increase HP in a I6 200ci

Go here: http://fordsix.com/forum/

and here:http://www.cliffordperformance.net/

Then go here

www.countrywidemortgage.com for a second mortgage.

Think hard before dumping a bunch of money into a 6 cylinder. It's dollar for dollar what you'll spend on a V8. The only advantage is it's light weight and durability at high rpm.

www.classicinlines.com has better customer service than clifford does. as for what you can do to gain power, since you are rebuilding;

1: .030 is about all you want to go when overboring.

2: use a cam that works in the rpm range that you plan on driving in most of the time. classic inlines has a good selection of clay smith ground cams, and if you dont see one you like, they will have clay smith custom grind a cam for you at no extra cost.

3: if you plan on keeping the stock head, mill it .050 to raise compression, .070 if you use a composite head gasket. you can then add, via an adaptor, a 5200 holley webber carb. or you can have the head modified to use a holley 2300 or autolite 2100 carb in a direct bolt on fashion. or you can add an offenhauser 3x1bbl carb settup.

4: if you plan on replacing the head, classic inlines should be able to get you either an aussie 250 2v head and intake, or an argentine head with intake and exhaust manifold at a reasonable price. however if you wait on the head for a couple of months while production ramps up, you can get a NEW aluminum head from classic inlines(price yet to be determined) along with your choice of intakes(mike has plans for 5 different intakes that can be ordered). this head will bolt right onto you stock block with NO modification.

5: classic inlines also has three different brands of headers you can order, his own brand, pacemaker from australia, and hooker headers.

6: as usual a decent exhaust system needs to be installed, single or dual it doesnt matter.

7: if you want some real power, add a turbo. one of the guys on the fordsix forums has one on an early falcon, and that car runs in the low 12's to high 11 second bracket, with a 200 ci six! he is planning on installing one of the new aluminum heads as soon as they are available, and then he should be heading for the low 11 second bracket.

with the right mods you make enough power to surprise many V8's and ricers. dont let people tell you that a six cant make power.

What about the Australian Cross-Flow head?

Turbo?

Rockets?

The fordsix guys are now assembling an awesome turbo/EFI example with the new head design. They aren't saying, but I'll be disappointed if it doesn't make at leat 400hp. Hell, Will & Kelly's old 250 makes over 300hp with an iron log head and a 2bbl.

$ for $ how much easier would it be to transplant a V8 insted of tuning to the current engine?

That's not the point!

It takes serious craziness, insanity, and commitment to seriously work an I6. Very cool!

I have a set of 255 pistons if you want em . . .

chepsk8 said:

What about the Australian Cross-Flow head?

Turbo?

Click to expand...

the crossflow head wont fit the US block without a few mods. check out this link for more info on that, http://fordsix.com/tech/engine/crossflow/crossflow.php

last time i heard jack had the engine up and running, but had a few minor issues to fix, small things like an oil leak. jack said it ran strong though.

as for a turbo, that would be a good way to go with any head that is used on the ford six. the crossflow or the new head from classicinlines.com would be best in a turbo appication.

The crossflow head on a US 200 or 250 is a relatively straightforward swap, but is by no means a bolt-on. There is some fabricating and machine work that has to be performed. And on a 200, none of the stock intakes will clear the distributor so something has to be fabricated to fit.

That's where I am now. The engine runs pretty well, makes good power, leaks are stopped, but I'm playing with another set of carbs. I should have built a megasquirt for this one too....

The coolest carbs were the Mikunis, but setting a consistent idle was an issue. Too many screws!



I may eventually build a manifold to use a MS EFI system. We're installing one of those in the coupe now to replace the SDS unit we were running.

chepsk8 said:

It takes serious craziness, insanity, and commitment to seriously work an I6.

Click to expand...

I have that beat with 1/6 as many cylinders. See right side of my sig picture .

Don't mind me, just making wise comments and subscribing.

ok 300hp IS possible with an inline six, BUT you will need forced induction to achieve that goal, turbo is best. as to your other questions;

1: most ford engines are thin wall designs, and ford recomends that you limit overboring to no more than .040". i usually recomend .030 as a maximum as that gives you room for another rebuild if needed. you can certainly go more if you choose, but i highly recomend that you have the block sonic checked for core shift and other problems that were prevelant at the time these blocks were cast. it would be a bad thing if you had the engine shop bore the motor over .060 and ran into the coolant jacket. cause then you would have to have the block sleeved(expensive and recommended only if you are trying to save a rare block), or find a decent replacement block.

2: for the intake it will depend on the power level you intend to make, and what mike will have available. as for the exhaust, a set of fspp or pacemaker headers are always a good choice.

3: regarding cam selection, you have to first decide what rpm range the engine spend about 80% of its time in, and select a cam that works in that rpm range. for example, if you were building a 289 for a daily driver, and wanted more power, the rpm range you would spend most of your time in is the idle-4500rpm range. thus i would recomend a cam like the comp cams 260 or 268 high energy grind. if on the other hand you wanted a drag only motor, and depending on class rules, you would want a cam that works in the 3000-7000 rpm range, thus a solid roller cam that works in that range is best.

4: changin rockers usually means changing rocker arm ratios, and that changes valve lift. a 1.7 rocker will push the valve open more than a 1.6 rocker will. you at that point would need to check valve to piston clearance to avoid the valves and pistons from becoming too friendly as that would end your day badly. as for springs, the control the valvetrain motion to prevent valve bounce, aka valve float. too stiff a spring though will cause excessive cam lobe and lifter wear. too light a spring allows the valves to float, and that can allow the valves and pistons to become too friendly as well, and again will ruin your day.

5: multi spark ignitions these days are all pretty good. some like MSD, other like crane or mallory or other ignitions. personally i prefer MSD as they are the leader in the aftermarket ignition field.

6: for your six, a T5 would be a good tranny to use. it is light and can handle a fair amount of power out of the box, as long as you are not a ham handed driver(those types can break lenco's with a stock four banger!).

Count another vote for a turbo. If you could do everything yourself and go for a small budget, I would recommend a t4 out of a junkyard. Get it rebuilt and you are set. You will have to get a custom set of headers as I don't know of anyone that mass produces a turbo header for the falcon six family.

And on the transmission, if you are cheap and $800 is going to break you, get a t-5. If you can spend a little more go with a 3550. Its the same case as the TKO series (possible upgrades) and is much stronger than the weak-cased t5.

As for a cam recommendation, I would stick with the 1500-5000 rpm range.
Like crane's 276D hydraulic flat.