hi all, total newbie to the ford world, after a few years of doing up old classics I finally got the chance to buy my boyhood dream car . mk3 2dr Cortina , I've always wanted one and drop a v8 in it, but my ford mate keeps pushing me towards the v6 . to be honest my hearts set on a v8 but my head and wallet are putting a few doubts in the mix. just need to know which is the easiest and cost effective route? and does it require a lot of mods? cheers...........
Hiya dude.
My boyhood dream was also a mk3 2-door. Something we never had here, So I've settled on a moar door.
I toyed with both the 6 and the 8 before eventually biting the bullet on a zetec conversion purely for insurance/running costs.
Anything is possible if you have the time and the inclination and money. Just depends on how much work you can do yourself.
The mk3 has the same floor plan is mk4s and 5s. So Anything that will drop in to the later cortinas will drop in.
The v6 cologne with t9 box is a straight bolt in swap. You will need the t9 with the longer input shaft, and cologne Bellhousing. And the 2.3 v6 gives you very little gain over the 2L in the real world. And the Siamese exhaust ports mean the usual flow work isn't really an option for more horsepower.
the 2.8 v6 can be used for a little more go. I've had the 2.8 running a rejetted 2.3 carb and manifold in a mk5. Sounds nice, smooth, goes pretty hard (Vs a 2L). Can be done in a weekend if you know what your doing.
Also the 4L quad cam v6 is part of the cologne family, and can be shoehorned in, I've not attempted such a conversion. But I would assume it's a rather tight fit, and prolly requires some serious messing with the pipe bender to get the headers between the rails.
302/351 Windsor means cutting the front cowling and recessing the rad in under the top rail, and cutting the firewall (Look at Australian tc Cortina engine bays for an idea of what I mean) as well as a bigger tunnel. It's a lot of work. But it does get the v8 in there.
The Cleavo's are a heavier block, and bang for buck, aren't as worth doing as the Windsor.
I'm prolly gonna get boo hissed for saying it. But they really don't handle the v8 conversion all that well. They already handle like trash. Adding more weight to the front affects the steering geometry, in particular the bump steer, making them as flighty as a rabbit on crack. (I'm talking real world experience daily driven here)
And if you give it the willy too many times, you will start popping rear glass out. a Sure sign the power of the 8 has twisted the chassis (Again. Been there, tried that, busted knuckles and scratched my head over it before)
Ideally... dump the front crossmember and get the crossmember and rack from a Hyundai Stella Prima. The Stella used the same floorplan as the Cortina, So the crossmember and rack bolt in, But are heavier, add power steering, and 3degs neg camber to fix the handling problems. 15" saab rims are a bolt on. Then Cut the firewall/front Rad mount/tunnel up and biff the 351 Windsor and C6 box in. Then your still going to need to reinforce the ass end to stop it twisting under heavy load. Like when parallel parking at the local supermarket.
To keep it simple. I'd stick with the 2.8 v6. In all honesty. a 2L Duratec has more power than the v6. And far better fuel economy.
Another option is what I've gone with. a 2L Zetec. Bolts up to the Cortina box. Run it on carbs. Hit up retro ford for the rest of the conversion pieces.
Here's a pic of my Zetec into mk3 conversion as it sits at the mo
Also...
PICS.... I LOVE PICS OF MK3 CORTINAS....
So like... post 'em up. :-)
cheers mate, many thanks for the info,defo gave me something to think about ,don't want the project to drag on too long,coz I'm so impatient to get out in the beast so may go for the v6-t9 compo just to cut down on work!! thanks again Grimlok....
Done this about 20 years ago with a mates MK3 GXL Got a scrap MK4 2.3 Cortina auto and just swapped everything over. Later he even put power steering on it.
I have something like this under the hood
I'm getting my father a mk3 Cortina as he has always wanted one. The one I'm looking to get currently has the 2.3 v6 from the mk5 but he would like some thing with more poke! I was thinking the 2.8/3.0v6? I know this is a big question but what kind of work would be needed to fit the larger v6 cologne engines? I read a post of yours and saw you had some very good points about not going for the v8! Any information would be greatly appreciated.Originally Posted by Grimlok
Many thanks
Liam
if its already got a 2.3, then the 2.8 will bolt straight in and be noticeably more lively, teh 3.0v6 is much harder to fit, exhaust manifolds need facbricating, sump needs modifying and you need a different gearbox bellhousing
thats good news, many thanks for your reply.
So the 2.8 will be fine with the t9 gearbox and rear axel
the T9 will put up with a hell of a lot more than a std 2.8 will ever give, as will the rear axle from a 2.3 mk5, in fact even an axle from a 1600 cortina will cope with a 2.8 assuming your not going racing or doing burnouts etc all the time
That's great, should be easy to enough to make the car he has always wanted then. Once we get started next week I'll post up some photos.
It will be used as a weekend car for enjoyment but would like a little pull on the motorways.
Do you know what power can be achieved from the 2.8 v6, with some improvements?
a carb'd 2.8 is about 130-135 bhp, its not a great engine to tune with a few tweeks, free flow air filter and exhaust will gain a few horse, but at around 150ish bhp the easiest tuning is probably to fit a 2.8i engine with its injection gear, which isnt that hard if you can find a scrapper with a complete running 2.8i.
a good 2.8i with performance air filter, tubular manifolds and free flowing exhaust will give something like 165-170bhp.
beyond that your are pulling it apart, modifying heads and fitting a cam, which all starts to get very expensive and doesnt give huge power gains
Okay I'll look for the 2.8 injection and see if it obtainable, that sounds like a good route.
Your posts have been extremely helpful, thanks again
hi all,tina been on hold whilst i finished the house,house done (thank f'[;'!),think i've got myself a complete 2.8i for the mk3 ? I've also managed to get some 2.3mounts,and 2.3 axle.
Is there anything else i need to be able to drop the engine in? and can i use the original propshaft? cheers ,any info would be most grateful as i'm still learning as i go with the old girl!
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