Hi All, My dreams of an E/SMA class Maverick running in the NHRA have gone up in smoke with the cost estimate at $75,000.00. And, the best that I can assume is that the car would be competitive and unfortunately be higher maintenance than one of the Kardasian women. So, here I am with my 250 cubic inch I-6 daily driver. There is an alloy head for the thing, and the Aussies and the New Zealanders race these engines seriously albeit not in Mavericks. Are any people on this board working with the straight 6's? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated? Best Regards, David
I have an I6 in my 77, although theres some things you can do to it, Ive heard that if you just drop a stock 302 in it itll produce about the same as a fixed up I6...so Im putting a 302 in mine over the winter. As for a racing I6, I wouldnt recommend it...lol...too much money for too little power.
I-6 Ford and AMC produced six cylinder engines with 7 main bearings, they had a main on both sides of every rod, making them bullet proof. GM made many six cylinder engines with only 4 main bearings and the rod and main bearings were very narrow. The result was the 7 bearing engines were much more robust. I predicted 40 years ago that if GM kept building the same kind of cars they were building that someday they would go (TU) toes up. My partner at the time told me that was impossible. Thousands of American car buyers have been sent to import cars because of their experience with GM cars. I had a car dealership with usually 150 cars in inventory. I kept only 30% GM in stock and EVERY month I would spend 70-80% of repair money on 30% of my inventory. That is experience. Transmission, A/C, Electrical problems, water leaks in the bodies, suspension problems. It was a joke at the FT. Worth Auction when a GM came through with the radio and the A/C both working at the same time. The auctioneer would joke when the fiddle and the icebox were both working. I had a deal with a tranny shop, he would fix any GM tranny for a fixed amount so when I bought a GM I would figure and extra $300 to repair the tranny. I had a deal with a compressor rebuild company to get a better price if I would buy GM compressors 50 at a time. I know a few folks have owned good GMs but when they think working on a car every weekend in order to drive it the next week is normal something is wrong with that picture. Many time a customer would come on the lot looking for a Chevy because they know how to work on them. I would assure them that is knowledge they would need. GM, the American Yugo!!!!!!!!! Texasjack
i have a 64 ranchero with a 200 that has a shaved head, header aftermarket solid cam ,holley single barrel carb 350 gears and a 3 speed that my dad built in the late 70s that will run with my 67 mustang 289 2 barrel for a short distance. lots of new stuff on the market now
Im working on a 66 falcon with a 200. its got electronic ignition from a 74 mav. adjustable rocker arms from a 63 ranchero. custom dual exhaust with flowmaster..etc. pretty peppy!
I will sell my IHRA Stocker if you are interested in a "class" car - 200"/C4 drivetrain. It won't be the performer you had in mind with your dream of a Modified car but on the other hand, you could buy one heck of a hauler with the difference. Please send me a PM if you would like details. Dave Turner
6's I might suggest useing a 300 6 i know those are big but it would be neat and powerful at the same time. but i would also let you i know that i'm going with a 5.0 instead. :]
Hawkco on here has almost everything to build up a pretty mean 250. Just gotta get his butt in gear and do it.
My 71 Maverick with a 250 has been running 16.30's in the 1/4 mile with a stock and very tired bottom end, headers, 2bbl carb, ported log head and DUI ignition. I'm in the processing of rebuilding the motor with a nice solid lifter Clay Smith cam and some other goodies, but sticking with the log head for now. I'll add the aluminum head and small 4 barrel carb down the road as money permits.
My Mav is stock, but 3 years ago I built a '63 Ranchero with a 200. .04 off the deck and head. Flatest piston we could find(dished top) to bring it to .0 at TDC in the cylinder. Isky 262 cam, Holley/Webber carb, ported the head. T-5 trans. Blew the doors off my friends 289 65 Mustang. We figured 200 hp and still very streetable. Next time I'll do a hotter cam and the 3x1 set up sitting on my work bench. $75,000 to run NHRA? How can you spend that much on a 6 banger Mav?
Yeah!!!... what he said! haw haw. I'm surprised at how good the drivetrain is in my Comet - and how I forked out $1500 for a tranny for my Chevy van, and $3000 for the tranny in my G/F's Honda is even worse. Someone locally races a Maverick with a 300 c.i. six - truck engine I think - and he's definitely competitive. In contrast - my 200 six daily driver is simple. cheap, reliable and gets good mileage. After my other car's 302 is beefed up I plan on souping up the six to see how it compares... considering everything else in the car is a 'bit smaller and a 'bit lighter. No steering pump, smaller wheels & brakes, small bumpers, and probably saves quite a bit of weight overall. Saw a Hurst 4 speed Valiant last summer with a slant six at our local car meet - racing stripes and all, and a little 4bbl sitting on the intake for the six... awesome car, with all the right pieces. People don't seem to laugh at sixes any more - not like they used to.
The sixes have one common problem - the crankshaft is very long. The torsional stresses build up with RPM and at some point it creates a harmonic vibration that will destroy it. Having said that, I have also worked on alcohol rails running 200 and 250 sixes.The 250 is capable of 2 HP per cubic inch using alcohol. It takes a bit of money but not the $75,000 that was mentioned. As I recall - remember that I am old and relying on my memory here - the 250 used: A dual plane forged crank, custom rods, 14+:1 compression, cut the log off the head and bolted a Hilborn fuel injection in place, dry sump, magneto, and the head was modified with larger valves and ported, emptying through a set of "zoomies". There was no cutting on the deck or block (more than to just clean it up flat and parallel to the crank) because they are long and tend to warp if cut too far. There is nothing that sounds like a six turning very high RPM with 14:1 compression. You can do the same thing to an eight and spin it faster to get more HP from it but watching a six pull the front wheels off the ground is a spectacular sight.
