Odd One Out- 170CI 7 main six?

[fastfalcon_19]

I have a 61 falcon that i belive has a 7 main 170. I have never heard of this! it came with another head and a whole bunch of 3 spd parts. i have no idea what year the head is. I will get pictures of my 61's engine and post them as fast as i can.

 

[fastfalcon_19]

heres the head

 

[SoCar72]

Supposedly, all 170's until about '67 were 5 main. I've read that 7 main 170's started around '67, but not all were 7 mains, however elsewhere I have read that all 170's are 5 main.

The tell-tales would be 5 freeze plugs (one between each main web) on the exhaust side, and, of course, 7 mains as viewed with the oil pan removed. What is the casting number on the block? Your head is definitely a '60.

 

[fastfalcon_19]

well it definately has 5 freeze plugs thats for shure

 

[fastfalcon_19]

the block is C40E Ill get pictures tonight when i have my camera.

 

[Anlushac11]

Take a yardstick or ruler and measure the bore. A 170 should be 3.5" bore. 200 is 3.68" bore.

 

[wallaka]

Hmmm...C4OE would be a '64 Fairlane engine. It could be either a 170 or 200. The five freeze plugs point to a 200. The easiest way to know is measure the bore. The 170 is 3.5" bore, while the 200 is 3.68".

EDIT: Beat!

 

[fastfalcon_19]

how do you measure the bore? dont you take the head off?

 

[wallaka]

Yeah. That is a potential downside to the whole operation. I think it's an early 200, meself. Makes more sense than a 7-main 170, which should have a casting code of '66 or later far as I know.

 

[FalconSedanDelivery]

You guys never heard of the 170 special ? Ford touted the 7 main 170 as an improvement over the old setup , there was an overlap till the 170-200 was fazed out .

 

[fastfalcon_19]

here is my pictures. lol sorry for the messy dirty block just recently purchased this one and haven't much time yet to fiddle!

just to show that it is a 7 main block!

 

[fastfalcon_19]

heres the car it belongs too.

 

[powerband]

Another mystery maybe..., like the OEM - Port Divider Head?.

I have a C5 block 7-Main 200 that is close to what you have. I 've not seen any C4 Blocks.

The 200 C5 here is unique somewhat because it only is built / DRILLED for the smaller bell housing small 3Spd and 2Spd Auto... It is not a DUAL DRILLED block . Locally there is a 170 Fairlane. wonder what the block code...

Have Fun ,






(PS I am trying to GIVE AWAY - this complete engine FREE .)

 

[Falcon Ranch]

Well well well...here is another early mystery block :rolflmao: ...I have the same exact block and can be very assured it is a 4 bearing set-up...mine is a early Fairlane 200 block from a '62...I was on another Ford forum when everyone kept saying it had to have 7 bearings...so I pulled my engine and oil pan to close the case...yep, 4 main bearing 200 with 5 freeze plugs...and good luck getting the right parts for it at the parts store...just take your old stuff with you to compare...fuel pumps are different then a standard 200.

I'm going to guess and say you also have no balancer too, right ...just a standard pulley...just keep what you got and I wouldn't worry about getting a 7 bearing if you have a good running engine already...I'm pushing around 200hp and it still purrs like it should.

 

[fastfalcon_19]

ill check for other stuff like the balancer. i have an extra pan seal and im doing an oil change anyways so ill pull the pan and take some pictures. I recently replaced the fuel pump, i got one for a 170 because when i got the car i was told it had a 170. it fit... so i dunno! thanks for all the help this forum is awesome. I think its real fun trying to decode fords mystery's! BTW how are you pushing 200hp! i want to do that with my 65!!!

 

[kukm66]

66 is the first year for the 170 with 7 mains

65 is the first year for the 200 with 7 mains

I had a 65 170 with 4 mains before it blew the head.

Now if we have any differences, someone needs to carefully and clearly photograph the block showing the casting, number of freeze plugs and crank area for the archives.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Reilly and all:

Another clue to check is to remove a spark plug and look into the cylinder. If the piston is a flat-top it is a 170. If it is dished it is a 200. Awwww, most likely????? With Early FoMoCo it is very dangerous to use words like "always" and "Never" when it comes to engineering changes.

Adios, David

 

[SoCar72]

If '66 was the first year for the 7-main 170's, were all C6xx and later 170's 7-main?

A five plug 4-main... interesting...

 

[fastfalcon_19]

are 170's always flat top? if they are and this is a 7 main engine, wouldnt it be a real good block for a performance six starter? it has adj. rockers so if i found a good d8 head to mount on and a header and carb(s) upgrade wont it have better CR than a 200? would the end result be more hp and tq?

 

[rocklord]

are 170's always flat top? if they are and this is a 7 main engine, wouldnt it be a real good block for a performance six starter? it has adj. rockers so if i found a good d8 head to mount on and a header and carb(s) upgrade wont it have better CR than a 200? would the end result be more hp and tq?

Rule of thumb is that 170s have flat top pistons. 200s had dished pistons in order to use the 170 head of the same year and keep the CR the same. If you have a 170 with flat tops, the only way to increase the CR is to mill the head or deck the block.

If your engine is a 7 main 170, it would be a good block for a performance six. It would have more HP and torque than a stock 170, but not a 200. As has been stated previously, you can't beat cubic inches.