Ford straight-six engine
The Ford Motor Company produced straight-six engines from 1906 until 1908 and from 1941 until 2016. In 1906, the first Ford straight-six was introduced in the Model K. The next was introduced in the 1941 Ford. Ford continued producing straight-six engines for use in its North American vehicles until 1996, when they were discontinued in favor of more compact V6 designs.
Ford Australia also manufactured straight-six engines in Australia for the Falcon and Territory models until 2016, when both vehicle lines were discontinued. Following the closure of the Australian engine plant, Ford no longer produces a straight-six gasoline engine.
First generation
The first-generation Ford six-cylinder engines were all flatheads. They were the G- and H-series engines of used in cars and trucks and the M-series of used in larger Ford trucks and for industrial applications.226
Introduced for the 1941 model year, the first Ford L-6 displaced and produced, the same as the Flathead V-8 that year. Like the V-8, it was also a flathead or L-head engine. In 1948, Ford raised the compression of the flathead six or L-6 so that it generated and of torque. The G- and H-series engines were used in the full-sized Ford cars and trucks to replace the smaller Flathead V8 that was used in the 1937 Ford. Ford discontinued production of the H-series engine for the 1951 model year.254
A version of the L-6 was used from 1950 to 1953 in F6-series Ford trucks, and small Ford school buses. The M-series engine produced and of torque. They were also used in miscellaneous industrial applications, e.g., to power water pumps for irrigation purposes and within vineyards to manage risk by powering giant frost-control propellers on stands in the middle of rows of grapes.Second generation
The second generation was a newly designed inline-six, produced from 1952 through 1964; it shared many parts with Ford Y-blocks such as the entire valve train and the problems associated with the Y-block's lubrication system. These engines have the exhaust and intake on the driver's side and the distributor on the passenger side. It is referred to as Mileage Maker or I-Block Mileage Maker in the passenger cars and Cost Clipper in the trucks.215
A completely new OHV I-6 was offered for the 1952–53 F-Series. It displaced and produced. It was also used in the 1952–53 Ford full-sized cars.223
The 215 grew to for the 1954 F-Series. Output was now in the trucks and in the 1954 Ford cars. Power was up to in the 1956 trucks. While not the popular engine option, the 223 was the only inline-six offered in the Fairlane, Galaxie, and F-Series trucks between 1955 and 1964, causing it to be not quite a rarity, but not easy to come across. The 223 was also used in 1963–1964 Ford trucks, which also used the Autolite 1100 carburetor with stamping C4TF-E and produced with 206 ft-lb of torque, and Mercury Meteor-Monterey in 1961. The 223 was also used in Onan 30EC generator sets and possibly others.262
A I-6 version was also produced. The 262 I-6 was built from 1961 to 1964 for use in medium- and heavy-duty Ford trucks. This engine was also used for industrial applications.Third generation
The third generation was produced at the Lima Engine plant in Lima, Ohio, from 1960 through 1984. Officially dubbed the Thriftpower Six, this engine line is sometimes referred to as the Falcon Six.144
The inline-six engine was first introduced in the 1960 Ford Falcon. The 144 was made from 1960 through 1964 and averaged during the production run. While not known for being powerful or a stout engine, it proved to be economical and could get fairly good gas mileage for the time, up to. This small six was the basis for all the Ford "Falcon" straight-six engines. The intake manifold on this series was cast integrally with the cylinder head ; as a result, they could not be easily modified for greater power. This engine had four main bearings and can be identified by the three core plugs on the side of the block.This engine was used in:
- 1960–1964 Ford Falcon
- 1960–1964 Ford Ranchero
- 1960–1964 Mercury Comet
- 1961–1964 Ford E-Series
170
As used in the Argentinian-made Ford Falcon from 1962 until 1970, this engine produced at 4400 rpm.
187
From 1965 to 1969, Ford Argentina produced a specific block similar to the earlier, with four main bearings and a stroke) but with a bore. It was replaced by the from 1969. Power was rated at.200
The inline-six model was introduced in the middle of 1963 with bore and stroke, and shared the four main bearing design of the 170. Early 200s can be identified by three core plugs. Beginning in 1965, the 200s were upgraded to seven main bearings to reduce harmonic vibrations and increase durability. The 1965 and later engines can be identified by four core plugs and the casting code C5DE-H. The 1965 Mustang used this engine as standard, rated at. The Mustang continued to use the 200 as its base engine until it was dropped in 1971. Starting in 1966, a six-bolt bellhousing flange block was introduced. Beginning in 1980, one version of the 200 block was redesigned with a bell housing flange and a low-mount starter very similar to the low-mount starter 250 inline-six. This version is easily identified by starter location down by the oil pan rail and is referred to as the Big Bell 200. The big bell design is uncommon, but sought after by I-6 performance enthusiasts because it can be modified to accept a Ford small block V8 six bolt bell housing. There were concurrent high-mount starter 200 blocks made till 1983 model year, and they are more common than low-mount starter 200s.When Ford launched the third-generation Fox body Mustang in 1979, the original engine lineup included the Cologne V6. The same engine was also offered in the hugely successful Ford of Europe Capri Mk II. The 2.8 L V6 engine was a popular option for the US Mustang and the European Capri Mk II, and as a result, the Cologne engine plant could not meet the demand for engines for both continents. As a result, the Cologne 2.8 L V6 was dropped from the Mustang's engine lineup in the middle of the 1979 production year and replaced with the 200 Falcon inline-six, which was then referred to as the 3.3 L engine. The engine and front suspension K-member were transferred from the Fairmont, which helped reduce costs instead of having to redesign the Mustang for a different engine.
The 200 was used in the Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet and continued in the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr until they were discontinued at the end of the 1983 model year. The 1975–80 Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch offered the 200 inline-six as the standard engine. For 1981–82 the Ford Granada was redesigned and common with an expanded line of Mercury Cougars which used the 200 inline-six as the standard engine. From mid-year 1980 through 1982 the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar XR-7 used the 200 inline-six as the standard engine. The Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis, introduced in 1983 as the successors to the Granada and Cougar, carried over the 200 engine until it was replaced by the 3.8L Essex V6 for 1984.
Ford was also having problems meeting demand for its 2.3 L OHC engine, which was used in a multitude of models worldwide. In anticipation of another engine shortage, the Ford engine plant in Lima, Ohio, which was already producing the 2.3-liter OHC engine, decided they could modify the Falcon inline six block casting molds to remove cylinders 4 and 5 to create a four-cylinder engine. A cast-iron high-swirl cylinder head was developed, and the new 2.3 L engine was designated the HSC to differentiate it from the same displacement 2.3 L OHC design. This engine shared many common parts with the 200, and it is common for persons rebuilding their 200 engines to use the 2.3 L HSC pistons as a cheap replacement.
Applications:
- 1963–1967 Ford Ranchero
- 1963–1969 Ford Fairlane
- 1964–1970 Ford Falcon
- 1965–1971 and 1979–1982 Ford Mustang
- 1968–1969 Ford Torino
- 1970–1977 Ford Maverick
- 1975–1982 Ford Granada
- 1978–1983 Ford Fairmont
- 1973–1977 Ford Bronco
- 1980–1982 Ford Thunderbird
- 1983 Ford LTD
- 1964–1967 and 1971–1977 Mercury Comet
- 1975–1980 Mercury Monarch
- 1978–1983 Mercury Zephyr
- 1979–1982 Mercury Capri
- 1980–1982 Mercury Cougar
- 1983 Mercury Marquis
250
Power was re-evaluated at for 1972 and the next year. This engine had seven main bearings, and can be identified by the five core plugs on the side of the block. The block uses a low-mount starter and six bellhousing bolts, sharing its bellhousing pattern with the 302 and 351 Windsor V8s, late 289, early 4.6 L V8, and the 240 and 300 inline-six. Production of the 250 ended in 1980.
Applications:
- 1968–1976 Ford Ranchero
- 1968–1973 Ford Torino
- 1969–1973 Ford Mustang
- 1970–1977 Ford Maverick
- 1975–1980 Ford Granada
- 1968–1969 Mercury Comet
- 1972–1976 Mercury Montego
- 1975–1980 Mercury Monarch