Alright, the thing is, I essentially don't know jack about cars. I've been learning from my stepdad, firing off questions like a M-60, but I'm still as fresh as all heck. :confused: So, the point I'm trying to reach is, can anyone tell me what kind of additions or modifications I can make to my 71 Grabber w/ a 200ci 6 cyl to give me some more horsepower? Currently there are no special or "performance" parts on it, just what makes it run. But like I said, I know next-2-nothing about cars, so ANY help would be vastly appreciated. Thanks -David
How much more power you want do you want to do it with a I6 or a V8 .If you just want some more "pep" to squeal the rear tires and hold you`r own you can do it with the 6 , if you want to shred the rubber off you`r rear tires and just plain kick but it will be easier with the 8 . Will it be street srteet/strip or all out strip what do you want?
Well, as far as I'm concerned, this is purely a street car. I mean, I might take it to the strip once or twice just for fun, but other than that, all street. And I'd really like to just keep my I6 and build it up. 1) Because I just spent $1100 getting it rebuilt, and 2) I think it would be something different to try and build up a 6. I'm not really looking for massive hp gains, but I wouldn't mind being able to at least hold my own, if not stomp, against the local ricers. -David
Ok a start would be a carb from a 76 77 mav with a 200 or 250 (better) or a 350 holley but you would need to cut out the hole on the intake and make an adaptor to do that (best) , the dizzy ignition wiring and ignition box off a 77 - 83 200 or 250 , the head off a 78 - 83 200 or 250 milled .060 you could port it and have a three angle valve job done to it too to get some more out of it , lower gears will help a ton but don`t go too low or you`ll end up paying too much at the pump , a shift kit would make all this a little more fun if you have a auto tranny thats all I can think of right now so here are some sites for ya to check out www.fordsixparts.com www.cliffordperformance.com www.fordsix.com and you could look on www.ebay.com for used headers and other stuff like that good luck
David, the 200 is not a real canidate for HP unless you have a large bank account to draw on. Looking back on my younger days and wanting the same thing out of my Studebaker six, I can honestly tell you, that with some minor adjustments and little money, you can get some better performance but still are going to have to eat a lot of dust from other more powerful cars. Here are some idea's to ponder doing to yours. Advance the timing a little, run premium fuel, use a spark plug that either has the ground strap sawed half off or just get a set of Autolite racing plugs such as AR3932, that are already made that way. Index them if you desire, build a ram air system from electric dryer vent hose, into the carb. A shift kit is a plus if you are running the C4 trans, install a 3.55 rear gear ratio and expect quicker launches but crappy fuel mileage. Lastly, you can put some nice wheels and wider but not taller tires, on the back run a cheap glass pack muffler. Pull a vacuum hose off and the engine will lope as if it has a big cam in it. May not beat the local boys with more cubic inch, but in some cases will fool them into not wanting to mess with the mean sounding Maverick. Lots of fun to mess with their heads, later when time is right, upgrade to the 302 and then see the HP difference between the two engines etc. Good luck with it.
Well, it seems like I have a lot of good advice to ponder, so thanks. I'll get back to y'all with however the progress is going. Thanks again. -David
