tuning and getting info about my car

[Mercury Mike]

For tuning, and getting the best out of the 200, what all should I do tuning wise? It's a DD '65 Mustang. It runs pretty good, rebuilt motor and such...

Is it worth it to tap for an O2 sensor? What kind works best with these motors? Is it best to mount an air/fuel gauge after that in the cab, or in the engine bay? Or have the connector in the engine bay, and hook the gauge up for tuning only?

What's the best base timing? Best RPM to set the timing? I have a base of 12* right now, and after about 60-65 it feels like it's starving for something. Not sure what though. (fuel, maybe? I've seen the 200 easily pushed past 80 when well tuned though, in other cars, stock like mine).

I'm trying to get it tuned perfectly so I can leave it alone and drive it all around, and start getting to work on the body. I'm ready to move on from the engine and start making it look nice. =)

 

[fordconvert]

Im running a base around 12*. Im no expert but if you look at the Torque and HP curves of the 200's especially with the log intake and 1bbl they start to fall off at higher rpms. Depending on transmission ratios and rear end you may just be running out of power. But like I said Im no expert........ I just got a 78 cadillac that has something like a 2.28 rear end in it and a long stroke motor (425/7.0) it reminds me a lot of the mustang with the 6 in it, strong and steady, no pep. Its fun to get on a hill and just growl your way up it when all the 4 bangers are spinning high rpms trying to get some torque to keep up.

Im putting a TBI system on my Eldorado now and if it works I want to put one on the stang. There are a lot of posts talking about EFI on the 200's in the Turbo/efi section here. For a daily driver it may be worth a look. My system in the caddy is going to cost me $1500 but thats for a lot of custom work like a custom 4bbl throttle body since the 500 wants a bit more air and fuel than anything you can find laying around the junkyards. From what it looks like reading here you can throw something together for around $500 bucks if you can do all the work yourself and have a few good yards to look for parts.

 

[rommaster2]

about winding out and not alot of pep, there seems to be alot of different reports on this. My 200 feels pretty peppy, and its just timed at 8 right now, thats the factory setting, probably should boost it up to at least 10. Then again i'm driving a 65 falcon, which is lighter then your stang, not by much but lighter still. I'd agree though that 90% of your power is in low rpms, and since your probably working with a three speed your kinda out of luck when it comes to highway speeds. However i've also heard from a fellow falcon owner (friend of the guy i bought mine from) that his will go 85 no problem on the freeway, and thats with 5 cylinders running so *shrug* idk.

Then again i could be wrong, my crappy pontiac sunbird has a little 2.0 4 banger, and a 3 speed and it keeps going all the way up to 85 or 90. Sure it doesnt do it super fast, but it will get there decent enough.

 

[Bort62]

My ranchero will cruise up around 80 no problem.

Thats actually just what it was doing when the motor let go

That was about 4500-5k or so.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back 65stang200:

Since you have your initial at 12, I'm guessing that you have a C4 trans(?). Your first good bet would be to try an additional bump in initial advance setting. It is also a good idea to verify that your TDC timing mark is accurate. I'd try increasing the initial 2 degrees at a time, up to a max of about 5 additional degrees. Any more than 17 degrees of initial will only generate more heat. If you begin to get any pinging back it off a degree at a time until it disappears. These are the guidelines we've used for years, but, I notice that you are in California, which has some unique gasoline characteristics, so try and find out what differences that will make.

I'm also guessing that you have the stock Autolite 1100 carb and the corresponding Load-O-Matic distributor(?). IF that is the case, tuning with an air/fuel meter will not be very helpful as the adjustibility of an 1100 is somewhat limited because most of the channel restrictions are internal. An effective, wide band A/F meter is relatively expensive and very useful with some carbs. The cheaper narrow band types are of limited usefullness in tunning.

A PetroniX Ignitor is a worthwhile upgrade for your situation.

Hope this helps.

Adios, David

 

[Mercury Mike]

Gonna go with an Igniter I, and I'm runnin' a holley 1940 currently. Rebuilt carb, the timing is perfect, was thinking about upping it a little as well. It's the stock load-o. I'm thinking about going with a '70~ dizzy and carter 1 bbl for now. Should be all good at that point. Also, I think my wheel bearings are shot, and my tires are old. If I put new tires/bearings and get everything lubed up, I bet I'll get better mileage, and everything will be nice. =) Sound like a good plan of action at this point?

 

[Bort62]

Really, the best method I have found for general timing is to make sure you have everything in good working order, and then just advance it until it pings under WOT.

Once it starts pinging, back it off until it doesnt. As a general rule you want to run as much spark as you can.

If you want to get more involved in it than that, its a complicated and convoluted process tuning a spark curve with out EFI