Turbo-Thrift 6: Any Ideas and Experience?

I'm in for updates...I love these old engines and want an excuse to own one some day.  

I see them all the time in boats while looking at projects and would really like to have one in a boat (but my in/out boats now have the 4 cylinder version of this same basic engine)

All the stuff has been mentioned by others.  It should be fairly easy to make fit anywhere a Small or Big Block Chevy V8 originally fit from the factory.  Same bellhousing bolt pattern I believe.  They were often the base engine where a Small or big block was an option.   I think an old Van would be a great place to put one.

If you want a square carb, I've got like 6 of these and will buy more when I need carburetors: Holley "refurb" Carburetor sold by Holley on Ebay  

That link is for example and was just the first one that came up in a search.  Be sure to find one with the linkage and such that you need (there are a handful of varations, I think).  The key is...look for the ones sold by Holley themselves.  Like I said, I've bought like 6 of these things and every time I get one, I can't tell that it's anything other than a brand new carburetor.  Basically, it's the modern edition of the old 4156 vacuum secondary 600 Holley.

ShawnG said:

Putting some thought into this...

If it ran well, I'd not bother opening the engine until I put it in something and drive it. You might hate it, who knows.

So, with that in mind, here's what I would do to stuff it in something and make it go.

It's a Chevy engine so it shares it's parts bin with all the other Chevy engines.

Go find a HEI distributor for it from a later 250. It should drop in. This gives you access to all the weight and spring kits, vacuum advance cans and the like that are available to tune the V8 distributors. HEI ignition stuff is cheap, lasts forever and will be more than you will ever need for that thing.

It probably uses SBC rocker arms. Do a little checking, then go buy some high lift rockers for it. Check to make sure you don't run into coil bind on the valve springs. You'll get a little more airflow for little cash without doing a full-on cam swap.

Use the 4-barrel manifold but go buy an Edelbrock carburetor for it. They're a perfectly ok carburetor, they're easily tuneable and they use an air door system almost like a Q-jet. They will bolt directly to your manifold, tuning parts are easy to get, they're usually close right out of the box and, best of all, no gaskets below the fuel level unlike a Holley. 

Put the T5 transmission behind it. That gives you an overdrive so now you can use a 3.73 or lower rear end to give you some go off the line but still keep the revs low on the highway.

Add headers if you feel they're necessary. The Clifford ones I've installed have had thin flanges. I'd see if I could find some free-flowing cast iron manifolds from somewhere. Sanderson might make some Chevy 6 iron shorty headers.

That will make it run about as well as it can without some work to the internals. 

I like I6 engines, they're a lot of fun to drive and don't sound like anything else.

I wonder if it would fit in a Vega?

Fotunately, the engine also came with an HEI setup.  See?  I have a free (key word being free):

1. Supposedly-running-when-removed 250 engine out of a '74 Dang Ole Camero
2. 4 barrel aluminum intake
3. Headers
4. HEI
5. Delco alternator
6. Box of assorted other parts
7. Clutch

The T5 option seems like a good one; there's thousands of them in the boneyards and the swap is well documented.  And the OD will make it so I don't care about the low revs.  

I mean, I guess if someone gave me a free bag of dogE36 M3 I wouldn't try to figure out how to make chili out of it, but I think there's at least _some_ redeeming value to all this bowtie-shaped pig metal.  

EDIT:  I do have a box with about a half a dozen old 4 barrel carbs in it.  I guess I should raid that first and see if I can find something promising.  

In reply to Mr_Asa :

This forum really needs an ignore feature.

In reply to Noddaz :

Very nice and elegant improvement.  Isn't it?   Then you have a variety of ways to treat the inlet.  You can put on individual air filters or use air horns.  Those can take a hand made collector and filter fresh cold air.