Upgrade 200 to a 250. Is it worth it?

W

WillLennon

New member
I have a 67 Mustang coupe. 200, (1bbl, HEI dist) and AT. The 200 runs ok, but underpowered. I was looking for something to build and came across a 1969 250. Carb to pan. Is this and easy swap? Worth it? Owner is asking $700. He states that it was "rebuilt by local garage" and has been collecting dust.
 
Welcome To the Ford Six Forum WillLennon, I have had 3 or more of the 250 Six's over the years in the mid 1970's and up Mavericks and I really like how they Drove compared to the stock 200's that I have had like in a 1965 Falcon with a C4 Auto Trans and a 1968 Mustang with a 200 and 3 speed Manual Trans. they have so much more Torque, and the stock 1969 & 1970 were one of the best 250 Six's power wise. Yes the 250 will fit into the 1967 & 1968 Mustang's much easier than it dose in the 1964 1/2 to 1966 Mustangs but they will even fit in those and is a popular swap. Its close to a bolt in to the 1967 & 1968 Mustang's, with the exception of finding or remaking some front Motor Mount's and frame adapters, the 250 six was also a factory option in the1969 to 1973 Mustangs some people rework the 200 six mounts. And then there is the fact that with a little work you can also get a lot more power out of the 200 six's during a rebuild too. Best of luck on your Mustang
 
Depends what yoy want. You want a torque cruiser, then send it. If you want to build a race machine, not so much. The 250 being a stroker is not as apt to be racy. Howerver it can be done. Theres a guy on one of the Mustang facebook pages thats got a 250 on 19psi doing 430hp and 520lbft. Just lay out what your goals are and we can possibly help steer you.
 
The stroked 200 -250/4.1l was a late 60's solution to the problem of higher performance expectations/needs along with the much higher sustainable interstate cruise and modern 'commuter speeds'. The legacy 1:1 final drive trannys with high gears (low numerically) made early cars drivability seem even older.

The 250 with its significant torque increase enabled the six, even with the legacy higher gears rears and 1:1 final - C4 and 3/4 spd manuals, to closely match V8 performance. The 250 has never been a MPG winner but continued the anvil strong small block six Ford reputation thru 70's although saddled with power and MPG robbing early emission schemes..

.. by early 80's once OD trannys both auto and manual became widely available, the lower rear gearing and better emission crutches, the engine development focused more on optimizing MPG and performance within the critical RPM powerband.

IMHO -The 250 is a great upgrade to any 200 car for increasing modern drivability. A real advantage is that the 250 is all SBF V8 parts from FW - clutch - bellhouse - starter . This enables the use of any transmission that could bolt to the venerable '302' Windsor V* series.

I have two cars with 250's and Overdrive trannys and low rear gears. With the torquey 250's low RPM grunt and an available gear for backroad carving, demanding traffic or the interstate drive to and from the dragstrip...

hav e fun



'61 Comet 250/T5.OD/3:80 rear/TriPower - 74 Maverick 250/T5.OD/3:80:1 rear/Supercharged - '63 Falcon 4dr Wagon /170/T5.OD OEM 3.50:1 rear/Tube radio.
 
The automatic on your 200 will not bolt up directly to the 250. The 250 uses the same bellhousing as a 289/302 (SBF). The 250 flywheel/flexplate is the same size as the SBF but is zero balanced since the inline sixes are internally balanced. You may get away with using the 200 auto by juat replacing the bellhousing and flexplate.

I replaced the 200 with a 250 in my 65 Mustang back in 1977 and saw a noticeable increase in power.
 
Lots of good advice from these guys they have plenty of experience and knowledge. If you went with the 250/AOD you get a power increase and modern drivability as previously stated. So comfortable interstate cruising at lower rpms.
If you don't mind shifting a warmed over 200 and a T5 might suit you. You still get the od gear for pleasant highway cruising.
It would be nice to see some receipts from the local garage.
 
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