Pondering the American inline sixes

[Sancho]

In high school... i had a v8 dual exhaust 1988 tbird.

I thought i was cool... until i got smoked off the line by a 280z with that straight 6.

That was my first intro to an inline 6.

 

[THPOOKYCAT]

The slant six wasn't very powerful but for some reason there were quite a few performance modifications available back then. The best thing about that engine was that it was hard to kill. I know a girl that drove her's to work and back with no oil for two weeks before it died. Actually it didn't even die, but did need replaced. I couldn't believe the banging noise when she drove up my mom's driveway when she wanted it fixed.

I couldn't believe the banging noise after you fixed it for her...

 

[Cheesy]

A lot of I6 engines have passed through my fingers and the bulk were AMC. I learned to drive in a 62 Ranchero with a 170 and 3 on the tree. I can’t recall if it was Hot Rod or Motor Trend that had an article on how to double the carbs on that family of engines with the the cast in head intake. I showed the article to my Dad and he just said, “Don’t you dare touch my truck.”

I don’t remember what was in our 56 Nash but I believe the 59 had the OHV 196. The 67 had the 232 with a 2bbl. My Mom always managed to push that 6. My youngest had a 53 Rambler with the 196 flatty. Smoked like a train but would idle with 50 psi of oil pressure.

I’m pretty sure that Dad’s 55 Merc had a 223. My 52 Ford F2, which my SIL now owns has a 215 ohv with dual 1904 Holleys, Offy intake, Clifford dual exhaust header, shaved head, and Fenton hi lift rockers. I had the engine dyno’d and saw 180hp, which was about the max you’d get out of the crankshaft before pissing horsepower out of holes in the oil pan. The damn thing sounds like an Austin Healy 3000 when Jake puts his foot in it.

My 52 Chevy 3100 had a 55 235 in it. I had a 292 waiting in the wings for it but the pickup was rear ended and totaled. Currently, I have the 4.0 in the LJ and the 237 flatty in the DeSoto.

 

[Squatch]

I learned to drive in a 62 Ranchero with a 170 and 3 on the tree. I can’t recall if it was Hot Rod or Motor Trend that had an article on how to double the carbs on that family of engines with the the cast in head intake. I showed the article to my Dad and he just said, “Don’t you dare touch my truck.”

I've owned a few Ford 200 cid inline sixes. If'n I recall correctly, one of the ways to add multiple carbs was to mill the top of the intake log off, and mount a flat adapter to it. But I could be mistaken. It's been a lot of years since I was into them. I do remember that there was a company based out of Australia (Aussie Heads?) that had a head (aluminum?) with separate intake and exhaust manifolds. They were neat, but cost prohibitive, IMHO.