So, some of you have seen my other post about putting a 2bbl on my 250 i6. well heres the thing: what else can i do? i know that i could get an aftermarket header, but how hard would that be to put on a stock A/C car? also are there any other tips and tricks to "soup" an i6?
Clifford performance, i think. that log intake manifold is the real bottleneck on that engine. the 250ci was definitely the better of those maverick 6 cyl's but short of milling the manifold off the side of the head and fitting a custom sheet metal and tubing intake (I was thinking 90's escort 1.9l style), I really don't know that you'll get more than 200hp max. there's always the turbo option...
I always refer to www.fordsix.com Tons of stuff there. As injectedmav says, we're limited by the design of the head on the 200's. Headers will require moving the a/c compressor by fabricating some brackets or switching to a modern compressor and swapping places with the alternator. Classic Inlines has a nice article on the new compressor/alternator swap to make headers work. http://classicinlines.com/headers_AC.asp I continue to keep the turbo option open for sometime down the road. Keep inlines alive!!
Swap to a pre emissions 69/70 timing chain, Hotter Coil(really made a difference in my 200), distributor spring(re-curb) swap. Also something that few people do is to swap out the cam. Jon at Delta cams told me he would grind me one for half the price of most competitors. I havent decided on which grind to get though. I already swapped to adjustable rocker arms, which i hear helps in cam swaps.
Duraspark with a Mr. Gasket #925D spring to replace the secondary spring and bend the tab inward on the advance plate 3/16" will help a lot. http://www.1bad6t.com/Maverick/maverick_27.html
You can get around the limitations of the cast in intake by milling the manifold to accept a two barrel adapter and running a Motorcraft carb or fit it with three one barrels (if you like tuning). Raise the compression to 10:1 (pistons), put in a cam with near 214 degrees of duration at .050", a set of long tube headers and a free flowing exhaust. Balance the engine and use a scraper or windage tray to keep the oil in the pan. Use a high volume oil pump and the best bearings you can buy.
Oh to bump up the comp ratio for cheap use Ford 2.3 HSC flattop pistons! They drop in right into the six cylinders.
For serious performance the head and the camshaft is the key to getting power from these motors. Hang around www.classicinlines.com and read up on all the info there. For bolt on performance, a dual out header and decent electronic ignition is a good start.
