144 hop up

[80Stang]

Ok the case is like this; there is somebody here who would like to hop up his 144. He's not buying the idea of changing to 200, as his tiny engine seems freshly built and he has tough times with the money. He has already survived the first purchase, which was FSPP dual out headers and the divider last year, not installed yet.

To the point: would it or would it not: El Cheapo 144 hop up.

- 144 engine decked to zero. It's got flattops as we know, but he reports that they already go to zero deck. Not measured yet.
- Late 200 cam: 256 degrees advertised and .371 lift would make a difference for the 144 small cam (232 and .360). Or an aftermarket cam. As far as the head keeps pretty much the way it is, would there be a point to go to a beefier cam at all?
- Late 200 head, E0. Yes, milled to 43-45cc i.e. close to max milling. This would take the CR near original with 0.045 gasket. Add what ever gimmicks he wants to do to it; porting, polishing...
- A bolt-on carb to fit the E0 head; Holley 1946, Carter YF or such.
- maybe on upgrade in ignition area; Duraspark out of the q but maybe Pertronix

What do you think?

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back:

What a fun project!

But.... Know that the once and only 144 block, casting number C0DE, is a non-hydraulic lifter block- Is a hydraulic profile and therefore may not be ideal. Sorry, I don't have a better suggestion. I know Cliffords make a solid lifter grind for these engines.

Also given the small, 3.5" bore, I'm not sure the late model heads valves will clear the the bore. A better choice might be a 170/200 head from '65 - '72, for a 1.69" intake, 1.38 exhaust valve and an intake volume of 890ccs. That's up from the 144s head at 1.52" intake, 1.26 exhaust and intake volume of 850ccs. All of the usual head stuff would be most helpful.

Bore out the carb hole to 1.75" and use an early Autolite 200 for a signicicant increase in cfm- From 130 up to 185. These early carbs '64 - '67 will have the Spark Control Valve to go with the Load-a-Matic distributor.

The Duraspark II will not work without modification to the hole in the block and the hex driveshaft to the oil pump. It is doable, but a Petronix in the OEM distributorwill be easier. Jsut make sure the distributor is working as it should.

Don't forget to go light and gear down for such a small engine.

Enjoy.

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

How about stroking it to a 170 ci??

Later,

Doug

 

[80Stang]

There is some strange on this 144 engine of that buddy, or is there? The casting is C1DE-6015-A and it is marked on the left side of the engine. "The bible" says it should be 170, but the buddy measured the stroke to be 2,5". The pistons came to .020" below the deck. It happens to be recently rebuilt and was overbored to +.040".

With the cam it sure is safe to go with solid lifter grind. But what would happen if a hydraulic cam was applied with solid lifters?

 

[Anonymous]

Put a small turbo on it!!!! Find a turbo of off any 4 banger motor. Put a small J pipe on the end of the exhaust manifold and there you go. I think a holley 2V might be to much for a 144 but it might be worth a try. Small motors are hard to get any good amount of power out of without reving the crap out of it or big boost numbers. I think a 144 could get away with 3 to 6 lbs of boost without any problems. Check through Ebay, 50 buck can get you a good used turbo, the smaller ones are a dime a dozen.

Stick with the stock cam if you can. Solids are cool

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back 80Stang:

A cam with hydraulic profile might cause accelerated wear on solid lifters. It will have a more rounded profile on the opening ramp. Hydraulic lifters will not function in a non-hydraulic block.

While we have never seen a 144 with a C1 casting on the block, I will not say it is not possible. With early FoMoCo anything is possible. I would caution you to measure carefully and several times to verify. It is also possible that a 144 crank was used in a 170 block as the only difference between a CO and a C1 block is the length of the stroke. The piston in such a mismatch would be down in the cylinder about .250" though. Very noticeable.

Adios, David