Stock 260 assistance

[Tom]

Yeah, I sorta want to keep my original 260 in the car. What I'm looking for (and what others may want also) are hints and suggestions on boosting the horsepower without making too many exterior modifications (you know, keep it looking as close to stock as possible).

No, I don't have the money to drop a 302 in the car, nor do the shock column modifications to drop a blg block engine in the car. I just want a little more get-up-and-go.

[w2zero]

Tom

What rear end gears do you have under it? That is one of the biggest differences you can make without a major change somewhere else.
Used 8" center sections can be had for as cheap as 25 dollars but you need to get an education first. learn the axle codes to read off the door tag and crosscheck with the tag on the center section. If you have 2.80 or 3.00 rear gears then a 3.25 might put the engine in a better powerband for a little more fun.

Dual exhaust helps if you haven't already done it. Some cast exhaust manifolds from a Maverick flow almost as well as the K code manifolds.

On the engine side, maybe a small four barrel carb around 500 cfm will keep the port velocity up in your restrictive intake. Shop around for a used Edelbrock performer 289 intake to go with that carb. without a major surgery like heads and cam you can optimize what you have.
Better ignition can be had but the cost may be a concern. Maybe keep an eye out for a used MSD 6 series or another brand. If it is not working, buy it for dirt and send it to the manufacturer. Worth a shot and you get a newly refurbished unit back for shipping and whatever they charge to fix it.
A switch to a gm module can save you changing the points anymore and net some more spark too for a really cheap alternative.

While the above won't net you a great deal of power it will run much better than dropping in a 600 carb and a manifold that will completely overwhelm the heads and exhaust. All that would do is result in running better than what you have now but only at wide open throttle. Beyond that if you want to maintain stock appearances and get a lot more power youj will need to pull the 260/trans and store them. The 289 and 302 have all the same outside dimensions and you can pump them up without damaging the 260 when you want to go back to bone stock.

[STU]

I guess just put a little more cam in it, a 4bbl carb, dual exhaust, headers and port the heads. The heads are the killer with the small valve sizes and pressed in rocker arm studs.

[S33METEOR]

I agree, the valves in s.b.f. are puny. provided the pistons are valve reliefed, upgrade to 1.94/1.60 valves. port match intake/exhaust manifolds and with a mild cam and good intake, autolite 4100 , hipo manifolds or equivilent, the 260 can make power and look stock.

[w2zero]

How much do you want to spend? Whatever you decide, make sure you plan everything from the air cleaner to the exhaust tips and where the tire hits the pavement. Just one severely mismatched component will kill most if not all the improvements.

A friend built his 260 63 Fairlane and went to a bigger cam and Hooker Supercomps with a high stall converter and a double pumper.

It was a real turd until it got rolling since he still had the 2.80 open differential under it. The next owner complained about the valve adjustment changing while the studs were pulling out. He got rid of the car because it had become a pain to drive in normal conditions.

You can still go into stealth mode by putting your early front cover on a later block and save your 260 for later.

Remember this is just my opinion. I know nothing and further, I can prove it! ;D

[eflow]

Here is a pretty good step by step theory on building power and performance. I say theory because it is not specific to any single make or model.

www.hotrod.com/tipstricks/52278/index.html

The tricky part is putting the right components together! ;D

The rear end gear swap is a really great way to start. It can turn the power you have into something you can measure. A great article from Hot Rod online showed how just a simple swap in a chevy took almost 5 seconds off their time!

[Tom]

I really don't have that much extra money laying around, and if I did, it would probably be cheaper to buy a whole different car!

[w2zero]

How much of a wrench head are you?

Willing to learn?

Low budget will be shop and or trade for a better center section for your car. You will still have the old one to put back in later if you want to change back to original.

What rear end gears does the car have now? Changing those will make it a different car. You will be out the price of the center, 25 to 50 bucks, and a refill on your differential oil and a gasket or a tube of gasket goo.

You may get all you want out of just that gear change.

Dual exhaust if you don't already have it. Improved flow from some Maverick cast exhaust manifolds circa 1969. Keep an eye out for an early Ford four barrel manifold and carb. All you need is in the Junkyards or backyards. Donors range from Mustang 2's Mavericks, and V8 Granadas to name a few. Learn to identify 8" rear ends and how to decode the tags and door tags.

There is lots more for the asking once you get there.

[Tom]

Headers and dual exhaust are a real possibility, and probably within my price range this winter, but how goofy does dual exhaust look on a four-door sedan? Not as goofy as side pipes, I bet. The axle code is 1 - 3.00:1.

Wrench head? I'm not much of a wrench head, but I'm learning. I was still terrified when someone who knew what he was doing took the lead to replace my head gaskets.

[w2zero]

Take a picture of your cars rear end so you can go search under some Mustang 2's. If you get lucky you may find one with 3.45 rear gears. It might even be a Track Lock too. A set of 3.25 gears with the intake and exhaust would be quite a change for the car.

Granadas with five lugs and a V8 will have an 8" rear but most of them have 2.80 and 3.0 gears. Occasionally you will see a Granada with bucket seats and a floor shift. That should have a good rear end for you. They are a four speed top loader case with three gears and overdrive in the fourth slot. Fairlanes have possibilities too.

How many boneyards are local to you? They are a great place to waste some time and get educated.

[eflow]

The duals won't look funny at all, just don't go with lakes, have them just poke out the back end nice and tidy.

From everyone I've talked to and all the articles I've read, if your rear end is undergeared you can do all you want to the engine but that new power just won't make it to the pavement, or it will take a lot of the punch out of it. Junkyards are just the best, especialy for this. Lots of cars with gears looking to be pulled!

[Tom]

Boneyards? I'm living in the lap of luxury when it comes to boneyards. There are several around town, and on a little drive we made today I saw several at a town about 65 miles away. Couldn't believe the cars from the 50s still laying around. Will have to check them out.

[w2zero]

Well, there ya are. Scoot on out there and once they see the Merc they just might point you in the right direction. It would still be real handy to know the gear ratio on your car. Decoding your door tag may give it but after all these years it could have been changed. Not too likely but possibly. There should be a metal tag on one of the nuts holding the center section of the rear axle in. Read that tag under there. Take a flashlight and a brush to clean the crap off it. The second line starts with the gear ratio. The first number is usually really close to the nut and hard to read. It should look something like 3 . 2 5 or some such.