power potential of 200

my dad who was born in 1950, grew up in the 60's, swears these little straight 6 mustangs ran pretty strong back in the day. the 68 just purchased over a week ago to become my wifes driver, has yet to fire up. once the car is beautiful again, the drivetrain will be overhauled. id like to make it very dependable and well mannered. yet owning a 67 (302 powered) that turns mid 11's on pump gas with no adder has me thinking about MORE POWER for her six. truth is mileage is a concern as well since she travels almost 90 miles a day. im almost certain the h/w 5200 carb will give the best of both worlds, and im sure a header and free flowing exaust could only help without hurting mileage. when the motor is machined im guessing we could get by with 9:1 compression on cheap gas, i could be wrong. im also thinking if i can select a cam that makes peak torque at the same rpm that 60mph come in. i'd really smile if it could at least light the tires up with the stock converter from a dead start. if i remember correctly the factory had these 200's rated at 120hp at 4200 and 200 ft. lbs at 1800. can i get just a few more ponies an still get respectable mileage with this little inline? im hoping for at least 20mpg in the city or something competitive to her current ride which is a 3.0 liter 93 taurus.

I can assure you that gas milage isnt a problem with a strong running six... I get anywhere from 18-25 (usually 23ish) in my FAIRLANE with a 3.03 3spd and 3.20 rear. Granted, its stock though.

hahahhaa...ok first let me congradulate you on the new mustang, second those numbers are what ford SAYS they made, but really the 200 only pushed out about 65-75 hp.... I finally got my on the road today and the only modification i have is an edelbrock air cleaner, and it depends what kind of road it is for me to be able to burnout, in a parking lot where my car is stored from a dead stop itll sit there and roast them no brakes.... where as normal roads i can usually brake torque and get them to spin and when they do its usually both, and the back end slides and I make my friends jealous... but anyway this is just from what Ive heard from ppl here who have dynoed their cars.... hope that helps.... Tommy

18-25 is just fine. the factory ratings i read in an old chiltons manual, but i could be wrong. my memory isnt what it used to be. is achieving 150hp and tire burning torque out of the question with a rebuild, my h/w 5200 carb, headers with a 2.25 exaust, and a mild cam? should there be a tag on my rearend housing that gives my rear gear ratio?

The factory rated an early 200 ci at 120 HP at the flywheel with no accessories and no restrictive exhaust system. Add on a water pump, alternator, maybe power steering, a restrictive exhaust system, and a power-robbing automatic plus other drivetrain losses and you can end up where hasa68mustang is describing- with 65-75 HP at the rear wheels.
Those two measurements are apples and oranges but can both be true..

Sounds like you have a good sense for engine performance chips67/68, and you are correct that many of the basic power enhancing techniques (free flowing exhaust, better breathing induction, compression, etc.) work the same on these little sixes the way they do on their bigger V8 brethren. Every engine has its strong and weak points though, and you can best learn that on these engines by picking up the The Ford Falcon Six Cylinder Performance Handbook by David and Dennis Schjeldahl via the FordSix Shop link at the bottom of the screen.

ok, trying to wipe the smile off my face right now. first line on the rear end tag read WBW-B1....second line read 3.50 3BA 503. im pretty sure that means 3.50 gears! yeah! heck i was hoping for at least 3.20's since its an automatic. still shivering, its about 19 degrees outside and under the car taking the rear tag off so i can clean it and read it. it was worth the effort, but i guess her mileage will be a bit less.

ok, just wiped the cobwebs off dad's old chiltons. says 115hp at 3800, and 190 ft.lbs at 2200. i know what you mean about the way things were either over or underrated back then. like im sure the 428cj was only 335 hp....whatever. the only way around that is install an electric fan, some free flowing exaust and do they make underdrive pulleys for the inline? probably will be getting that handbook for the six when the motor is ready to come out this summer. im sure there are things about the six to be learned, ive been a 302/5.0 guy for so long. the whole log head thing wont bother me on this build since i'll be looking for low rpm torque and decent mileage. i was expecting a weak motor but just from what ive read in the forums its looks like they are pretty tough motors.

chips67/68,
Hi congrats on the six. I'm also new to the 6 but from what I've read-- learned you can do just about anything your pocket book can stand with this engine. FordSix and Clifford Performance sells performance parts however, unlike the 8 it's not just a matter of buying and bolting on power you need a little ingenuity to pull off a major upgrade. Check out some of the turbo's and blown 6's in the forums.

I have started a mild upgrade of performance on my 200 inline as well. For a minimum amount of change I believe I'll be able to achieve decent results.

You can change your ignition over to a Dura Spark electronic ignition from later model Ford sixes. New from the store probably in the neighborhood of $100.00 for the dizzy, module, cap, rotor and wires. Junk yard, if you can find them, $25.00 should get you what you need. Or you can go with a PerTronix upgrade to your distributor, $70.00 add a 40,000 volt coil $40.00, that will replace the points and give a more reliable and hotter spark. Put on a cap and rotor with brass contacts and some performance spark plug wires with Accel U-grooves or Split Fires gapped somewhere around .050" and your ignition will be improved. Add an MSD-6 and it will be even better.

Dual out headers with 2" pipe and turbo mufflers will help it breath for $600.00 or so. You can go with a single out or Y pipe into a single out without much performance loss but you miss the wow effect of the true duals. I'm adding an H-pipe to help balance the exhaust pressure. Summit has a dual out kit with 2.25" pipe and turbo mufflers for $130.00 and an H pipe kit for $33.00. Take it to a muffler shop and they will connect the headers to the exhaust setup for $100.00 or so and your set.
People on the forum seem to like Mike's, (Ford Six,) headers better than Clifford's. I got a set of Clifford dual out's off e-bay unused. I would recommend going with coated headers for engine bay tempature reasons. You for sure need to get the exhaust port divider from Clifford's, it divides the #3 and #4 exhaust ports for better flow. You can have it tack welded into the head or use a good high temp epoxy. Some don't like the epoxy but I don't think it would be a problem, it's not like the divider can go anywhere if it breaks loose. I bet it would rattle like heck though.

So with a better more reliable ignition and a better flowing exhaust you need to give it more juice. On the cheap you can go with a rebuilt Holley/Weber 5200 from Stoveboltengine.com. The owner, Tom, is a Chevy inline 6 man but still very nice and helpful. $65.00. Get an adaptor from Clifford for $68.00 adapt the linkage, Cobra Six can help out with a pic, $5.00 to $10.00. Unless you want to fabricate one, you have to use one of those funky Weber air cleaner assemblies, you can get them off e-bay for $20.00 or so or Clifford's has new for $40.00. There are many ways to give the engine the juice but this is a very cheap upgrade that give a good performance gain without sacrificing too much on the economy scale due to the 5200 being a progressive carb---if your little lady keeps her foot out of the accelerator. You could probably do a tri-power set-up with direct bolt on 1BBL carbs pretty cheap if you can fab your on linkage, adaptors and modify the log intake. Offenhauser makes a manifold and Clifford's sell's the set-up but it's expensive. The wow effect of multi carbs is cool though.

Read the forums you will get many other ideas for low cost performance upgrades. But without doing major engine work you can still get a more responsive engine with the above suggestions. Reduce the load on the crank, ie.. electric fan. I haven't read anything about a pulley system for this engine though.

Laurel Mountain Mustangs sells a Master Suspension Kit for $900.00 or so that will improve handling get rid of the squeaks and make a nicer ride if yours is worn out.

These are my plans for now. My car runs good, doesn't use oil and starts on the coldest mornings so I don't want to tear the engine apart yet. The first time I have to add oil between oil changes though it's going to be on.
Read the book, start saving your money, sell the Stang with the V-8 and I'll meet you at Doug's (Mustang Geezer) and we'll see who has the fastest naturally aspirated Mustang in the country. LOL

Later,
Bob

Well just look at the results of those posted in the Forum. I think the highest real wheel recording I've seen is 137. This is at the wheels and naturally aspirated. Then there is that guy with the turbo running 12's probably pushing around 250 - 275 at the wheels.

I would like to see dyno results from roo's supercharger. At any rate to answer your question the most you could probably hope for without some sort of forced induction would be 150 at the wheels with decent gearing in a light car like a classic stang is enough power to move out on some stock or even mildly modified v8's.

Heheheheh..............Did someone say "TURBO!"
Will

ummm hindle theres somone here that runs in the 10s? I believe he has a pic on fordsixparts.com under the higly modified, he also has a turbo, and if you look for the pic its the one with the orange exhaust manifold, well forget it here it is... I dont know the guys name though, if someone does please post it.

the exaust divider is a new one on me. i recon that will be in the handbook. i havent seen high temp jb weld yet but i'll figure something out. maybe notch the head and slide one in, make it so the header holds it in place. im almost sure about the pertronix upgrade with a better coil but probably not the msd. i hope the carb tom sends is the 270 cfm version. im also curious to see if i'll have to open up the clifford adapter. i think i'll end up going mild since i really want this thing to light them up from a dead start, but still get over 20 mpg. im already scared of what some of the other big ticket items are going to cost. the car will have a/c, power disc brakes, huge-mungus sway bars, and either a flaming river steering box, or a rack and pinion.....and im starting with none of that. this is a very base model 68. my bother in law's 67 has the original power steering and isnt a big fan. im also wondering if i can get a set of buckets that are comfortable and have headrests and still look good with the 68 interior. if not i'll make headrests on these. no fast and furious looking seat, something that looks classic. the motor is just part of the package and will likely need to be done soon. this car is going to be dependable, strong, and touring. almost the exact opposite of the tempermental, loud, and nasty 67. the subframe connectors, stiff rear springs, caltracs, 90/10 shocks, no sway bar, open headers, and unforgiving clutch in the other car wears a grown man out. this little six is going to be smooth, nimble, quiet, and quick enough to put the ricers in the mirror. i know that 225 net hp and 3.08 gears was enough to put the 5.0 mustangs in the 14's and those cars were a bit heavier that the old coupes. this is gonna be fun. all i need now is money. thanks for all the info on the carb and distributor. gonna fabricate a mechanical throttle linkage if i can since the clifford adapter faces the carb sideways. if the car starts sputtering in the turns since the adapter faces the carb like that, i'll raise the float a tad and extend the vent if needed. will i have to get the webber breather or can i make an aftermarket open element work? i saw someone say they did a cold air induction with a conical, sounds good. im a huge weight freak, even though i always race with full interior and trim. im thinking the single exaust with a long tube style header and free flowing muff. i noticed the 2 inch pipe has been recomended a lot, is the 2.25 pipe big enough to kill velocity in a mild 200? i know a lot of guys here have mild 200's, what kind of hp are you guys getting? lets say 9:1 comp., h/w 5200 or similar carb, a 260 cam grind, and header? would that be enough to crest the 150 mark?

chips67/68 if you search around on the net for weber carbs, there is an adapter to run a regular round airfilter element. http://www.redlineweber.com/SEMA2002/html/Super_Flow_filters.htm scroll down about 2/3 of the page and you will see it. There is also an adapter to run a snorkel for a remote aircleaner, like if you wanted to run cone filter or ram air, or a forced induction setup.

hasa68mustang":urgvjbex said:

ummm hindle theres somone here that runs in the 10s? I believe he has a pic on fordsixparts.com under the higly modified, he also has a turbo, and if you look for the pic its the one with the orange exhaust manifold, well forget it here it is... I dont know the guys name though, if someone does please post it.

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drag-200stang, real name Jim. His Mustang Rocks!
Joined: 19 Oct 2003
Posts: 16
Location: Metamora, Michigan