2.3 hsc heads chop and weld

[6bangerwanab]

I saw a bare 2.3 hsc head today in auto tech. and i liked what I saw! (with the exception of the cracks in this one) the chambers are heart shaped and have a good spark plug location. this got me to wonder a bit more about chopping two and building a head for a six.

is it best to chop and weld through a bolt hole or a port or something?

wouldn't it take a tig to weld it back together?

 

[Asa]

me, i'd follow 6bangerbill's FS1 buildup

the HSC is a cast iron head though, so it'll be harder to weld i believe
are the bolt patterns even the same?

 

[6bangerwanab]

actually i was talking about for the smaller 6's not for a 300.

and i have always been under the understanding that the 2.3 hsc was just a 200 with 2 cylinders chopped off.

i will try to measure them a little tomarrow

 

[Asa]

i've heard about the same said about the 2.3, but i've never heard stuff like bolt patterns verified

i know you were talking about the small six, but still it should be about the same operation

i'd think that you'd have to take one, cut it between the 2 and 3 cyls, then take a second and chop off the 1 and 4 cyls and sandwich it between halves of the first head

after you get it all done though, i'm not even sure if it'll be worth the effort, we've got three? heads currently available, with more on the way, and if the cost of doing the cutting and welding, and then fabbing up an intake and headers is less than those then it might be feasible, isn't it an OHC setup too? you'd need a custom cam made if so
does anyone know flow numbers?

not trying to discourage you, just inserting a grain of salt

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

how about cost?

IF you can TIG and own a tig then the welding portion would only cost a few dollars of rod and gas and a bunch of time in the garage. get the head decked flat and a valve job and you are done.

there was a truck back home that had a pair of 351C heads I think it was cut and welded on a 300 for a mud drag truck.

I too was under the impression that the HSC head was alloy?

 

[Asa]

nope, that sucker was all iron

 

[6bangerwanab]

for the 2.3 hsc:

headbolts:
4 1/16" between boltholes going down the sides and 3 3/8" across the engine

and 4 1/16 bore centers

note: i wast able to measure the head directly, i had to measure the head gasket

anyone able to measure a six?

2.3 heads would cause the ports to be on the other side though if my memory is correct, and for a thermostat housing one freeze plug would need to be removed and placed where the old thermostat housing was.

 

[6bangerwanab]

scratch the 3 3/8s i got 3 5/16 on the actual head. and the intake and exaust would be on the same side as they are now.

 

[DaGr8Tim]

Wow...I was wonderng the same thing the other day.

Anyways, here's my meaningful addition to the conversation. Both heads are from 2.3 HSO, rather than a 2.3 HSC. Lemme know if you'd like specific measurements or additional pictures.

 

[MustangSix]

In order to get the same port arrangement as the I-6, you'd have to weld a cylinder segment onto each end of the head. That would also require you to weld an end plate onto each end of those segments.

It might work if you were a very skilled welder and machinist with nothing better to do, but realistically, it would be far easier and better, not to mention probably cheaper, to just buy a 2V, Argie, or other head. Even after the head work, you'd still need manifolds.

 

[rbohm]

8) what jack said. also in order to properly weld cast iron heads, you really need to furnace weld them to prevent stress risers, and that costs money as well. by the time you finished paying for everything, you could likely buy one of the new aluminum heads, as well as an intake and header.

 

[DaGr8Tim]

It was a nice pipe dream for like 5 seconds. If I hadn't mis read the month as Aug instead of April, I would have never replied.

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

I havwe a question .....what about the reverse? could say a crossflow head be cut down and the HSC block modded ala jack for a crossflow HSC?

 

[DaGr8Tim]

I havwe a question .....what about the reverse? could say a crossflow head be cut down and the HSC block modded ala jack for a crossflow HSC?

Once again I dropped the ball by not paying attention. Can be done and done easily are 2 seperate things.

That pesky distrubitor thingie would get in the way. Here are some more random pictures of HSC blocks.





By my best guess, you'd need a remote oil filter setup, a DIS ignition setup, and find some way to modify the location of the Alternator and PS pump. The possibility of doing it in the engine bay of a Tempo is even less. Possibly in something else, but that would be like putting an NA 2.3 OHC motor from a mustang in something else. What's the point?

 

[goinbroke2]

The question I have is, does the 2.3 head flow better than the 200 head? And if so, enough to make it worthwhile?

I've got welding rods in the shop that are for welding cast iron, and don't require pre/afterheat. These are new rods which are around $400.00 a pound. I've used 4 rods so far and they are indeed incredible. I welded THROUGH oil which was pouring out of a crack in a tranny on a timberjack. (in the woods miles from no where)

If I didn't have a dozen projects lined up, I might of considered this.(but if it does flow WAY better.....hmmm)

 

[DaGr8Tim]

The question I have is, does the 2.3 head flow better than the 200 head? And if so, enough to make it worthwhile?

I've got welding rods in the shop that are for welding cast iron, and don't require pre/afterheat. These are new rods which are around $400.00 a pound. I've used 4 rods so far and they are indeed incredible. I welded THROUGH oil which was pouring out of a crack in a tranny on a timberjack. (in the woods miles from no where)

If I didn't have a dozen projects lined up, I might of considered this.(but if it does flow WAY better.....hmmm)

In order to get the same port arrangement as the I-6, you'd have to weld a cylinder segment onto each end of the head. That would also require you to weld an end plate onto each end of those segments.

The 2.3 head is an EFI setup. My guess is that it probably would flow better. Below are some random pictures of my two 2.3 HSC (actually their the High Specific Output versions) heads. Problem with this is that they HSO heads were only on the 85-91 Tempo/Topaz sport models. These would be the Tempo GLS & the Topaz LTS/XR5. Or the 2.3 HSO head was also used on the 2.5 HSC motor that was the base motor in the Ford Taurus from 86 to like 91.

The HSO heads were factory (slightly) ported. Good luck and let us know what happens.

http://www.mbcomps.com/gallery/hsohead