Ford Cyclone

So I have been looking at Duratecs (V6) for future project fodder for a while now and decided to check pricing on the Cyclone since it can be had in RWD form from the get go. The Mustang motors are still pricey but the ones from the Edge and Taurus plenty cheap ($600 with 60k miles). You still have to buy the pricey mustang trans but these are bound to come down. For some reason I thought that all the cyclone motors had DI but I guess it is only the Ecoboost version. I think 265-307 hp for under 2k with trans sounds pretty sweet. These should come in around 350lbs (with accessories) like the duratec/KLs that preceded them. I think this would make a killer Falcon motor or something similar. Thoughts?

I've thought similarly, but about the new 5.0. Applications can be endless. I'd be happy to help out as well. It would be a fun project.

For some reason I thought this thread was going to be about these.

Ok so they are Mercury.

In reply to singleslammer:

It's physical size that would worry me. You can shove an LSx well inside the envelope the Cyclone takes up.

Does anyone know if the current duratec uses the same bellhousing pattern as the duratecs of old(96+ 3L v6's) I haven't found any proof of this yet......and I eventually want to use a current mustang trans to put a 3.4L sho v8 into teh bimmer.....

yamaha wrote: I haven't found any proof of this yet......and I eventually want to use a current mustang trans to put a 3.4L sho v8 into teh bimmer.....

This, but in a FB RX-7. I've been dreaming about it for a couple of weeks.

In reply to Toyman01:

It'll still be slow, but I can guarentee that it would sound better than an lsx......

yamaha wrote: In reply to Toyman01: It'll still be slow, but I can guarentee that it would sound better than an lsx......

Can't be slower than a blown up 12A and different is good. LSX has been done to death. Granted it's with good reason but I like different. It's a toss up between a 3.4 V8 and a supercharged 3.8 at the moment. Subject to change without notice, of course.

In reply to Javelin:

Well then why did we have the vq thread a while back then? This weighs at least 150 lbs less and is shorter from crank pulley to flywheel. It also is very efficient. Not trying to argue but lsx can't always the answer. It just can't be.

In reply to yamaha:

I think we have been over this before the cyclone (3.5 & 3.7 currently in production) has a different bell than the old 3.0 and the SHO 3.4.

In reply to singleslammer:

Man, I'm with you. I positively loathe LSx swaps, even though I'd buy a swapped FC or FD RX-7 about 2 milliseconds after winning the lotto.

The problem with all of these modern OHC 6's is they are just so stinking big. They take as much real estate as all of the old school pushrod V8's (though a 3.7/300HP/30MPG V6 instead of a Windsor 5.0 sounds good to me).

In reply to Javelin:

I think that the V6 might be a bit smaller than an LSX due to the V degree. For example, the Toyota MR2 Spider (have one) has an easy time fitting the 1mz, a slightly harder time with the 1GR that followed it (these are both Toyota V6s) and there is NO way that a LS will fit. Someone test fit an LS4 and it was both too long and wide. Just saying that the LSX isn't tiny and that there are plenty of good v6s that fit in smaller places.

In reply to singleslammer:

Are either of those DOHC with VVT though?

singleslammer wrote: In reply to yamaha: I think we have been over this before the cyclone (3.5 & 3.7 currently in production) has a different bell than the old 3.0 and the SHO 3.4.

I didn't catch that before.......thanks. I wonder how close they are......

OK, I talked to the Ford guys at SEMA. I asked them what was up with a crate engine EcoBoost 3.5 from the F150. They said the crate engine was about $14k and they were working on a stand alone ECU to control it in any application. Dunno if you noticed that back there... FOURTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS for a crate engine. Coyote 5.0 is $6,900-6,500 depending where you shop. And the ECU is $1,800 and alternator kit was like $500 or something. Sure it's not direct injected and twin turbocharged... But watevs. Ok, now go find a wrecked 2011+ F150 and pull the engine outta there and buy the ECU kit for it. Still though...

That is ridiculous. There is no way that it will cost 14k. If it is that high, they probably won't even sell it. it would be cheaper to buy a BRAND NEW F150 Ecoboost and part the damn thing out for the motor. But yes, junk yard motor.

In reply to Javelin:

Yes, the 1mz is DOHC and the later ones have vvt. The GR series has VVTi on top of the DOHC. I am pretty sure that the ford is smaller too. Supposedly the Duratec is based on the KL series that Mazda came up with. It was built to be tiny and I think that the Duratec and Cyclone follow suit. KLs are friggin tiny for a six, and light.

Jesus, $14k? Isn't that right about what LS7s and Ford GT motors (the all-aluminum S/C DOHC 5.4L) run? Why would anyone pay $14k for an EB 3.5L when the same money buys either of those or two Coyotes?

No E36 M3. This needs to be a 5k motor.

In reply to singleslammer:

I would bet you the duratec has more in common with the sho's v6 than the KL series engines....vastly different engines.

the duratec has nothing in common with the kl. the original kl was a porche and casowrth design that ford bought.

Thats just what wikipedia said. Maybe someone more knowledgeable them me should fix that.

93EXCivic wrote: For some reason I thought this thread was going to be about these. Ok so they are Mercury.

Don't feel lonesome, I thought this. OK, so I'm old. Still kinda lost about what this is about. Engines called cyclone?

In reply to singleslammer:

Yeah, I think you're getting really confused. The KL stuff is really small. Duratec's don't have anything in common and are larger (physically, not just displacement). The new Cyclones are larger still, especially the DOHC heads (height, width) and the VVT stuff (front length).

A KL will definitely go where an LS can't. A Duratec might be a toss-up (shorter but wider, maybe taller depending), but a Cyclone should be physically larger than even the LS in nearly every dimension, at least according to semi-reliable info on the web.

Conquest351 wrote: OK, I talked to the Ford guys at SEMA.

Ford Racing's goal is to help sell new cars, crate engine 'kits' are just a very good form of advertising the new powertrains.

The Ford 'Cyclone' a.k.a the modern D35, 3.5L DOHC V6 is the engine of choice for the Ginetta G50 and there is a wealth of upgrade parts available for it (albeit in the UK). The early FWD variants (Fusion, Edge, etc) are the same basic architecture as the current 305 hp RWD Mustang variant, with the usual complexity of covers, sumps, FEAD's, brackets, manifolds, etc.

It is a very good engine, although tall, but if it fits in a G50, it should fit in alot of other applications as well. For an aftermarket turbo or hot-rod NA motor an earlier PFI engine would be much easier to play with and doesn't give up much if anything in terms of absolute performance.