Small six mild perf build ideas

falcon_master

Well-known member
Hi everyone sorry about all these posts just have slot of questions. So after reading from the search bar and tech articles I decided what I want to do for my motor. I am thinking on changing the distributor to a duraspark and getting a Holley 2v carb and hogging out the log head to fit it. And for the head I'm either thinking of milling my head for more compression or finding a later model head with better flow but it depends on the cost. Also I'm thinking why can't I just cut the log manifold off and weld my own better intake on it? But I'm thinking should I raise the compression with the stock cam. So I'm thinks I need to get like a class II cam for it. Is it ridiculous with all these upgrades to expect at least around he ball park of 140-150 hp. Also I'm guessing I'll need to change the trans because my tiny 2.77 won't handle that upgrade in power thanks. If anyone has other ideas and cheap options I would love to hear them.
 
First off what motor are you starting with? The 144-170 pre 1964 i believe had the smaller 1/4 inch distributor drive vs the 5/16 inch later ones from the 200 and 250s. if you have the earlier currently the only aftermarket distributor offered is that of matt from vintage inlines DUI rendition. If you have the later 5/16 version the DSII will drop right in no worries. Secondly, yes you can cut off the integral "intake" and weld on something of your own design however since it is cast iron it is a right pain to try and weld. the head should be preheated in an oven and then welded, preferably stick welded,with a high nickel welding rod. I would suggest a known good welder that has done cast welding before. Also if you wanted to do a 2v conversion direct head mount after having it machined you'll likely have to fill in some holes to make the mount work correctly and have areas to thread for your studs this is usually filled in by brazing. Once again suggested to be done by a professional. Thirdly yes the 2.77 trans should be changed to a 3.03 or toploader whatever your fancy theres enough info on the web for how to get most done. other than that you have the idea of how it should be done it sounds like. The intake is by far the most advance and pain the rear option but also offers the most potential HP increase. It has been done but its not easy. Id would personally start with an adapter to your head and weber carb with a header, milled and ported head and a bottom rebuild and DSII or DUI if you have the 1/4 drive. A new cam while your at it and you should be right in the ball park of what your looking for HP wise. Now with that i would look for a new trans and possibly a new rear as the 7.25 rear are notorious for being fragile. If you are gonna baby it you should be fine but any serious push on it and it falls apart quick so i would suggest a 8" rear. Quite abundant and usually easy to find and they will take anything a 6 can throw at them, save maybe Kelly's (does10s) setup or similar :LOL:
 
For cheap or cheaper and way easier I would definitely go with late model head and the Handbook head mod recommendations and 2v direct mount. For maximum awesome then go with the aluminum head.
 
Oops yeah sorry I m forgot to say what engine. According to the block codes I have a 1964 170 i6. Honestly I don't know if this guy already did a head swap because it's bit numbers matching. The car originally had a 144 in it but this has a 170 and a 1963 exhaust manifold I haven't looked at the head date codes but I'm pretty sure after seeing everything else there's a good chance there not what the 170 came with. It looks like this guy Frankensteined this motor with whatever parts he could find.
 
I'm not sure about a C4 170 block. I had a C1 170 block and it was definately a 1/4" dist oil pump drive, and a C5 170 block is a 5/16" oil pump drive, but a C4? You need to pull your distributor and look. Be as careful as you can that you don't drop the oil pump drive shaft into the oil pan or you'll have to fish it out somehow. Pull the plugs and roll the engine to TDC verified by the timing marks and the location of the dist rotor @ #1 then pull it, check and stick it back in. Noting that it lines back up to #1 or where it was.
 
Hi, I have a C6 170 wanting to upgrade distributor also, pulled it and measured oil pump shaft and it is definitely 1/4". I want to upgrade to a 200 so what date do they enlarge to 5/16"?
 
65 and later will be the 5/16 shaft. Then you can upgrade to a DS11 or an HEI. Notice i did not mention the DUI because of all the problems with them. Bill
 
61comet4R7":zvrgt4o4 said:
Hi, I have a C6 170 wanting to upgrade distributor also, pulled it and measured oil pump shaft and it is definitely 1/4". I want to upgrade to a 200 so what date do they enlarge to 5/16"?
65 is the first year I think. Mine is a 65 and it's got the 5/16
 
falcon_master":323t5mxr said:
Oops yeah sorry I m forgot to say what engine. According to the block codes I have a 1964 170 i6. Honestly I don't know if this guy already did a head swap because it's bit numbers matching. The car originally had a 144 in it but this has a 170 and a 1963 exhaust manifold I haven't looked at the head date codes but I'm pretty sure after seeing everything else there's a good chance there not what the 170 came with. It looks like this guy Frankensteined this motor with whatever parts he could find.
If you want to keep the block, I almost recommend finding a old 250 head and decking your block so you don't lose compression. If you're determined to have a 2bbl, I recommend doing either the weber adapter and a 32/36 b/c machining gets expensive quick. I remember from your other post you said you had $1k to spend on this, you'll be dumping all of that into the engine.
I'm a big proponent for these little sixes but at the end of the day you will always have a 170, not a 200 or 250. There's no replacement for displacement. A 200 will be a direct fit, will have the 5/16 shaft, need less decking for a 250 head, and they have 7 main bearings. Almost any auto wrecker will have one, and odds are it'll have a 3 speed or c4 behind it. This way costs you a little more but that's because you have to get it but you'll be better off. My 200 ain't bad, it's got plenty of kick to it and it's stock, only with the 32/36 adapter and HEI.

Good luck
Ryan
 
Howdy All:

FYI- For all practical purposes 200 and 250 heads are the same after 1970. There are several changes from 1970 to 1984. Changes include intake valve size, the volume of the intake tract and modifications to accommodate EPA requirements. All increased the combustion chamber volume to 62 ccs. Prior 200 heads had a combustion chamber volume of about 52 ccs.

Falcon Master- you may want to start searching for a D7xx head (or later) as a core for building as the foundation for your engine. Follow the suggestions in The Handbook and you'll be set for whatever else you would like.

Adios, David
 
Do not forget that a 70 170 has the same larger log, ports, and valves as the 70 200/250 head but with the smaller about 52 cc chamber. Two members went 14s with tri-power 70 170 heads, one on a 200 and one on a 250.
 
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