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250 inline 6 power

33K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Bruce 
#1 ·
just wondering how much power does my motor have i put a new racing cam in it shaved the head and put the standard pistons back in it





how much power does it have stander
and then with the upgrades :D
 
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#3 ·
well first off the stock was anything from a advertised 100-155 hp depending on the year and what it was in.

Secondly I can not see anyone installing a "RACE" cam In with stock /standered pistons. and a 1b carb and Stock exhaust.
a BIG waste of money Because the motor/Head can't even breath enough for the Cam you say you just installed.
Many HP cams Need Or want more compression then stock.and even if you have went from the stock 8.5-1 to 9-1
That still not enough compression for any RACE cam. Most want at the very least a good 10-1 PLUS compression. And a More open exhaust system (then stock)
So in NOT knowing the cam specks And for what I see,I think you would be lucky if you have hit even 200hp And That's if the motor was stock at 155 hp.

So to have been so Bold/ Point Blank. But that is my 2cents.And I think you would have been better off with some kinda dual exhaust headers or Tom Langdons dual exhaust.
And Doing some head work to get the Head to Breather Better.Then just installing a New cam,and milling the head.
 
#4 ·
been wonting to find dual exhaust for a inline 6 dont know the spec of the cam right know will have to look. the motor was borded out befor i got it. i for got what it was borded out to so i put the same piston size that was in it did not have no more money to spend on every thing lol saving for a 350 borded out 60 over i got to drive the inline for a about a year to i get my new baby fix
 
#5 ·
The motor looks nice but I think this is the only one I've seen here with the later head. The intake manifold is cast into the head, which really limits your options as far as headers and carb. Instead of milling that head you should have gotten an older head with separate manifold from the wrecking yard. Then you could look at Clifford or Offenhauser intakes for 4 barrel, and Clifford headers, the Stovebolt dual exhaust manifolds, or the big 292 exhaust manifold Sgtsteve told me about.
My '72 250 was rated at 110hp stock, and since your engine is later, it may have been less. Like Twisted6 said the cam may not have made much difference with the 1 barrel still on there. He knows his sixes. Shaving the head might have helped, though. Does it feel more powerful?
If the engine was bored you should have gotten the right oversized pistons I would think. Others here would know more about that.
If you decide to keep the six I've got an extra Holley 390 four barrel if you're interested.
 
#6 ·
I had a '77 6 banger with the same integral intake head design. Basically it sucks, well it doesn't suck at all really. There isn't much you can do with that like was mentioned earlier. You've done a decent job making it look pretty good, drive it like it is for now and enjoy it. Don't waste any more money on THAT 6 banger. Maybe if it had a different head it may be worth doing some upgrades, but consider what you're going to pay and you could get a running V8. Maybe not a tire shredder but something better to start with.

Don't get me wrong I have real soft spot in my heart for that motor, but that's where it's staying. If I wanted a reliable decent looking car that motor would suit just fine. But face it we all want performance and that "sucked back in the seat" feel. The cheapest way to get that is with a small block Chevy and not that particular 6 cylinder.

Of course there are those that "dare to be different" however that takes a little bit more cabbage, time and effort. If you're willing to pay the price and invest that much time, for sure it's cool. It's all what YOU want in the end.
 
#7 ·
Matt, if nobody else has said it, welcome to the site. I would agree with ALLT4 that if you want to save money and get the most power, save it for the 350. Stuff for the six can cost more. I've found quite a few guys here that "dare to be different" though.:cool:
If you have time to read it, check out a post from October called "will these headers fit a 194, confusing and misleading" started by Mark Sipes. It's pretty long, but there's quite a bit of discussion about the options for a Chevy six. It strays from the original subject a bit but there are some good pictures from Sgtsteve. Having spent quite a bit of money on performance parts for my six, I would consider duplicating his setup for minimum cost and cold weather driveablility. I don't know where you're located, but here in Seattle it's in the lower 30's in the morning and my motor doesn't like it.
 
#9 ·
I am a big 6 cylinder fan, but if your goal is to put a 350 in the car anyway, save your money for the V8 and coversion pieces. If you already have the cam, pistons etc for the 250 you might be better off to find a cheap decent running used 250 to stuff back in your Nova for now and sell the 6 cyl hot rod parts.

If you want to do something different, an inline is a lot of fun, but horsepower does not come cheap.
 
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