electric cutouts would work for the 'noise' department and I suppose you could find an electric wastegate to keep the turbo out of the loop on the intake side.
The other issues to address are bigger brakes, a built trans, a narrowed nine inch will be required along with a TON of fabrication.
You need to start investing in fabrication tools if you plan to do this yourself. It is a pretty cool project and I am a big fan of the "dare to be different" style of building but it sounds like you have a lot of learning to do before you even think about tackling this project...
Mark

[duplox]

A few nitpicky things...

Originally Posted by astroracer

You also need to know that the small block Windsor motor came in a 400 cube displacement and most of the big blocks still available in the 'yards are generally 460 FE motors. I don't know a lot about Fords though so don't quote me on this.

sorry for the quote!
The 400 was Cleveland-based, not Windsor. Part of the 335 series engine comprised of the 302c, 351c, boss 351, boss 302(kinda), 351M and 400. 460 isn't an FE. 385 series, or just big block ford. They also came in a 429ci displacement. Your best bet for cheap power is the 429/460.
I don't think you need a dual exhaust system, if the turbos are sized correctly, they won't spool unless you are giving it a lot of gas, so you get that effect naturally from a turbo engine.
Expect to pay around $10,000-$15,000 for parts.

[daveid]

i cant tell you how it will fit and stuff except i know that youll have to pull off the fenders to change spark plugs and stuff cuz my old neighbor had a pinto with a 460 in it and it ran 11's