I'm aware. I just love the 6. I'm excited to build it. Reading through the articles on classic inlines and the handbook made me like the idea even more
I had things planned out. College student plan ha. Just wasn't sure how much I should pay for an engine rebuild
...$0.00... just keep us posted on the project it will be interesting to see what you can do with a...200 6 cyl. on..."a College student buget"... I had about $2,500 in a 6 cyl. before I gave up on it and went to a 302... that same 6 cyl. is being sold again from the Guy that had hopes of going on from there. the Guy buying it is going to take a run at it...we'll see... do a basic rebuild, fix the A/C and drive it...JMO
adam 72..I'm on your side... nuttin but six haters here..straight 6 vs bent 8's. Well we all use our cars for different purposes, so it's understandable. I would talk to a few local machine shops, but first decide on exactly wht the car is for. I have a 200 as well totally stock, except for a 100 dollar pertronix in a fresh but stock distributor. I have learned so much since my last rebuild...and if only I had done a few little thing that wouldnt have cost much more... I'd have 20-30 more HP. But my 'lil six just wont die!! We probably have 85 HP if were lucky.. low compression 72 motors. I get around 22 mpg at 65 mph. I drive the car on long andremote road trips and like the ease of access to the engine. The 250 gets worse mpg gallon than the 200. I am intrigued by it, ...250 ft lbs torque at 1600 rpms on a stock 2 fitty. I too want a lil more power on tap, to use for hills, etc.. not jack rabbit off the line or drag racing.. Ha ha I was driving over the Sierra Nevada at 10,000 ft and Covered wagons and Nun's in wheelchairs were passing me But I stayed in 2nd gear ..180 degrees ...kept pluggin away. no problem. Next time I rebuild I will calculate for increasing the compression a bit.. taller pistons or shaving the head or "0" decking the block. Original cylinder head gaskets werew thinner and the thicker ones that get used now LOWER the compresswion ratio, further reducing our hp! Machine shops dont know, or dont care, so the compressed thickness of the gasket must be taken into account. Double roller timing chain is cool if you are hot rodding, but If you drive normally I have never hurt mine. I broke them in my Charger though,, OMG. 600 HP at 20 years old = bad idea. Then, instead of spending crazy $ on the Classic Inline aluminum head, just have some minor work done to the stock head/intake. I have a machine shop says it will cost @ 2,000 bucks. I'm highly sceptical of the DUI dist. A spark plug only can use so much spark..right? Pertronix does that. It's the timing advance ofthe DUI I guess... but is that good for a highway car??? Cam? naw..I want my torque down low..where I use it , yes, at the expense of peak HP. I rarely see 3,000 rpm's and at speed on the highway maybe 2500 rpm's. (This drives all the hot rodders here nuts, I know)Keep stock torque converter so your cruising speed rpms are above the TQ converter stall speed!!! Making the engine more efficient will result in power gains, not to say you're gonna abuse it though. The six mostly can't breath, and from what I have studied, minor things can be done to get an extra 20 -30 hp that dont cost much.. It gets ridiculously expensive when you try for big power .. 10,000 buck no problem. Turbo.. Nitrous? No repacement for displacement. If you wanna roar, the guys here are right, gotta get a V8, but a lil more outta our sixes just takes planning and research BEFORE you rebuild, keep reading and ask on the other forum not here, no love for the six here. ( except by me and you...lol)I Had a hot rod VW bus that I sunk SILLY cash into I'd really rather not say how much ..lol. When I got my Econoline, it was more powerful with a stock 351 Windsor.. I've had a monster 440 ci Charger, I have a big block Dodge Coronet that punishes all who dare. But I do love my 200 hundred 6, 2.79:1 ratio.. stock tranny will be fine, stock radiator. Tranny cooler! Prowl those desert wastelands with confidence.. No quarter mile cars out here in the barren and hot West on the way to Vegas!
not true... I've been looking at a couple of...200 6 cyl. cars lately... going to leave the "6" as is and just drive it...but not a daily driver. "Machine shops dont know, or dont care"...they don't have to, I go in and tell them what I want... I don't leave it up to them to make the decision of how my motors are to be built... if he builds his 200 to 150 HP...he will give up gas mileage for it...also, why would anyone want to give up A/C in a daily driver in N.M...
I have never used an AC in any of my cars. Or heater for that matter. and I know 150hp is high but I know it's possible and im not planning over night to get it. Just a lager duration cam, better pistons, 2bbl, dsii, better coil, a better breathing head (hopefully a later one). Its ok if it's not much in the way of crazy hp gains. I just want to learn and enjoy. I don't care for much money anyways. It just disappears either way =]
Your thread title is "need some advice here"...so you get what you ask for. I am not a six hater. Over half of my Maverick that I currently have are 6 bangers. Here is my "advice": For a college student daily driver, you do not need what you want. If the car is running fine, I would not touch it. What you are wanting to do, I estimate, will cost YOU around $5000. What you will end up with is a car getting worse gas milage than what you get now, and still will be slower than all V-8 cars out there, slower than all v-6 cars out there....and probably slower than most 4 cyl cars out there. You asked....
And I agree. I was just asking for rebuild advice because it can use one. The other stuff will be later. I just wanted to plan this for future plans. No sense in needing to rebuild it later when i could plan for it overall now
I'm a six hater, total waste of money! If you want gas mileage, save the money you'd spend on the 6, and buy yourself a newer car.
The head was pretty worn. And overheated a few times. I'm not sure of the actual mileage. Smokes a little. Somebody thought it was a worn out ring.
Could be it just needs new valve seals, which does not require a rebuild. It doesn't even require the head to be removed. But....I would suggest pulling the head, take it to a shop and have it gone thru. They will check all the valves, put in hardened valve seats, put in new guides and seals, etc. I would speculate this will cure most of your problems. Are you able to work on your own car? (Have your own tools, space to do it in, etc)
