Hi everyone, is it possible to take a 144 auto combo that is in very good running condition and have it perform in a manner like my wifes 05 focus 4 cly 5 speed [which I consider "peppy"], with only bolt ons. I would consider the 200 c4 but for now I really want to keep the 144....Thanks, Mike
Am I Dreaming?
- Thread starter futuraman
- Start date
rommaster2
Well-known member
In short no.
The main reason being realistically that our sixes have such a crappy head and the fact that modern cams are alot different then what our old stock cam profiles were. Not to mention the fact that your wifes focus is probably DOHC.
The 144 realistically was more of a stepping stone motor, think of it as the 221 or 260 in the SBF family, yeah they worked, but they really didn't last long and were made bigger and better.
The 144 has only 4 mains, as opposed to the 7 in a 200, and IIRC they are known for bending pushrods and blowing apart at highway speeds.
Now the good news.
Head design is the same, so many bolt on modifications you can buy will also work for a 200 when you finally do upgrade. I would reccomend that if you wanna hang on to the 144 for now, but would like a 200 later then maybe do little things. You could buy a header for it, that would help a little.
In the meantime though i'd also say get ahold of a 200 that you can rebuild and then rebuild it for whatever performance you want. The 200 feels somewhat peppy off the line stock, but clearly runs out of steam at about 3500-4000rpms.
Sticking with the six cylinder is a very fun and unique way to go, yes it costs a bit more to get power, and yes it takes a bit more learning because not everybody does it but really those sixes look so darn beautiful inside our engine bays.
The main reason being realistically that our sixes have such a crappy head and the fact that modern cams are alot different then what our old stock cam profiles were. Not to mention the fact that your wifes focus is probably DOHC.
The 144 realistically was more of a stepping stone motor, think of it as the 221 or 260 in the SBF family, yeah they worked, but they really didn't last long and were made bigger and better.
The 144 has only 4 mains, as opposed to the 7 in a 200, and IIRC they are known for bending pushrods and blowing apart at highway speeds.
Now the good news.
Head design is the same, so many bolt on modifications you can buy will also work for a 200 when you finally do upgrade. I would reccomend that if you wanna hang on to the 144 for now, but would like a 200 later then maybe do little things. You could buy a header for it, that would help a little.
In the meantime though i'd also say get ahold of a 200 that you can rebuild and then rebuild it for whatever performance you want. The 200 feels somewhat peppy off the line stock, but clearly runs out of steam at about 3500-4000rpms.
Sticking with the six cylinder is a very fun and unique way to go, yes it costs a bit more to get power, and yes it takes a bit more learning because not everybody does it but really those sixes look so darn beautiful inside our engine bays.
8)while the 144 is a solid and reliable engine, it does lack for power as you well know. a head from a later 200 or 250 would help since it would allow for more airflow, and have larger valves. beware though that with the smaller bore of the 144, you cant go too large on the valves before you start hitting the cylinder walls, which means no new aluminum head for you as the valves are too big. however you can use a turbo from a tbird turbo coupe since the engine displacement is virtually the same. i would however limit the boost to about 10-15psi at most. you can also covert to efi. any of the cams that classicinlines has on their website will also work real nice, just pick one that works in the 1000-5000 rpm range. if you use the later head and not use a turbo, mill the head for a compression ratio of about 9.5:1.
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