Looking to get back into Ford sixes.

[Anonymous]

I am looking to buy a Ford Maverick with a 250 c.i.d. motor. Are the Aussie heads on back order at the FordSixPerformance site?
I currently have a 1995 Chevy Beretta 3100 engine(60 deg. V6) which I will keep. They are awesome cars in my opinion. I love six cylinders. My first car was a 1970 Ford Maverick 177 c.i.d.

My list of mods after research are these:
1)Daul outlet headers
2)Full roller setup
3)Aussie head with porting on the exhaust side. Complete with intake.
4)Exhaust port divider.
5)Custom intake manifold. I'm thinking of creating a sheet metal intake that would run three-two barrel carbs. And run the numbers through a engine dyno program for runner length. This is not in the near future. More of just wishful thinking.
6)A two barrel Weber Carb.
7)An MSD 6b electronic ignition.
8)Deep sump oil pan?
9)Daul roller chain.
10)High quality balancer.
11)High output alternator.
12)Electric fan.
13)Upgrade the distributor?
14)Mate a T-5 tranny to the 4.0 L.
15)3.55 gear set and limited slip in a 8 in. rear end?
16)Custom driveshaft?
17)Camshaft. Which cam uses all the airflow of an Aussie head?
18)Higher compression? Good idea or bad?
19)Balancing the engine. Necessary?
Am I missing anything? Could someone tally the dollar figure for these mods?

 

[xctasy]

Welcome. I'll fuel the fire for you. I can't help you on the cost aspect, but I can save you a fair amount by giving you some options which may suit better.

Sounds great!

The dollar$ are too!

The 2v Aussie head could take a custom intake with triple 32/36 or 5200 Holley carbs. The linkage would be ultra stiff past the priamries opening, as the two extra carbs compound the load on the gas pedal. But if you have the nauce, any thing is possible.

When you consider a nice progressive opening carb which flows about 225 cfm wide open, multiplied by 3, you've got 675 cfm, or enough to get 375 hp if you were to run it to 7000 grand. Then the engine would need super mods everywhere. Not a good option!

In practice, just two 32/36's on the existing Log head would give enough to give 250 hp at 5300 rpm, if you used the flat-top 1.75" hole log. 1.75 intake valves, 1.38 exhast. This would be very economical on the freeway, but would turn killer with the foot down. The 2v is a better head, but its all a matter of priorites and cost.

The torque would come in at 3800 rpm, the engine could rev to 5800 rpm with good 5.88" 250 forged rods, and HSC 2.5 pistons from a Topaz with the thickest head gasket you can find. This will give you good compression, stronger pistons.

The cam would have to be 270 degrees at lash duration, or about 205 to 210 degrees at 50 thou lift. Total lift would need to be about 470 thou, and the valves springs and valve gear would have to be up to scratch. I'd personally stay with a hydraulic cam.

 

[addo]

The 2V heads are always in short supply. That's just the nature of things. If the present ignition is not electronic, that would be your first upgrade. Then the headers, then maybe the roller rockers. All that will help an otherwise-stock engine appreciably.

Cheers, Adam.

 

[Anonymous]

Adam, as I have only an elementary understanding of the mechanics of all of this, why will electronic ignition and roller rockers help and to what extent?
As you know I have the 250 2V GS which I want to improve but am also seeking to keep fairly original.

Mark
ps went to see Mike at Lynne's in Thornleigh. He has gone over the car and is sending me a quote. Thanks for your advice.

 

[CobraSix]

The electronic ignition will just help you get a more consistant spark over points. You'll be able to open the gap of the plugs up some, which will increase power and mileage. Also, remember, you get peak performance from a points system only for the first time it is used (and only on the first cylinder fired). After that, they start to degrade. Electronic ignition usually don't suffer that drawback (other then caps and rotors, etc).

Roller rockers a nice engine in car upgrade. They are basically like adding a higher lift cam. most roller rockers are 1.6:1 or 1.7:1 ratio. Compare your lift with that of a stock ratio of 1.5:1, and you have a significant increase in valve lift, allowing more air in. It's easier to add roller rockers to a car that has the engine in it, then adding a cam to a car that has the engine in it.


As far as cost, I'll run some of the numbers I have, since I've done a lot of these (or in the process of doing):

1)Daul outlet headers = $300
2)Full roller setup = $300
3)Aussie head with porting on the exhaust side. Head, rebuilt: $1000-1500
4)Exhaust port divider. $20
5)Custom intake manifold. Time is money. estimate how long it will take someone to make, then factor in their rate, and then double that. I would say very easy to spend $1000 here unless you do the work yourself.
6)A two barrel Weber Carb. $100 rebuilt
7)An MSD 6b electronic ignition. $150-300 depending on which model
8)Deep sump oil pan? $250 for the 250CI engine though, this would have to be custom made, so probably even more then that
9)Daul roller chain. $90
10)High quality balancer. $150
11)High output alternator. $80
12)Electric fan. $200-250. Honestly don't know here. I'm not doing this
13)Upgrade the distributor? $50-100 depending if you do DS2 or pertronix
14)Mate a T-5 tranny to the 4.0 L. $350: Typical bellhousing kit, plus crossmember and shifter
15)3.55 gear set and limited slip in a 8 in. rear end? $100-500. This depends on how good yoru sources are. I scored a 8" rear for $50.
16)Custom driveshaft? $150. I assume you mean for the T5 conversion
17)Camshaft. Which cam uses all the airflow of an Aussie head? $150-200. Any cam shaft that has increase valve lift and duration will help. I went with a comp cams 260H since I wanted a smooth idle
18)Higher compression? Good idea or bad? $50-400. Compression is power. Compression is higher grade fuel. How you get that compression determines the money spent. If you can find the thinner head gaskets, that is the cheap way. Other ways to are mill the head.
19)Balancing the engine. Necessary? Don't know how much. If you plan to rev your engine up high, you'll need it though.

One thing I noticed you left off, but will really help (though adds some expense) is enlarging the valves. If you are really going after performance, don't forget to enlarge the intake and exhaust valves as large as possible. expect that to run $150-200.

Obviously, some of this depends on how much work you do, how much machine shops cost where you are, etc. I live in Mass, and machine work is expensive. So I'm sure I'm on the upper end of a lot of that.\

Slade

 

[TheDude]

The Beretta is a great car. My brothers current car (handed down from my mom) is a '94 Beretta with a 4cyl engine. My brother and I both learned to drive on that car. I love that car and would not mind finding one with a 6cyl and a 5spd.

Justin

 

[Anonymous]

Cobra Six, thanks for the advice. I am reluctant to do anything which will fudamentally change the engine beyond enhancing existing internals.
I would for example never replace a top loader with a T5.
I like the idea of roller rockers and electronic ignition because I am not changing the vehicle and I can reverse it.

The 2V's are rare even here in Oz because most people either upgraded to a V8 or have long ago pulled out the 6 for a windsor or cleverland.
I therefore cherish it's originality.

Cheers,


Mark

 

[addo]

Mark, I might flesh out Slade's reply with a side note. The breaker points we are getting served up now are rubbish! Half the appeal in electronic to me is the lack of wear. The other half is the driveability.

Your 30 year old dizzy has some bush and cam wear, no doubt. Also likely the advance springs are tired.

The Bosch unit is best installed rebuilt using the original gear off the points unit (if wear is in tolerance), otherwise a new Crow gear, too. Run a full electronic coil with your 12V power supply for all relayed from the original coil feed. (It's a small extra harness.) Neat and totally reversible.

The cam lift on a 2V is very low. But to fit roller rockers, you would have to open the motor and change the lifters. Also the pushrods need swapping. If the head's been off before, this is no issue. If it's virginal, this might be no-go territory. Look for blue engine paint on the gasket edge.

Adam.

 

[CobraSix]

Adam,

Why would you need to change out the lifters for roller rockers? Are you referencing the full oil thru roller rockers, or roller tipped rockers? My understanding about roller tipped rockers is that you don't need to change out anything. Roller Rockers with oil thru I know need new oil thru pushrods, but do they need different lifters too?

Mark,

As far as the T5 conversion, if done right, it is reversible, other then the driveshaft, but those are real easy to come by. I personally think it will be the mod I'll be most happy with even after I put the Aussie Head on.

Slade

 

[addo]

Yep, I meant the full roller rockers. They're the only type off-the-shelf here.

 

[CobraSix]

OMG, we in the US have a performance part the Aussies don't have?

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the information. I Cannot settle for the O.E. log on the
American engine,sorry. In my view the only way is the Aussie head
with roller rockers and 160+ deg. cam,headers, 10.5:1 comp. and an electronic ignition. I think this is a cheap way to start. I'm looking for
225 hp and 250 ft. lbs of torque. It seems doable with just those mods.
Plus a little bit of porting.

Yes, the Beretta I have is awesome. Once I get done with the suspension
near 1 g of cornering is possible.

 

[Anonymous]

what year of maverick are you gonna get 2 door or 4 door

 

[Anonymous]

Execute
your quote "about 205 to 210 degrees at 50 thou lift. Total lift would need to be about 470 thou",
I dont want to dispute with you but are you sure that a cam of only 205 to 210 at 50 is going to be sufficient for 250 HP in a 250 2V even with all the extra mods you mentioned.
From what Ive seen its going to have to be at least 214/224 at 50 to get maybe 200 to 220 HP. Im guessing but from what Ive seen 225/235 at 50 would be about the max I would dare to go with the standard 2V head
Aussie7mains seems to think they need all the help they can get on the exhaust. So a dual pattern cam would probably extract the most out of it.

 

[xctasy]

Hmmm. I gotta admit, my rating lookes a little optimistic, on second thoughts. Although the air flow of two 32/36's could support 250 hp, the cam may not.

Thats like 185 kw from a 4.1 liter engine at 5300 rpm.

Tim, I thought perhaps a 210 50 thou duration 270 degree cam may do it.

I think it could if the head and carbs and exhast are well set-up.

In terms of specific out put, the rev range is too far up for a 270 cam.


I'll revise it to 280, 215, with more lift..

Time to do an engine analyser run, A7M, and check me out!

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds a little better. Ive got some dynoe comparisons of a 211/221 110 lsa cam it makes could power up to 5000rpm in a fairly standard engine and drops off after that. Doesnt seem to trade much if any power down low in rpm either.
Cheers Tim (10)

 

[Anonymous]

I know Hondas get almost 100hp/per liter. Why is this not possible with a non-emissions car? It just doesn't make sense!
I'm going to remedy this problem! I will design a 4V head With tuned runners and canted valves. Yeah right! Keep dreaming...oh well.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats called a crossflow