Technical Help me decide between 226 flattie six & Mustang 200 six?

Hi fellas,

Once again, I’m calling on the vast knowledge you guys on here have.
Your advice helped me drive my F1 across the country when I bought it, and many times since then, too.
The 226 flattie in my daily driver ‘51 Ford F1 is making some noises like it needs rebuilt.
I bought the truck last year, and I think the 226 may have never been rebuilt!
It has always shaken and been noisy, but I suspect at least one cylinder isn’t providing much power, and I have no idea how sweet can a 226 run when it’s running correctly.
My wife’s Falcon has a 200 six and three speed from a 60’s Mustang, and that engine and tranny is so smooooooth, I envy it every time I drive it.
If anyone has experience with both these engines when they are running as they should, which one would you pick for an F1 pickup?
I want to keep a three speed stick or even a four speed in my truck.
I would like my truck to ride a LOT quieter, like my wife’s Falcon.
I believe the 60’s Mustang three speed has helical-cut gears that makes it a lot quieter than my ‘51’s straight-cut gears, right?
Is the Mustang three speed short enough to work without altering my cross member?
I’ve even considered the legendary unkillable 300/4.9 Ford six.
Would the manual tranny that the 300 came with work, or would the 300 mate to the Mustang three speed, or even my ‘51 three speed?
I already swapped in a 9 inch rear, so that’ll be strong enough for anything.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
Scott

 

I have a 300 6 in my f6 F100. It is a great combo!

 

You can gain much insight by visiting the www.fordsix.com website. They have forums for the small six, the big six and vintage Ford sixes.

Much as I like my 300 / 240s you would probably have an easier time with the 200.

 

Thanks, Frenchie.
I’ll ask on the Ford six forum, too.
How would you compare the daily drivability of your 240 & 300, and the 200 with the 226 flathead?
My F1 is my daily driver.
Why do you say I’d have an easier time with the 200?

 

Thanks, Greg!
Do you have any experience with the 200 or my 226 flattie?
Scott

 

The 300 would be the cats ass .

you will enjoy the simplicity , availability, and cost of parts / rebuild of the 200 inline compared to the 226 flattie .


At the end of the day are you wanting to keep your rig stock or you don’t care ?


Me , personally I would do the 300 !!

 

Thanks for the tips.
I would prefer my truck to be stock if the 226 flathead can run as sweet as the more modern sixes.
But, since I daily drive it, the driving is the most important thing to me.
Do you have experience with a good-running 226, and would you give opinions on the smoothness and drive ability of that vs. your 300?
I know the 300 will be superior in every way, but by how much?

Thanks again,
Scott

 

The 300 with a truck C4 would be a great combo.
You can't beat it for everyday use and durability.
I fit one in a model T coupe. A F1 should have enough room.

 

I can’t comment on the 226 flattie.

but any “modern” ford inline 6 will work .

just re-read my first post .

im partial to inline 6’s

 

Thanks!

 

This is the H.A.M.B. Guys like us do engine swaps to gain the maximum power increase possible. This makes a 300 an ideal candidate.

A 200 6? This ain't Cuba.

 

If you want to improve your daily driving pleasure , a sixties inline six and 4/5 speed I think you with even an 8” or 9” rear would feel like you went from the prom to the ball .

 

My ‘48 F1 is getting a Chevy 250 6 in a row , M20 Muncie with a 12 bolt rear.

 

Thanks.
I do have a 9 inch in already.
I just edited my original post to reflect that.
Would you know anything about the length of the trannies that come with the 300 being short enough to work with my crossmember?
Scott

 

I would do the 300. They have a whole lot more torque than the original engine, and the 200.

I have an angry high-compression 200 in my Falcon. It hauls ass, but my car is lighter, and somewhat more aerodynamic than your truck.

 

As an added bonus, Ford made the 300 deep into the 1990's, so there are plenty out there to choose from. I have seen them with the EFI eliminated, and a carburetor and conventional (Duraspark) distributor put in place.

 

I would definitely consider the 240-300 over the falcon six it is a more modern design and capable of providing much more torque for the truck.The falcon six evolved into a great engine starting with a 4 main bearing block and eventually gaining the 7 main block but there were many changes over the years and you have to be careful when mixing and matching,things like bellhousing bolt pattern and starter placement changed.The 240-300 on the other hand started out as a great engine right out of the gate and pretty much maintained the same architecture throughout its long life,there were literally millions of them made and are easy to find and you can even get EFI versions if that floats your boat.While it is a little bigger and heavier than a falcon 6 it is comparable in size and weight to the OHV 215's and 223's used in later F-1's.

 

Ford roughly made 7 million of these engines in the 300 or 240 size over a 35 year period.
If built right they are capable of about 300 reliable horsepower.

 

I know a guy who put some forged pistons in one that he got out of a dump truck (steel crank), tossed on a turbo, and makes a whole lot more than 300, closer to 500.

 

The 300/240 big six is as good a six as there is for daily drivability. I use them in three roadsters, two Anglias, one Willys and had a 240 Falcon and a couple of 300 vans too. They are as reliable as an anvil, and capable of way more power than either the 226 or the 200. I said the 200 would be easier because it is about three inches shorter with a smaller bellhousing than the 300. Plus - its a 12 volt engine, as is the 300. The 300 uses the 6-bolt V8 bellhousing and all related V8 transmissions will work behind it. You may have to get creative with the 300 oil pan clearing the I-beam axle too.

 

Yes sir, that is correct.
I was referring to naturally aspirated without forged pistons or crank.
The stock cast bottom end is good to somewhere around 470 hp.

 

Don't forget about the later 250 I6. Ford used them in mid and full sized cars from about 1972 on into the late 80's. Had one in an 82 Granada, couldn't kill that thing, and I tried, LOL! Same bellhousing pattern as the SBF.

 

The 300 uses the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the Windsor SBF family engines. So lot of modern OD trans options. The Mustang T5 as one example, but i think the truck ZF5 while a great truck trans is quite large and probably overkill for the F-1. The ZF-5 came stock behind some 300 engines. Also behind 460 and diesel engines. There is a lighter duty 5 spped that was Mazda built that was used behind some 302 trucks i believe.
As previously stated the 240/300 is the bigger size 6 vs the smaller 144/170/200/250 family. I think it's worth it to go with a 300, the extra power and availability make it a great option.

 

Not to dissuade you from an engine swap, but have you done any troubleshooting with the current engine? Ie compression test, tuneup parts, etc?

 

I’m just starting that now.
All I’ve done since owning it is an electronic ignition, new (stock) intake and exhaust manifolds, and rebuilt carb.
The distributor, plugs, and wires are new.
Compression testing is next.
I guess what I’m really asking is, how smooth and quiet can the 226 flattie be?
More power is always great, but I can live with the current 72mph cruising speed.
It’s the noise and vibration that’s giving me swap ideas.
On the freeway to work, it’s so noisy that the only way I can hear music without further damaging my army veteran hearing is with noise-blocking ear pods, and that’s with dynomat on the floor and in the doors.
Thanks again,
Scott

 

No experience with the Fords, but a few 218 Mopars, have you adjusted/checked the valve lash?
I mean you very well could have a worn out engine, but some needed maintenance might make you look at things differently.

 

What RPM are you having to turn the 226 flathead to cruise at 72 mph?
Maybe, if the 226 is in good shape, finding a more modern 3 speed that has a overdrive and will bolt to the engine with or without a adapter plate.
Tire size also affects RPM.

 

A buddy of mine had a 47 Ford with the flathead six when I was in high school. It was very smooth and torquey. We pulled out the six and put a 53 Mercury V8 in the car. The increase in performance was marginal.

 

If you step up and swap ANY of the Ford 6s into your truck, get one that you can hook a 5 speed/overdrive transmission to. One of the above posts has some good info on that. While you are happy with current performance, the trans will pay for itself in gas savings, and your noise level will come down a lot. Add that to the already quieter operating 6 cylinder and its well worth the effort. You will have to have some kind of transmission, so why not get one that really makes your truck enjoyable to drive.........and it will give you better acceleration getting onto the x-way.

 

A big question that is going to help answer that no one has asked is "Are you a welder/fabricator?"

Putting 300 in a 51 Ford truck is going to take some pretty major fab work. Engine mounts, transmission mounts, perhaps firewall, crossmember, or oil pan modifications.

I have seen many 49-54 Chevrolet 250 6 projects ended because it was more work then the people realized.