Is Classic Inlines Ever Going to Actually Do this Stuff?

I think maintaining the best website for ford six engines and developing the best line of parts for ford sixes is more than a full time job. Look at all the other ford six performance parts suppliers and see how many components they have developed that are the same caliber as say the aluminum head.
 
rustymav1974":3fbucphx said:
http://classicinlines.com/proddevelop.asp I'm referring to the Turbo/Supercharger kits. Because that would be really cool if they did. It seems however that they haven't updated that part of the R&D section since '07. Anyone know what happened?
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I've seen this before with my Corvair. "Why doesn't so-and-so make or reproduce this part so one or two of us can buy it?" The problem is it takes a lot of time (money) to develop an item and find someone who is willing to do it at a reasonable price and quantity. I remember when Clarks Corvair Parts was trying to reproduce the trunk and hood CORVAIR lettering kit found only on the 64 model. The tool and die makers in the US with CNC equipment wanted thousands of dollars just to make the dies for the letters, plus a minimum order of several thousand kits; for an item that was only on installed on less than 300,000 cars. Clarks would have invested $50,000 minimum for a kit that would take them years to recoup their money on. They eventually found a company (offshore unfortunately) who would do the kits at a reasonable cost. So now I can purchase the repo kits for around $100 apiece.

Be thankful there is someone willing to do something for an engine that is so easily replaced with a "lower cost" V8.

But I'm sure Mike would be willing for someone to bankroll his efforts. Are you offering? :D
 
I was just asking if anyone had newer information about it. I wasn't bashing CI or calling them lazy or anything. Yes if I had the money I would pay for R&D but I don't seeing as I'm 17yrs old. I realize that they're busy and that it would be expensive to make these parts I've just been looking forward to them for a long time and wanted to know if anyone had new info on them.
 
I think one item that happened is the economy took a dump big time.

besides money :

My daily job is performance automatic transmissions. The past 2+ years we have worked the development of a powerglide trans with lock up converter for up to 3500 hp.

Every step of the process we had delays in parts, materials, design delays , re-design delays. Application specific seals for the input shaft delays were 90+days as an example.

As I recall .... It took Mike near 1 year to locate the aluminum head molds in Australia, get them to the USA, get them reconfigured so companies could work with the mold boxes... the list goes on
 
im sure he has a small staff if any to help with the workload, we are very lucky to have someone who can build the special parts, if there was more of a demand for high performance 6 parts we'd have all sorts of crazy stuff, we need more people to do their part in spreading the word of classic inlines, every time i find someone with a 6 i tell them to join the forum and check out the parts
 
To Be Bluntly Honest , What is the Point of your Question , when the Fact is , If he Did have the Kits , You Don't Have the Money anyway , I know your a kid, 17, and you like to dream , But Try to keep in focus what you can afford , or as the Old Slogan goes --- Be sure your Brain is in Gear , Before putting your Mouth in Motion -, nuff said
 
rustymav1974":3jhrxdiv said:
I was just asking if anyone had newer information about it. I wasn't bashing CI or calling them lazy or anything. Yes if I had the money I would pay for R&D but I don't seeing as I'm 17yrs old. I realize that they're busy and that it would be expensive to make these parts I've just been looking forward to them for a long time and wanted to know if anyone had new info on them.
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I did not think you were bashing CI. I was trying to make you aware of the difficulties in making and selling items in low volume/low demand markets. When the inline sixes were being built, there were more vendors offering performance upgrades. After Ford stopped production, demand for these parts went down; helped by the ease of V8 transplants.

If you look at Ford in Australia, the inline six continues production to this day, with modifications to increase power and fuel economy. You can find vendors in Australia that still make performance parts for this engine, even turbos. This is because there is still a high demand for these parts.

People on this forum have acquired heads/engines from Australia and installed them in their vehicles; 250 2V, crossflows, and barras.
Read about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Straight-6_engine

If you keep your eyes open on the forum, there have been people occasionally selling turbo setups.

Hope this helps.
 
Classic Inlines is a one man shop, and Mike also has a job.
It isn't some multi-employee company.
While I'm sure he'd like to offer some sort of package, he himself doesn't have a turbo setup, AFAIK.
It was a major accomplishment to develop and produce the aluminum head, which allows full potential from any induction setup.
Stocking parts for a setup would require huge outlay of cash, for what might only be a minimal return on the investment.
 
Crosley":1vzjp3wq said:
As I recall .... It took Mike near 1 year to locate the aluminum head molds in Australia, get them to the USA, get them reconfigured so companies could work with the mold boxes... the list goes on
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Just clarify, Mike developed and designed the head right here the USA.
The archives of this board has the history.
It is not an Aussie item.
He had the first batch made there. That company went poof.
Unless I'm mistaken, he only very recently found a company in the states to do another batch.
 
He had the first batch made there. That company went poof. Unless I'm mistaken, he only very recently found a company in the states to do another batch.
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Yes, nearly every product in that catalogue that Mike sells is a one-off design for our engines or he negotiated the specs with a major manufactuer (DUI). The man literally hand-carries designs, models, mockups and production prototypes from the shop to the testing site. And he has the same problems as the big guys. Except that he is self-financed and can't just order up a 10,000 piece run and sit on it for five years like Edelbrock or whoever. And much to his credit, he has managed to keep the business up and running AS WELL AS providing all the support for this web forum.
 
Trust me, development of parts for the automotive aftermarket is a full time job.

I'm working on some projects right now, and it's taken me 3 months to get 4 tiny sensors so I can build a few prototypes.

It all has to be weighed with the economics. Sure, he can spend time and money designing a kit. But, he has to design a kit people will want to buy, and can afford to buy. Just look at the EFI and turbo parts of this forum. There are about 10 variants out there, each with fans. But, with a limited market pool, it's tough to develop a product that the majority of people want, but you can't really afford to develop two products because the money to recoup the investment is tough.
 
Thanks for all the support guys. Unfortunately I don't get much time to surf the forum like I use to, so I didn't see this until tonight. Guess I need to spend a little time and update the website..... :oops:

There are several reasons we're (me) slow in getting new parts developed. First and foremost is this darn economy. It takes a lot of money to develop new parts. Unfortunately the funds needed for developing new parts are very limited due to sales being slow, and the fact that I lost my day job in construction. However.... we're still chugging along, doing what we can, when we can. ;)

I thought about offering a turbo header in mild steel, and I've came close to producing one several times over the past few years. However mild steel isn't the best material to use due to expansion, so I've held off on making them. I'd much rather make a cast iron turbo header, but it takes a sizable investment just to get the patterns and molds produced. Considering our current economy, I don't think the sales would be there to make it worthwhile, so I've held off doing them as well. Hopefully our government will get off it's @$$ and get this economy turned around, so we can start working on this stuff again.

That being said, I plan to finish up the big six head before I start another big project, as it's been sitting in the wings for a couple years now. However.... we are working on some smaller projects that don't take nearly as much money to get going. For example, we're close to coming out with our own line of roller tipped rockers (1.65 ratio), since they are no longer offered by the company that use to make them. It's taken two years to get there, but we're currently dyno testing the first assembly and hope to order the first batch (2000 pcs) shortly. I just need to make sure I have the money to pay for them when they're ready. We also came out with a redesigned header, which is the only stainless steel header on the market, and we'll have the mild steel version in stock by the end of the week. That in itself was a big investment, as I have to order a minimum of 100 headers, in each material. I just finished paying off that bill this morning.

I could go on, but I guess it would be better if I just update the website. ;)
 
I just read this thread, but Mike thanks for your continuing work. There's so much stuff that is already available that it's best to take it one mod at a time and learn more about your motor at every stage. Thanks for all the good products and tech.
 
AzCoupe":34w09g7a said:
That being said, I plan to finish up the big six head before I start another big project, as it's been sitting in the wings for a couple years now. However.... we are working on some smaller projects that don't take nearly as much money to get going. For example, we're close to coming out with our own line of roller tipped rockers (1.65 ratio), since they are no longer offered by the company that use to make them. It's taken two years to get there, but we're currently dyno testing the first assembly and hope to order the first batch (2000 pcs) shortly. I just need to make sure I have the money to pay for them when they're ready. We also came out with a redesigned header, which is the only stainless steel header on the market, and we'll have the mild steel version in stock by the end of the week. That in itself was a big investment, as I have to order a minimum of 100 headers, in each material. I just finished paying off that bill this morning.
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Hey Mike
just double-checked the shop, have you ever thought about offering flanges for headers? I've been trying to get a good Stainless flange to make a turbo header for a while now, but just haven't found one, and I haven't found a local shop I like enough to work with.
 
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