Economical Ranchero

[rayell]

I am building a 1963 Ranchero for a daily driver. It will have a 1969 200cid engine with a C-4 trans. It will be mostly stock to start with, because of money. I will port and polish the head, and a good torqueing cam. I have a set of chrome outside pipes with mufflers (Corvette style). Are there any reasonable priced headers for this application, or will I need to split the manifold? I am retired, and don't have much money to spend at the time on the car. Your opinions Please.

Ray

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Ray:

And welcome to The Forum.

YOur Ranchero project sounds great. I don't know of any "Reasonably priced" headers on the market. They are one of the major investments in the goal of improved engine performance. Classic Inlines may have the best selection and are priced competitively.

Splitting the stock exhaust manifold is a marginal proposition. While it can be and has been done, there is no way to split the ports 3 & 3, because of the siamized center ports.

The Corvette side pipes are cool, but reduce ground clearance a bunch. IF I were in your shoes I think I'd hang them on there for looks and the coolness facter and wait til I could afford to do 6>2 headers and plumb them then. Crossing a pipe over to the driver's side in a '63, around a C4 will also be a bit of a challenge.

I wish you the best of luck.

Adios, David

 

[rayell]

Thanks, There will be no clearance problems with the side pipes. I have 205R14s on 4 lug wheels now, and it is high enough. I have since got a checkerboard 8" rear with 5 lugs, and Mustang front spindles with 5 lugs. I will be running 195R15 tires when they are installed. The gear is 3:00 to 1, so I am going for economy, that's the reason for the torquer cam, and,head work.

The split manifoldis a stop gap measure, since I can do it myself. I did that on sixpack Chebbies, before headers were available. Besides I kinda like the 4-2 exaust sound, It makes folks wonder what is in it.

Ray

 

[jamyers]

Hello Ray, and WELCOME!!!

I've got a '62 Ranchero that I swapped in a 200/manual tranny that gets a lot of daily use. Lots of little things you can do that'll add up to some decent gains.

Ignition: If your '69 point dizzy is good, keep it for now. When it needs work, swap it for a Ford Duraspark 1 distributor ('75 Maverick 200). You'll be able to use the '69-style plug wires. Either get an MSD-6A box off of ebay ($60-75), or a Ford Duraspark box or a GM HEI module to fire it off ($10-20) Cost: new Dizzy/Cap/Rotor ($35), module

Ignition Timing: Bump it up to around 10-12 degrees static, run it as far advanced as you can without pinging under load. Recurve it if you've got some time.

Carburetor: Make sure it's CLEAN inside, and double-check all settings. The Autolite 1100 is a good carb, and should be find until you get down the road and get headers / cam, etc. Cost: Rebuild kit ($20), cleaner, time.

Wheels/Tires: If yours has 13" wheels, find some 14" ones and go to as tall a tire as you can. You Ranchero likely has at least a 3.00 rear end ratio, probably a 3.20, maybe even a 3.50. The 200 makes enough torque to handle taller tires, and you'll lower highway rpm's and gain mileage. Have to swap speedo drive gears ($5?). Cost = Junkyard rims, some paint, new tires, new speedo gear.

Headers / Exhaust: I've known some people who split their manifolds, but I believe the only gain is noise and a lighter wallet. One thing you can do that'll be a HUGE help is to port / gasket-match the exhaust manifold. I've got a thread here with pics, you can see that there's usually a TON of material that can be removed. http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31609
That, plus pipes of at least 2" ID and a decent muffler, and you'll be good until you save the $$$ for a header. Cost: Time and bigger pipes if needed