Rebuilding the 144 on the cheap...

[Anonymous]

So my 144 in my '60 Falcon is beginning to knock and the oil pressure is diving at times. I figure it's a good time for a full rebuild. However, I want (need) to do it on the cheap. I'm doing all of the disassembly. I got a great deal on a set of .030 over pistons. I know I probably don't need to go 30 over, but the price was right, and I don't anticipate that this engine will be rebuilt again. I'm going to have hardened valve seats put in, the cylinders bored, and the rods and crank worked, with new rod and main bearings. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible. Are there any other affordable things I can do at this point that may be beneficial? It's a 144, so I won't be taking it to the track, but a few HP here or there wouldn't hurt either. Thanks!

-Josh

 

[Asa]

upgrading to a head from a larger engine could be easily more beneficial, larger valves, larger log volume

if you don't want to upgrade to a header and such, the later exhausts have a greater internal volume, so it would flow marginally better

there's several other things, but really, we need to know how far you can go, what your budget is

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm basically trying to do it as cheaply as I can. I've thought about a bigger head, but basically unless I can find one semi-locally for next to nothing, I'll probably just stick with the original one. I'll be replacing the cam chain, and was thinking of putting in a slightly hotter cam, since they tend to be fairly cheap, but I'm not sure what a slightly hi-po cam would do for a 144. As I said, it ain't going to the track... Anyhow, thanks for the help, and I'm looking forward to any other ideas.
-Josh

 

[Anonymous]

where do you live

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Josh:

When redoing the cylinder head, consider adding a three angle valve job, back-cutting the intake valves, using lighter one-piece retainers from an early 260 V8 with 5/16" valve stems, polish the chambers. Boring out the carb hole and rounding the bend to the front and back log will also help a little.

The '60 144's exhaust manifolds have a 1.75" outlet and a flat gasket to the head pipe. The '64 and later manifolds have a 2" outlet and a better sealing donut type gasket. This change will help economy, throttle response and power.

Be sure to Mill to establish a flat mating surface and to compensate for gasket thickness.

I have no advice on a better cam. What trans and gearing are you dealing with?

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

David,
Thanks for the advice. THe machine shop I'm using seems to b pretty reasonable, so the head work should be reasonable. I have the original 3-speed 2.77 crash box on it. That'll probably be the next thing to go...

Bergerfromage- I'm in Indiana. So if there are any hoosiers out there giving away heads (no, not head, although I guess there is only one...) I'd be willing to take it off your hands....

Thanks everyone!

-Josh

 

[Anonymous]

Would a swap to a 200 be a better way to go? I'm gonna have a 200 with no head coming out of my 68 within a month or two. Maybe you would be better off starting off with the extra cubes. Then do your rebuild and new cam. When you get some extra $$$$ down the road consider adding headers, 2V head etc.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Asa]

Spyke has a very good point...
you'd gain an extra 56 cubes, over a third of the size of your current engine
depends on how much he'd let it go for, and the condition of the motor, but you might not even need a rebuild and could start immediately on the upgrades

 

[Anonymous]

I've considered swapping it out for a larger engine, but there are a couple of issues. First, I need this done ASAP. The Falcon is my primary means of getting around. I'll be riding my motorcycle while the rebuild is happening, but that can get a little damp in March... Second, since thisis the first year for the Falcon I'd kinda like to keep the 144 in it. I don't mind doing a few subtle mods to boost performance a little, but I'm a purist at heart! I also don't want to swap up to a bigger engine to find that after 20K it needs rebuilt. But I am poor, so if there's anyone nearby that's getting rid of a 170 or 200 in the next week or so, for cheap, I'd consider it. But I really like the idea of having a fresh 144 in the car. I know that's kinda sick, but so it goes...

-Josh

 

[Anonymous]

If you can wait for a month or two you can have my old 200 with C4 bell for like $50. Just come andget it. If you don't want to wait that long you should be able to find a used 200 for under a couple hundred bucks if you look. I got one off ebay a few years ago for 10 bucks.

Then keep driving the car while you rebuild the 200. You should actually have less downtime that way. I know you want to keep it looking stock, but how many guys are gonna be able to tell the diffference between a 144 and a 200 when you pop the hood. We are talking about adding over 33% more cubes....thats huge. Plus you would have to do alot to that 144 to get it to put out the hp of a 200.