The Crossflow Engine: The 250 cubic inch Aluminum head crossflow is now reality! I've completed installation of a 200+hp EFI six cylinder engine. I'm now in the test and tune mode, but the preliminary results are that this is one strong and torquey engine. The SDS EFI is very tunable and should prove to be very quick and very drivable.The T-5 Tranny. I've connected the Crossflow to a WC T-5 and which is driving an 8" rear with 3.55 gears. The T-5 is a natural swap when combined with a Ford Six (here's another page).
Fuel Injection: I had originally planned to build the Crossflow with a 4bbl carb, but EFI offers greater efficiency and driveability than carburetors. I'm using an EM3ESimple Digital Systems unit to provide both fuel and spark management. By controlling the spark with the computer and utilizing a knock sensor, I'll easily be able to run the planned 9.6:1 CR, possibly on regular fuel. And the SDS controller makes tuning changes far easier than swapping jets! 4 wheel Disc Brakes Granadafront discs (not my site, but an excellent article), Eldorado rear discs using an ECIkit(I don't like them. They're being replaced with drums for the time being) '87 Mustang Power Brake Booster w/ '87 Lincoln Master Cylinder If you're looking for a rear drum brake upgrade, here's an inexpensive way to replace your 10x1 3/4" drums with 10x2 1/2" drums. Wheels, Tires, and Suspension Lowered upper A-arms GT 16:1 steering box Maverick 8" Rear End w/3.55 gears 620# coils/4 leaf mid-eye KYB Gas shocks 1" front/ 3/4" rear sway bars American Racing CP200 15x7 wheels w 205/65-15 tires Steering options:The coupe was equipped with a salvaged Maverick power steering setup. It was cheap, and the power assist made driving the car in parking lots real easy, but it lacked precision and feel. I had been tinkering with a Chrysler rack, but the geometry is not quite right. The Total Control rack seems like a great setup (see Rick's page below) but is very expensive. As a compromise, I've converted back to manual steering for the time being with a manual steering adapter screwed on in place of the Maverick control valve. The Future! The Mustang chassis was based on the Falcon. It was designed to be low-cost and easy to build. It is definitely not a great platform for high performance handling in stock form. We're going to strengthen and stiffen the chassis further with Total Control subframe connectors and chassis braces and convertible torque boxes.
Paint and Bodywork : The Coupe was repainted in 1996 right here in the garage. We used acrylic lacquer because it's easy to fix the mistakes and looks pretty decent when buffed out. But it's not real durable. It's beginning to fade, I've buffed thru the lacquer in several spots, and there are a ton of chips from driving it every day. I'm beginning a teardown and will repaint it with a base coat/clearcoat urethane. The color was going to be a late model Toyota silver, but I'm wavering. Wimbeldon white is not a bad color and is more invisible to police!
Sound Deadening: There's a difference between "sound" and "noise". Early Mustangs are noisy. We're going to install some sort of sound deadening material in the floors, doors, trunk, and roof. It sounds goofy, but there's a material called "Peel and Seal" which is an aluminum faced roofing membrane. It is almost identical to Dynamat but at a fraction of the cost. The objective is to reduce the ambient road noise while still letting us hear the crossflow. It'll also insulate the interior from exhaust heat.
Exhaust system: For the time being I have the car running with the right half of the old 2" dual exhaust. A workable solution, but still not the sound I'm looking for and I'm sure power is down a bit as well. After some more testing, a new 2 1/4" system will go on.
Articles
Australian Sixes
Here's a page with a lot of detail on the evolution of the Aussie Ford Sixes. I obtained two crossflows to develop for the Mustang. The engine I started with is a 250 cubic inch (4.1liter), 1987 model, Alloy head Crossflow. Later I'll take a serious look at developing one of the 3.9/4.0 OHC's.200 to 250 engine Swap FAQ
Even though the 250 is a later development of the 200 and the two engines are related, there are some differences to keep in mind.Duraspark distributor fired byMSD 6A
The Duraspark is a great upgrade to the Ford Six. It can be triggered with the stock module, an aftermarket box, or even the lowly GM module.
Inliner's home page A real dedicated Ford Inliner! He's been steadily working on his Mustang! Mustang Man's Home Page Doug does real nice work! Check out his paint and the awesome homemade cold air intake! OHChicken's Page Jeff is a partner in this company! Need some really good advice? Look him up on the Ford Six Performance Forum. Stan and Patti's Mustang Site Stan has some great photo's on his site to include some interesting EFI ideas for the inline six Rick's Pony Another really nice inline Mustang! Rick just acquired an Australian 250 2V cylinder head for his engine. Stand by for details! Vintage Mustangs Vintage-Mustangs.com is a tremendous resource. Check out the forum; it's a wealth of knowledge. Inliners.Org Another great resource for the inline enthusiast. Ford Muscle Webmagazine One of the best webzines out there for Ford performance. Lots of tech and Mustang specific articles. This one is a MUST READ! Links, Links, Links! Here's a page of terrific links on just about anything you can imagine related to performance parts, from EFI, to suspension, to turbos, to race parts, to drivetrains, strokers, you name it, it's probably here. If not, it's in the link to other links! FoMoCo Obsolete IIf it has to do with Fords, this is the place! Check out the Forum for all those hard -to-answer questions on parts, casting numbers and Ford history!
