Looking for long term direction

[Anonymous]

Driving my 66 mustang coupe with the 200 l6 and 3spd has been painfully slow. Im talking minivans are passing me off the line. I just bought it a month ago and am fixing all the little things wrong with it, but i want to know that i can go somewhere with this thing. I already have a slow car and i just wanna know if i can get this thing fast. And by fast i mean faster than minivans and rice burners.

I asked a couple of supercharger places if the did work on the straight six and they acted like i had leprosy. Does supercharging realistically improve this engines power significantly or is it just a waste of money?

Also ive always dreamed of having one of these. Is this even possible on the engine? Or should i just try and fix my car to reliability and then sell it and get v8? I figured i should ask you guys because you're 6 enthusiasts and would know where i'm coming from and where i wanna go.

 

[addo]

There's a question you need to answer for yourself. Do you really want an eight, or do you simply want a faster car?

I'm not too fussed either way, as honesty to yourself should override what we may say here about engines.

Nobody gets banned for choosing the "opposition".

Then, take a pragmatic approach. Balance what you really want against measurable, achieveable, incremental goals. If this looks like it will take an unbearably long time, then you need to introduce the third option of "something else altogether".

Regards, Adam

 

[bigcatchdaniel555]

there are bounds of thing to hop up the 6 if you dont want to get too crazy a 2bbl carb on top of a 1 to 2bbl adapter from summitt and headers would be a good start. the next step would be an austrailian 2v head or a new aluminum head from classic inlines while they are a little costly they are a bolt on of 40-60 hp the main reason is because the stock log head is very restrictive. if your not a big fan of head switching you can use the offenhauser 5970 set up what this allows you to do is run 3 1bbl carbs by taking a holesaw and drilling a hole between # 5 and 6 cyl and 1-2 this sytem is usually reliable with the proper tuning and carb and gives a lot of midrange power. both systems llow for better breathing and carburetion which equals more hp!!

the appitimy of all this is the turo or supercharger you can look at many people here that have done both i am not one to talk too muchbut from what i have seen and heard the hp is trendous the rule of forced air is double the air in and double the hp coming out so 7lb of boost not a lot for these cars in stock trim will yield 70% more hp. the bad thing is no kit is reaqdily made so people often take set ups from other v8 cars like the sn-89 from a 5.0 mustang this is a good system because most people casn build a complete system for under $1000 turbo is another way to go many people here use a turbo it gives mor power but with more boost you also need to check the integrity of the engine. turbos also make boost at different rpms where as supercharging makes it all the time turbos also are driven by exhaust which is good because it doesnt take any hp to run it the bad part is you must make plumbing and you will need a wastegate to not allow over spooling of the turbo. the supercharger doesnt run off the exhaust but by a belt which a pully must be acuired and it also takes some hp to run the supercharger but the hp gained is sooo much more. so yes forced air induction does make a huge difference.

a v8 will make all thispower a lot easier because everything can just bot up it will also make more hp with the same mods because it has 8 cylinders and 8>6 but if you want something different and unique hop up the six. and if you go with dual exhaust on headers your car will even scare a v8.

 

[simon]

an enderle-injected 4/71 or 6/71 mated to a lm200 ain't impossible but involves either an Argie head, an Oz head or Mike's new aluminum head, a custom sheetmetal intake and lots of fabrication.

In any case, the bugcatcher would be off-center through the hood, towards the passenger side. mechanical fuel injection might throw up some issues with everyday driveability, too, but you could as well use an appropriate 4bbl carb topped with a Mr-gasket streetscoop, or even better, an alsblowers-"streetcatcher"-scoop.

 

[fb71]

how about a Scott SuperSlot?

www.scottinjection.com

www.madmaxparts.com

 

[Anonymous]

Observation: The starting post is like many others here... "How do I get big power from this, or do I do something else?"
(Yes, I've made the same mistake too...)

We ALL want huge horsepower, and 50-mpg from our old Fords.
However, you need to try to be practical about your goals. You do have goals, right? 8)

Your little mid-60's Mustang doesn't weigh that much, I'm guessing about 2,600-2,700 lbs with the 6 in it.
If you pull the engine and swap a heavier V-8, beefier trans, and appropriate front suspension to handle the extra load, you're going to add about 200 lbs (guessing) to the front end, where it certainly doesn't need it (handling will stink). Not to mention the extreme cost of all that.

Now, if your definition of "fast" is keeping up with a modern stock Mustang, well you have about a 30% weight advatage (Mustang GT is about 3,500 lbs car, from memory). So, theoretically mind you, you could beef up the 6 you have, and if you got clost to 200 hp you would be in the same ballpark, and not be driving the "same old - same old" that we all see daily.
Is building a 6 cheap? No, not really. But I would venture to guess that it is cheaper to build a 14.5-second 6 than it is to swap it all out for a 14-sec V-8.
If you want a 9-second car, this is probably not your best choice. But if you want something reliable, and fun, with good gas mileage, and fun, easy to work on, did I mention fun?, and reasonably fast, then maybe you should work over the 6.

It's all a matter of goals and perspectives.

Mike.

 

[fmartin_gila]

If you're not joshing about the mini-vans, you may want to make sure you have normal performancebefore you waste a lot of $ on a worn out engine or even just a badly deteriated tune-up.
Fred

 

[x21]

Dont forget with a V8 swap, you would need to upgrade pretty much the rest of the entire driveline, not to mention the brakes (as a lot of times they may be insufficient for even the six- so they could be upgraded first, before any significant power increase). It not as easy as the later fox bodies 4 to 8 swap. And you can start simple too- whats the condition of the carburator, motor, exhaust? Simply cleaning, replacing, or improving upon whats already there may give you a more noticeable increase in responsiveness and power. I was satisfied with my near stock 6 (rebuilt with aluminum pistons), pertronix ignition, with a 1 bbl carb and 78 exhaust manifold (with cherry bomb) setup. It was a pretty decent cruiser that kept up with 70+ mph South Florida traffic.

 

[Anonymous]

If you're not joshing about the mini-vans, you may want to make sure you have normal performance before you waste a lot of $ on a worn out engine or even just a badly deteriated tune-up.
Fred

True 'dat.

Sounds like you have some tuning problems that need to be addressed. I've got the same setup you do and I have no problems at stop lights, merging onto the highway, passing on country roads...etc. Perhaps if you posted more about your current setup (type of carb, dizzy, where your initial timing is set... etc) the guru's here can point you in the right direction.

A pragmatic approach to performance upgrades is a must. Assuming you achieve your performance goals with regards to the engine, you need to think about the effect on other systems. A hopped up 200 is a beautiful thing, but if the driveline can't get the power to the pavement it's just eye candy. A 9 second car is something to behold, but if you can't stop it, the EMT's will be removing you from the car with a squeegee and a towel.

The Falcon Performance Handbook is an absolute necessity:
http://falconperformance.sundog.net/

 

[rommaster2]

As said before check all your basic tune first. I say this because off the line i've had no problem with passing cars, its in third gear that the six runs out of steam (revs up so slow).

Apart from that i'd imagine it wouldn't take much to give you an edge over the rice burners, they may have more top end, but the torque of the six, and the fact your car probably weighs about the same or less then a newer civic or accord (those new cars are getting pretty heavy) you shouldn't have any problem surpassing them in city speeds (45 and below).

 

[LaGrasta]

My Astro 4.3 V6 minivan is much faster than my 170ci/2 speed Falcon. I've learned to live with it. I just go a long at my own pace knowing I look good doing it.

 

[rommaster2]

My Astro 4.3 V6 minivan is much faster than my 170ci/2 speed Falcon. I've learned to live with it. I just go a long at my own pace knowing I look good doing it.

Well not all of us are lucky to have cars that look that good. Some of us have rusty back ends and need to go fast so people can't see em .

 

[Anonymous]

Well not all of us are lucky to have cars that look that good. Some of us have rusty back ends and need to go fast so people can't see em .

This works pretty well (for me anyways):

 

[69Falcon]

My Astro 4.3 V6 minivan is much faster than my 170ci/2 speed Falcon. I've learned to live with it. I just go a long at my own pace knowing I look good doing it.

Don't be embaressed! Not sure of the hp ratings in your van, but the 4.3 V6 I've got in my boat was rated at 205hp at the crank. Granted, that's with a 4bbl carb, no emissions and probably a fairly aggressive cam; but it shows what the extra cubes can do for you. (Don't forget, the 4.3 V6 is basically a Chevy 350 with the end pair of cylinders lopped off.)

 

[LaGrasta]

My Astro 4.3 V6 minivan is much faster than my 170ci/2 speed Falcon. I've learned to live with it. I just go a long at my own pace knowing I look good doing it.

Don't be embaressed! Not sure of the hp ratings in your van, but the 4.3 V6 I've got in my boat was rated at 205hp at the crank. Granted, that's with a 4bbl carb, no emissions and probably a fairly aggressive cam; but it shows what the extra cubes can do for you. (Don't forget, the 4.3 V6 is basically a Chevy 350 with the end pair of cylinders lopped off.)

200hp/250tq fuel injection, smog and all.

 

[jahearne]

My Astro 4.3 V6 minivan is much faster than my 170ci/2 speed Falcon. I've learned to live with it. I just go a long at my own pace knowing I look good doing it.

Yup, it don't matter if ya win or lose as long as ya look good!

I'm patiently waiting for a '70 Ranchero to fall in my lap that will provide a new home for one of Mike's supercharged kits.

http://www.classicinlines.com/prod_dev.asp#supercharger

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like he wants a v8:

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/showt ... //#1708969

 

[addo]

Isn't his last post there, dated the same day he signed up here (several days before he originated this thread)?

 

[x21]

Isn't his last post there, dated the same day he signed up here (several days before he originated this thread)?

Yep, thats what I saw. Hopefully he's been quiet on this thread because he's busy workin on his car- applying all the 6 knowledge he's learned from here!

 

[Anonymous]

Aww man stalking me on the other forums. Ive just been trying to build some capitol to do some work with. i'm thinking of getting a new manifold? so i can put two more carbs on. The parts that came with the car had two extra carbs and i think the PO wanted to do the same. What does this do for me though? And how much worse is this for gas milage?

in reply to simon does the streetcatcher work with the l6? can you put a 4bbl on it? thanks for the tip too. that kit looks very appealing.

in response to the minivans, i took all the junk out of the trunk (two jacks, tire, jackstands, ratchet kit, front grill/lamp assembly, misc. parts) and got a little quicker. some minivans are fast though. especially in so cal. Could the tranny be holding me back? how much heavier is a stronger 5spd compared to the stock 3?

in response to everything, instead of putting a lot of time into my real car, ive been putting time in my imaginary version of the 63 falcon from california dream's street rod 2. a great game worth a look at, if you can over look the falcon coming with a v-6.
http://www.bestoldgames.net/eng/old-gam ... -rod-2.php

thanks for all your help and patience. will be back soon.