[Blackdog]

I want to build a rod/car/truck thats affordable to drive. I've seen some cool 4 cyl rods in the magazines latley and the junkyards are full of 4 cyl cars and trucks. I'm open to anything that gets great milage. It must be rear wheel drive. The Ford ranger drive train is one way to go, but what do I put it in? Give me some ideas. Thanks

[OneMoreTime]

How about an Austin bantam roadster..they are avaiable from Speedway in f/glass and would make up a neat little car..Different than the usual T and they have a bit more room.

use a track style nosepiece and keep the car lite and it shoudl work out fine..BTW there is a lot of stuff out there for the Ford 2.3 as it is used a lot in circle track..

OMT

[2-manytoyzs]

I was planning to use a 2.3L turbo Ford in my Morris Minor sedan, but now I'm looking more towards a Focus engine. I under stand there is an issue with converting a FWD engine to a RWD configuration... something about balance problems. I just cant seem to find much information about what that problem is. I also understand there is a small truck that uses the Ford (Zetec) engine but I dont know what that truck is. I like the idea of the 4 cly engine with a 5 speed trans cuz you run thru the gears w/out necessarily going over the speed limit... more of a "driving experience". My Morris woodie I want to use a Ranger 4.0L V6 and auto.

[Blackdog]

Originally Posted by 2-manytoyzs

I was planning to use a 2.3L turbo Ford in my Morris Minor sedan, but now I'm looking more towards a Focus engine. I under stand there is an issue with converting a FWD engine to a RWD configuration... something about balance problems. I just cant seem to find much information about what that problem is. I also understand there is a small truck that uses the Ford (Zetec) engine but I dont know what that truck is. I like the idea of the 4 cly engine with a 5 speed trans cuz you run thru the gears w/out necessarily going over the speed limit... more of a "driving experience". My Morris woodie I want to use a Ranger 4.0L V6 and auto.

Rod & Custom magazine (WWW.rodandcustommagazine) June 2005 has a good article on Ford and GM 4 cyl rods. They address all your questions on the Zetec.

[steve t]

to me v8 is the only way to go, you probably want drive it everyday to worry about gas

[78novaman]

The older AMC inline six (199/232/258/4.0L) are great too. Junkyards are full of them and there is a pretty good (mainly Jeep) aftermarket with clifford performance & offenhauser.

I had a 1969 Rambler American with a 232 I-6. After modification I got 17-20mpg while being able to run low 15sec 1/4 mile times. I was even able to keep the factory vacuum wipers and I drove it daily.

Only downside: the blocks are a bit on the long side. But if you have the real estate up front they are hard to beat for performance/$$$$.

[Mustangsaly]

when i was a kid my uncle built a 50 chevy 2dr fastback car, with a m22 rock crusher and a built 235 or 250 chevy straight 6 with headers 3 1 barrel carbs dual exhaust, 10 bolt rear with 350s or 373 rear gears, and it was quick. it would stomp some 2 barrel V8s like 307s 283s Pontiac's 326s ect, maybe even some 4 barrel V8s. i would like to build a chevy straight 6 with performance in mind. over the yrs hes built several strong straight 6s butt all my research says it's expensive, my uncles dead so i can't ask him.

[WildBill]

'61 thru '63 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans came with a slant 4 cyl that was half of the 389 V8. It was available in a Hi-Po version with a 4-bbl and hot cam from the factory. (Yup, they put a 4-bbl carb on a 4 cyl engine.) The drive train was a 3 sd stick, 4 sd stick, or two spd auto rear trans-axel (That came basically from the Corvair) and the trans-axel had independent swing arm rear suspension too. A really funky flexible driveshaft in a box connected the engine to the rear trans-axel. If you're looking for a different set-up, one of these could make an interesting basis for a street rod running gear. I believe that any Pontiac V8 head will work on this engine too.

Just a thought, but one I've been kicking around for a while. If I could find the right donor car, I'd be tempted.

[FrankR]

My vote is for the 2.0 or 2.3 Ford motors. There are lots of performance parts for them, parts are plentiful, easy to work on. Racer Walsh and other companies specialize in them since there are racing classes for them.

My other vote if it were a v6 is the Ford 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, or 4.0 60 deg V6's. RUN from the Ford 3.8. They have had headgasket problems for years. There is a whole book written on building the 60 deg Ford V6 engines. They are much more popular to hot rod in Europe.

[Magnus_Jager]

I've considered it. I do have the entire dritetrain out of a 2001 saturn sc2 in my garage, computers and all. Had it 2 years since the car was totalled. Only 60k miles on it.

125 horse DOHC EFI
5 speed FWD
35 mpg in the car.

put in something like a MG ?? or Corvair? Or build something like the VW rods I've seen pictured around? Build a turdo kit for it and get around 200 hp?

Need to find out how to title it in NYS though which would probably be a pain...

[farna]

Wild Bill -- those old Ponchos had transaxles even with the stick! Same as the Corvair transaxle, just fed the opposite end. They are true swing axles -- no outer universal, just like the early Corvairs and bugs. On a really light vehicle (light in the rear) the tires will "skip" over the pavement in a side slide, but if they "dig in", like in dirt, they could flip the vehicle. That's why the Army stopped using the little M-151 "Mutt" Jeep. It had swing axles in the rear and was to easy for young troops to flip over. They cut the last ones sold in quarters to keep them out of civilian hands -- only a few left that were driveable, and that was before the roll-over problem was well documented.

An in-line six is great, and the EFI Jeep 4.0L is probably the least objectionable in a rod with the engine exposed. The Ford 300 EFI has that massive intake rolling over the valve cover -- never have liked them for looks. The Jeep design looks about like a carbed six except for the fuel rail and air cleaner tube. I have a 4.0L in my 63 Rambler wagon (see my album). I made a standard filter adapter for the throttle body and most people assume it's a carb! The filter sort of takes their attention away from the fuel rail.

If you're using a carb the little Chevy 250 is okay, but I'd still go with the seven main bearing Jeep engine. Plenty of speed parts, and the 4.0L (242 cid) block is easily brought up to 4.6L (280 cid). Just use an older AMC/Jeep 258 crank and rods in the 4.0L block. Bolts right in! I have a 88 4.0L block and EFI with 74 258 crank and rods.

One engine I've considered building is an old Rambler flat head six. I want to sandwich a GM 2.5L throttle body (port injection, not TBI) between a turbo flange and the head. The intake on those engines is made into the head, so the turbo would literally be pointing down into the thing! Would be one heck of a visual, though a bit tall. I want a late 195.6 block for the best cooling system, but a 53-56 184 crank and rods for a shorter stroke. The 172.6, 184, and 195.6 all used the same block, but different strokes (cranks and rods). Would be a wild looking combo!

[WildBill]

True on the transaxel. I still think that the slant four would make a good engine visually and performance wise.

[amx82]

I currently have two many project's ,but i'm not gonna let that stop me from another i just bought a 2 dr 90 cherokee laredo ,i have transplanted my golen 4.6 supercharged engine out of my 89 jacked up cherokee with 33'' tire's. talk about JeepSpeed it had a 5 spd in it till i blew 1st 2nd and 3rd out now it has a modified aw4 auto in it i lowered it 3''s and have a set of crager mag's on it . i don't know what it will run but the boy's at the local drag strip are gonna get a eye openner .Shoot on take of and up to about 80 it take's out my AMX wich has a built 401

[amx82]

I love the engine transplant you made on your wagon

[kstagger]

I've always wondered about the SOHC 6 cylinder engine that Pontiac offered in the 1st gen firebirds... Sprinter? Anyone know anything about them?