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...I had a '72 Pinto with that same Ford of Britian (FOB) 1600cc engine. Did you know that the old Formula Ford open-wheel race cars used that engine and pumped out well above 200 hp? That engine was also in the Capri and Cortina GT.
...from the Ford bulletin: Building an "Off Highway Inline 4-Cylinder Engine: 1600cc & 2000cc:
"The 1600 cc (97.6 cid) engine used in Pinto and Capri cars is based on a very successful 4-cylinder, in-line, overhead valve design that has been used on English Ford products for years...the most notable being the Cortina. It's an extremely durable design that has won thousands of rallies around the world. The most exotic version was double overhead cam design by Lotus that proved to be without peer in the rally world.
English Cortina models used 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 litre engines, and you may find some of these in the USDA, via Canada. Cortina models designed for USA import used either 1.6 1V engines or 1.6 2V GT engines. Pinto and Capri cars use the "standard" 1.6 1V engine. The 1.6 2V GT version also forms the basis for a whole class of racing...known as "Formula Ford.""
...don't know if they're still available from Ford, but I got these many many years ago from Ford Marketing Corp/Parts Division, Livonia, MI:
• Workshop Manual for the 1600 Cortina GT Formula Ford Engine; produced by FORMULA FORD REGISTER, P.O.Box 665, Dearborn, MI 48121.
• Master Parts and Illustrations Catalog for Formula Ford, November 1969; produced by FORMULA FORD REGISTER, P.O.Box 665, Dearborn, MI 48121.
...with a few "tweeks" I was able to go from about 24 mpg to 36 mpg (header, electronic ignition, 3.18:1 axle (versus original 3.55:1), and front chin spoiler).
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