200 ci Inline-6 with headers

TwinTurboV8 said:

Little did I know my thread would start a conversation about ford small sixes between multiple stangnet veternans

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hey anytime you ask a question, you can elicit responses like this, regardless of the question you ask. but more and more people are getting into the inline six community because you dont see them as much these days since most people would "just swap a V8 in", since they have the "if some is good and more is better, then too much is just right" mentality.

Engine Power ran a 300 Ford 6 they swapped parts on in between dyno pulls. The exhaust header did not do much by itself, but the Offy intake and exhaust header made a big difference. If your smaller six has a removable intake, changing both (with a bigger carb) would increase the fun factor without breaking the bank.

Boy these folks are great at spending other people's money. A header is one of the best dollar per HP things you can do to nearly any engine. Make sure you rejet/check carb mixture after installing header as many times a header will make an engine lean requiring bigger jets.

The combo I suggested would have most of the fun of a 289 without requiring the suspension, brake, transmission and engine swap expense. It can easily be returned to stock, and that seems important to the OP.
I’ll take your slam as a complement.

HemiRick said:

Boy these folks are great at spending other people's money. A header is one of the best dollar per HP things you can do to nearly any engine. Make sure you rejet/check carb mixture after installing header as many times a header will make an engine lean requiring bigger jets.

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7991LXnSHO said:

Engine Power ran a 300 Ford 6 they swapped parts on in between dyno pulls. The exhaust header did not do much by itself, but the Offy intake and exhaust header made a big difference. If your smaller six has a removable intake, changing both (with a bigger carb) would increase the fun factor without breaking the bank.

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the problem is though that no US ford small six has a removable intake. the aussie 250 2v, and the argentine 188sp are the small ford sixes that have removable intakes. well along with the aussie crossflow six and others.

HemiRick said:

Boy these folks are great at spending other people's money. A header is one of the best dollar per HP things you can do to nearly any engine. Make sure you rejet/check carb mixture after installing header as many times a header will make an engine lean requiring bigger jets.

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the issue though is that just adding headers and even dual exhaust on a small ford six only adds about 10hp total, and that is AFTER tuning the carb. the problem is in the head itself. reduce or eliminate that restriction, especially on the intake side, and the exhaust does indeed become more effective. but you are going to need to send money and time to make that happen.

Head over to fordsix.com for a lot of good information on the sixes.

@rbohm Cast on intakes stink. It has been a while since I looked, but Clifford or somebody had to offer a cut off and replace manifold solution. It's a matter of finding it and the right machinist to do the cut and make mounting holes. Someone determined enough could make an intake for a progressive 2bbl or 390 Holley 4bbl. (Carmichael Angelo did for the first Gila motor)

7991LXnSHO said:

@rbohm Cast on intakes stink. It has been a while since I looked, but Clifford or somebody had to offer a cut off and replace manifold solution. It's a matter of finding it and the right machinist to do the cut and make mounting holes. Someone determined enough could make an intake for a progressive 2bbl or 390 Holley 4bbl. (Carmichael Angelo did for the first Gila motor)

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If I were to go through the effort of cutting off the stock manifold, I would be far more likely to use 3 Weber sidedrafts myself on a fabricated aluminum manifold...one less turn for the air to make.



Here is an aussie I6(detachable manifold non-crossflow head it looks like) with triple single barrel sidedrafts in a classic mustang.

Nice! I was thinking about an EFI setup, but this is less anachronistic. I wonder how close the ports would be?

Another option is motorcycle carbs...they are single barrel, and you could easily adapt them 1 per cylinder since often they just use a short hose to clamp to the head(less manifold fabrication needed, though still some):



Most are set with a pre-determined port spacing....but you could always make a linkage like I use on my ITBs:


In your case, you would just be interested in a single bank though, much easier.

7991LXnSHO said:

@rbohm Cast on intakes stink. It has been a while since I looked, but Clifford or somebody had to offer a cut off and replace manifold solution. It's a matter of finding it and the right machinist to do the cut and make mounting holes. Someone determined enough could make an intake for a progressive 2bbl or 390 Holley 4bbl. (Carmichael Angelo did for the first Gila motor)

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to a point i agree with you. but cutting off the intake log is radical surgery, and then you have to fab up an induction system. there are less costly options though, two or three carbs on the large log intake makes for a nice airflow increase. tuning can be a bitch though. if you like EFI then consider getting three one or two barrel throttle bodies, perhaps off the ford CFI system, or the GM throttle body injector, or even the one barrel throttle bodies off a temp/topaz/ four cylinder taurus. that will give you the nice airflow increase, and if you hook them to a megasquirt controller, you get the tighter air/fuele ratios of EFI. and the megasquirt now has an ignition timing controller as well that operates in conjunction with the fuel controller. this will be a lot less work than cutting off the intake, and making new intake. but cutting off the intake does have the advantage of being able to port the intake runners and opening up the exhaust ports. and that is another thing you have to consider, how do you mount headers or exhaust manifolds? again there are ways, but again require a lot of design work and fabrication. if you are willing to do the work, then have at it. something else it will take is MONEY.

Saw this on FEP a couple months ago. Wonder how well it works.