Engine Rebuild??

[blsstang]

I have a stock 65 200 CI with the original motor and Dagenham 4 speed tranny. Mileage says 29K but I don't have a lot of history on the car to know the actual mileage. Spent its life in the Kansas City area. It runs great but does smoke some after it idles for a while. Any ideas on whether it may need a complete rebuild or a valve job. Also, those of you that have hopped these motors up, what is the least expensive way to try and get some more horse power out of this baby? Headers, different head, other suggestions. I have the Falcon Manual and am familiar with Clifford and CI performance parts. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Blsstang:

And welcome to the Forum! IT's the best. If you keep reading post here you'll end up with mild to wild ways to increase you engines performance. A couple of FYIs are that the stock Autolite 1100 with its Spark Control Valve (SCV) sends a specific vacuum signal to your stock Load-O-Matic (LOM) distributor. You can read up on these on the stickies at the top of this forum or in your service manual. You can upgrade the ignition to a Petronix Ignitor for about $75.00. That will eliminate you points and give a much stronger, more consistant spark. Also increase your initial advance to about 10 - 12 degres BTC. You could also increase your carburetion by upgrading to an Autolite 1101 from a '63 or '64 ford car with a 223 six. It will look almost stock, and will bolt up with only slight adaptation to get the larger butterfly to clear the carb mount. Is will be compatible with your LOM distributor

The smoking is likely due to hard and broken valve stem seal. There have been several posts lately on this topic. Use the "Search" feature.

Again, your Shop Manual will give you some insights into assessing the condition of your engine. Before you do any performance enhancements you should do a thorough assessment of your engine.

FYI that the Dagenham is cool, but somewhat fragile behind a 200. It does not have synchronization between gears, so don't try down shifting without double clutching. This is particularly noticeable in first gear.

Check out the info here and keep the questions coming.

Adios, David

 

[blsstang]

David,

I really appreciate the post. I was beginning to wonder if I said something wrong in my last post since I wasn't getting a response but a lot of views. I'm very new to using forums and am learning more and more everyday about my I-6 and D-tranny. Your right about the shifting. It shifts smoothly overall but does cluck hard into second when down shifting if you don't double clutch. Please tell me more about the vaccum. I tried installing a Petronix Ignitor and it worked except I can't seem to get the engine to run smoothly. I will read the stickies as you suggested. I don't have a lot of experience with major engine work, so if anyone knows of a good I-6 mechanic in the Green Bay/Appleton, Wisconsin area, please pass along their name and e-mail. Thanks again for the post David. I will check back regularly for further suggestions and keep you posted on my up-grades.

 

[Vin Man]

David,

I really appreciate the post. I was beginning to wonder if I said something wrong in my last post since I wasn't getting a response but a lot of views. I'm very new to using forums and am learning more and more everyday about my I-6 and D-tranny. Your right about the shifting. It shifts smoothly overall but does cluck hard into second when down shifting if you don't double clutch. Please tell me more about the vaccum. I tried installing a Petronix Ignitor and it worked except I can't seem to get the engine to run smoothly. I will read the stickies as you suggested. I don't have a lot of experience with major engine work, so if anyone knows of a good I-6 mechanic in the Green Bay/Appleton, Wisconsin area, please pass along their name and e-mail. Thanks again for the post David. I will check back regularly for further suggestions and keep you posted on my up-grades.

Blstang,

Welcome to the forum. No, you didn't say anything rude. What you have to realize, as I have over time, is that a lot of new users come on board and start in a similar fashion:
"Hi. I got a car with a 200 and want to hop it up. What should I do?"
You were definitely a little more informative than that and you showed some initiative by mentioning the Falcon Performance Book and Classic Inlines and Clifford.

A lot of time, the answer is "it depends". Depends on what you're starting from, what your goal is and what your budget is. Daily driver or show car?

For me, safety first in the form of brakes and good suspension. Then, from a motor standpoint:
Ignition, then carb, then inside the engine, then exhaust. That's just my preference.

I went all out on my daily driver and I love it!

DUI ignition
Oz-250 head and 2bbl intake
Brand new Autolite 2100 from Pony Carbs
Classic Inlines cam and headers
Magna Flow "wide open" mufflers off dual exhaust
Classic Air under dash a/c

I already had done the a/c and conversion from 3 speed manual to C4 automatic. While I'm happy with the tranny, I do pull high rpms on the freeway.

Anyway, enjoy the journey and utilize this website. Lots of great info here.

 

[blsstang]

Thank you for the explaination about posting. I apprecaite the honesty. I found a local mechanic that I trust who says he would pull the engine and help with enhancements for about $500. He said I have 2 choices for quality rebuid shops in the area. One carries a 1 year warranty (about $1500) and another that carries a 3 year warranty (about $1800). Does this sound like its in the ball park? As I said, the mechanic has a good reputaion locally (owns his own shop) and enjoys working on classics himself in the evening and weekends. I know that prices vary from shop to shop as I had another quote of $4000-$5000 for a complete rebuild and cosmetic overhaul of the engine. I plan on using the vehicle as a weekend driver and take to a few local shows over the summer. It's more about the drivability and having fun with the vehicle, then showing it off (of course it is a headturner no matter where you drive it). I have a teenage son that I am teaching about appreciating classics and respecting the power of a muscle car. Thanks again for your thoughts.