With gas going up and I'm starting a new project,I want to afford to drive it. I will be using a Ford 2.3 or Toyota whatever. My question is what years and models of Toyotas to look for? I want a 5 speed. Do they have a DOHC engine or only a SOHC? Any information on the Toyotas is appreciated. Fred
Most 4 cyl class Toyotas use the 22R carbed or 22RE injected motors. DOA Racing is one of the top engine outfits. The 2.3 Fords are aslo run with Esslinger being one of the top engine outfits. Both are available with 5 speeds. The Toyota and Ford both are SOHC engines, the Toyota has a chain drive cam & adjustable solid lifters, the Ford uses a belt with hydraulics. Theres also the newer Mazda based twin cam 2.3 like used in Ford Rangers, chain drive cams with motorcycle shim type valve adjusters. There are much more performance parts available for the earlier LIMA 2.3 Ford motor
I own a 77 mustang 2 with the 2.3 and I have a 22r from an 84 pickup in my 29 roadster pickup. The 22r is far superior and runs circles around the ford. I wish it were the other way around but gotta go with the toyota on this one.
Well you can try and make a ford taurus SHO engine work. Its a Yamaha engine and a screamer. Wife used to own a 92. Burn rubber in every gear but 5th.
What's a' matter with the Iron Duke?? I believe the first Pontiac V8 was in 1955-ish. Can't get more traditional than that.
Indy Four from an early-60's Tempest? It's a 389 cut in half (literally!) What about an aluminum Buick 215 V8? Lightweight and (somewhat) economical.
I know its a sideways engine. But there seems to be a ton of gifted people here. I read a hotrod mag few years back where someone put a front wheel drive caddy motor in a 60's car hotrod. Cant remember what it was. SHO engine is a V6 anyways. How about a turbo 4 banger from a 90 turbocoupe thunder bird? That would be a screamer.
actually the iron duke name applies to the monza 151 which is kind of a bastard deal on interchange. the better engine is the 153 chev11 4 cyl which has a lot in common with a sbc. same flywheel,bellhsg,starter ect. this engine is easy to find in the mercruiser known as 120 or the 181 cu - 140. you might also check out the monster 4cy mercrusier built on the 460 basis.
The Ford 2.3 can be made into a 180+ hp screamer without much trouble. No exotic parts and a factory cylinder head and no turbo. I have 5 pdf's of a 1981 Hot Rod article from another HAMB member about this engine. Very simple setup. around 180-190 hp with a peak of like 175 ft-lbs at usable rpms.
Did hell just freeze over? run the ford. build your own intake with a couple 1 barrels and build exh.
Most of the sideways engines have some adapter available to hook them up to a front-to-back transmission and reorient them to proper car configuration. One of the first go parts available for the Mopar 2.2 bangers was a conversion bellhousing, of course they may never have sold one!?
re: the earlier comments on the Taurus/Yamaha SHO engine. It can be converted to RWD using Ford Aerostar van pieces ... or so I've read.
The Zetec and Duratec Ford's are both all aluminum. And so are the Quad 4 Oldsmobile's and the related Chevy engines. All very capable engines and all can be used in a traditional north-south setup.
I've just been reading up on the Duratec -- it is aluminum block and head, but the ztec is an iron block. The duratec is about 40 lbs lighter. You can delete the balance shaft and use a lighter R0anger crank and shed some more weight -- rotating weight in fact. It sounds like a pretty cool deal, only about 130hp stock but it's a very capable engine. It sounds like 200hp is pretty easy and you can get 300hp without a turbo or supercharger. Rangers have these in RWD setups, quad4rods.com has an adapter to mate them to several different transmissions. I know it's not "traditional", but it sounds like a great way to make a bunch of power in a light car.
Hey, how about sharing those with the rest of the class. I've always had a 4 cyl. build in the back of my mind and I'd like to read the article you allude to. I've always wanted to build one of those little Toyota engines that look like half a Hemi, the 2tc or 3tc or something like that. But I wouldn't say it too loud around here, lol. Best pic I could find quickly.
The three liter SHO motor put out 220 HP stock (181cubic inches) when it was introduced in 1987. The factory rev limiter was 7300 to keep the alternator from exploding. With underdrive pulleys and a chip they will run an easy 8000 in street trim, and there were some that ran to 11,500 rpms. The bell housing pattern is the same as Aerostar and Ranger three liter. They convert to front engine rear drive about as easy as bolting on a transmission.
The 2.3 Ford is a decent hot rod engine. It's cheap to build, common to scource, and makes easy power. There are even plenty of good trannys available. The Toy is less cheap to build but is equally capable. The stock tune seems to be better. The Quad4 is not as bad as its rep. The cars they came in sucked and were not well dimensioned to work on the engine, so folks put everything off due to the huge hours charged. The head gasket issue is solvable with ARP studs and inserts in the block. They require an expensive bell housing to convert to RWD and need either $$ or work to be right. They will reward you with something akin to a snotty little old timey race engine, though. Even the worst twincam heads flow like crazy, so they can be alot of fun.
The Quad four heads were also very prone to cracking, I've lost count of how many Quads that I had to pull the heads off of to either have them repaired, or replaced (usually replaced).
Why not an Iron Duke out of an S10. You might be able to score one for free here with the T-5 five speed. $900 gets you a full rebuild with a comp cam .20 over pistons, OK power and a great sound to boot. K&N makes a 9 inch open filter with a smaller base opening that will fit the TBI giving you that hot rod banger look. Go for it.
I have played with 2.3 Fords in Merkurs. Stout engine and will bring 300hp with a turbo. But a big step forward is a Cosworth 4. Now that's a 4 cyl motor.
Pretty interesting thread. I own two 2000CC Alfa Romeo engines that I have always thought about putting in a hot rod. They are actually very good looking with the twin overhead cam cover polished. Gonna have to give it some more thought after I finish my AV8.
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