First preformance Ford 6 buildup - my wallet is bleeding!!

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G'day fellas,
I've played around with V8 Fords and Chevs for the last 7-8 years and thought I'd try a 221-2V performance build for my XT.
I'm quickly discovering it would be much cheaper to build a 400hp SBC than a 190hp Ford 6 :!:
Prices I've been quoted:
A timing set $200
Oversize valves (1.732 in, 1.484 ex) about $15ea
ACL 8cc dished pistons and rings (#9411) $500
Main bearings $80
Conrod Bearings $50

Are these prices normal because they are about twice the price of what I paid for V8 equivalents and I'm starting to re-think my plans now as its hard enough chasing down the parts and info without having to sell my first born to pay for it :!:
 
welcome to ford six land. those prices ive been quoted around the same but have newer contacts now too so havent gotten new quotes for stuff like that for a while.

Wait til u start wanting to turbo it and get quotes for custom bits like H beam rods etc... @ $1900 for just the rods... that will make your wallet bleed but i have contacts working on something atm and hopefully a cheaper alternative will be available.

Pm me if u like
 
i did forget to mention tho that im not at all suprised by your reaction as bang for buck, (even tho im a ford man thru and thru) building a chev and HP-$ comparrison is cheaper compared to many of the ford engines, Its sad, but true, especially here in Oz
 
:lol: So? :P Your still better off.

With respect, the one time prospect costof the engine alone is a real case of blind assessment. My last 4.1 Falcon head rebuild was twice that of a whole running Chev 350 engine at a local speed shop, and that is typical of Fords.

The whole of life cost (intial engine + day to day running, + driveline) of a worked 221 is way, way less than any V8 combo, especially the 351C, Fords most expensive reliability mistake.

190 hp from a 221 in a 1250 kilo Ford Falcon is gonna last a heck of a lot longer than a 400 hp Clevo crashing around in 1570 kilos of 'Con.

In power terms, thats a 15.7 sec quarter mile with 25 imperial mpg verses 13.5 sec quarter mile with 16 imperial mpg tops. 120 mph verses up to 155 mph.

Sorry, on a cents per km basis, taking 12000 km, thats 56% saving to the I6, or around 850 bucks in the hand. Oh, and the diff. Ever break four BW 78's, or try and rebuilt an FMX or trace a good Toploader which won't fuse third on the mainshaft, or track down a World Class T5 which won't break. Ever make sure a 225 buck import 9" is as reliable as a drum braked XB 9"?. Do you know the costs of the components? Can you trace a Hydratrak BTR diff from an Outback ute and get it for less than a 9"?

Got money for a bomb proof C4 which drops the fuel consumption from 16 to 12 mpg, or pay for a proper power steering box so you can steer a car with 245 section front wheels which has 200 extra pounds over the front axle.?


In terms of up front costs, before day to day running, it's always been the case that even the reliable Windsor V8 is way more expensive than a 350 Chev. :oops:

When you talk I6's, the engine alone is even more of a cost.

Basically, you save big time on driveline and espeically the service life of all the bits around it. On a day to day running basis, a carb I6 is about 25% better cents per kilometer than a 302W, and about 56% better cents per km than a 351C. A 350 Chev in a Holden always costs more than a Ford V8, because GMH diffs and manual gearboxes are so poor.

My mate Blairs experience with the Cleveland 351 shows that you can get 375 hp for about 5 grand in NZ in 1987, and then spend another 3 grand rebuilding it when the cylinder block cracks. His XY was an awesome ride, taking out tyres in any gear, at any speed. My made Martins XF Falcon GL got a RUC 4-speed Toploader and 289. Great car, 25 mpg on the open road untill it died of lower end hemorage.

I'm sorry, the only reliable V8 is a fully specd up 5.0 Windsor EFI or fully rebuilt 351C with the later NASCAR or SVO block. And any engine making 400 hp without a turbocharger is going to take out components.
 
hey
welcome to ford six power or anything unique in powering anything the rewards can be very justifed but in some casses with power or weight advantage's over the sheep.
i just got a 250 xflow frenshend up with a few new goodies 200rods larger valves etc cost just on 3g mostly in machining and parts about $200 labour as i had that sponserd when he wasent to busy and i could help out.
should be good for 130-150rwkw and 500/600nm
big hp from ford six is possible but dont forget your fighting with at least 50cubes 2pistons less to get the power and heads that flow like a standerd windsor head.
how ever you can build tree stump pulling torque from the things and when geared right can out pull v8's with 50-100 more kw (been there done that).
 
I understand where you are coming from with the V8 thing, but fuel economy has never bothered me as I only average 1000ks a year in my cars. My drama is finding the parts and info. When I built my 12 second 383 for my HX I done my research and got a bullet-proof driveline first, it was so easy to find the parts and bargain the price for stuff for 9inch diffs, TH400's and Chev's.
How do you piece together a warm 6 when you cant even find some stock parts :cry:
Still the great thing about it when it's done is that it'll be a cool donk thats different from the rows of 8's at the car shows.
When racing at the drags, the 2 cars that always impressed me (both beat me) were a L20 powered Dat 1600 and a Corty 250-2V. I had a 350 HX at the time and was doing pretty well against other V8's, nothing grabs your attention more than an old-school 4 or 6 whipping an 8 :D .
So, where's the best place to find 221 engine parts, I want a new Balancer and a Oil pump, both are different to 250 items.
 
I'm sorry to admit it, but you do have to build in some forgiveness for the rareity of this type of build-up.
If it truly is more bang for your buck your after, it's better to go to two wheels. For about $10,000, you can stradlle any number of brand new, 200mph, 9 second motorcycles. Even a stock 1200 Sportster will get you into the 12s.
 
Even a five year old Sportster here is over $10 000. :P

Balancer - get a Ross rebuild.
Oil pump - linish or mill the cover and hunt for some NOS gears.

Cheers, Adam.
 
I dont want to run 12's in this baby!, in fact I'll be happy to run 15's that way people will have time to see how cool I look :wink: .
I've been the the Ross website, do they stock recoed balancers for sale or is it on a changeover basis?.
Thanks for the help.
 
Never looked at the Ross website. I just phone them, book it in and post off my used one - gets rebuilt and returned.
 
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