If you were going to build a car and wanted to use a straight 6, which one would you use? Availability, parts supply,weight would all be factors to consider. I've been thinking about big Healeys, that's why I ask.
If you were going to build a car and wanted to use a straight 6, which one would you use? Availability, parts supply,weight would all be factors to consider. I've been thinking about big Healeys, that's why I ask.
Vortec 4200 for me. I still want to do one in my 70 Chevelle with a turbo.
LL8 Vortec 4200
BMW also makes some wonderful and powerful I6s.. everything from the old school m20 up to the last M3's S54
Toyota DOHC six. Other than being pretty sizeable (but should still fit in a Big Healey) they are about everything you could ask for: readily available, tough, good selection of transmissions readily available from boneyards, lots of aftermarket support.
Behind that would be the Datsun SOHC six. They are getting a bit olde skool now, though.
E34 BMW M5 3.8L straight six. 385hp, pre-OBD II, six individual throttle bodies... What else is there?
It depends on what your plans are.
Vintage British feel? Jaguar straight sixes are pretty easy to find.
Vintage American hot rod? I'd go with a Mopar slant six.
Massive amounts of turbocharged power? Toyota 2JZ-GTE is hard to beat.
Massive amounts of naturally aspirated power? My vote goes to the various BMW DOHC sixes from the '90s.
Most obscure motor to make everyone wonder what it is? There was a Daewoo 2.5 straight six used in the Suzuki Verona for a few years. Nobody's heard of that one.
Zomby woof wrote: LL8 Vortec 4200
x3
i had one, but sold it instead of moving it to the new house. it was a low miles complete takeout with harness, pcm, accessories, downpipe with cat. for $425 off ebay freight included.
S38 out of the last rev of the E34 M5.
335@ 6900 rpm
295 lb·ft @4750 rpm
Badass, sounds like porno sex and revs like a chainsaw... but... really outshines a Chevelle.
I put a Bowtie 396 in my '70 Chevelle and the sound of the idle makes me pee a little. You really can't go wrong with good old 'murican machinery for that application. Plus... if you want to boost the crap out of it later - the drag racing guys have a way to get there easily.
Mercedes m104 is a pretty cool engine if you can find one. 24V inline 6, I think they make around 220hp. It is no BMW engine though.
Honda motorcycle inline 6. Six 2 cycle chainsaw enigines linked together.(think of what the tuned mufflers would look like!!)
Pontiac's OHC '60s six cylinder. No, not easy to find, probably not cheap, but the WOW factor would be would be quite high.
did some googling...
Holy crap that 4200 six is nutso with a turbo on it.
This guy did a 4200 swap sans turbo into an FJ80 landcruiser. Sayst he cruiser now gets 21-22mpg which is within the range that the cummins swapped fj80's get... HA!
edit: dude with fj80 used a 3500 not 4200.
2jze?
What vehicles did the Vortec 4200 come in? I'm not up on GM engines anymore. Is it just a 6 cylinder version of the I-5 I looked at in a Chevy Colorado at the dealer a while ago?
trailblazer/envoy/bravada/rainier/ascender/9-7x
i guess its related to the I-5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Atlas_engine
Trailblazer, not sure what else. I had two engines several years ago. They were warranty swaps that had broken liners. At that time the repairs were way too expensive. I ended up giving them away.
I was gonna say either 2jz or an RB of some sort. RB25 is a little shorter IIRC- but I have seen an RB26 in the nose of an FB rx7- so mebbe it would work in a big Healey.
Jeep 4.0L Cheap lot's of them in the J yard 
AMC/Jeep I-6. Mix 1 part 258 with part 4.0HO for a 4.6L stroker with EFI, add boost and make insane torque like a diesel tractor trailer.
If I were thinking American, my first choice would be a Chevy Hi-Torque 292, backed by a three-on-the-tree, just because I have fond memories of them. They have pretty good aftermarket options available.
I also like the Pontiac OHC because they look cool, but they are surprisingly big and heavy.
Ideally, I'd prefer a crossflow head, but I think that limits your options to BMW (good but unattractive), Jaguar and a few others.
The Jaguar 3.8 may be one of the best looking engines ever, there's a ton of info on them and they have a crossflow head. It would probably be my ultimate choice. I'd love to put one in a 28-29 Model A Hi-Boy or a 1914 Model T Speedster.
But, all straight sixes are heavy...
Big ego wrote: did some googling... Holy crap that 4200 six is nutso with a turbo on it. This guy did a 4200 swap sans turbo into an FJ80 landcruiser. Sayst he cruiser now gets 21-22mpg which is within the range that the cummins swapped fj80's get... HA! edit: dude with fj80 used a 3500 not 4200.
The masterplan for my Land Crusher is the 4200 I6. Do you have the link to that guy's swap?
Ford 300
7 main bearings, 12 port head, cheap and easy to find, uses the Ford V8 bellhousing and will withstand a nuclear blast.
Shawn
Nissan RB engines?
Another vote for the ford 300....
Meaty powerband, reliable as an anvil, and unmuffled they sound like a Cessna...
BMW S50/52 from E36 M3s. '95 if you want OBD1, 96-99 for OBD2. Add an M50 manifold on the later ones to move the torque peak up about 1500 rpm.
Or an old Jag engine, preferably the 4.2L one w/ 3 DCOE Webers...
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